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BRIGHTEST DAY #3

What happened after that Firestorm-induced lab explosion? What are the Hawks on the brink of discovering? And what’s that White Lantern doing in New Mexico?

Written by GEOFF JOHNS & PETER J. TOMASI
Art by IVAN REIS, PAT GLEASON, ARDIAN SYAF, SCOTT CLARK & JOE PRADO
Covers by DAVID FINCH
Variant covers by IVAN REIS & OCLAIR ALBERT

Price: $2.99
iFanboy Community Pick of the Week Percentage: 2.3%
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Avg Rating: 3.7
 
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Comments

  1. Avatar photo torippu says:
    June 1, 2010 at 2:25 pm

    Not having much interest in some of the characters – Firestorm or Hawkman & Hawkgirl being the main ones that come to mind, I may not be long for this series

  2. Avatar photo CaseyJustice says:
    June 1, 2010 at 3:46 pm

    DROPPED!

  3. Avatar photo WheelHands says:
    June 1, 2010 at 3:51 pm

    I must say Finch is starting to win me over. I was never a huge fan of his, but some of his recent work ain’t too shabby.

  4. Avatar photo bjbancroft says:
    June 1, 2010 at 3:53 pm

    I want to see more of J’onn J’onnz rebuilding Mars! Also, I think that Hawkman & Hawkgirl are really cool…

  5. Rustyautoparts says:
    June 1, 2010 at 3:56 pm

    PULLED!

    All kidding aside, I’m still loving this, but I feel like we need some kind of thread to strt tying things together. I’m sure it will eventually, but JL: Generation Lost feels a lot tighter because the characters are already united. I love all of the independent bits, but I’d like a little more cohesion. Unless something goes horribly wrong, I’m in it for the long haul.

  6. Avatar photo TheNextChampion says:
    June 1, 2010 at 3:57 pm

    Last issue was starting to get me on board with this. Firestorm I could still give two shits about though. I just don’t care about them.

    I want more Aquaman please! 

  7. Avatar photo NawidA says:
    June 1, 2010 at 4:17 pm

    I’ll be watching the reviews but for now it’s dropped.

  8. Avatar photo blulew23 says:
    June 1, 2010 at 4:36 pm

    This might be my last issue. For some reason I’m just not feeling it. Yet, I’m actually enjoying Justice League: Generation Lost. I think my wires may be crossed.

  9. Cedric says:
    June 1, 2010 at 4:50 pm

    I’m in love with the covers

  10. Avatar photo RoiVampire says:
    June 1, 2010 at 4:58 pm

    the onyl part of this i’m not digging is the hawks but even that is starting to grow on me cause johns has simplified them for me

  11. Avatar photo Reform says:
    June 1, 2010 at 5:08 pm

    @Roi  I  2nd that.

  12. Avatar photo OnASunday says:
    June 1, 2010 at 5:43 pm

    When I first read 52 I complained about how it jumped from story to story every other page but after the first few issues it all tied together and there’d be bigger chunks of story about each character. I really enjoyed 52 all-in-all and I’m feeling this so far too.

  13. Avatar photo RoiVampire says:
    June 1, 2010 at 5:48 pm

    @reform  i never really read anything with hawkman in it or hawkgirl, i just knew of them. Johns really condensed their origins and made them accesible

  14. Avatar photo PraxJarvin says:
    June 1, 2010 at 7:08 pm

    I, for one, enjoy all the characters appearing in this book. 😉

  15. Avatar photo stuclach says:
    June 1, 2010 at 8:03 pm

    @PraxJarvin – As do I (though some more than others).

  16. Avatar photo PymSlap (@alaska_nebraska) says:
    June 1, 2010 at 9:14 pm

    @stuclach . . . I second. Such a killer roster!

  17. Avatar photo Chrisflinchbaugh says:
    June 1, 2010 at 9:16 pm

    Being the oddity of a twice-monthly, Brightest Day is a little surprise every two weeks that I haven’t yet learned to anticipate. So far the novelty hasn’t outweighed the whole package. Hopefully that continues. I wish more books could pull off twice a month with story AND art consistency.

