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Blackest Night: Collected Editions #1
Blackest Night
Throughout the decades, death has plagued the DC Universe and taken the lives of heroes and villains alike. But to what end? As the War between the different colored Lantern Corps rages on, the prophecy of the Blackest Night descends and it's up to Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps to lead DC's greatest champions in a battle to save the Universe from an army of undead Black Lanterns made up of fallen Green Lanterns and DC's deceased heroes and villains.
Collecting: BLACKEST NIGHT #0-8, BLACKEST NIGHT DIRECTOR'S CUT #1.
Collecting: BLACKEST NIGHT #0-8, BLACKEST NIGHT DIRECTOR'S CUT #1.
304 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2009
About the author
Geoff Johns
1,939 books2,209 followersGeoff Johns originally hails from Detroit, Michigan. He attended Michigan State University, where he earned a degree in Media Arts and Film. He moved to Los Angeles in the late 1990s in search of work within the film industry. Through perseverance, Geoff ended up as the assistant to Richard Donner, working on Conspiracy Theory and Lethal Weapon 4. During that time, he also began his comics career writing Stars and S.T.R.I.P.E. and JSA (co-written with David S. Goyer) for DC Comics. He worked with Richard Donner for four years, leaving the company to pursue writing full-time.
His first comics assignments led to a critically acclaimed five-year run on the The Flash. Since then, he has quickly become one of the most popular and prolific comics writers today, working on such titles including a highly successful re-imagining of Green Lantern, Action Comics (co-written with Richard Donner), Teen Titans, Justice Society of America, Infinite Crisis and the experimental breakout hit series 52 for DC with Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka and Mark Waid. Geoff received the Wizard Fan Award for Breakout Talent of 2002 and Writer of the Year for 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2008 as well as the CBG Writer of the Year 2003 thru 2005, 2007 and CBG Best Comic Book Series for JSA 2001 thru 2005. Geoff also developed BLADE: THE SERIES with David S. Goyer, as well as penned the acclaimed “Legion” episode of SMALLVILLE. He also served as staff writer for the fourth season of ROBOT CHICKEN.
Geoff recently became a New York Times Bestselling author with the graphic novel Superman: Brainiac with art by Gary Frank.
His first comics assignments led to a critically acclaimed five-year run on the The Flash. Since then, he has quickly become one of the most popular and prolific comics writers today, working on such titles including a highly successful re-imagining of Green Lantern, Action Comics (co-written with Richard Donner), Teen Titans, Justice Society of America, Infinite Crisis and the experimental breakout hit series 52 for DC with Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka and Mark Waid. Geoff received the Wizard Fan Award for Breakout Talent of 2002 and Writer of the Year for 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2008 as well as the CBG Writer of the Year 2003 thru 2005, 2007 and CBG Best Comic Book Series for JSA 2001 thru 2005. Geoff also developed BLADE: THE SERIES with David S. Goyer, as well as penned the acclaimed “Legion” episode of SMALLVILLE. He also served as staff writer for the fourth season of ROBOT CHICKEN.
Geoff recently became a New York Times Bestselling author with the graphic novel Superman: Brainiac with art by Gary Frank.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 517 reviews
July 27, 2021
Reread: 2015
And my opinion still hasn't changed...
This was probably my favorite event...ever.
When I read this for the first time, it blew me away! Not only that, but it solidified me as a Green Lantern junkie forever.
Exhibit A:
At this point, I don't even know how many GL titles I've read, and I'll be the first to admit that I find very few of them exceptional these days.
But.
I can't stop. I keep chasing the dragon in the hopes of finding another book that makes me feel the way this one originally did.
BECAUSE IT WAS BADASS!
There's more to it than this, but the Black Rings basically turn a bunch of dead superheroes into zombies.
Zombie Aquaman!
Zombie Batman!
Or is it?
In fact, zombie any superhero who had ever been dead, and then come back to life!
In case you were wondering, that's...like, all of 'em!
The Black Hand is this absolute psychopath who was endowed with the power of the Black Lantern. All of this ties into the BIG BAD, Nekron, who is sort of the embodiment of death. Ish.
Whatever. He's evil, he's in charge of dead people, and he's trying to fulfill a bjillion year old prophecy. A prophecy that those little blue bastards on Oa have been keeping a secret from everyone. Because they're bastards!
