Two strangers in strange lands

Martian Manhunter- Silver Surfer

It occurred to me the other day that, since the very first pairing I unveiled here came in my first introductory post, I didn’t much ruminate on the characters themselves. So I’m gonna do so now…

J’onn J’onzz, Manhunter from Mars, was introduced in 1955 as a sci-fi character typical of DC’s post-Wertham line. Apparently, JJ’s own features during the 1960s were kinda confused, what with something about the “Idol-head of Diabolu,” and then with something about him as a secret agent. While he was a charter member of the Justice League, he was soon found to be redundant in light of Superman. So around 1969 or so, he was shunted off to live on his native Mars.

15 years later, J’onn was brought back to the Justice League fold. From the mid ‘80s onward, creators seemed to have found a noble, restrained and contemplative “stranger in strange land” role for him—not unlike the Marvel character I’ve paired him with. He seemed to have engendered a lot of affection in creators and fans, which only increased due the character’s prominence on Bruce Timm’s Justice League Unlimited program.

And so…J’onn J’onzz has recently been killed without much fanfare and without any gravitas as part of DC’s Final Crisis crossover. Wouldn’t put much on him taking very long dirt nap, frankly…

And the Silver Surfer? The Christ-like and earthbound spacefarer is simply one of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby’s great achievements, one that has been recognized as such pretty much consistently since the character's introduction. The Surfer has been rightfully prominent in Marvel Comics' line ever since.

(See the first post for commonalities and differences)

MM: J’onn J'onzz is native to Ma’lecaandra, i.e. Mars. He is disturbed by the fact that his race has become complacent, but when the vastly powerful being Krona comes to eviscerate the planet, J’onzz offers himself up as a herald so that Ma’lecaandra will be spared. Krona accepts the offer and imbues him with tremendous abilities, and for hundreds of years J’onzz travels the universe warning the populations of planets to evacuate. He comes to Earth to do so, and is opposed by the Doom Patrol, who inspire him to take an interest in humanity and turn against Krona who in turn confines J’onzz to the Earth. For several years, he wanders the planet and is known as the Martian Manhunter; he strives to understand humanity and often allies with other superhuman operatives, chiefly the Outsiders. After awhile, J’onzz is able to travel through space again, where he finds that his fellow Ma’lecaandrans have long been extinct.

SS: A plague overtakes the planet Zenn-La: one Norrin Radd sees the entire population, including his family, die. He wanders his planet for hundreds of years before he is teleported to Earth by a scientist, who promptly dies from shock. Radd lives on Earth inconspicuously for years, but the emergence of the Mighty Thor prompts him to use his native abilities to oppose various menaces as the Silver Surfer. He co-founds the Avengers and remains therein for many years; the Surfer also is the Southern Hemisphere's most prominent champion. He has recently been killed —that is, until editorial fiat revives him.