Jemm, Son of Saturn- Rom, Spaceknight
One of the above named was a rather silly looking toy doll marketed by Parker Brothers —in a rare foray outside of the board game category— in 1979. The toy did not survive for very long (maybe it would have if it was more line with dimensions common to "action figures") but inspired a tie-in comic that outlived it by several years. The character can no longer appear in that particular line, as the license to use it expired and was never renewed.
The other is not, notably, the doll by the same name that was spun off into a 1980s cartoon show popular with preteen girls; but it was initially conceived and pitched as new direction for J’onn J’onzz. When J’onzz was said to have been planned for a revival in the Justice League, this character was re-jiggered slightly. His comic didn't make much of dent, and the character was revived by Grant Morrison in his 1990s JLA series.
Commonalities:
Both visit Earth from their native planet, and combat nasty aliens. And both, frankly, are utterly obscure to all but the most dedicated ‘80s fanboy.
Differences:
Rom is a cyborg, and Jemm is an also-ran J’onn J’onzz: both share several attributes nonetheless.
Alternate histories:
JE: Jemm is the first of a race living on the moons of Saturn to volunteer to defend his people from invading Koolars, a subset of the “white martian” race. He and other recruits successfully repel their foes, and Jemm comes to the planet Earth to combat the Martians further. He encounters other superhuman champions and eventually returns to the moons of Saturn to repopulate his now exterminated civilization.
RO: Rom is the heir to throne of Galador, a planet populated by an expatriate race from the planet Zenn-La. When the Dire Wraiths, a subset of the Skrull race, begin to war against Galadorians, Rom goes into hiding and develops his hereditary abilities, and later departs for the planet Earth. After a number of exploits combatting the Wraiths, he returns to Galador, where he is disowned for not taking a side in a civil war therein. Rom has since intervened in galactic affairs from time to time, often alongside distant kinsman the Silver Surfer.
Showing posts with label Martian Manhunter. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Martian Manhunter. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Monday, June 16, 2008
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.
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.
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Now they become death, destroyer of worlds
Krona- Galactus
Sure, there were cosmic, universe-threatening demi-gods in comic book fiction before 1966’s Fantastic Four no. 66. But the story that spread out into the next three issues, now known as “the Galactus Trilogy,” raised the bar. The very idea of Galactus, a being that consumes the essence of planets, knocked readers on their ear: when you take into account that the tale introduced the Silver Surfer, it’s probably the single greatest achievement of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby’s ‘60s partnership.
I’m not entirely sure, but I believe that Krona, a mad scientist from the race that would evolve into the Guardians of the Universe who obsessively seeks the secret of the creation of the universe (or multiverse), was ignored as a fecund antagonist after the character was introduced in 1965’s Green Lantern no. 40. But he was established with Galactus-level significance at the very least in the early ‘80s and afterwards.
Commonalities:
Both are shown to be present near the creation of the universe and are enmeshed in a process of destruction on a vast, cosmic scale.
Differences:
Krona is typically presented as malevolent, whereas Galactus is essentially a morally neutral force of nature.
Alternate histories:
KR: Krona is the sole survivor of the universe that preceded our own: he emerges after the “big bang” and exists afterwards as a force of nature introducing entropy to one planet at a time. Krona uses heralds, such as J’onn J’onzz, to evacuate these planets; he arrives on Earth to some years ago and is opposed by the Doom Patrol and eventually most superhuman operatives on Earth and throughout the cosmos.
GA: Galan is a renegade scientist native to the planet that would later yield the race of “Watchers”: he becomes obsessed with witnessing the “big bang” that creates the universe. But doing so has been foretold to create a process by which the universe will gradually be eviscerated. Known as Galactus in the untold billions of centuries afterwards, he is opposed first by Iron Man and the Nova Corps and eventually by most superhuman operatives on Earth and throughout the cosmos.
Sure, there were cosmic, universe-threatening demi-gods in comic book fiction before 1966’s Fantastic Four no. 66. But the story that spread out into the next three issues, now known as “the Galactus Trilogy,” raised the bar. The very idea of Galactus, a being that consumes the essence of planets, knocked readers on their ear: when you take into account that the tale introduced the Silver Surfer, it’s probably the single greatest achievement of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby’s ‘60s partnership.
I’m not entirely sure, but I believe that Krona, a mad scientist from the race that would evolve into the Guardians of the Universe who obsessively seeks the secret of the creation of the universe (or multiverse), was ignored as a fecund antagonist after the character was introduced in 1965’s Green Lantern no. 40. But he was established with Galactus-level significance at the very least in the early ‘80s and afterwards.
Commonalities:
Both are shown to be present near the creation of the universe and are enmeshed in a process of destruction on a vast, cosmic scale.
Differences:
Krona is typically presented as malevolent, whereas Galactus is essentially a morally neutral force of nature.
Alternate histories:
KR: Krona is the sole survivor of the universe that preceded our own: he emerges after the “big bang” and exists afterwards as a force of nature introducing entropy to one planet at a time. Krona uses heralds, such as J’onn J’onzz, to evacuate these planets; he arrives on Earth to some years ago and is opposed by the Doom Patrol and eventually most superhuman operatives on Earth and throughout the cosmos.