And, apparently, they're also not above a little cannibal action.
There are tons of things I love about this storyline, but one of the best (in my opinion) is that this heavily features Barry Allen. There aren't as many great comics with Flash in them as I would like, and (especially lately) the Justice League hasn't been using this character to his full potential in the title. So, if you've been looking for something that shows off the very best of the Scarlet Speedster? You may want to check this one out.
This may be Hal's title, but Barry is the heart and soul of the mission.
A big complaint about this one is the way it was used to fix quite a few of the dead capes that DC wanted to bring back to life.
Hell, I've made fun of it for doing that, myself!
shrugs
Fuck it, it's fun! And, honestly, how could I argue with anything when they decided to bring Aquaman back?
It's DC vs Zombies! What's not to love?!
Original review:
And my opinion still hasn't changed...
This was probably my favorite event...ever.
When I read this for the first time, it blew me away! Not only that, but it solidified me as a Green Lantern junkie forever.
Exhibit A:
At this point, I don't even know how many GL titles I've read, and I'll be the first to admit that I find very few of them exceptional these days.
But.
I can't stop. I keep chasing the dragon in the hopes of finding another book that makes me feel the way this one originally did.
BECAUSE IT WAS BADASS!
There's more to it than this, but the Black Rings basically turn a bunch of dead superheroes into zombies.
Zombie Aquaman!
Zombie Batman!
Or is it?
In fact, zombie any superhero who had ever been dead, and then come back to life!
In case you were wondering, that's...like, all of 'em!
The Black Hand is this absolute psychopath who was endowed with the power of the Black Lantern. All of this ties into the BIG BAD, Nekron, who is sort of the embodiment of death. Ish.
Whatever. He's evil, he's in charge of dead people, and he's trying to fulfill a bjillion year old prophecy. A prophecy that those little blue bastards on Oa have been keeping a secret from everyone. Because they're bastards!
And, apparently, they're also not above a little cannibal action.
There are tons of things I love about this storyline, but one of the best (in my opinion) is that this heavily features Barry Allen. There aren't as many great comics with Flash in them as I would like, and (especially lately) the Justice League hasn't been using this character to his full potential in the title. So, if you've been looking for something that shows off the very best of the Scarlet Speedster? You may want to check this one out.
This may be Hal's title, but Barry is the heart and soul of the mission.
A big complaint about this one is the way it was used to fix quite a few of the dead capes that DC wanted to bring back to life.
Hell, I've made fun of it for doing that, myself!
shrugs
Fuck it, it's fun! And, honestly, how could I argue with anything when they decided to bring Aquaman back?
It's DC vs Zombies! What's not to love?!
Original review:
November 2, 2017
The dead will rise and the universe will fall!
I bought this in its single comic book issues, but I’ve chosen this TPB edition to be able of making a better overall review.
This TPB edition contains “Blackest Night” #0-8. Featuring the main story of the “Blackest Night” event.
Creative Team:
Writer: Geoff Johns
Illustrators: Ivan Reis with Doug Mahnke (in issue #0)
DEATH V LIFE: DAWN OF BLACK LANTERNS
The Guardians of the Universe were afraid of the Blackest Night, and not only because it was an apocalyptical omen, but because they lied to everybody about many things, some for good reasons and others not, but lies are lies, and never a path paved with lies has ever lead to a good destination.
The Black Lanterns are invading all the homeworlds of each Emotional Spectrum corps, since they are the only ones able to put a fight against them, but since Earth has been a factor to beat many other crisis before, it was a smart move to send troops over there too and recruiting dead heroes and villains with superpowers into the Black Lantern Corps ranks won’t hurt neither…
…or is there another reason to invade Earth?
Green Lantern Hal Jordan and The Flash Barry Allen get in the middle of the dead invasion and it’s harder than any other battle before since their fallen comrades now are the enemies.
The Black Lantern Main Battery is empowered with the corpse of the Anit-Monitor and Black Hand is the Black Lanterns Herald, BUT…
…is there to rise the real leader of the Black Lantern Corps and his role in the “behind-the-scenes” of the DC Universe will prove to be more relevant than anyone could guess before, a role so crucial that if the heroes are able to beat him…
…the DC Universe mechanics may never be the same!