  18. Avatar photo gnanniv says:
    June 1, 2010 at 9:19 pm

    Still fun, keep it going.

  19. Avatar photo TheNextChampion says:
    June 1, 2010 at 9:42 pm

    @Prax: You’re the only person I know that has a ‘thing’ for Firestorm 🙂

    I forgot how last issue ending in the most kickass, holy shit type of manner possible. This is going to be a good comic book to open up.

  20. Avatar photo PraxJarvin says:
    June 1, 2010 at 10:32 pm

    @TNC You could say I carry a… torch… for him, yes. ::Groucho eyebrows!::

  21. Avatar photo Andrew says:
    June 1, 2010 at 10:43 pm

    Oh, jeez, this is hard…I am really interested Deadman and Aquaman, but don’t give a hoot about Hawkman or Firestorm.

  22. Avatar photo NawidA says:
    June 1, 2010 at 10:55 pm

    Finch has the most boring covers. Nothing but people posing.

  23. Avatar photo drakedangerz says:
    June 1, 2010 at 11:09 pm

    Last issue made me care a little about Firestorm. That’s something I would never say, so I’m very much enjoying this so far.

  24. Avatar photo mikeandzod21 says:
    June 2, 2010 at 12:25 am

    I don’t get all the animosity from people on this, it’s great. Even the Firestorm stuff, which is a character i don’t really care about, is good. Plus, a white Martian disguised as a house wife killed her family while playing Rock Band.

  25. zach says:
    June 2, 2010 at 1:24 am

    I’ve been enjoying the series so far, only issue I have is that so much jumping from story to story throughout the book makes it feel like I finish reading an issue in like 2.5 minutes.

  26. Avatar photo PymSlap (@alaska_nebraska) says:
    June 2, 2010 at 1:54 am

    I love the alchemy of Firestorm’s power.

  27. Avatar photo richardbrady says:
    June 2, 2010 at 5:38 am

    @torippu pretty much summed up what I think of the book.

    We need more Deadman! 

  28. Avatar photo ctrosejr says:
    June 2, 2010 at 7:32 am

    I really don’t get some of you people.  Who cares if you don’t ‘like’ Firestorm?  He fracking exploded!  Don’t you want to know what happened to the Atom and what he saw right before it happened?  Oh, you want to see more Aquaman?  Go buy a back issue.  What I really want to see is fracking Deadman vs. the Anti-Monitor!  Some of your are too busy complaining to notice that there is some really good shit going on.

  29. Avatar photo WheelHands says:
    June 2, 2010 at 9:44 am

    I just wanna point out that Prax’s Groucho reference was immediately followed by a comment sporting a Groucho avatar. What are the chances?

  30. Avatar photo OnASunday says:
    June 2, 2010 at 10:31 am

    @WheelHands took the words outta my mouth.

  31. Avatar photo WinTheWonderboy says:
    June 2, 2010 at 12:36 pm

    I’m loving this book. Mostly the Aquaman, J’onn J’onnz and Firestorm/Atom parts.

  32. Avatar photo vadamowens says:
    June 2, 2010 at 2:12 pm

    @drake But you do care about Firestorm. You just forgot;)

     

    Taken from Blackest Night #5 comment page "@stuclach If Johns can make me care about Firestorm in one issue, he can also make me care about Nekron."

  33. Avatar photo comicBOOKchris says:
    June 2, 2010 at 3:28 pm

    I’m a bit of a blank slate when it comes to Firestorm. I haven’t read a single thing with him in it, so I can’t truly say that I like or dislike him. Because of that, my preference towards the character is going to be completely dependant on his appearance in this series. So far, I’m digging him a little bit.

  34. Avatar photo DamonS23 says:
    June 2, 2010 at 5:03 pm

    Is it just me or are they starting to make Firestorm look like he has a tan now?  Check out this cover art preview for this issue here http://forums.projectfanboy.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=9484

  35. Avatar photo PraxJarvin says:
    June 2, 2010 at 7:27 pm

    @DamonS23 Starting with the interior art in Issue 2, it seems like they’re making a conscious effort to color Firestorm as biracial. (I even commented on it in the comments to last issue.) His appearance in Blackest Night #8 and the Brightest Day #0 and 1 seemed to be white (like the cover you show). I’m actually pretty happy they’re deciding the "combined" avatar of Firestorm should look like a mix of the two people instead of the "main" person like it used to be. I’ve been a fan of Jason Rausch since he came about post-Identity Crisis, so I’m very happy they’re trying to keep the outward appearance of Firestorm as ethnic.

