Pick of the Week
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Art and Cover by IVAN REIS, OCLAIR ALBERT and JOE PRADO
Variant Cover by RODOLFO MIGLIARI
Sketch Variant Cover by IVAN REIS
Size: 40 pages
Price: 3.99
A major, years long, mainstream comic book event is over, and it appears that most fans, including myself actually liked it. That is no small feat.
Personally, I think the standout story of this entire series has been the ascension of Ivan Reis. Prior to Blackest Night, Reis was thought of as a second fiddle to Ethan Van Sciver, but at this point, I think it's safe to say that Reis is Van Sciver's equal, if not more so. Every issue came out more or less on time, and with consistent, and often stunning artwork. I don't know if fans understand, but books like this, which call for so many characters, and armies of them to be drawn on almost every page, are incredibly challenging. Throw in the level of detail and rendering Reis regularly does, and what you have here is a monumental acheivement in comic book art. Johns threw everything in his brain at Reis, who handled the scripts with smooth aplomb and spectacular results. If this guy isn't in the running for an Eisner for his work on Blackest Night, the system is broken.
Similarly, credit needs to go to Alex Sinclair for his colors in a book that was absolutely dependent on colors and lighting effects. One of my favorite things about the modern coloring done by computer is the ability to depict luminance, and brightness. It's the illusion of actual light being generated on the page, and the glowing White Lantern Sinestro is a great example of how it can work, and all the colors were right where they needed to be, standing out among the blackness. The colors were, as they should have been, one of of the best parts of the whole run.
Finally, I think a slow clap is in order for Geoff Johns, or as he should be known from now on, DC Comics. Nearly sixty issues of Green Lantern and many years in the making, this "trilogy" encompassing Rebirth, Sinestro Corps War, and now Blackest Night is complete, and I think it's safe to say that, no, Alan Moore, you're incorrect. He does have some ideas of his own, and what a success they've been. When Green Lantern: Rebirth came out, no one was thinking about Hal Jordan except the wackadoos in H.E.A.T. and maybe Darwyn Cooke. These days, they're prepping the feature film, and we get more questions about where to start than we can handle. That's all Geoff Johns. He had the help of plenty of artists and editors along the way, but when you talk about "will," it's pretty clear that the DC Dynamo willed Green Lantern to success.
In the meantime, he wrapped up a story I wasn't sure was wrappable, and while he was at it, hit the reset button on the idea of death in the DC Universe. As the newly minted Chief Creative Officer of the company, he's in a position to keep things according to the status quo he set up. He brought back some classic and beloved characters, and the gatefold which will forever be spoken of put them all right in front of us. Aquaman is standing there, front and center, the once and future king. Hawkman and Hawkgirl are going to get one more chance at a clean continuity. Martian Manhunter, a character who is simply necessary to the JLA, stands once more. Max Lord came back, presumably pulling the monkey off Wonder Woman's back. Professor Zoom and Captain Boomerang came back to round out Johns' other project in the Flash world. There are others, but the real story here is that, they're the only ones. The resurrection card has been played, and this is your hand DC. Until Johns is ripped from his position at DC, the reset switch is supposedly banned. Still, Johns really likes Grant Morrison, so I bet he could give the mad Scotsman a pass if he really wanted to.
Meanwhile, Nekron and the Black Hand are taken care of, in that classic comic book way, where if someone needs them, they can be recalled, and the mystery of the White Lantern is still to be explored. That Sinestro thing? Complete macguffin. Yet while there are threads hanging, as there well should be in serial comic books, I feel like it was a complete story, with an ending worthy of the build up. It didn't all take place in this series, but spanned most of the DC Universe, and with this story, we've got an almost Crisis level event; a broom with which to clean up the DC Universe. For example, the Justice League has a lot more possibility for that classic lineup these days, and there's still plenty for the various Corps to deal with, going forward. Geoff Johns sliced himself a big ass piece of cake, and with this, he ate every bit. But we loved watching him scarf it down, and we'd sign up to do it again, which we will.
I hope you enjoyed this story, because comics like this, build ups and pay offs like Blackest Night don't happen that often. We're often chasing the sparks of comic book excellence, occurring randomly here and there, and hoping someone else notices, so the creators can continue to work somewhere else, and make more of that magic. But in Blackest Night, we have that rare convergence of market success and critical acclaim, and it was a success on every level. Beware his power indeed.
