I wasn't at all impressed with what creators A.J. Lieberman and Al Barrionuevo offered up as a teaser for this limited series in DCU: Brave New World, but then again, I was never that taken with their previous collaboration on Batman: Gotham Knights. Still, as I thumbed through this comic book in the store this week, my curiosity was piqued by art, which was much stronger than the penciller's previous efforts. The sharp new design for the title character was enough added incentive to get me to give the project another look and open my mind to the potential for a good story. Unfortunately, it turns out I should have kept my wallet closed. This plot is one we've seen time and time again, and I'm just sick of reading stories about a secret government organization hunting down an alien subject it's kept hidden and imprisoned.
A confused, injured and scared being makes its way through the dark corners of the city, desperate to escape its tormentors. As the woman in charge of the organization that studied the alien punishes those who allowed the escape and tasks a mercenary with its retrieval, she watches the clock as time counts down the minutes until the creature will be able to telepathically contact its savior. That savior is the Martian Manhunter, who thought he was the last of his kind. But when he hears a fragile, faint voice in his head, pleading for help, it leads him to a place where he'll discover the fate of his Martian brethren was not as final as he thought.
Without a doubt, Barrionuevo's art on this debut issue is much stronger than what we've seen from him on Gotham Knights and Brave New World. There's greater depth and texture to his art, more detailed backgrounds and a sharper eye for anatomy and movement. I like the changes made to the title character's appearance. They're in keeping with the darker, harsher tone of the story. The flow of the action in the latter part of the book could have been much clearer, though, and the other character designs are terribly generic and unmemorable.
Turn on any channel dedicated to science-fiction and you're going to find this story. An alien on the run from corrupt and sadistic human captors... the plot is so familiar that every progression on this predictable path is a wince-inducing cliche. Another element that was suggested in the BNW teeup piece was that the title character was either about to become or about to face an evil counterpart, a new arch-nemesis with the same background and powers. It's Silver Age Villain Creation 101, and on top of that, Grant Morrison has already explored the notion of evil Martians in the DC Universe in JLA years ago.
To be fair, there are a number of elements that intrigued me and showed signs of promise. There seems to be an emphasis on the protagonist reclaiming his culture while discovering he is not the last of his kind. We've seen this sort of stranger-in-a-strange-land vibe from an alien super-hero before, but it's much more effective with the clearly alien J'Onn J'Onzz than the whitebread Superman. J'Onn's lament certainly rings more true than that of Clark Kent, who fits in among regular people with no problem. There are hints of sophistication here, seeds of strong characterization and mystery, but they're hidden by the clunkier aspects of the script. 4/10
