The Monitor Tapes for Monday, July 20, 2009
BLACKEST NIGHT #1 (OF 8 )
Geoff Johns (W)
Ivan Reis and Oclair Albert (A)
Blackest Night is one of the most anticipated event books by fans dating back to the final issue of “The Sinestro Corps War” (February 2008) showing the prologue teaser to the current mini-series.
I expected a great story from Johns as he’s completely drawn me into the Green Lantern universe in addition to making me love Hal Jordan, of whom I’ve always thought of as the least interesting “Lantern” out of the many over the years. So going into Blackest Night I had high expectations and a guarantee that the story would be satisfying, I didn’t expect it to be more than my expectations! Not only that, Johns simultaneously manages to bring new readers up to speed on the current history leading into the story without beating longtime readers over the head with the information. As the later, I thought it was a great recap and completely organic within the framing of the story it’s self.
As the story in this issue starts, we’re introduced to the concept of that in which the day Superman “Died”, “a national day of mourning” was declared. Now we all know Superman returned very much alive, so now the day has become a holiday similar to Veterans Day where people celebrate the lives of fallen heroes, superheroes and “innocents we failed to save” as Hal puts it. It’s moving without a cheap emotional stunt-pull and adds to the richness of the DCU, while making it more real and relevant to their world.
In addition to the celebration and parade in Coast City in honor of the fallen, we get glimpses of other “families” remembering their friends and family no longer among them. At the grave of Jonathan Kent, Clark, Connor (recently resurrected himself) and Martha remember the man who was a loving father and husband to the unconventional family. Connor takes it pretty hard still being young as he is as he wishes he’d had been there for his adopted father, and how he wishes he could switch places with Jonathan. Although the scene is brief, it reveals what the series is about, family, loss, and death, things we all experience in life. Though Clark is from another planet and Connor is a clone grown in a lab, John Kent was a father to the both of them and the man who shaped the men they are today, even if his time with Connor was brief.
Following that, we glimpse several other unconventional families in a sense also mourning their losses. At the grave of Ronny Raymond, Professor Martin Stein (part of the original Firestorm Matrix), Jason Rusch (the current Firestorm), and Gehenna (current partner/ part of Jason’s Firestorm Matrix), who notices something’s wrong as while it begins raining, plants begin dying. Also in brief, the Teen Titans with the newly resurrected Bart Allen/ Kid Flash, the Rouges of Keystone in their “Secret” graveyard, and remaining members of the Giffen Justice League, including a resurrected (see a theme here) Ice paying their respects to Ted Kord, the second (and best known) Blue Beetle.
There’s much more as the day continues, but the most disturbing is that of Alfred Pennyworth discovering the desecrated remains of Bruce Wayne, who was buried in an unmarked grave next to his parents. As it says in the first pages of the book, somehow he’s connected to “Them” all, as Black Hand states. As a matter of fact, the skull of Bruce’s remains (or whatever the thing that was left after Darksied’s attack on Batman during Final Crisis) is now in Hand’s possession, which he carries around licking and cradling in a disturbing manor.
As I said before, the history leading up to this point is explained by Hal telling Barry (the Flash) of all the fallen heroes and friends. As Barry is a perfect fit for the role of the observer for the reader, Hal must elaborate on the deaths and events much to Barry’s dismay. So much so he has to sit down to absorb it all.
Without running the story, two DC characters have an encounter with two resurrected heroes who are now Black Lanterns. I personally was shocked, surprised and deeply disturbed by the events, to say the least. Though I’ve revealed much in this review, I’m really only scratching the surface here, really I’ve only barely touched on the Black Lanterns altogether!
In closing, you might be put off from picking up this book as for months many have callously without any inspection into the lead up to Blackest Night compared it to Marvel Comic’s “Marvel Zombies”. True, the Black Lantern’s are in fact “Zombies” in a manner of speaking, but where Marvel Zombies was a satire in the style of their “What If…” books, Blackest Night is more in a vein of true horror. The story in a single issue is filled with heart, family, and loss, and the coming of the Blackest Night will test the emotions of these characters in a way never seen before. In a medium where “resurrection” of characters has become a commonplace and butt of jokes, the terror of your friends and loved ones coming to kill you is far darker and terrifying than the latter (not that there’s anything wrong with Marvel Zombies).
Do yourself a favor and get this book! Even if you don’t read Green Lantern, this book will not disappoint you, matter of fact it just might be the best series this year!
DC COMICS AVAILABLE ON 7/22/2009
DC/ JOHNNY DC
* ABSOLUTE NEW FRONTIER-NEW PRINTING
* BLACKEST NIGHT: TALES OF THE CORPS #2 (OF 3)
* CARTOON NETWORK BLOCK PARTY #59
* FINAL CRISIS AFTERMATH: DANCE #3 (OF 6)
* FINAL CRISIS: LEGION OF THREE WORLDS #5 (OF 5)
* FINAL CRISIS: ROGUES’ REVENGE
* GOTHAM CITY SIRENS #2
* GREEN LANTERN #44
* THE OUTSIDERS #20
* POWER GIRL #3
* SHOWCASE PRESENTS: BATMAN VOL. 4
* THE SPIRIT #31
* SUPERGIRL #43
* THE SUPERMAN CHRONICLES VOL. 7
* TINY TITANS #18
* WEDNESDAY COMICS #3 (OF 12)
VERTIGO
* 100 BULLETS #1 – VERTIGO CRIME SAMPLER (JUL-22)
* HELLBLAZER #257 (JUL-22)
* JACK OF FABLES #36 (JUL-22)
WILDSTORM
* FREDDY VS. JASON VS. ASH: THE NIGHTMARE WARRIORS #2 (OF 6)
* GEARS OF WAR #9
* KILLAPALOOZA #3 (OF 6) Preview Available
* WILDCATS: WORLD’S END BOOK 1
For more news, previews, blogs and more, be sure to check out dccomics.com.
And as always, thanks for reading!