Martian Manhunter’s partner reveals her secret origin in this exclusive preview

Steve Orlando always carves out space for queer characters in his work, and his new take on Diane Meade explores workplace discrimination against queer people and misconceptions about bisexual identity. This exclusive preview of this week’s Martian Manhunter #8 reveals the relationship with a female coworker that cost Diane her job, but she refuses to let bigotry stop her from pursuing her life’s calling. The art does great work reinforcing emotional shifts through layouts and palettes. The flashback opens with warm colors and layouts that keep the women in the same panel, establishing a closeness that starts to break in the following page. The layout now puts Diane and Carol in separate panels at all points, drawing a line down the center of the page that accentuates the split. Diane loses a lover, but it puts her on the path to meeting a new partner that changes her life forever.