"Blackest Night"

Green Lantern #51 Review

Green Lantern #51

This issue hit stands two Wednesday’s ago, so yes, this review is very much late. However, now that I have finally been able to purchase a copy, let the review commence. This issue takes place just before Blackest Night #7 and right after Green Lantern #50, where we saw the return of Parallax as Hal Jordan bonds with him in an attempt to defeat the Black Lantern Spectre. Anyway, let’s get on to the review:

This issue, written by Geoff Johns, has great dialogue, a plot that anyone can appreciate, and more twists and turns than a roller coaster. Larfleeze and Lex Luthor have a cool interaction, as does Mera and Atrocitus, and Carol Ferris and Ganthet. Johns writes a great Luthor, and when paired with an off the wall character like Larfleeze, who Johns created, were in for a pretty interesting conversation. Perhaps Larfleeze isn’t evil after all, he just needs to find something worth saving. The Spectre and Parallax are a good match, and when it’s their first confrontation since Green Lantern: Rebirth, it’s sure to pack some action. The twists in this book (which I won’t reveal) show that Johns has a never-ending imagination, which is a valuable thing in this business.

The art is drawn and inked by Doug Mahnke with colors by Randy Mayor. Mahnke is one of the best Green Lantern artists we’ve ever known, and is in my opinion comparable to Ethan Van Sciver and Ivan Reis. Mahnke is the kind of artist that really wants to earn his paycheck, so he turns in the best art he can possibly produce. Watching Hal Jordan/Parallax tear shit up with a GL ring and Parallax powers is one thing I’ll never forget. The Spectre is always a cool image to behold, and when you mix in power rings it becomes that much cooler.

Overall a great issue with awesome dialogue and an intense plot. The only thing I would complain about is the lack of John Stewart lately. I can’t wait until he joins the Green Lantern Corps series roster so I’ll be able to see more of him in action. Here is how I would rate the issue overall:

That’s right, a nearly perfect score for the latest issue. Until next time everybody!

–moyermason@yahoo.com

Blackest Night #7 Review

Blackest Night #7

This issue, as it is the second to last in the series, was expected to be packed with answers to the many questions we all have: What is Nekron’s true goal? What are the Guardians hiding? How can the Black Lantern’s be destroyed? Well, thankfully some of our questions are answered. The Guardians have been hiding things, Nekron does have a goal, and the Black Lantern’s can be beaten. Now that the rainbow brigade have the knowledge necessary to beat the BL’s, can they?

Geoff Johns (the writer of the series) is known for reinvigorating and refreshing characters many people under the age of 30 would otherwise overlook. Blackest Night has always had it’s main focus on minor characters while keeping the larger-known heroes of the DCU outside the spotlight. Johns consistenly writes good stories regardless of what character’s he has to work with, and BN is the biggest evidence of that fact. We don’t see Batman and the Joker dueling it out, nor do we see Superman and Luthor in conflict. Instead we see a group of heroes and villains united against the one thing that will stop at nothing to destroy them and everything they hold dear.

The issue is drawn by Ivan Reis, inked by Oclair Albert, and colored by Alex Sinclair. Reis is steadily becoming a favorite artist of mine, and this month’s “Wizard Magazine” ranked him #1 on their Top 10 Artist’s list. He has consistent renditions of each character along with the ability to think outside the panels and present panels in a way that makes me feel like it’s a movie on paper. Whether he’s drawing power ring-wielding aliens or zombies controlled by power rings, his art is always top of the line.

Overall a pretty good issue with great dialogue and quite a few tricks up it’s sleeve. The only thing I didn’t like about this issue is the fact that it doesn’t show more of earth’s heroes fighting Nekron and his army of undead lantern’s. I would love to see Batman and Robin make an appearance helping Gotham’s citizens stay out of harm’s way. Anyway, this is how I would rate the issue:

Overall a good issue that is definitely worth picking up. That’s all for now folks!