  36. Avatar photo DamonS23 says:
    June 2, 2010 at 8:27 pm

    @PraxJarvin My friends and I think the only reason they have changed it is because DC is feeling the pressure of people noticing that they have gotten rid of a lot of their minority characters over the last few months.  Jason being one of the only ones of prominence they are taking advantage of it by changing Firestorm from a white guy to at least a interracial guy.

  37. Avatar photo justincresswell says:
    June 2, 2010 at 9:47 pm

    When I saw the Anti-Monitor at the end of the last issue, I could not believe it.  I am done with this series.  No more Crisis-themed stories please.

  38. Avatar photo TheNextChampion says:
    June 2, 2010 at 11:54 pm

    I wanted to do a retort. But with Prax’s comment and the Groucho avatar on the next poster…..That pretty much shut me up.

    After a few minute of laughing. 

  39. Avatar photo wallythegreenmonster says:
    June 3, 2010 at 11:03 am

    so if we learned anything from past issues, no on one the cover will actually appear in this issue for more than one panel. Are we going to have another unresolved cliff hanger?

    This book has really disappointed me, and Its been a struggle to keep my interest even though i’m a giant DCU guy. I doubt i’ll buy it….maybe stick around for the trade some day.  

  40. Avatar photo drakedangerz says:
    June 3, 2010 at 11:28 am

    @vadamowens – That was the last Firestorm! This is a new incarnation with a new relationship between the two people, so I went into this with at clean slate. In all honesty, I didn’t think I would care much for Ronnie. I still don’t, but this new dynamic has grabbed my attention.

  41. Avatar photo vadamowens says:
    June 3, 2010 at 12:44 pm

    lol. I’m so fucking ignorant to the character that I didn’t realize that it was someone different.  I’ve still got a lot to learn about DC ‘b’ and ‘c’ characters:(

  42. Avatar photo drdeeeznutz says:
    June 3, 2010 at 7:34 pm

    Zombie Shamu was cool..Im liking this alot,,,Never read anything about these characters before so I find this really interesting…. favorite being Aquaman and the Martian Manhunter

  43. Avatar photo TheNextChampion says:
    June 3, 2010 at 7:58 pm

    Take the art out of this (and the art is very good); this comic is so forgettable right now.

    I know we still have a lot of issues to go but I’m sorry: this series is moving way to slow. It doesn’t help that these characters have really no connection to each other and they are boring in general. There was more Aquaman in this but still nothing is happening (where the F is Black Manta!?), Martian Manhunter is violent as hell but again nothing is happening, the Deadman stuff started strong but ended abruptly, and Firestorm…..Oh my god, I just can’t take these two anymore. One has cliche daddy issues, the other is a pompus asshole. Why should I care about these two!?

    But still……I can’t drop it because once again, there are ties to Green Lantern in this. I might not have been involved with the slow pace of 52 in the beginning but I feel all of your pain right now.

  44. Avatar photo stasisbal says:
    June 3, 2010 at 7:59 pm

    I still range from interested to vaguely interested in the various plots but the series has still failed to truly hook me.  I would just like it to feel like it were actually going somewhere and for the most part I’m not getting enough of any of the plots each issue to feel satisfied.  The art is still great.

  45. Avatar photo drakedangerz says:
    June 3, 2010 at 9:23 pm

    I nominate the panel of Zombie Shamu with Aquaman in his mouth for Panel of the Week. That was priceless.

    Oh, and another solid issue for me. Not sure what was happening with  the white lantern though, those few panels made no sense. 

  46. Avatar photo gnanniv says:
    June 3, 2010 at 11:24 pm

    I’m with Drakedangerz on both points. 

  47. Avatar photo NawidA says:
    June 4, 2010 at 3:13 am

    This book is going nowhere. Definitely tradewaiting at best.

