One of the recent comics to come out to exceptional critical reception is none other than Absolute Martian Manhunter from DC. Praised for its extremely surreal writing and even more surreal artwork, this title takes what comics can accomplish and turns it up to eleven.

But at the NYCC 2025, in an interview with Popverse, writer Deniz Camp revealed that the idea and characters for this Absolute Universe title were always grounded in the reality of individualism and struggle, saying:

The character was born from a lot of other stuff that I love reading that’s not in comics, and then most of the world around me right now. If it feels like it’s timeless, which is what we’re going for, it’s because we’re always kind of struggling with a lot of the same issues. The manifestations are different each time, but we’re fundamentally struggling with kind of the same things as we have been for centuries.

This, in turn, led by the narrative of Camp and the artistic genius of Rodriguez, made this title one of the best aspects of the Absolute Universe by DC Comics.

Absolute Martian Manhunter’s Artist Isn’t Concerned With Its Beauty

Cover page of Absolute Martian Manhunter #6 | Credits: DC Comics

Positioning itself as one of the best comic releases of 2025, Absolute Martian Manhunter is the perfect blend of exceptional storytelling and artwork. And specifically, the surreal artwork and simple yet impactful use of colors are something that’s gravitating readers towards this title, something that artist Javier Rodríguez doesn’t seem to focus too much on.

In an interview with SKTCHD, Rodríguez talked about the evolution of his art style over the years, pointing to his early works on titles like Spider-Woman. Here, asking about how he finds confidence in his work on the DC title, the artist said:

When I feel that all the information you see on the page is necessary, no more and no less. When I see the pictures, I say that the concept is more important than the art. My main concern is to achieve, for example, a sophisticated conceptual request on the part of story rather than the finest drawing. I am much more concerned with conveying the concepts that make a story understandable through my drawings than achieving beautiful anatomy or beautiful lines.

Through complementing the deep psychological narrative core of the title, Rodríguez adds to the Camp’s story, which naturally transitions into such fine works of art, making Absolute Martian Manhunter automatically beautiful.

Why Absolute Martian Manhunter Defines DC’s Absolute Universe

With the development of DC’s All In initiative, the main focus was to refine and restructure DC’s continuity into legacy and radical reinvention. This led to the development of the Absolute Universe, where concepts and ideas for legacy characters of the DC Universe were twisted and bended until they looked almost completely different.

And Absolute Martian Manhunter truly takes the idea and runs with no regard to traditional structure and comic book rules, going all out with a concept and pushing it deeper and deeper. This, in turn, leads to things that people could never expect or even imagine to be possible in comics in the past, adding to the surreal appeal of the title.

Thus, through high risks, this title manages to reap high rewards, and each new issue further solidifies its place in the Absolute Universe.

Here’s more information on Absolute Martian Manhunter at a glance.

TitleAbsolute Martian ManhunterInitial ReleaseAbsolute Martian Manhunter #1 (March 2025)Core Creative TeamWriter: Deniz CampArtist: Javier RodríguezPublisherDC Comics

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Absolute Martian Manhunter is now available on DC Universe Infinite.
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