Absolute Martian Manhunter #4: A Moment when Less is More

John’s personal life is a major component of Absolute Martian Manhunter #4. Camp has been hinting at stress between John and his wife Bridge, and bringing that growing silent conflict to a vocal head is a welcome story development. But at the same time, Camp and Rodriguez suggest that Bridge is not fully in control of her emotions. White smoke, signifying the continued influence of the White Martian, pervades the issue. Bridge exudes the same smoke throughout, reaching a climax during her confrontation with John.

This is yet another example of how art and color operate on two levels within Absolute Martian Manhunter. John continues to respond to visual clues as much if not more than he does to what the Green Martian tells him. He can see when other characters are being manipulated, so when he sees the white smoke with Bridge in Absolute Martian Manhunter #4, he knows there is more at work than a simple argument. And because the smoke is also a storytelling device in its own right, the reader knows what is happening with Bridge without having to be told in any dialogue or inner monologues.

Absolute Martian Manhunter’s simultaneous in-universe and meta art also allows for images that can appear abstract in a vacuum but also successfully tells a story for readers following the series. Absolute Martian Manhunter #4 opens with four panels across which a black humanoid figure with a white ball for a head grabs its head, removes it, and places it in a yellow sky as a white sun. White rays shine down on the city in subsequent panels which leads to more panels where white smoke begins flowing from characters’ ears (this is the same smoke seen with Bridge). Later in the issue, the Green Martian examines this new White Martian scheme by reaching into the sky and grabbing that same white sun.

The Green Martian is itself a work in abstraction, appearing both as an extension of John and a divorced separate entity. At times, the Martian is drawn as a stand-in for John. The most striking example of this in Absolute Martian Manhunter #4 is during John’s argument with Bridge where John insists he’s the same man he’s always been despite Rodriguez having drawn the Martian saying the words.

All of that said, there are multiple panels during John and Bridge’s fight that are normal, heartfelt, and not abstract at all. The poignancy of these moments exceeds that of any other moment in the issue–perhaps even the series. That emotional power comes from the mundane nature of those quick interactions. Absolute Martian Manhunter is such a constant explosion of color and abstraction that a simple black and white moment of a husband, on his knees, hugging his wife in a moment of distress is jaw dropping in and of itself.

Camp’s depiction of the chaos caused by this latest White Martian plan, Bad Idea #8429 White Heat of War, is at times laughably extreme. This is the case with two across-the-street neighbors who have now put up barricades and barbed wire and now patrol the border between them. Instances like this stand in contrast to the more serious and relatable threats such as single shooters in large crowds and so forth. But they work well within the context of the series. At times it seems like the White Martian is throwing ideas against the wall to see what sticks.