I have been gifted with such power... and it only serves death? Can it not be made to serve life? To bring back life... to Mars! 
Martian Manhunter (Volume 2) #23 is an issue of the series Martian Manhunter (Volume 2) with a cover date of October, 2000.
Synopsis for "Revelations Four: Moral Choices"
- Mob boss, Joey Cipriani, was eating at Bumini's as he did every Wednesday. That night was different however, as two of his father's former compatriots, Frank Natali and Tony Malanga long since dead, entered the restaurant and opened fire. Once the undead hitmen had completed their task, the necromancer controlling them revealed herself as Strega.
- After hearing the witness reports at the crime scene, Lt. Meade complained that being partnered with Det. Jones always attracted the "weird" cases. It was then that they were interrupted by a P.I. crashing the scene, introducing himself as Jim Corrigan. He noted that "strega" was Italian for "witch" and he had be tracking Anna Marie Borgia across the country, following her path of revenge exacted in retribution for the death of her own mob family. Jones sensed something off about the stranger and conducted a mental scan touching upon something very dark, and very powerful. A little rattled by the mysterious force, J'onn soon recovered and confided his hunch on where Strega may be headed next.
- Setting her ghouls on the unsuspecting medical examiners in the morgue, Strega then resurrected more loyal zombies minions. Outside, the Denver Police Department had surrounded the building. Lt. Meade refused to let Jones enter the building alone, but fearing for his partner's safety, Jones reluctantly tweaked her mind to make her compliant. Corrigan witnessed her strange change of heart and warned Jones that, whatever trick he just pulled on her, would not work on him. Inside Corrigan confronted Jones about his inhuman powers before the two were met by a hoard of animated corpses blocking the path to Strega. Without wasting any time, Corrigan unleashed the Spectre, while Jones revealed his Manhunter form. The soulless puppets were no match for the immensely powerful duo, and Strega's confidence quickly waned. The Spirit of Vengeance saw no fight left in the dark sorceress and exacted his judgement, commanding her own necrotic slaves to consume her. J'onn was outraged at the Spectre's cruelty and intervened. Corrigan agreed with the Martian, threatening the Spectre to stop or he would not let him returned to his mortal host, causing him wither and die. Strega was inspired by his words and cast a spell, binding the Spectre to J'onn. Now God's Vengeance would have the unwavering conscience of the Manhunter questioning his right to wield such immeasurable power. Strega gloated over her victory at making the great Spectre "impotent." Corrigan soon silenced her with a right hook. The new Spectre had an epiphany, such power was wasted only dealing out death, when it could be used to create life. Life on Mars! Corrigan tried to stop them leaving, warning the spirit he'll fade away without him, but the only response came from behind in the form of the Phantom Stranger. Stranger lamented that it was really the Spectre who kept Corrigan alive, not the other way around. It was the Spectre who empowered his mortal form and in turn, it was Corrigan that reined in the divine being's omnipotence. Knowing they were one and the same, Corrigan also transformed into the Spectre and set off to stop the new one from creating an abomination.
- Levitating above the desolated surface of his former homeworld, the Martian Spectre resurrected his fallen brethren who perished in the flaming holocaust of H'ronmeer's Curse. Tragically, as soon as they rose, J'onn immediately noticed the absence of the "great voice," the telepathic link shared amongst his race. Corrigan's Spectre arrived, explaining their souls had not been restored. J'onn adamantly claimed he would return them, only to witness them erupt once more into flame as Corrigan immolated the unholy husks. J'onn vowed to resurrect them again and again, so Spectre inflicted the flame on his Martian doppelgänger. Corrigan's influence made the Spectre stop the torture, and J'onn pleaded for the vengeful spirit to reclaim it's power. Taking back his divided form, the Spectre also cleansed the traumatic memory from the Martian's mind and returned him to Earth.
In the Gobi Desert, the new Spectre finishes recalling their first meeting. J'onn once again remembers those events that took place ten years ago, but enquires why the Spectre now divulges it. With a new host, the Spectre explains he feels that J'onn has the right to the truth, but he can always remove the memories again if they are not welcome. Wisely J'onn decides it is better to know himself, even if it is through pain. The Spectre offers J'onn another gift, relocating a great pyramid, J'onn's Martian Home, along with a portion of his home planet, to the isolated desert-scape. Moved and astounded, J'onn tries to comprehend this generous action from an agent of wrath. The Spectre merely remarks that he was once more than his current incarnation and if he had known who he was before, he would understand. Wishing each other well, they part as friends.
Appearing in "Revelations Four: Moral Choices"
Featured Characters:
- Martian Manhunter (flashback and present)
- Detective John Jones (Flashback only)
- The Spectre (flashback and present)
- Jim Corrigan (Flashback only)
- J'onn J'onzz (Flashback only)
- Hal Jordan
Supporting Characters:
- Lieutenant Diane Meade (Flashback only)
- Phantom Stranger (Flashback only)
Antagonists:
Other Characters:
- Joey Cipriani (Single appearance; dies) (Flashback only)
- Frank Natali (Zombified) (Flashback only)
- Tony Malanga (Zombified) (Flashback only)
- Martians (Zombified) (Flashback only)
- Denver Police Department (Flashback only)
Locations:
- Earth (flashback and present)
- Ma'aleca'andra (Flashback only)
See Also