–moyermason@yahoo.com

Green Lantern #50 Review

This issue of Green Lantern #50 hit stands on last Wednesday, but due to legal issues, I was prevented from having the required money to purchase this issue until today. This issue is certifiably bad-ass, heralding the return of in my opinion, one of Green Lantern’s coolest villains, Parallax. Green Lantern #50 also weighs in at 40 pages and has a cover price of $3.99, a dollar more than the average 32 page issue of the series. Well, enough of this, let’s get on to reviewing already!

The issue is written by Geoff Johns, who, over the last 5-6 years has become DC’s leading creator, helping to bring Hal Jordan back into his Green Lantern role in “Green Lantern: Rebirth” in 2004, striking fear into the hearts of the DCU in “Sinestro Corps War” in 2007, and even raising the dead in the current “Blackest Night” storyline. Johns is known for taking legendary elements of the Green Lantern mythos and giving them the “Million Dollar Man” treatment, making them bigger and better than ever before. Johns obviously knows what he is doing as a writer, and has enough skill and imagination to bring an interesting, down-to-earth story that makes you think but is still incredibly fun to read. Johns has said that for the foreseeable future, he will be doing GL, and I trust him with the character enough to continue reading his run regardless of some of his more controversial decisions. This issue’s dialogue isn’t repetitive like some issues have been and continues to add dimensions to character’s that we didn’t even know they had.

The issue is drawn beautifully by Doug Mahnke, with inks by Christian Alamy, Rebecca Buchman, Tom Nguyen, Mark Irwin and Mahnke, and colors from Randy Mayor and Gabe Eltaeb. There is also a variant cover by Jim Lee, that can be seen below:

Doug Mahnke has been phenomenal as of late, and this 40 page dose of him just makes me want more. I love his interpretation of the characters, especially the Black Lantern Spectre, who showed some major beatdown skills in this issue. The issue has multiple different panel layouts making for an eye-catching experience that just won’t let go. The panels showing interactions between the New Guardians, as they have recently been called, and their newly recruited Lanterns are interesting, especially when you see Wonder Woman and Carol Ferris BOTH in Star Sapphire uniforms in the same panel. My pitiful fanboy mind just won’t stop.

Overall, a good story with amazing art. The highlights to me are the dynamic art and exceptional dialogue, while my biggest complaint is the fact that the solicitation for this issue state: “Plus, Atrocitus reveals a tie to a power that may make him the most unbeatable of all the Lanterns!” yet nothing in the issue comes remotely close to having any relation to that statement besides Atrocitus pointing out the rage that burns inside the Spectre. Here is how I rate the issue overall:

–moyermason@yahoo.com

Green Lantern Corps #44 Review

Green Lantern Corps #44 hit stands yesterday, and continues the story of Guy Gardner with a Red Lantern ring while Black Lanterns continue to attack Oa. The issue might not have been full of suspense and thrill, but it certainly leaves an impression and leaves me wanting more. Anyway, let’s get on to my review of Green Lantern Corps #44.

This issue is written by Peter Tomasi, who continues to write excellently for each character, showing their individuality and emotion while not making it cheesy or boring. Tomasi has always been a great writer on GLC since he took over, and I hope he stays with the series for at least another year, or I would be incredibly sad to see him go. I don’t think too many other writers could portray these characters with such natural accuracy and keep it interesting. Sure, anyone could write “Guy Gardner killing Black Lanterns” in a script, but who could provide the dialogue Guy would be saying as well as Tomasi? Exactly.

This issue is pencilled by Patrick Gleason, with inks by Gleason, Rebecca Buchman, Tom Nguyen and Keith Champagne, and colors by Randy Mayor and Gabe Eltaeb. Now, Gleason has been drawing GLC for quite some time, and over the course of his run his abilities have improved greatly. His early rendition of Soranik Natu to how he draws her now is a good example of his improvements, and I don’t think that will stop anytime soon. Gleason captures Red Lantern Guy Gardner in all his glory and makes it look stunning. One thing I also enjoyed about this issue is the way the panels are setup. It seems like Gleason took some risks with this issue, but in my opinion it paid off in the end. The inks are also great, and the colors couldn’t be better. The art side of the creative team is one I have enjoyed looking at for a while, and hopefully that doesn’t change anytime soon.

