This book is as close to a perfect read as I have encountered lately. Once the cover was closed, I looked around the house for someone to share this with, but the wife and kids were gone. Undoubtedly, this will be a book I point to time and again when someone asks me why I read comics. Without hesitation, consider me the chairman of the "Let's get Tomasi and Mahnke to do he next big event book" committee. At the very least, know that I'll be right there waiting for the next title these two creators get to sink their ideas into. The only thing missing was a nice plate of Chocos and a glass of milk sitting next to me when I wrote this review. Read Full Review

Final Crisis Requiem #1 was a gem of a read. Tomasi and Mahnke combine to deliver a proper send-off that was completely fitting to a character as classy and loveable as J'onn. I will miss Martian Manhunter, but I appreciate the excellent manner in which Tomasi handled J'onn's death. This issue is without a doubt an incredible tie-in issue. This might be the best tie-in issue to a mega-event that I have read in a very long time. Read Full Review

Im not against Mahnkes interpretation of the Martian Mahnunter, as it gives it a unique look among all the football-player-like super heroes he used to fight with. The death of the Martian was gruesome but effective. It did show some of his emotions through his eyes which lack irises. Thats a feat. Read Full Review

It was a tad slow at times, but it really caused me to care about the Martian Manhunter, who I'd never given much thought to before. Read Full Review

Doug Mahnke draws some strikingly detailed art and handles the ensemble cast like a pro, while Peter Tomasi delivers a strong, heartfelt script. It won't make you cry or anything, but it will make you appreciate one of DC's most under appreciated (and lovable) characters. Is the cover price a bit too high? Yeah. But then again story told here is much more comprehensible and compelling than the first two issues of Final Crisis we've been fed so far. Read Full Review

If I had to find one fault with the book is would be during the closing pages. There is an extreme usage of narration for a number of pages, and if you have read my previous reviews you know this type of storytelling tends to irk me. I always feel there is a better way to get story points across. But wouldnt you know it, Tomasi makes use of the narration both literally and in a great context. So by the time I reached the end of the issue, it didnt bother me. It actually led to a fantastic scene with Jonns closest friends honoring him in the grandest way possible. Finally, the books last page might make the biggest of DC fanatics shed a tear just like the heroes did in the pages that preceded it. Read Full Review

DC has released surprisingly few Crisis tie-ins so far. For whatever problems this issue may have, it still managed to impress me with its quality. I really hope Requiem will set the standard for the numerous tie-ins that are to come. Read Full Review

Stephen gave this book a low grade due to what he saw as schmaltz, but I have to say, I was very much moved by this one. J'onn's various histories are resolved into one, with nice touches referencing the Ostrander series, events throughout the DCU, even giving us a nice nod to the "Bwah ha haaa" era of the Justice League. There's sentiment to be found here, yes, but as a Manhunter fan, it worked for me. The main problems that I had with the issue were the point-blank depiction of homicide, and the fact that the J'onn seen on the cover and in the coffin aren't the character as he is usually depicted. Honestly, is the character's funeral the best place to do a graphic overhaul? But, all in all, this issue worked for me, both as an epitaph, and as a story, and I'm glad to see that the most powerful being in the DCU went out on his feet, fighting every step of the way. These kind of issues are always tough, though. As Barry Allen proved a couple decades ago, having a charac Read Full Review

One of the most frustrating aspects of this one-shot is the fact that a pivotal character isn't even identified. I read Justice League of America in the 1980s, so I know who she is. Newer readers, hell, even not-so new readers, will likely not recognize Gypsy, an obscure JLA member who most recently appeared in Birds of Prey. It's a shame Tomasi doesn't use her super-hero name at all in this script. Her inclusion is clearly meant to incorporate the Detroit era of the Justice League, but it's done without really talking about that time in J'Onn's "life." Yet another problem that plagues this issue is poor placement of word balloons; there's no obvious flow to them as the various heroes document their friend's history. If the pointlessness of this comic book weren't frustrating enough, this non-story isn't even executed well. Read Full Review