2017 Geek-A-Long: Martian Manhunter

Martian Manhunter, or J’onn J’onzz to his friends, made his debut in 1955 during the Silver Age of DC Comics. He’s green, he’s fabulous, and he’s here to make Earth a better place. Imagine if Superman had a more cro-magnon brow, no hair, green skin, and super sweet telepathy powers to go along with his super strength, you’d have Martian Manhunter.

Actually, J’onn has more than just super strength and telepathy. He also has the ability to shape-shift, invisibility, and telekinesis. Basically, he has more going for him in the super department than Superman and he was one of the original seven members of the Justice League. At one point, Superman even names him the most powerful being in the universe.

But, Martian Manhunter is more than cool powers, rippling biceps, and a blue speedo. Back on Mars, J’onn was a family man until the martian holocaust took his wife and daughter away from him. His backstory is a war torn and tragic one. In some version, he’s displaced in time and his family has been dead for thousands of years and in other versions of this superhero’s life, he was driven nearly mad by the death of his family until he was accidentally brought to Earth by Dr. Saul Erdel’s teleportation beam. Either way, as one of the last survivors of his race, he is always a refugee of war, who ends up on Earth by accident and decides to use his abilities to fight crime.

Anyway, what you should know as you walk away from this post with your pattern in hand is that Martian Manhunter is the single must underrated superhero. While Batman, Superman, and Spiderman battle out for the top 3 slots on everyone’s list of superheros, no one even mentions J’onn. Yet, he’s arguably more powerful than all three of them combined. And yes, I am saying this as a die hard Batman fan, who will find a way to put him on every single Geek-A-Long blanket, even when Megan-Anne finally lets me do my Choose Your Own Adventure story blanket. It’s part of the reason why she and I got ridiculously excited when they finally revealed Martian Manhunter on Supergirl. The man deserves his due.

Before you guys grab your patterns down below, I want to throw out a couple of quick reminders. Our Spring Sale is in full swing and every color of Geek-A-Long Yarn is one sale, including the limited edition 150 gram skeins of Dragonology, through tomorrow. You can even get our coveted Gradient Adventure Trio’s on sale.

Also, for those of you dying to know what prizes are up for grabs this month for participating in the Geek-A-Long, you read all about it here. Spoilers: It’s cakes of sparkly ombre yarn, which won’t be available for purchase until late May.

Whether you’re knitting, crocheting, or cross stitching this square, you can download the Martian Manhunter pattern here. Instructions and charts for both knit and crochet are listed in the pattern. When you’re finished making it, don’t forget to Instagram your squares at us @lattesandllamasyarn with the hashtag #geekalong!

If you’re having trouble with double-sided knitting, we have a how-to video here and a tutorial on crochet here. Want to hang out with other people making the blanket? You can find moral support in the Geek-A-Long group on Ravelry here.

~ Jac

“The future is worth it. All the pain. All the tears. The future is worth the fight.” –Martian Manhunter, The Abyss of Time (DC One Million) 

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If you enjoyed this post, please consider making a donation to Child’s Play Charity. Here is a direct link to our official donation widget benefiting the charity. Please help us raise $1,000 this year. No contribution is too small! Wanna make your donation go even further? Lattes & Llamas will donate $1 for every skein of Geek-A-Long Yarn purchased. Ask your local yarn store to carry GAL Yarn or get it through our website.