Overall, DEFINITELY a great issue, tons of action, emotion, near-deaths and of course, a cliffhanger ending. The only thing I would complain about is the fact that while it does help advance the overall story of Blackest Night forward, it does it very slowly, only adding a few elements to the story overall. This is how I would rate the issue on a 0-100 scale:

–moyermason@yahoo.com

Corps Profile: Green Lanterns

Oath: “In Brightest Day, In Blackest Night, No Evil Shall Escape My Sight, Let Those Who Worship Evil’s Might, Beware My Power, Green Lantern’s Light!”

Emotion: Willpower

Base: Oa, located in the center of the universe in Sector 0.

Structure: 2 Green Lanterns for each of the 3600 Sectors of the Universe.

Notable Members: Hal Jordan, Kyle Rayner, John Stewart, Guy Gardner (Who all are from earth), Kilowog, Mogo (A sentient planet), Sinestro (Formerly), Jade(Deceased), Arisia, Boodikka, Sodam Yat(Presumed dead), Salakk, Tomar-Re, Abin Sur, Ch’P, G’nort, Bzzd

Origin: The Green Lantern Corps was formed by the mysterious Guardians Of The Universe, the oldest living beings in the galaxy.

The Guardians come from the planet Maltus, where their people lived peacefully immortal. After a Maltusian named Krona cost the universe a billion years of life, the Guardians, feeling responsible, moved to the planet Oa, becoming the Guardians.

Their goal was to destroy evil, which had been created when Krona’s experiment failed. They then created what we know as the Central Power Battery, and then created the Manhunters. The Manhunters then decided they were better then the Guardians, and rebelled. They were then exiled.

After more failed attempts, the Guardians then created the Green Lantern Corps, recruiting the most strong-willed individuals in the world to become international peace-keepers. Since then, the corps has been destroyed by Parallax-infected Hal Jordan, and reformed by Jordan’s successor Kyle Rayner, and has since regained their former glory, regardless of the questionable decisons their superiors make.

–moyermason@yahoo.com

Catwoman #83 Review; Blackest Night Special

DC Comics is presently doing a major event called Blackest Night. It’s crossing over into many of their titles, and spawning assorted limited series. Personally, I’m largely giving it a pass, as I don’t like either the concept or the execution. The dead return to life! Just like every other day in the DCU! This time, they come back evil, as decayed zombies with power rings that let them regenerate from any damage. Dead versions of old friends (and enemies) are hell-bent on killing their former friends/foes, who then join their ranks. Its kind of a superhero version of a zombie movie, really.

Now where I will give DC credit for being clever is they have decided to bring several canceled titles back from the dead, too, as it were. Various books come back for one more time as part of the Blackest Night event, and instead of being called one shots or specials, they continue the issue numbering from when the book was stopped. One of the ones that came out this week was Catwoman #83. As with most of these, we start with a life recap, in this case Black Mask, the one person Catwoman ever actually killed. He killed her brother in law in front of her sister, and drove Maggie (her sister) mad in the process, and Selina, seeing what had happened to the “normal” part of her life, shot him. He rises with revenge in mind, as most of them do.   Below this point are spoilers.

We then see Selina herself, taking advantage of a major power failure to do some fine breaking and entering at one of Gotham’s many museums (which only seem to exist to be robbed or find spooky mystic artefacts). She is interrupted by the returned Black Mask, who now boasts the added Black Lantern abilities of flight and extra strength. She realizes he may well kill her, but will not show fear, which dampens his enthusiasm as it won’t help him as a Black Lantern, so he goes after her institutionalized sister. Being smart enough to know when she needs help, Catwoman sends up a flare they agreed on as a signal previously, and Harley and Ivy come to help. They are surprised when their sister Siren reveals she has a sister, but that’s really all that’s said, which Selina is grateful for.