GA: Galan is a renegade scientist native to the planet that would later yield the race of “Watchers”: he becomes obsessed with witnessing the “big bang” that creates the universe. But doing so has been foretold to create a process by which the universe will gradually be eviscerated. Known as Galactus in the untold billions of centuries afterwards, he is opposed first by Iron Man and the Nova Corps and eventually by most superhuman operatives on Earth and throughout the cosmos.
Friday, January 11, 2008
And there came a day like no other…
…a day that found a guy starting a blog devoted to perhaps the most wonky and yet possibly purposeless pursuit ever devised by a lapsed fanboy…
Roundabout the age of 10, as I started collecting comic books, I began to devise a system (and methodology) wherein I’d try to assign equivalents across the DC and Marvel universes. Now, as a chap who put aside funny-books so as to improve his chances towards getting better acquainted with female genitalia but has lately revisted superhero fiction, I started the project up again and have resolved to devote this blog to it.
I should say that I don’t buy many comics these days: I like to buy trades composed of vintage comics when finances allow. Using the computah, I can keep up with the events of this Crisis and that Civil War, to say nothing of researching characters and so on. I should also say that my preferences are those of a guy who grew up on 70s-80s comics and thus decompression and current art trends do not appeal to me. This is not to say that I have an axe to grind with current comics creators.
Typically, what powers or skills characters might have in common are not necessarily emphasized. My interest tends to lie with a character’s temperament, motivations, where they come from…y’know, what they’re like! That said, family ties are sometimes relevant, sometimes not. Same goes for ret-cons. I will go into further details regarding my methodology—as well as including links and possibly images— as it develops.
So! Assuming someone will ever drop by here, please let me know what you think! I eagerly await the thoughtful, restrained comments known to emanate from visitors to comic book blogs ‘n’ message boards!
Martian Manhunter- Silver Surfer
Commonalities: Both are strangers in a strange land: SS has always been played as such, whereas JJ/MM has been defined thusly at least since the ‘80s. Both vacillate between alienation and affection for earthlings: this is what defines both characters, in my view.
Differences: SS wields the power cosmic, which has been shown to do pretty much anything creators want at a particular time; whereas JJ/MM reads minds, shapeshifts, can become intanglble, shoots rays out of his eyes, and is real strong: he’s often referred to as the “Swiss Army Knife of Superheroes.” So while their abilities do not line up precisely, both are so ill-defined (or versatile!) as to not matter much to me. Neither’s powers are what is key to each character, anyway.
Alternate histories:
MM: Was stranded on Earth for some time, struggles to understand humanity, longs for his lost love and associates with other operatives occasionally.
SS: Was inadvertantly spirited to Earth by a scientist, worked alone until joining the Avengers, struggles to understand humanity, longs for his deceased family.
Roundabout the age of 10, as I started collecting comic books, I began to devise a system (and methodology) wherein I’d try to assign equivalents across the DC and Marvel universes. Now, as a chap who put aside funny-books so as to improve his chances towards getting better acquainted with female genitalia but has lately revisted superhero fiction, I started the project up again and have resolved to devote this blog to it.
I should say that I don’t buy many comics these days: I like to buy trades composed of vintage comics when finances allow. Using the computah, I can keep up with the events of this Crisis and that Civil War, to say nothing of researching characters and so on. I should also say that my preferences are those of a guy who grew up on 70s-80s comics and thus decompression and current art trends do not appeal to me. This is not to say that I have an axe to grind with current comics creators.
Typically, what powers or skills characters might have in common are not necessarily emphasized. My interest tends to lie with a character’s temperament, motivations, where they come from…y’know, what they’re like! That said, family ties are sometimes relevant, sometimes not. Same goes for ret-cons. I will go into further details regarding my methodology—as well as including links and possibly images— as it develops.
So! Assuming someone will ever drop by here, please let me know what you think! I eagerly await the thoughtful, restrained comments known to emanate from visitors to comic book blogs ‘n’ message boards!
Martian Manhunter- Silver Surfer
Commonalities: Both are strangers in a strange land: SS has always been played as such, whereas JJ/MM has been defined thusly at least since the ‘80s. Both vacillate between alienation and affection for earthlings: this is what defines both characters, in my view.
Differences: SS wields the power cosmic, which has been shown to do pretty much anything creators want at a particular time; whereas JJ/MM reads minds, shapeshifts, can become intanglble, shoots rays out of his eyes, and is real strong: he’s often referred to as the “Swiss Army Knife of Superheroes.” So while their abilities do not line up precisely, both are so ill-defined (or versatile!) as to not matter much to me. Neither’s powers are what is key to each character, anyway.
Alternate histories:
MM: Was stranded on Earth for some time, struggles to understand humanity, longs for his lost love and associates with other operatives occasionally.
SS: Was inadvertantly spirited to Earth by a scientist, worked alone until joining the Avengers, struggles to understand humanity, longs for his deceased family.
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