Josh Flanagan
Good thing Scalped didn't come out this week.
josh@ifanboy.com
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Can’t wait to read this…
Heh. Well, I wrote my slightly opposing view in the Reviews section. It’s actually not that I disagree with anything written here — it’s just that I think I didn’t value it as much. I think I wanted more from the characters in the story. Something to hang onto. But in the end, for me, the story was too much "let’s keep blasting at it until we find the right combination of powers!" Which can be fine, plotwise, but only if there’s something else going on.
That said, I’m actually very interested in Brightest Day. A story that resets certain characters is not usually one for me. The STORY actually comes with what happens next. I’ve long been a fan of Deadman, Aquaman, Martian Manhunter, Firestorm, etc. So let’s get some actual stories told with them. I’m much more interested in tha. And Blackest Night set that stage, so… there’s that.
I wasn’t sure if anyone could wrap up a 5 year story without dissappointment, but Johns did and proved once again that he is the best pure story-teller in comics today. And the really remarkable thing is, I can’t wait for Brightest Day.
It’s the only book I’ve read so far but it would be hard to top it.
@Josh: Tell all the nay sayers good things come to those who wait.
Josh. Better late than never.
/clap
Maybe Boston Brand could be the new Night Wing.
This is like the Oscar win for "Return of King" … just kidding.
I feel so bad for Deadman.
Great review. I’m really looking forward to reading this
I didn’t start reading Green Lantern until Sinestro Core War Special.
How are the trade paperbacks before that event? Worth buying?
This really was a rare event, even beyond the definition of "event comics." Geoff Johns got to tell his entire story, a sprawling epic that redefined the character as well as my love for that character. Even if the Green Lantern movie is crap, which I doubt, I can still look to this trilogy as the ultimate Green Lantern cinematic experience. Standing ovation.
And after Ivan Reis, it’s hard to go back and look at Van Sciver. Reis’ Hal has become the image in my head whenever I think "Green Lantern."
what is the Alan Moore reference referencing?
@ scorpionmasada It’s not "CORE" it’s "CORPSE"
Easily one of the greatest ‘Event’ stories I have ever read.
So, uhhhh….is this a good Jumping On Point?
I was very concerned that Mr. Johns wasn’t going to be able to wrap up this story in a satisfying fashion in a single issue. I won’t doubt him again. This did exactly what I wanted it to. It wrapped up the important plot points from the series (and some of the tie-ins) and provided an excellent set up (many excellent set ups, in fact) for the future of the DCU.
Plus, that has to be the best (and only) FOUR page spread I have ever seen.
@wolf – Moore was talking shit recently about unoriginality and idea recycling in comics these days and brought up Johns’ use of Nekron (who Moore created) as an example.
Good point about the colorist. It’s often overlooked in general, and Alex Sinclair in particular has done great work, especially on Blackest Night.
lol good thing scalped 36 didn’t come out this week, this comment board would have broke in half
Speaking of Alan Moore, I’m interested in seeing someone critique how the prophesy in Mr. Moore’s "Tygers" issue of Green Lantern Corp matches up with this series. I’m going to go dig up my copy of "Tygers", but I’ll leave the analysis to someone more knowledgeable than myself.
Finally, Josh, finally
No,wait second. I thought about it and realised i don’t really feel that strongly.
Holy crap Josh, i think you’ve written quite possibly the best pick of the week review i’ve read on this site (no offence Conor and Ron). Truly phenomenal review and while i had my problems with this issue, you actually made me appreciate it more through your review. you deserve a pat on the back.
BN#8 AWESOME!!!!!!!
Matthew
Soo, um how long was Professor zoom dead for?
Thank you Mr. Johns, an event that delivered in everyway!! BN#8 was the cherry on top of a fine sundae creation;)
The Deadman parts were awesome, showing just how great a supporting cast member he is. "Way to go, Chuck!"
I apologize for the typo. I typed it how I say it, but now I will type and say it like Ron.
I feel like i just lost 8 months of my life… the fact that he killed "the Hawks" in issue one just to bring them back in issue 8 really bothers me.
@rift1128-they did serve a purpose in the story in that he made them black lanterns and it really upped the ante when the JLA etc. had to fight agianst them(the black lantern versions of them were creepy as hell)
@rift1128: Howcome?
