Blackest Night

[CM_Cooza]

Has anyone else picked this baby up? I have to say that it is an awesome book. The art by Reis looks exceptional and I have confidence that Johns is going to pull a rabbit out of his hat for this event.

As much as I'm getting sick of the big scale events and being pretty skeptical about the hype for this one, I was honestly blown-away by how much I enjoyed this book from start to finish.

What say you?

[DJ Kenobi]

Would you be interested in posting a more in-depth review of Blackest Night? We hope for solid reviews to start a discussion here in Comics Analysis. Or if someone else would like to provide a review, that would be great as well.

[southpaw]

I can't provide an indepth analysis. I enjoyed it a lot and here's an official link about Blackest Night.
http://dccomics.com/sites/greenlantern/

[spidey976]

Okay so since NO one wants to do this I will do a bit of an overview of the book ... because frankly it kicks butt.

So unless you have been living under a rock ... or just don't collect DC comics. You should know that Blackes Night is the new BIG even from DC. It ALL stems from a series of Green Lantern books where Geoff Johns (sp?) has been weaving a enhanced mythos since Green Lantern Rebirth.

Basically ... ALL of the other colour spectrums NOW have their own Lanterns ... Red ... Organge ... Yellow (those are the bad) ... Green .... Blue ... Indigo ... Violet. The Guardians of the Galaxy have lost control of the emotional spectrum ... and a "War of Light" has begun. Flash back to the Sinestro Corp War and a bit of the aftermath of Rebirth where One of the Guardians is Scarred (now called Scar) by the Anti Montior and Black Hand actually becomes a harbinger of death by simply touching someone.

SO ... now ... Scar and Hand are the Guardian and the Embodiment of DEATH .... or .... the abscents of light and emotion ... Black.

Now basically what happens with this story is ... well the dead are beginning to rise again ... with black rings and ONE mission ... kill the living ... rip out their hearts and make SOMEONE RISE (don't know who yet).

So here is the basics ... in this story we find out the following ... HEAVY SPOILERS INCLUDING DEATHS

The heroes have been targeted by death ... and they are being hit when they are weakest. During a national rememberance for all of the heroes who have ever died (especially during the Final Crisis). They are targeted by Death Lanterns. Formerly dead heroes who have been brought back with ALL of their memories and powers and a jealousy of sorts over those who still have life, and the death lanterns want to take that life. The following Death Lanterns are also born in this issue
Martian Manhunter
Firestorm Ronnie Raymonds
Aquaman
Jade
Phantom Lady
Human Bomb
Star Saphire (one of them)
Captain Boomerang
AND EVERY GREEN LANTERN who has ever left a corps to bury (including possible Kilowog yeah I know he isn't dead but I some someone who looked like him ... oh and a house fly and squirrel ... lol)

Death Lanterns I KNOW who are still coming
Superman of Earth Two
Tara (Teen Titans)
Psycho Pirate
Lois Lane of Earth Two (I think)
Possibly Jonathen Kent, and the Graysons

Also... for unknown reasons the BlackHand has stollen Bruce Waynes skull from his grave but NOT reanimated him.

The story also focuses on HOW Barry Allen is adjusting to finding out about ALL of the people who have been lost since the original Crisis.

Finally ... in a BRUTAL bit of story telling that I am not sure they would have gotten away with 10 years ago ... Hawkman and Hawkgirl are litterally beaten to death by Sue and Ralph Digby (the Elongated Man). Their hearts are then ripped out of their chests ... the "rising" counter goes up 0.01% ad then 0.02% with their deaths (their emotions are sucked our of their hearts and into the black lantern rings worn by Sue and Ralph), and then to make it worse ... the dead join the Black Lantern corp.

Now this story has started off SO much better then Final Crisis ...or Zero Hour ... or any of those other big even books ... that I am really hopeful that it will continue on this way.

Okay ... long winded explanation ... done.