Meanwhile at the Adams Psychiatric Institute (wow, a Gotham mental facility that isn’t Arkham. Is that allowed? And is that an Addams Family reference?), we see the place being evacuated as Black Mask attacks. The sound of Mask’s voice snaps Maggie Kyle out of the catatonic state she’s been in since she was brought in, as Mask turns the halls she’s in to a replica of his torture chamber. Catwoman goes inside after her sister as Harley and Ivy go after Black Mask, who promptly buries them in rubble. The Kyle’s have a very unpleasant family reunion, Maggie blaming Selina for her troubles, and Selina agreeing. Then Black Mask shows up, and it gets worse. Mask decides to re-enact the past, this time with Selina forced to watch as Maggie is tortured to death in front of her. Maggie says it won’t work as Selina doesn’t love her, and Selina is stung that it sounds like she means it. Maggie says “And to think she regretted killing you,” which causes him to ask “Seriously? Why?” which says so much about Black Mask if you ask me.

Never one to miss an entrance, Harley appears, saying that it’s because Selina is a better person than either of them. Distracted by the clown girl, Mask gets trapped as Ivy brings up a giant pitcher plant from below, its acid keeping pace with his regeneration abilities. She leaves to bring the plant to Slaughter Swamp, wildlife preserve, and generally weird place that created Solomon Grundy among other things. The Sirens go off to put the plant in the swamp, and Maggie escapes. We learn later that she mugged a nun, stole her habit, and is now going to dedicate herself to destroying the demon that wrecked both her and her sister’s lives- Catwoman.

Overall, this was on ok issue. Not great, not bad, ok. Honestly, to me it almost seemed like a bonus issue of Gotham City Sirens, although I like Dini’s writing better than Bedard’s, who wrote this one. I don’t think Selina really needs, or deserves, to have her driven insane sister coming after her, but I guess we’ll see her again in the future. It was nice to see Harley with her trademark mallet, and Black Mask made a thoroughly evil and icky villain.

Peter Tomasi Extends Exclusive Contract With DC

This came through over at DC’s The Source, where we learn that Peter Tomasi, the current writer of the Green Lantern Corps ongoing series, has extended his contract with DC for a couple more years. Tomasi, also notable for Light Brigade, The Mighty and the Blackest Night tie-in Blackest Night: Batman, will also team with Geoff Johns to bring us this years Brightest Day event, which has also been called DCU Rebirth. Accompanying this news was an image of the pencilled and inked cover to Green Lantern Corps #45, which can be seen here:Let me tell ya, I just cannot get enough of that Patrick Gleason artwork. Plus, Guy Gardner mowing people down with a chainsaw is always cool to see.

–moyermason@yahoo.com

Got Unsold Blackest Night Tie-In Copies? Marvel Wants Them!

Remember back when we first learned that DC was going to give out free promotional rings whenever we bought a title that tied into the Blackest Night storyline?  Yeah, I thought you’d remember how excited we all were for it.  Besides, wasn’t this just about the coolest thing we’d ever seen done in comics?  All we had to do was plop down an extra $4 to $8 a week in November to get inducted into any and all of the different Lantern Corps!

DCU In 2010: Brightest Day

Huge news broke today, and to sum it up, on DC’s Blog, The Source, Alex Segura, the Source’s regular blogger, did a live chat with Dan DiDio, and announced everything coming up after Blackest Night. The news broke in five, that’s right, five installments on The Source, and revealed plans for many characters. I’m gonna go ahead and post a transcript, so ladies and gentleman, I am pleased to introduce, the Brightest Day.

DCU In 2010: Kick Off Your Monday With Some Major News:

Monday, January 11th, 2010

By Alex Segura

Alex Segura: OK Dan, I got your call, I’m here. It’s pretty early, even for us. This is a first for THE SOURCE – a live interview with you on the blog. Very exciting. What’s got you so jazzed up?

Dan DiDio: I’ll just get right to the point, Alex – we’re ready to announce everything that’s coming up after BLACKEST NIGHT.

AS: Wow, really? I’m glad I brought my notebook.

DD: And I’m happy to announce that for the DCU, after the BLACKEST NIGHT will come a BRIGHTEST DAY this April. A biweekly, 26-issue series, kicking off with BRIGHTEST DAY #0.