  48. Avatar photo JesTr says:
    June 4, 2010 at 8:26 am

    @TNC, @Prax, and @drake: No one should doubt the awesomeness that is Firestorm! I’ve always likedd him since the Superfriends days when I was a kid.  I had about the first 15 issue of Jason’s Firestorm series and I need to go back and get the rest.  I wonder when everything is said and done if the "new" Firestorm will be able to transmute organic material like his Black Lantern counterpart.

    I liked everything in this except the Hawkman/Hawkgirl part. I just didn’t care.

  49. Avatar photo JaqueNargg says:
    June 4, 2010 at 9:46 am

    Solid 4 stars for me. The art was great, and I enjoy the story but have the same complaints about pacing as others here. There’s just too much on the table and it makes it hard to develop one story without shutting the others out. I’m interested enough to keep going, but that may change

  50. Avatar photo Arrrggghhh (@Arrrggghhh) says:
    June 4, 2010 at 3:18 pm

    Is it possible?
    Could Johns be trying to explain the Hawks?
    Looks like he’s gonna give it another try . . . 

  51. Avatar photo DamonS23 says:
    June 4, 2010 at 5:14 pm

    Ok 4 issues in I think it’s time to start focusing on one story at a time.  4 pages of almost each story isn’t enough to hold my interest.  Oh yeah and what happened to Black Adam Jr.?

  52. Avatar photo WheelHands says:
    June 4, 2010 at 8:48 pm

    I’m surprised at all the complaints this is getting. I mean it hasn’t exactly been knocking my socks off, but we have 23 issues to go and so far I think it’s been far from boring.

    DC was pretty clear from the launch that this would be a 52-style structured story focusing on seven of the twelve resurrected characters from Blackest Night. So if your complaints are centered around the characters being used and/or the format, why’d you pick it up in the first place? And if you wanted to give it a chance to impress you, how bout giving it more than three issues?

  53. Avatar photo DamonS23 says:
    June 4, 2010 at 10:52 pm

    @Wheelhands this is the 4th issue don’t forget about the zero issue. The difference between 52 and this is 52 came out weekly so it was easier to follow the story with the week break between issues and the small amount of content for each character it’s just a little harder to follow along.  That’s why I was asking for them to focus on 2 characters an issue instead of 6 it will make it easier to follow the story.

  54. Avatar photo WadeWilson says:
    June 4, 2010 at 11:31 pm

    @drake- lol I agree 100%. Aquaman is hard enough to take seriously as it is, it doesn’t help when he’s fighting zombie sea life.

    Still, I’m enjoying this series & this issue was my POTW … by default, as I only had 3 other books & I didn’t like any of them.

  55. Avatar photo WheelHands says:
    June 5, 2010 at 12:07 pm

    @DamonS23: Ok, technically this was the fourth issue. But it’s all relative. If we were four issues into a six issue arc, I’d say all the complaints about pacing were more than valid arguments. This was the fourth issue out of (technically) twenty-seven issues. Johns and Tomasi clearly have at least a general outline for the remaining twenty-three. They’re not gonna blow their wad four issues in. We’ve barely scratched the surface. It’s storytelling 101.

    The argument that it’s harder to follow than 52 just because it’s bi-weekly as opposed to weekly is kinda weak. Does an extra seven days really make that big a difference? If so, how do you keep up with monthly story-lines? I’m not trying to rag on you, I just don’t get the argument. Personally I haven’t had trouble following any of the stories. So far I think they’re all moving at a decent pace. It’s Geoff Johns, not Grant Morrison. Plus, theres nothing stopping you from referencing previous issues for a quick recap.

  56. Avatar photo DamonS23 says:
    June 5, 2010 at 12:41 pm

    @WheelHands Your right it isn’t hard to follow there just isn’t enough of any one story to hold interest for 2 weeks or maybe people are just realizing they didn’t really care about these characters that much.  There is a reason why they were dead.