[eric_blitz]

I thought it was pretty kick ass. But when I looked at the Blackest Night Check List...my wallet actually started to hurt XD I dunno if I'm going to be able to follow the whole thing o.O

[spidey976]

I have to agree about all of the tie-ins being a lot of money. Rightnow though this is the ONLY thing I am picking up ... or far it is off to a great start. I hope it fullfills it's promise.

[spidey976]

So I JUST read Blackest Night #2, and Blackest Night Batman #1. Guys/Gals if you are or have ever been a DC fan, and enjoyed the original Crisis, I am going to say something that my sound like I have lost my mind. This story line is starting off BETTER then Crisis did, and it is more brutal, and emotional then the original Crisis, at least at the start. Just a few spoilers to wet your appetite.

So we open basically where we left off with the Dead Lanterns rising, and all hell breaking lose. The new Death Lanterns revealed ... or at least a few:

Hank Hall ... Hawk
Tula ... AquaGirl
Dolphin ... Tempest's Wife
Aquaman ... oh and he is pissed
The Spectre ... his host is DEAD so he is being controlled
Hawkman and Hawkgirl ... killed in the first issue
Firestorm ... Ronnie Ramond
The Grayson and Drake Families (shown in Batman)
The Deadman ... and his spirit is NOT happy about it.
Tempest/Aqualad ... KILLED THIS issue by Tula

I don't want to give away TO much here, but one of the more interesting aspects of the story is that SOME people who have died can NOT be corrupted into Death Lanterns. If you died and you were truely at peace when you passed you can not be turned (Don Hall the original Dove would not rise when called).

I don't want to say TO much more about the actual story because I think it is totally worth picking up. I have been following it, and I have to say it is the BEST start to a BIG EVENT book that I have seen in years. If not EVER. Just the emotional beats, and some of the people they are taking out, are jaring, and I hate to say it that helps lend an emotional backbone to this story that has been lacking from many others.

Folks I HIGHLY recommend this book if you consider yourself a fan of the DC universe. I gotta run out and pick up the Blackest Nigh Superman book ... I have heard it is great.

[spidey976]

Blackest Night Superman: IT just keeps getting NASTIER.

SPOILERS
Kal-L ... the Golden Age Superman from Earth 2 ... yeah the guy from Crisis of Infinite Earth's ... well he SLAUGHTERS SMALLVILLE ... the WHOLE TOWN. Oh ... and his Lois HELPS. That is ALL I am going to say ... lol.

[Random Hero 7]

hey, anyone think that there is going to be White Lantern soon...?
i mean they have all the colors, excapt white. it most likely be the power of life or peace. anyone agree?

[spidey976]

If there IS a White Lantern it could be Hal ... or it could be someone COMPLETELY at peace with ALL of their emotions. Don Hall was like that, but he has already passed away.

[Random Hero 7]

If there IS a White Lantern

wow, that just shows u how fimiliar with GL, i just started getting interested in it

[spidey976]

Well ... Hal has been shown to be able to control the a Green Ring (Willpower), a Red Ring (Rage), a Blue Ring (Hope), and a Yellow Ring (Fear), and Orange (Greed) ... He was actually able to make ALL FIVE work ... though he couldn't use red, blue, and yellow or organce as well as he could his own Green Ring. That only leaves Violet (Love), and Indigo (Compassion).

Another possibility could be a collision of ring bearers ... combining their light to MAKE white.

[misfitX]

i'm curious to see if the last three panels in GL43 means anything. You see all the colors of the emotional spectrum behind the planetoids that explode and release the first batch of rings. I wanna see a fight between Mogo Ranx and Xanshi.

[Ichbin Der Ausgang]

i read the latest blackest night today, i've only read one other issue beforehand but i cant remember which

i was taken aback with the death of Gen in this issue, it was so tangible and disturbing
i seriously could not believe they killed her.

johns is doing for green lantern right now what claremont and byrne did for the xmen. gl is so good right now that its hard to imagine anyone topping the past few years of gl in the next 15-20 years

[spidey976]

Well Blackest Night Titans and Superman have been ABOSLUTELY brutal ... as was BL#3. The brutality of some of the scenes is schocking as is the content. The scenes with Donna Troy in BLN Titans # 2 are chilling to me

[Geekboy]

hey, anyone think that there is going to be White Lantern soon...?
i mean they have all the colors, excapt white. it most likely be the power of life or peace. anyone agree?

