On the whole, I have enjoyed Brightest Day -- at least most of it. But without a doubt, the reason to read it is Aquaman. Yes, I know what your thinking: Aquaman?! The guy who talks to fish?

Well...Yes, that Aquaman. He is getting the Geoff Johns treatment and it has been magnificent. Johns has found an approach to these characters that works and works well, and it all starts with the villain. In my opinion, Green Lantern didn't become the powerhouse it is today until Sinestro Corps War reintroduced Sinestro as a badass capable of truly instilling fear into the heroes of the DCU. The same goes for the Flash and John's excellent characterization of the Rogues (Prof. Zoom included). Black Manta is without a doubt making his way onto this list of spotlighted villains and it is incredibly fun to watch.

In earlier issues of Brightest Day, we got hints of Black Manta's malevolent presence but it wasn't until issue #19 that we finally saw him make his presence known -- and, boy, did he ever! Out of nowhere, he leaps onto the page, amputating Arthur's hand and casually taunting him as the book comes to a close. Suddenly this odd looking, faceless baddie is a force to be reckoned with. Suddenly Aquaman has a personal stake in the fight to come (ignoring the fact that, years ago, Manta already killed his son and the fact that *spoiler alert* Aquaman is obliterated by the White Entity at the end of the issue).

In addition to the villain, Johns has, over the course of Blackest Night and the subsequent Brightest Day, established a cadre of supporting characters that actually carry a sense of depth, bringing (hopefully) a potential cast for an eponymous Aquaman ongoing. Here's hoping Johns is behind it -- along with GL and Flash, he could have his very own DC Trinity and I would read the shit out of it.