  57. Avatar photo wallythegreenmonster says:
    June 5, 2010 at 3:31 pm

    @wheelhands–its not like they’re giving these comics away for free. Each issue needs to be part of something but also stand on its own. I’ve gotten the first few issues and wanted my money back each time. I’m still waiting for answers from issue #0 and 1. If they expect people to spend $20-$30 bucks on under whelming build up before anything of note actually happens thats asking for a lot. Its like going to an action movie and waiting through 45 minutes of talking head dialogue before anything blows up. Tough sell. 

  58. Avatar photo WheelHands says:
    June 6, 2010 at 8:45 pm

    @DamonS23: Fair enough. However I think with the possible exceptions of Firestorm and Deadman, most DC fans care about the characters in this book. They were all big-time at one point or another, and I’m pretty sure a lot of people are excited to see them again. So I’m not sold on your theory that people are realizing they didn’t care about them. The chances that you were gonna love all six characters were pretty slim from the start. I don’t love all seven of them, but it’s not like the roster was a surprise. I knew exactly what I was getting into when I picked up issue #0, and so far it’s met my expectations. Perhaps your expectations were too high. At the end of the day, the "reason why they were dead" was to sell comics, and the reason they’re alive again is to sell comics. Let’s just agree to disagree.

    @wally: You’re exactly right, a project this size is an investment. If I wanted my money back after every issue so far, I’d definitely be dropping it. I obviously don’t feel that way, and I’ve been assuming from the beginning that Johns and Tomasi will start off jogging. My point was that the pace at which a twenty-seven issue story moves is naturally gonna be slower than a six issue arc. If nothing blew up for 45 minutes in a two hour action movie, I would be pissed off. But this is more like nothing blowing up in the first 45 minutes of a ten hour action movie.  

  59. Avatar photo PozrDu says:
    June 6, 2010 at 9:23 pm

    @wallygm – A slow build isn’t necessarily bad. (see Sweet Tooth)  You will only know if it is underwhelming or not until you get to the end.  (see Cable)

     I am enjoying this.  I think of it more like an in-continuity mainline Wednesday Comics than a 52.  Good luck on getting your money back.

  60. GothamKnight13 says:
    June 6, 2010 at 10:43 pm

    A lot of DC haters on here.

  61. Avatar photo Conor Kilpatrick (@cskilpatrick) says:
    June 6, 2010 at 11:50 pm

    @GothamKnight13: No, people who just don’t like this specific book. Which you can do without hating an entire publishing company.

  62. Avatar photo wallythegreenmonster says:
    June 7, 2010 at 1:35 am

    @gotham—I’m a big DC fan, and thats why i’m so annoyed that I can’t get into a book thats going to be the centerpiece of the company for the next year. 

    @wheel–you’re totally right. This is an investment. DC and Geoff Johns are basically asking us to spend over $100 to read this story. I expect a lot especially in the beginning.

  63. Avatar photo RoiVampire says:
    June 7, 2010 at 10:01 am

    I’m loving this and the only character I knew anything about and liked before this series was Martian Manhunter. All of these guys are growing on me though and the book has been a blast so far.

  64. Avatar photo kennyg says:
    June 7, 2010 at 11:34 pm

    I liked this issue, and I’m liking the series. Johns and Tomasi don’t dissapoint. However, this seemed really short! I counted 21 pages of story (including a couple of splash pages). Only giving 3 or 4 pages per character story just isn’t enough to advance the stories much. This would probably read much better as a trade. Still, good stuff, just not enough.

  65. Avatar photo mrfrost says:
    June 14, 2010 at 9:59 pm

    The story is great, the art is beautiful, but the story seems to be dragging on.

  66. Avatar photo JimBilly4 says:
    June 23, 2010 at 5:29 pm

    The art is beautiful, but the story is stumbling forward. The characters need more room to breathe. Look to 52. Most issues centered around 1-2 stories, with maybe another 2 page spread to keep you "updated" on some other on-going tale. With ten pages you can really tell a mini-story to fit into the overarching bigger story. With 4 pages… not so much. Maybe they will move to this. The action movie metaphor seems apt. Who would watch a 10 hour action movie? You need characters and stories that grip you. And if you do like action movies, every action movie stars with a seat gripping first 10 minutes. My seat has remained ungripped.

    So far I am still undecided on this series.  They give me enough to keep going, but not enough to commit to the end yet.

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