I thought this series suffered from all the problems of Infinite Crisis (poor plotting, bullshit and little explained arbitrary ending, wasted characters who showed up to do nothing important) and then threw in some of the weakest villains in a crossover this side of the equally poor Necrosha. Is anybody going to truly argue that Nekron ever became half as interesting as Sinestro or intimidating as the Anti-Monitor was? Did you really want to see this character go down half as bad you did the likes of the Skrull Queen or Norman Osborn? I still remember that amazing moment at the end of the kickoff to the Sinestro Corps War when old Anti showed back up as the Guardian of the yellow corps. Crisis did such a great job building him up that even over twenty years later his return meant things were about to get very real and very bad for our heroes. Love or hate their portrayal, nobody can argue that at least Alexander Luthor and Superboy Prime were memorable in their actions throughout Infinite. While Nekron? Nekron was the definition of a straw man villain. He could have been replaced with any death themed cosmic villain and the story would have played out the same.
The resurrections were also a real point of contention for myself and many other people who shop at my store. There were hundreds of freaking corpses running around that battlefield. So why did only those 11 come back? Johns hand waving insulting, arrogant, non-explanation of "well jeez there must be some mysterious plan to all this. Whatta ya gonna do?" does not count as a answer. There should be a lot more newly alive dead people running around the DC unviverse today. And if there are then I blame poor story telling for not making it clearer. And I will bet everyone who visits this site 5 dollars that resurrections will still continue unabated throughout the DCU. Also I hope none of the Kendra fans out there didn’t mind Johns spitting on and then kicking them in the face.
What frustrates me especially is that you will not find a bigger fan of the Sinestro Corps War than me. I loved every moment of that series and continue to think that it, along with what DNA have been doing with the Annihilations/War/Etc., was a text book example of how you do big, over the top superhero storytelling without losing great characterization and interesting plot developments. Next week for the podcast I co-host, I and my partner are planning on sitting down and re-reading both that event and Blackest Night in their entirety so that we can compare and contrast the two events. I challenge anybody else to do the same and see if how well the two really compare.
@StorytellerSJK: The Hawkman and Hawkwoman bit as my favorite bit. So excited for Shiera to be back. As for why only those 11 have come back? That’s clearly something that is going to be dealt with in Brightest Day.
Your sign out line had me rolling, Josh.
-J.
I was REALLY surprised with what they did with Deadman. It was a nice surprise, but then I realized what it means for the character.
And, THANK YOU for finally picking Blackest Night for Pick of the Week. I was getting a little bugged with last week’s Marvel love, but then again, that’s one of the many things that make the podcast fun!
Good pick. Great review. Thank you for giving ivan reis his due. He’s been my fave since secret origins. This has me really excited for the dcu moving forward but the lack of mid level talent leaves me tenative towards the success of a book like aquaman and hawkman. I also like johns’ nod towards 52 with the resurrection of Osiris. Can’t wait to see what a black Adam book could look like. I can only hope that dc releases a white lantern ring now to round out my collection
Loved this issue. One of the things i was actually disappointed with in blackest night was that the focus of some of the early and middle issues was taken away from Hal and i loved how this was very much a Hal issues as opposed to other issues that focused on dead characters returning or even Barry who got a lot of face time when Hal’s adventure was relegated (not in a really bad way) to Green Lantern. An excellent close to the series. Can’t wait for Brightest day now and i might pick up the flash also
I am so happy I am into comics right now. Im Going to C2E2 my first convention, and I don’t think I could of picked a better time. I want that four page spread on my wall. And Aquaman has never looked so bad ass.
@scorpionmasada – "Rebirth" is excellent. "No Fear" is probably the weakest trade, but it has its moments. I loved both "Revenge of the Green Lanterns" and "Wanted: Hal Jordan" but I’ve heard people say they didn’t really like them, so fair warning there. It just blows my mind to re-read those and see all the seeds that were planted early on that came to fruition in "The Sinestro Corps War" and "Blackest Night," plus there’s still a few that haven’t been addressed yet. If you’ve liked GL at all over the last few years, I think they’re well worth your time.
I can’t wait for the next meeting of Ronnie and Jason and the ultimate of Firestorm.
