Published Mar 8, 2026, 8:00 AM EDT
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DC Comics' Absolute Universe's most mind-bending hero has a new partner, and they might be the worst villain of all time.
While the Martian of Absolute Martian Manhunter #9 (by Deniz Camp, Javier Rodríguez, and Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou) is busy being quite literally torn apart, the issue picks up with FBI Agent John Jones in the middle of an interview with a father and daughter who may be able to point him in the right direction. Unfortunately, Jones' new interstellar partner, Despair-the-Zero, is there to reveal the "truth" behind everything anyone utters, which quickly devolves into translating ordinary conversations into attempts to goad the agent into suicide.
Absolute Martian Manhunter #9
Image via DC Comics- Written by DENIZ CAMP
- Art by JAVIER RODRÍGUEZ
- Letters by HASSAN OTSMANE-ELHAOU
- Main cover art by JAVIER RODRÍGUEZ
- Variant covers by DAN HIPP; WERTHER DELL'EDERA; and MATIAS BERGARA
The official solicit synopsis for Absolute Martian Manhunter #9 from DC Comics reads, "ALIEN AUTOPSY! What Martian secrets will the Agency discover as they peel back layers of mystery, metaphor, and fascia? Meanwhile, John searches for his missing partner as his world continues to crumble around him!"
Despair-the-Zero was first glimpsed in the pages of Absolute Martian Manhunter #8, albeit in a very minor cameo appearance. Like the Martian himself and his malevolent counterpart, the White Martian, Despair-the-Zero is an ethereal, symbiotic (or possibly parasitic) entity who has bonded to John Jones in the wake of the Martian's disappearance.
While John Jones and the Martian parted ways for a short while to give the former the time and space needed to try and fix his currently crumbling marriage, the latter ended up being kidnapped by enemies neither hero truly understands just yet. Now, John is being preyed upon by his new "partner," all while the Martian is being vivisected as part of his captors' search for his other half.
DC Comics' Absolute Universe Is Growing By The Day
Image via DC ComicsAbsolute Martian Manhunter has been widely lauded since its debut, with the series proving to be one of the most popular Absolute Universe titles, not to mention one of the most popular comic books in general, of the past two years. This comes as no surprise considering the overall success of the wider Absolute Universe line of titles, which are currently headed towards their very first crossover event.
DC Comics Executive Editor Chris Conroy recently opened up about the Absolute Universe's upcoming crossover event, explaining that the publisher is "Very mindful about keeping the Absolute Universe sort of at the size it is, keeping it easy to understand, keeping it easy to onboard. We will have one other thing this year. It's the first Absolute Universe event. This will be in Q4."
Conroy went on to explain, "We're going to do it our way, the Absolute way. This is going to be easy to understand, it's going to be easy to get on board, it’s not going to disrupt the stories. [The Absolute Universe event] is going to kind of build the universe in the same way that Absolute Evil did, so, as you can see, you get an incredible book like Absolute Green Arrow out of just the one-shot."
Absolute Martian Manhunter #9 from DC Comics is on sale now.
Created by Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson
English (US) · 