Blackest Night is continuing to thrust forward with its story like a bullet shot out of a Desert Eagle, and really, who didn’t see this coming? We’ve seen Geoff Johns head a massive Green Lantern related crossover before, and we all know that it turned out to be one of the most extraordinary stories told in recent history. Even though this crossover is on a bigger scale, being that it encompasses the entire DC Universe instead of just the Green Lantern players, Johns puts as much effort and energy into this as he did with Sinestro Corps War, and this issue is a testament to that.

If you look at this issue from afar, it’s more or less a set up issue that introduces more Black Lanterns to the fold, and doesn’t really advance the story too much. This doesn’t detract from the fun had while reading this at all, however, as Johns injects alot of excitement into what could have been a dull roll-call issue. Coming from a man that knows absolutely nothing about Aquaman lore, I had a blast reading the portion of the story involving him and his supporting cast. Everything the reader needed to know about Aquaman history was supplied in the dialog in a very natural and free-flowing manner. I always say that Johns has the ability to take a character you wouldn’t really think too much about and make him/her connect with you on a personal level, and so here he made me intrigued by a character I always thought of as a joke. Additionally, I never get tired of seeing Green Lantern and Flash team up. They use their powers in tandem in such an entertaining fashion, and the dialog between each other is a true joy to read. Geoff Johns has created a duo dynamic that truly rivals Batman and Superman.

Ivan Reis also hits this one out of the park, but equal props has to go to his coloring team. It’s great how he portrays the living characters as so bright and vibrant (this is especially true with Green Lantern and Flash) and make the Black Lanterns so desolate looking and bleak. On the eyes they are polar opposites, and just by looking at the characters you know who represents what.

Great issue with fun scenes andalways superb dialog. I’m really looking forward to the wheels of this story to really get rolling, but in the meantime I’m very happy with where Johns is taking us.