@connor: I understand why they did it. I guess i have a issue with comics in general right now. Death means nothing so after years of reading comics it gives the feel that nothing matters anymore. I understand why the industry does it… Cap cant stay dead and Bruce Wayne will always be THE Batman. But with the Hawks i felt that it was just a "Holy Shit" moment to bring you into the story and now Johns is saying, "Gotcha!" I feel like even though it had ramifications in the JSA or JLA books, and despite it being 8 months since the issue came out, the overall story only lasted, what seemed like, a day or two max. With that its like they didnt even die…
I like the idea of Aquaman and a few others who have been gone for some time. I actually like the idea of Cap being gone for so long and then coming back. The time away makes it feel like the story told actually mattered. But for the death and resurrection to happen in one mini series feels pushed and more of mechanic than organic story telling. Stories like the original Question mini series seem to resonate more with me now that the character is gone for good. Identity Crisis will always be one of the best stories told because Ralph and Sue refuse to be resurrected, at least at this point.
Overall i think my issue is more than just what Johns did in the story with those two characters ( and to set the record straight i did like Blackest Night as an overall mini) but it really hit me more with them than any other character and left a sour taste at the end.
lmiller31, thanks. I’m going to go back and check them out.
Sorry misspelled conor
T’was a good ending. Not a great one, but a good one.
@rift1128: That’s comics. People don’t stay dead. It sounds flippant, but it’s true. One day the original Question will return too. And Ralph and Sue.
In the case of the Hawks, their death was a beat in a story, and not meant to be lasting. I think that comic fans have been trained by the comic book companies to think that every time a character is killed it’s A BIG DEAL, even when it’s just a beat in act one. This is why people freaked out when Batwoman died for about fifteen minutes in BATMAN AND ROBIN.
And with the Hawks, their death served a very important purpose: it allowed Johns to clean their slate and reboot them, something that has been SORELY needed for about 20 years.
As someone who started regularly reading comics about 3-4 months before Blackest Night began, following this series was an interesting experiment. I thought this issue was a microcosm of the whole event, as it had a little bit of everything good and bad about the series. There were some great broad-strokes moments–look at all these guys who are alive now, check out the White Lantern Corps, etc.–and some very cool ideas–Deadman lives is clever and intriguing, Black Hand a prisoner/member? of the indigo tribe was interesting. But there was a lot that didn’t work for me–some demanded too much background knowledge (who is Maxwell Lord, the older Firestorm dude, Hawk, etc.), and some storytelling elements that just don’t work for me (I really have a hard time with the Lantern "fights"–it always seems like a bunch of dudes floating out in a vacuum, pointing colored stuff at each other that works or doesn’t work whenever the author feels like it). I’m glad I kept up with this series, even if it wasn’t exactly friendly to new readers. I must admit though, seeing the "Next: Brightest Day" makes me sigh. Can’t we get a few goofy issues where they play Lantern Basketball on Oa or something? I need a rest.
Conor: i can understand the reboot… and i understand why characters cant die for good… i think it just felt rushed to me. I feel the reboot could have come later and made it more meaningful… IMO at least.
Who is Abin Sur? Sinestro said "YOUR ANNIHILATION MARKS THE END OF ABIN SUR." YOur wha? of who?
I haven’t reaad this issue yet, and Ive pretty much loved green lantern since rebirth but this seems to me like its continuing something I’ve noticed a lot at DC recently, the silver age revival. I mean Kyle Rayner went from the only GL to being the torch bearer and Ion to… barely being a factor in Blackest Night at all? and when was the last time Wally West did anything important in the DCU? And now they’re bringing back the original Firestorm and Aquaman again? And Hawkman and Hawkgirl?
Now that Aquaman is alive Johns should start planning an Aquaman Rebirth b/c he is definitely the one character that needs it the most!
This is probably the best comic event I will never get around to actually reading.
@DenverDave: Abin Sur
@greendart32: Yep, and it’s exciting stuff!
@DenverDave Abin Sur is the alien Green Lantern who was originally the protector of sector 2814 (Earth), when he crashed landed on Earth he seeked out a successor to his ring of willpower b/c he knew he was going to die & that man was Hal Jordan. Abin Sur was also a great friend to Sinestro.
fantastically written review, josh! i agree wholeheartedly!
Wow talk about putting it all together in a great way that makes a lot of sense.
