Spoilers for Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #10 ahead!
Martian Manhunter to take down one of the Dark Knight's silliest villains, the Calendar Man, who had received a major upgrade from an ancient Martian deity. In the DC Digital First Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #10, the Caped Crusader teams up with J’onn J’onzz to bring down a magically enhanced Calendar Man. The issue is on sale now at digital outlets.
Calendar Man has been a staple of Martian Manhunter recently learned that the Calendar Man is no laughing matter.
In a previous issue, Calendar Man discovered an ancient Martian calendar and used it to plan a new set of crimes. The calendar was created by evil Martian mystics, and Calendar Man was harnessing that energy by sacrificing people on Martian holidays, turning him into a terrifying monster. Batman called the Martian Manhunter in for an assist, and the two confronted the Calendar Man, now surging with ancient, evil, Martian magic. Despite their great power, Martians have one weakness - fire, and Batman exploits it, launching a fiery attack on Calendar Man while the Martian Manhunter stages a psychic assault. The two are successful in stopping the Calendar Man, who loses his powers and wonders why the Martian god has abandoned him.
Over the years, various creators have put darker spins on goofier villains, and Calendar Man is no exception. The Long Halloween was one such attempt, and it succeeded in spades, imparting a chilling air to the character. His appearance here does much of the same. Calendar Man was sacrificing people to an ancient Martian god, all in the name of obtaining power. The god did grant him his wish, but then took the newly-acquired strength away from him for reasons unknown, leaving Calendar Man unpowered as he deals with the consequences of his actions.
While the Calendar Man has long been thought of as a ridiculous character, but Batman and the Martian Manhunter learned the hard way that he is no joke. Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #10 is written by Brandon Thomas, art by Giannis Milonogiannis, colors by Jordie Bellaire, and letters by Deron Bennet. The book is available now on digital platforms.
