In this review of Absolute Martian Manhunter #4, tensions hit a boiling point, both in the general population and at home.
ABSOLUTE MARTIAN MANHUNTER #4
Written by DENIZ CAMP
Art and Main Cover by JAVIER RODRÍGUEZ
Variant Covers: TIRSO, DERRICK CHEW, RILEY ROSSMO, MARGUERITE SAUVAGE
Page Count: 32 pages
Release Date: June 25, 2025
There’s a heat wave going through the city, and John and the Martian keep heading out to deal with the situation. However, Bridget has been getting more and more agitated with him, with how he seems to be avoiding talking to her. This time, John and the Martian are dealing with a riot that’s cropped up after ten straight days of disgustingly-hot temperatures. Cops that don’t have a Martian bonded to them chalk it up to the heat making people snap, but John and the Martian know better. They know it’s the White Martian at play.
Over the next few days, the situation escalates. More heat, more violence (neighbors literally at war with each other, an outright holy war between two churches, unprovoked police shootings…). But Bridget is also becoming more frustrated with the situation, with John sleeping on the couch, him being called away in the middle of dinner, and them never getting a chance to really talk.
Until Bridget finally gets a chance to confront him. She says that she’s never been too bothered by his emotional distance, because she’d always known that he cared for her and their son. But recently, it’s been like she doesn’t know him at all, and she insists on knowing what’s going on. As they’re fighting, the Martian is trying to deal with the sun/heat, while three separate people are strapping explosives to themselves and heading to a few utility plants…one gas, one coal, one nuclear. Three explosions later, and Middleton is plunged into darkness, which the Martian realizes is what the White Martian wanted this whole time.
Absolute Martian Manhunter #4 was an intense issue, to say the least. Between there being escalation after escalation in town and Bridget steadily building up to her eventual blow-up at John…”tension” is the name of the game, for this month’s installment.
The pacing of Absolute Martian Manhunter #4 was well-done, I’d say. The incidents around town aren’t really dwelt upon for long, given just enough time to show that there’s an impact. Meanwhile, the stress between John and Bridget is given time to fester, to build up to that eventual fight between the couple. The scenes of violence between neighbors are intercut with the quieter moments, Bridget wishing her husband would just stay put for a while so they could talk things out.
The argument scene is one of my favorites visually. The colors shift to grayscale, with only the Martian in John’s eyes and the red in Bridget’s cheeks standing out. Close-up panels emphasize their emotions. As Bridget shares her side, psychedelic hues briefly return, mirroring her emotional intensity. When she reveals doubts about John’s love, the colors explode, then fade back to normal as she asks him to leave. It all heightens the drama beautifully.
Alongside that fight, we see the three suicide bombers prepping for the act, making their way to each one’s respective destination, and going through with their plans (one in a magenta monochrome, one in yellow monochrome, one in blue, and all three providing a nice visual contrast to the marital fight).
The three power plant explosions at the end definitely lead to a sense of dread of what’s to come for the city. If the White Martian could manipulate the people during a 2-week or so heat wave, the city-wide blackout won’t be doing anyone (other than the White Martian, of course) any favors. Add to that that one of those plants dealt with nuclear power, and it makes me wonder if an influx of radioactivity is also about to hit…
Final Thoughts
Things get quite explosive in Absolute Martian Manhunter #4, both emotionally and in the most literal way possible. We got some great escalation of drama, with the visuals as stunning as ever.