Abin Sur, the prophecy, the reason for the spectrum entities. The ani monitor. Crazy. He said dead is dead, and after the message of this story about life and just existence (Will) I am okay with never having an explanation why some characters returned and others different. If it is just left as a mystery, and that no one can explain it… I think it only adds to the story and the discussion of life.
The way this ended, the over all arc in it is just so impressive. I was nit picky about the black lanterns power level but who cares, what they represent is what matters.
great, great review. really made me appreciate the accomplishment of this series. i feel like geoff johns is now the god-protagonist of the DCU. he’s been granted omnipotence for his mission to make it awesome.
Uhh…yeah, this was a really good event. There were only little snags that had to do with story execution and tie-in issues, but on the whole it was pretty bomb. Geoff Johns is a master, Ivan Reis is storyteller supreme–DC is the company whose side you want to be on…Marvel aint got nothin on this!
Lots of conflicted opinions on BN#8 around here, and while I agree with Josh that Ivan Reis and the entire art team for Blackest Night are a force to be reckoned with, I’m not at all feeling the excitement or interest going into Brightest Day. The Blackest Night series in tandem with all the other GL books has felt dragged out for far too long. I appreciate Johns trying to serve up an epic, but for all the cool moments (Martian Manhunter returning, Hawkman and Hawkwoman reunited), he brings equally cheesy ones (”No. I can feel it out there Barry. Urging us to break away from the past and the BLACKEST NIGHT…and head into tomorrow.” I can’t stand the way he basically spoke though Barry & Hal at the end–”I think dead is dead from here on out”.
Really?
This event and all the hype surrounding GL got me back into the monthly habit. Geoff Johns has done a stellar job in rebooting Hal Jordan and Green Lantern into DC’s most popular franchise and the stories leading up to Blackest Night have been fun, but the payoff here, while surpassing Marvel’s event output as of late, still leaves me wanting.
@mrlogical: I can’t imagine reading Blackest Night without a ton of prior DC knowledge. I think the comics fanbase largely gave BN a pass on this just because BN (unlike Final Crisis) was so easy to follow on a surfacial narrative level, but zero outside information was provided about any of these characters or their relationships. The whole time I was reading it I kept catching myself thinking things like, "Here are more references to Identity Crisis; so no one unfamiliar with Identity Crisis would know why this has a lot of emotional resonance right now" or "Most readers are uber-jazzed because Scarecrow is a yellow lantern now–would an outside reader also find that amusing, or just nerdy and a little trite, after you explained what a yellow lantern was?"
I liked BN overall, but I think this last chapter was relatively weak. Sinestro Corps was a whole lot better in that the emotional payoffs felt "earned", whereas so many of the story developments in BN (changing colors, resurrections) felt random. Better art than Sinestro Corps War, though. Glad so many people seemed to like it, but I’m not proceeding into the Brightest Day.
I just feel empty inside now. I can’t keep doing this to myself
@Amir – That’s just what I was thinking, too.
@ edward: You’ll move on, stay strong.
@Conor: that’s no short read…
I wasn’t very impressed. The art was excellent but as a whole I was not very impressed. However I will reread in trade and I’m sure I’ll enjoy it more.
Am I the only one who has a problem with the George-Lucas-quality dialogue? Howlingly bad.
Best stand alone event since Identity Crisis. Loved it! Can’t wait for the hardcover.
@flapjaxx There were definitely a lot of moments where I was saying "ah, this seems like it would be important if I knew what they were referencing." But to some extent, that’s the fun of comics–it’s a seamless web, everyone has to jump in somewhere and figure out what the hell is going on. At least I had wikipedia, which could fill in some details on what I was seeing, even if it couldn’t give it emotional resonance.
I was totally shocked to see the byline at the end of this. Great review Josh! (Not that I expect any less from you.)
When Green Lantern: Rebirth came out, no one was thinking about Hal Jordan except the wackadoos in H.E.A.T. and maybe Darwyn Cooke.
And me!
My lack of love for these characters prevented me from making this my POW. Fact of the matter is, I’m a Marvel guy and I was far more invested in X-Men: Second Coming. *shrug*
Well, I happen to love the Hawks, so I’ll nerdily throw my hat into the ring on this one — since we’re talking about them.
I gotta disagree with Conor on one point: This ending doesn’t give Hawkman and Hawkgirl the "reboot" they sorely needed. Because… it didn’t actually reboot anything.