It disappoints me a bit to see someone on an art board refer to black and white (values) as colors.

As someone who has at the very least perused just about every GL story from the Silver Age forward at one time or another, I think the mythos has never been in better hands. I'm always a little disappointed that John isn't quite as great as he was in GL: Mosaic (one of my favorite comics ever), but everything else is so fantastic that I can overlook the things they brought over from the JLU animated series.

Some spoilers:

I just think it's awesome that I'm sympathising with Sinestro of all characters. His handling of Mongul was just awesome. I loved that after kicking his can all over the place he kept him alive to keep from giving him the satisfaction of coming back as a Black Lantern.

[Killer Tomato]

Sinestro will be the White Lantern, and the savior of the blackest Night.... that is all... and then he will die a hero....

Would think itd be Hal but its too obvious, I wouldnt think Johns would go there.

[starkoryan81]

Blackest Night has been great fun, and I'm loving what they're doing in the Green Lantern title. Doug Mahnke is kicking arse on it!

[spidey976]

Okay ... so I have kept reading this ... and for the most part it has been the BEST miniseries I have read in YEARS.

Now ... there are some down falls. THe main books: Blackest Night, and Green Lantern have been truely SOLID. Great work all around. However, the off shoots have been hit and miss. Titans was sweet ... but boy BN Superman and BN Batman ended HORRIBLEY in my oppinion. I am still hopeful for ... wait for it ... Booster Gold (the first BN issue was pretty good).

[bdog]

Okay ... so I have kept reading this ... and for the most part it has been the BEST miniseries I have read in YEARS.

Now ... there are some down falls. THe main books: Blackest Night, and Green Lantern have been truely SOLID. Great work all around. However, the off shoots have been hit and miss. Titans was sweet ... but boy BN Superman and BN Batman ended HORRIBLEY in my oppinion. I am still hopeful for ... wait for it ... Booster Gold (the first BN issue was pretty good).

I agree Booster has been top Notch lately. I have to say Blackest Night seems to be a mini series that has a great direction, I know it's leading up to something big. Unlike Final Crisis it looks and feels like a major DC event. Plus I like how evil Johns writes Firestorm :).

[Uncontrolled_Parsnip]

Am I the only one wary that everyone's out to get the White Power? I mean I can't be alone is hoping Hal doesn't get a costume change that includes a hood...s'all Im saying.

[sequentialscott]

The whole idea of the emotional spectrum is cool - it's what got me to look at it in the first place. That said, what about sadness? Pretty major emotion, no?

Maybe the depressed folks will save the world since part of that is a flattening out of all emotions.

And where's joy, happiness, and contentment? Or am I overthinking this?

[Ebernaught]

I have been reading the series after a hiatus from comic collecting and am impressed with DC's direction with the story.However, I usually wait for the compendium to be released so I can read the whole story from begin to end.And the books are sturdier and hold up better.Check out Big Bad Toy Store, under DC comics, and sometimes they mark down their stuff.

[YodaSoldia]

The whole idea of the emotional spectrum is cool - it's what got me to look at it in the first place. That said, what about sadness? Pretty major emotion, no?

Maybe the depressed folks will save the world since part of that is a flattening out of all emotions.

And where's joy, happiness, and contentment? Or am I overthinking this?

I think it's because each emotion has a corresponding color in the spectrum, only so many emotions can appear on the page.

[InkDrop]

Are there trades of this available yet? I'm hooked just by reading this post.

[spidey976]

I think the trades come out in July or August ... they are late ... and there will be a lot of them.

[Random Hero 7]

i kno my friend is going to get them so im going to have to borrow them and get the full story!

[Jeloschi]

I think the 7th ish of the 12 part BN series (not counting the crossovers like BN Flash, etc) just came out. At this rate, the series won't conclude til July, so you're probly looking at a little later in the year for trades.

[Jeloschi]

Of course then you'll have to wait for 'Brightest Day':D