AS: BRIGHTEST DAY – that’s major. Who’s steering the ship creatively, though?

DD: As you can imagine, we’re really excited by the great work the teams behind GREEN LANTERN and GREEN LANTERN CORPS have brought to our fans every month. And, we just don’t want to let go of that just yet. So BRIGHTEST DAY will be written by Geoff Johns and Peter Tomasi.

AS: And both GREEN LANTERN and GREEN LANTERN CORPS will have a BRIGHTEST DAY banner?

DD: Correct.

AS: Can you say anything about the artists on the book? I’d imagine, since it’s a biweekly book, you’d need more than one.

DD: Sorry to wake you and not give you all the answers at once, but we have to save a few for later. We have a number of wonderful artists slated to contribute to the book, which we’ll be announcing soon. We can say that Fernando Pasarin will be handling the art on BRIGHTEST DAY #0.

AS: Sounds good. And we’ll have more BRIGHTEST DAY news for you faithful readers in, oh, about two hours. In the meantime, can I go grab a cup of coffee?

DD: Sure.

(Interjection by Mason) Right about now, I knew my suspicions were right from the get-go. I knew there would be a White Lantern corps after BN. Of course, so did many other people, but don’t let that lower your expectations of BD, I think we all should wait till it comes out to see how it is. Also, if you take a look at the above image, you might notice that there are seven lines coming from the top circle. ROYGBIV= 7 letters. If you don’t get that, I apologize. Ok, here’s the next installment of the interview:

DCU In 2010: More On Brightest Day: The Flash

Monday, January 11th, 2010

By Alex Segura

AS: In meetings I’ve heard BRIGHTEST DAY referred to, offhand, as DCU: REBIRTH. Being the sleuth I am, this leads me to believe it’s more than just a concentrated series, right?

DD: Definitely. BRIGHTEST DAY isn’t just a single book. Like BLACKEST NIGHT, it’s an event that happens across the entire DC Universe, affecting a number of titles.

Following BRIGHTEST DAY #0, we’ll be bannering a number of new and ongoing series with BRIGHTEST DAY, which will let readers know these books are key to the entire BD story.

AS: Keeping my detective hat on, since Geoff is writing BRIGHTEST DAY and we announced he’d be writing a new FLASH ongoing coming right around the same time…

DD: Correct. We’ll be launching the new FLASH ongoing series, by Geoff and Francis Manapul in April with a BRIGHTEST DAY banner, and there will be several more titles utilizing it come May and June.

With this book, Geoff and Francis are really bringing Barry Allen back into the spotlight and cementing him as the premiere Flash in the DCU in his own monthly. It’s no secret that I’ve been waiting a long time to se this. I’ve always been a huge Barry fan, and I can say that Geoff and Francis are reinvigorating him as a character in much the same way Geoff did with Hal Jordan. Should be fun.

AS: You mentioned other titles?

DD: Yup.

AS: Alright Source readers, swing back in an hour for more BRIGHTEST DAY news. It’s a busy Monday!

(Again, some more from Mason) Well I am not that surprised about this either. I knew Barry Allen would soon be going through changes in order to re-establish his spot in the DCU, and I knew it would come soon. Geoff writes a good flash, and Manapul definitely draws a good flash, so wallet permitting, this will be added to my buying list. Here is more of the interview:

DCU In 2010: More On Brightest Day: Titans

Monday, January 11th, 2010

By Alex Segura

AS: One of the titles that a lot of people have been asking about of late is TITANS. I know that we have a new creative team hitting soon. What can you tell us about that?

DD: TITANS is another series that will fall directly under BRIGHTEST DAY, with Eric Wallace and Fabrizio Fiorentino coming on board, starting with the TITANS: VILLAINS FOR HIRE SPECIAL and then the regular series. We loved the work the two of them did on INK, so we’re excited to see them build a new team of Titans, under the leadership of none other than Deathstroke, the Terminator.

Who the members are and how they affect the original Titans is a major part of the DCU’s story for 2010.

AS: Come on, Dan. You woke me up at 6 a.m. for this. Can you drop a few clues as to the roster?