For those who really want the geeky details: John Ostrander DID fill in the gap created by Crisis and the original Hawkworld miniseries. He created a retcon situation that — however awkward — explained the Hawks in the JLA and the Katar/Shayera Hawks. Then Zero Hour tried to reboot it in a different way — and really effed it up even worse. And then Geoff Johns, James Robinson and David Goyer kinda, sorta rebooted the Hawks again both in JSA and the Hawkman series a few years back. They found a way to tie Carter and Shiera into a continuity that all worked, and then for drama they created Kendra as a unqiue kink in that timeline.
So this book brings back the Shiera/Carter dynamic, but it doesn’t technically reboot anything. Their history is still their history — and any confusion over their past is still just as confusing (does ‘Katar Hol’ still exist? Which one? Who are we reading about when we read old 70′s issues of the JLA? That kinda thing). Not that this is bad. I’m still intrigued by what comes next.
@daccampo: I disagree that it’s not a reboot. It’s not a hard reboot, we’re not starting from zero, but we’re starting with a clean slate to go forward. "This is the situation, this is who the hawks are, the past has happened but we’re not going to dwell on it." It’s a soft reboot. And sorely needed.
I predicted this pick, as well as the pick the week before. That’s 2 in a row!
My next prediction…Conor’s Pick! Then I will have 3 weeks in a row of predictions! You hear that Conor? Your Pick Prediction is next!
We just witnessed comic book history. Johns writing a sprawling cosmic DC event, Reis becoming our generation’s George Perez, a successful DC event that isn’t a"Crisis", the ascension of Green Lantern.
Hang onto it. It’s a special time to be a nerd.
@Josh: I think by McGuffin you meant red herring. Good review!
Ronnie Raymond. One of my favorites. Killed in an event book, then brought back to life in one. Once I saw he was part of Firestorm again, this was my POW. After Blackest Night, I have a lot of faith in Johns. Please don’t let me (and Ronnie) down.
That gatefold (and others in general) confuse me in terms of reading order. Gorgeous art though. Props to Sinclair for making those colors sing.
Hey, how funny would it have been had this pick been an April Fool’s joke.
I meant macguffin.
@conor – i don’t know if I’d call that a "reboot," but i agree that it does give them a new starting point for stories, so… alright, we can call it that.
I just wanted to point to the fact that this story doesn’t really do any more than the JSA/Hawkman "soft reboot" did. In fact, the only thing they really did was strip away the "Kendra" wrinkle, and since that’s something that Robinson/Goyer/Johns also invented, I feel like it’s the same guy just undoing a dramatic wrinkle that he added (and personally, i thought the Kendra thing was kinda cool, dramatically speaking.)
(I’m personally very partial to the Katar Hol Thanagarian-policeman-turned-earth-museum-curator, so I’m still a little bummed we don’t get THAT version back.)
Someone wrote "i feel bad for Deadman". Why?
I don’t know much about Deadman past i don’t see what the big deal is.
He got his life back, and in return he’s not a superhero ghost.
Good trade, right?
Barry saying, "where’s Ralph and Sue?" made this my pick of the week. Barry wasn’t around for Identity Crisis, so the Dibny’s are just sorely missed friends he never had the chance to see since he came back. It’s heartbreaking.
But damn Johns for not bringing back Vibe. You suck, Geoff Johns. You suck.
I’d like to say a thing or two about retcons. Well, it’s waht someone else said on CGS but in relation to Flash: Rebirth. I thought it was relevant to Blackest.
"Well, I guess, first off, it depends on how you define a retcon. I look at it as being one of two things. In the first example, it would be where they say "that thing you thought was true, well, there’s more to it than that" ie Swamp Thing wasn’t really Alec Holland transformed into a muck-monster, he’s actually a plant elemental that got Alec Holland’s memories when he died. It doesn’t change what was there before. It just makes you look at it from a different perspective. To me, the alterations Johns made in GL Rebirth would be along those lines. Hal still became Parallax, but it turns out he was actually possessed by Parallax. It all still happened, but with new information, there’s a different way to look at it.
The second [type of retcon] would be wholesale replacement, ie "that thing you thought was true, well, it’s completely different now" It turns out Superman didn’t fight with the All Star Squadron, that was Iron Munro. Lex Luthor wasn’t Clark Kent’s friend as a kid, he was a Machiavellian business man in Metropolis, and one of Perry White’s contemporaries, wait, no he wasn’t, he was Clark’s age… The Kents were old… no wait, they weren’t, and Pa looks like one of the Dukes."
I feel that Johns pulled that first type of retcon in BN. Which imo isn’t really a retcon.
This was aces all around in my book. But I’m most interested in Deadman. Johns must have something planned for him, and that makes me very excited. Also, lets raise an Oreo for J’onn J’onzz. Huzzah!
Oh and @Josh: Sorry not sure I understand how you are using that term but that’s ok. I’m not a writer. I was under the impression that Macguffin was thet ting that the characters are vying for. Seems to me that’s how O’neil described in his "guide to writing DC comics". But now that wiki article confused me all over.
@tschafer – I think (I’m not an expert) that Deadman’s goal has been to reach the afterlife. He has been trying to do good things to earn a right to move on. This is the opposite of what he wants. [Again, that is simply based on my limited understanding of the character.]
Fuck yeah Hawk!
I’ll admit I didn’t read all of the Blackest Night tie-ins, so I may have missed something, but…
Wasn’t there a Black Lantern Superman? Why did I not see him punting most of the rest of the DCU into another time zone? I remember at one point saying, "OMG! Black Lantern SUPERMAN!?!?!" Everyone’s screwed! Bwah-ha-ha!"
Then….nothing. No rampaging evil dead Superman. I feel cheated. Minus two stars for that alone.
To continue the Macguffin derail, a Macguffin is the "excuse" for a story that doesn’t actually play that important of a role in how the story plays out. The wiki article has some good examples–the briefcase in Pulp Fiction being an excellent one. The characters are motivated by the Macguffin but in the end Pulp Fiction is not really about the briefcase. It’s just an excuse to explain how a bunch of disparate characters are related to each other.
While Sinestro turning into a White Lantern for an issue isn’t pivotal to the story of Blackest Night, it also isn’t the excuse for the story, so it’s not a Macguffin. I wouldn’t necessarily call it a red herring either–a red herring draws attention away from what is actually happening in the story. No, I’d argue it’s more of a literary feint. The audience was expecting Hal Jordan to become the White Lantern so when it turns out to be Sinestro the audience is thrown for a loop. But then that plot point is cast aside and Hal Jordan actually does turn into a White Lantern.
I always knew this English degree would pay off big–it lets me be a pedantic jerk on the internet. Now if you’ll pardon me, I have to get back to flipping your burgers.
I just realized, while reading this thread, that we are huge nerds.
I’ll say this for Blackest Night: J’onn’s new costume is nice.
I think turaho nails it, literarily. Oh, and uh… can I get my burger well-done?
@JumpingJupiter – You just noticed that?
I’m fairly certain MacGuffin debate is the reason Josh is leaving iFanboy.
It doesn’t help.
@turaho I’m totally working ‘literary feint’ into my next book club discussion of ‘Twilight.’
@Stu: Kind of.
@Josh: Sorry for making you leave iFanboy.
@ohcaroline: Try literary taint.
I guess me and JumpingJupiter are the Nekron and Black Hand of iFanboy.
Then who’s Krona (or the Anti-Monitor for that matter)?
@Conor
That may be fine and great for you, But for me it just seems like its going backwards… Like the older generation was all like hey you kids didn’t do that great of a job so now we’re going to take over again. Granted I never read any stories with them. I just like the idea that there are generations, and that time passes in comics. Like I would love to see in roughly 15-20 years Cannonball leading the X-men, not Xavier again.
@greendart32: Comics don’t work that way. They are cyclical.
Mainstream superhero comics, anyway.
Wow. This was great. That fold out in the middle was incredible. This is exactly what I wanted from this series. Death, at least for now, means something again at DC and that allows for a much better kind of storytelling.
Did anyone else think that the denouement at the end was the best part of the book?
Saint Walker was right. He said "all will be well" and all is well. At least for me.
a few points:
"the resurrection card has been played, and this is your hand DC."- boy do I hope that holds up. especially since it was played so dramatically.
Norman Osborn gets punched in the face. Black Hand gets overwhelmed by the temporary White Lantern Corps. there‘s your Marvel vs. DC debate (and also possibly why I prefer Marvel).