DD: Don’t see why not. Seeing as how the creative team is coming off a great mini-series like INK, it’s not a surprise that the Tattooed Man will be a member of Deathstroke’s Titans team.

AS: One more?

DD: Well, it wouldn’t be much of a Deathstroke team if there wasn’t a femme fatale in the mix, and we’ve definitely got one – with ties to the original Titans, to boot – in Cheshire. We’ll save the full roster for a later date.

AS: Fair enough. Readers, I’m starving, so I’m going to grab a quick lunch, but come back to The Source in about an hour for another bit of BRIGHTEST DAY news.

(More from Mason) I’m not all that big on the Titan’s, but I must say this sounds pretty cool. Heck, I might even start picking this up. I really wanna know the rest of the lineup though. Anyway, here’s another installment:

DCU In 2010: More On Brightest Day: Justice League of America

Monday, January 11th, 2010

By Alex Segura

AS: OK, I’m more awake now. Lunch does that to me. Are there any other DCU books that will be under the BRIGHTEST DAY banner?

DD: JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA will also feature the banner, starting with April’s #44, but the characters that will be joining the team are still very much under wraps. Sorry, I’m usually not this secretive in the afternoon. Hope you understand.

AS: No worries, Dan. But I do have one more question before we wrap things up. Cool?

DD: Sure, but not right now

AS: OK, we’ll come back at 3pm. See you then.

(More from Mason) Not surprised they won’t reveal any of the roster, and once again, can’t wait to see it. Also, the above cover to JLA #44, is interesting. If I had to guess, I think that is Dove with White Lantern entity powers. Here’s the last installment of the interview:

DCU In 2010: Another Major Brightest Day Announcement

Monday, January 11th, 2010

By Alex Segura

AS: I know the artists doing the interiors on BRIGHTEST DAY are still under wraps, but can you say anything about the cover artist?

DD: Yes we can. As some of you may have noticed, we announced last week that David Finch had joined the DCU exclusively. We’ll be announcing more details about his projects in the coming months. But first, we’re excited to announce that he’ll be the regular cover artist on all the BRIGHTEST DAY books. I see this as a wonderful way to have David touch on all aspects of the DCU, and it gives fans the chance to see his interpretation of the entire DCU and its characters.

AS: That’s great news. Now, I know I said I only had one questions. But I lied. Earlier you mentioned that we’d be announcing some new titles bearing the BRIGHTEST DAY banner –what’s the deal with those?

DD: Well, since we’ve discussed so much today, I don’t want to reveal everything about the BRIGHTEST DAY books just yet. But readers should tune in for the rest of the week for more news on BRIGHTEST DAY and the DC Universe in 2010, right here on The Source.

AS: Thanks, Dan. It’s been fun. And readers – you heard it here. Welcome to DCU IN 2010: BRIGHTEST DAY AND BEYOND. Swing by tomorrow and every day this week for some more BRIGHTEST DAY news.

And for more from Geoff Johns on all things BRIGHTEST DAY, BLACKEST NIGHT and the next GREEN LANTERN arc – “NEW GUARDIANS,” visit IGN.com for an interview with the superstar writer.

(And again, from Mason)

Well, that is some huge news, but to be honest, not much of it surprises me. But that doesn’t mean I’m not excited. My nerdy ass heart is shattering my ribs from the inside. Notice how the interview said more news would be coming out all week? Well don’t worry because ACBB is here to spread the news, so make sure to come back tomorrow and find out more news!

P.S. Hopefully some Batman news comes out soon, and also, come back soon to see my coverage on the interview IGN did with Johns.

–moyermason@yahoo.com

Blackest Night #6 Review

Blackest Night #6

Blackest Night #6 hit stores participating in DC’s Green Christmas program on Dec. 30th, and will be in stores not participating tomorrow. This issue was leaked online, but I would never even think about reading it before I buy it, but if you want, the spoilers are at the bottom. Anyway, let’s get on to reviewing Blackest Night #6 shall we?