Hal Jordan says, "dead is dead" and somewhere Joe Quesada gets deja vu.
if Ivan Reis was considered a second fiddle to Ethan Van Sciver pre-BN, how sad since Reis drew 23 of the 42 pre-BN issues of Green Lantern.
and how long before I get to read a new Green Lantern story that has nothing to do with any of this madness?
This was a fantastic issue and even tho I sorta knew what was going to happen since i read here first I was still very happy. I actually squealed when I saw white lantern corps which surprised even me, especially when I saw Buddy! I didn’t realise I was such an Animal Man fan! I’ve really enjoyed the last few years to get here. I wasn’t a GL fan until sinestro corps but I’ve been loving it ever since. And going forward, there’s so many ideas out there. I know this was like the 3rd part of a trilogy or so I think GJ might have said, but I think this will just build up from what we’ve seen here with some really cool story elements but also some interesting character moments to come. I’m really excited now!
@Conor
I know. And I’m okay with it usually, I mean for me if the story is good then I’m in regardless of what characters are starring. Usually. I wonder of that means in like 20 years we will see the return of Wally West, Kyle Rayner and Connor Hawke to the forefront of the DCU. Its whats most interesting about Bucky staying Captain America with Steve Rodgers coming back, to me at least
that was a beautiful review sir
This was an awesome issue. That gatefold looked so gorgeous, and Josh is spot on in his review about Ivan Reis. That man is someone to look out for, and I’m a huge fan of his from here on out.
Now, that Aquaman is back I’m hoping for some kick ass Aquaman stories. I hope someone can make him cool and badass (much like JMS did in Brave and the Bold). Also, I’m glad the Martian Manhunter has returned. He’s one of my faves.
Ya know, Josh, while I was one of those who defended you when you picked Scalped over Blackest Night (I know, the horror), I could not disagree with you more about Blackest Night 8.
First, the good. I’m glad that the characters that were brought back were brought back. Also, the art was astonishing.
Unfortunately, that beautiful art was completely wasted on a totally duff story. After years of generally good build up, I can’t think of a less satisfying "pay off" than this entire event. The first 7 issues, along with the countless tie-ins, meandered unforgivably, culminating in the near-unreadable mess that was the last issue of Green Lantern. Sadly, Blackest Night #8 did nothing to redeem this.
It’s a completely humourless, overwritten and mind numbingly boring waste of paper that was so focused on bland, over-stuffed action scenes and so caught up in an increasingly inane mythology that Johns almost entirely neglected silly things like strong characterisation, pacing and interesting plot developments.
Nekron was an unknown entity to me at the start of this bloated mess and, over half a year later, I still know NOTHING about the central villain of the story.
Most of the twists and developments of the story were either obvious or badly handled. Even the most interesting development of Sinestro being the White Lantern, the saviour of the universe was quickly cast aside for yet another boring gee-look-how-freakin’-awesome-Hal-Jordan-is moment.
As for the dead is dead thing and only some characters being brought back to life thing goes, I’m afraid that this may well be what happens when you allow the creative reigns of the DCU are handed over to a single creator.
I’ve never been more impressed by the awesome Ivan Reis but Geoff Johns has seldom been worse. I’m so glad this crap is over and we can hopefully get back to his telling some halfway decent Green Lantern stories. And if he can’t then I think it’s time for either him or me to part ways with the entire franchise – which would be a huge pity considering just how good much of his work on this title has been.
I loved Blackest Night, beginning to end, but I agree that the biggest flaw was Nekron and his complete lack of characterization. He was a plot device and cool scythe, nothing more. I kept expecting some sort of insight into him or his motivations somewhere in the 80 issues of Blackest Night, but nothing. As far as BN was concernd, Nekron is death and he doesn’t like the living. End of explanation. I would have loved a single story of Nekron that explained why after billions of years now was the time to act, but more importantly made him a chillingly terrifying villain. I understand he is an entity and can’t exactly have his being bullied in high school story, but maybe there have been a series of Black Hand emissaries over time or some such and the story could be told through them or something. Maybe he killed universes before and we could see that. Something. As I said I loved everything else about Blackest Night, which was basically a summer blockbuster that shouldn’t be overthought anyway, but I think Johns dropped the ball on his villain.