This issue is written by Geoff Johns, as always, and features certain characters in the DCU experiencing changes beyond their imagination. Johns writing, while always good, seems to have been up a notch for Blackest Night. The writing in this issue is superb: it’s informative, it’s true to the character’s, and it’s not repetitive like some issues have been. It seems to me that while some people say Johns was born to write Green Lantern, I beg to differ. In my opinion, Johns was born to write all the characters in the DCU, regardless of what title they’re in. I’ve seen people in message boards questioning if Johns really understands the characters he writes, but I must say, if the story has enough depth, drive and emotion in it, the characters will write themselves. A story like Blackest Night gives Geoff a chance to let secondary characters in the DCU shine while having the big players take a back seat, and I think that is a good thing in an industry where so many great characters are overlooked for the simple fact that their not Superman or Batman.

For this issue, Ivan Reis takes pencilling duty, with Oclair Albert and Joe Prado on inks, and Alex Sinclair coloring. Ivan Reis, simply put, is the George Romero of comic books. Zombies seem to be a big thing in pop culture lately, and I don’t think anyone can make a zombie look as unique as Reis can. The cover to this issue says it all, whether it’s Reis’ pencils or Sinclair’s colors, everything seems to fit and work excellently. The colors by Sinclair are phenomenal, and I really hope they can find a place for him in the GL or GLC series after BN is all over, because I just can’t get enough of it. Albert’s and Prado’s gritty, realistic inks are awesome and add a sense of realism to Blackest Night while holding onto the darkness of it all.

This issue also features another addition to The Book Of The Black: The Burned-In Thought’s Of William Hand. While the meaning of this addition is unclear to me, I still understand it’s importance. It shows that even a creature as demented as Black Hand can recognize beauty, yet still can’t get over it’s own demons. The issue also features the covers of the tie-in issues of the discontinued DC titles The Atom and Hawkman #46, Phantom Stranger #42, The Question #37, Starman #81, Weird Western Tales #71, The Power of Shazam! #48, Suicide Squad #67 and Catwoman #83. Also, the DC Nation page feature the Blackest Night Part 3 Checklist.

Overall, a great issue. I really enjoyed the art and writing in this issue, and my only complaint is that it reads really fast due to all the added stuff at the end.

–moyermason@yahoo.com

SPOILERS BEGIN
Here is the rundown of what happened in the issue:
–Black rings chase Hal and Barry
–Barry takes them two seconds into the future to cut the emotional connection
–Deadman tells Atom and Mera about all the Black Lantern’s coming to earth inside the Black Lantern ring network, then leaves
–Atom and Mera pop out of Wonder Woman’s ring, her and Mera start fighting
–We learn that it will take all of the corps power combined to destroy the Black Lantern
–Ganthet takes action and duplicates Hal’s ring, and puts it on
–Ganthet then duplicates Atrocitus’, Indigo 1′s, Carol’s, Sinestro’s, Saint Walker’s and Larfleeze’s rings, and they seek for bearers
–The Orange ring finds Lex Luthor, the Indigo one finds Atom, the Red one finds Mera, the Blue one finds Barry, Sinestro’s finds Scarecrow, and Carols finds Wonder Woman, who is able to overpower the Black ring to wear the Violet one

Green Lantern #49 Review

This issue throws us smack in the middle of John Stewart’s Blackest Night experience, and also shed’s some light on the origin of Nekron. This issue hit stands on the 23rd and has a cover price of $2.99. This issue we see a change in the creative team as Ed Benes and Marcos Marz steps in for Doug Mahnke for the pencilling job, and for this month, the colors are done by Hi-Fi Designs. The Origin of Nekron co-feature is written by Geoff Johns and features the art of Jerry Ordway with Hi-Fi colors also. Anyway, let’s get on to reviewing.

This issue definitely left me stunned, which both the writing and art take credit for. We all know Geoff Johns knows how to write a good story, and that can be proven by taking a look at every issue of Green Lantern for the last, oh, I don’t know……5 years. This story focuses entirely on John Stewart, and is one of those issues that makes you remember why you like him. He’s a bad-ass guy with a bad-ass weapon and the balls to use it, plus, he’s smoother than egg nog. I can’t wait to see what happens next issue, as usual. I have a feeling what we’ve seen of Blackest Night so far isn’t even close to what’s coming.

The art on this issue is simply fantastic. While it is refreshing for a series to change up artists every once-and-a-while, but switching from Doug Mahnke’s dark, Blackest Night-fitting style to Ed Benes’ sharp, detailed technique is quite awesome. Plus, this issue we get my wish from last issue, ironically, Hi-Fi does the colors for this issue, and like a god-damn Big Mac, I’m LOVIN It. Hi-Fi is always putting out great art, and I don’t think it will be stopping any time soon. If Hi-Fi were to do the colors regularly, I would black out from excitement. Oh, and by the way, next month we’ll see the return of Doug Mahnke as penciller and Christian Alamy on the colors.

The co-feature in this issue goes into more detail into Nekron’s origin than what we have seen so far. It features what happened after Ray and Mera jumped into Damage’s Black Lantern ring in Blackest Night #5.

SPOILERS BEGIN
So, Ray and Mera have been drawn into Damage’s ring by Black Lantern Jean Loring, and find themselves witness to a history lesson into Nekron’s existence. Turns out, the universe has been around forever, but existence wasn’t around for a while. Then, when the white light of creation formed, colors, aka the emotional spectrum formed and sentient existence began with the Maltusians. The Maltusians would migrate to Oa and eventually become the Guardians Of The Universe. As it would be, the Maltusians were afraid of the darkness, and waged war on the universe, not for it. They would become the Guardians, and the darkness, in time, would form it’s own Guardian. Nekron was born, and he begin to hold heroes from death so that they could help him when the time came. That time is now, and the Blackest Night is here. Just as Jean tells Mera and Ray that no one can stop them, Deadman is seen in the ring going towards them, saying “Well I guess I’m no one”.

SPOILERS END

This issue was definitely a standout. From the great art, excellent story and awesome co-feature, it rates pretty high on my list. In fact, the only complaint I have is that the story is so fast paced, it’s hard to take much in with the first read. So, here’s the rating:

Blackest Night #5 Review

Blackest Night #5

[Spoilers]

Yes, it’s late, I apologize. This issue picks up right after Green Lantern #48 with Hal, Sinestro, Carol, Saint Walker, Ganthet, Sayd, Larfleeze, Indigo and Atrocitus searching for the Black Lantern Central Power Battery. Let’s just say, Blackest Night is really starting to heat up. With this issue, we finally see the rise of Black Lantern Batman, and yes, it IS Bruce Wayne’s corpse that rises. Also in this issue, we see many A-List DC heroes turned into Black Lanterns. These include Superman, Wonder Woman, Kid Flash, Green Arrow, and more. Anyway, enough spoilers, let’s get to reviewing, shall we?

Simply put, Geoff Johns is brilliant. I’ve said it a million times before, and I’ll say it a million more times, he just seems to be able to write any character in any situation at any time. One of the highlights is the exchange between Barry Allen and Nekron, as well as the conversation between Hal and his self-proclaimed “Rainbow rodeo”. Larfleeze continues to keep my gut busting with his unending hunger. The only complaint I have about the writing is that it sometimes intrudes on the action by repeating stuff we (should) know by now.

Ivan Reis does the pencilling while Oclair Albert and Joe Prado take the inking task with Alex Sinclair taking the colors. I am satisfied with DC’s decision to put this series in Reis’ hand’s, because he may be the only guy capable of putting this story into context visually. Reis obviously puts a lot of effort into making his drawings so dynamic while keeping it within the realm of believability. I love the way Reis sets up pages: he draws them from incredible angles and arranges the panels in very interesting ways. For this issue, I don’t have a single complaint about the art. It’s great!

This issue also features another entry from “The Book of The Black: The Burned In Thoughts Of William Hand”. In this entry, Black Hand talks about the last time he had gone to church and had told everyone there that they were all going to die. These entries have been very interesting to me, as they seem to give Blackest Night a deeper meaning than we have been shown so far. All I know is that the next issue is supposed to show us what Nekron is really after, unless the solicits are lying again.