THE PAST HAUNTS, THE FUTURE ESCAPES
The Atom, Mera and the current Firestorm (Jason Rusch + Gehenna) will be haunted for their loved deceased ones and friends…
…with deathly repercussions changing the future forever.
But they aren’t the only ones, since all over the world, the dead ones are rising causing stress to the living that a victory seems impossible.
Ganthet was expelled from the Guardians of the Universe but...
...he left a final wildcard in the pages of the Book of Oa that will change the battlefield in uncontrollable ways, if for the best or the worse, will be hard to foreseen.
However, not all dead will rise giving a clue about why all those deceased are able to rise from death, also not all dead will be in command of the Black Lanterns giving an advantage to collect Intel from enemy lines, and moreover, not all dead are what they seemed to be giving hope for the future of the DC Universe.
The Blackest Night is here!
RISE!!!
I bought this in its single comic book issues, but I’ve chosen this TPB edition to be able of making a better overall review.
This TPB edition contains “Blackest Night” #0-8. Featuring the main story of the “Blackest Night” event.
Creative Team:
Writer: Geoff Johns
Illustrators: Ivan Reis with Doug Mahnke (in issue #0)
DEATH V LIFE: DAWN OF BLACK LANTERNS
The Guardians of the Universe were afraid of the Blackest Night, and not only because it was an apocalyptical omen, but because they lied to everybody about many things, some for good reasons and others not, but lies are lies, and never a path paved with lies has ever lead to a good destination.
The Black Lanterns are invading all the homeworlds of each Emotional Spectrum corps, since they are the only ones able to put a fight against them, but since Earth has been a factor to beat many other crisis before, it was a smart move to send troops over there too and recruiting dead heroes and villains with superpowers into the Black Lantern Corps ranks won’t hurt neither…
…or is there another reason to invade Earth?
Green Lantern Hal Jordan and The Flash Barry Allen get in the middle of the dead invasion and it’s harder than any other battle before since their fallen comrades now are the enemies.
The Black Lantern Main Battery is empowered with the corpse of the Anit-Monitor and Black Hand is the Black Lanterns Herald, BUT…
…is there to rise the real leader of the Black Lantern Corps and his role in the “behind-the-scenes” of the DC Universe will prove to be more relevant than anyone could guess before, a role so crucial that if the heroes are able to beat him…
…the DC Universe mechanics may never be the same!
THE PAST HAUNTS, THE FUTURE ESCAPES
The Atom, Mera and the current Firestorm (Jason Rusch + Gehenna) will be haunted for their loved deceased ones and friends…
…with deathly repercussions changing the future forever.
But they aren’t the only ones, since all over the world, the dead ones are rising causing stress to the living that a victory seems impossible.
Ganthet was expelled from the Guardians of the Universe but...
...he left a final wildcard in the pages of the Book of Oa that will change the battlefield in uncontrollable ways, if for the best or the worse, will be hard to foreseen.
However, not all dead will rise giving a clue about why all those deceased are able to rise from death, also not all dead will be in command of the Black Lanterns giving an advantage to collect Intel from enemy lines, and moreover, not all dead are what they seemed to be giving hope for the future of the DC Universe.
The Blackest Night is here!
RISE!!!
August 27, 2018
My Blackest Night: A Victim Speaks Out
Right back at ya, big guy. And Geoff Johns sucks too.
Please excuse the 300-proof hatred; I'm a vitrioholic. And apologies to my GR friends who liked 'Blackest Night'. I feel terrible that you genuinely find this shit entertaining (I'm kidding, of course; it's theoretically possible that people who deliberately baptize themselves in the Hulk-piss Kool-Aid of Spandex-wearing cosmic super-douchebags Hal Jordan & Kyle Rayner, it all makes perfect sense.
Even superhero fans without a PhD in Green Lantern history may be familiar enough with the chaotic 'structure' of crossover events to make sense of it, and... enjoy it(?). But as someone with a limited knowledge of both, and lacking a personal DCU Rosetta-stone (as well as any desire to own one) for sorting out all the various line-wide reboots, clusterfucks & 'shake-ups' (like the shocking introduction of Superman's Super-mullet)... even if I could forego the hand-carved granite & limestone versions for a handy digital format Android App. Sometimes people confuse bad editing & convoluted, directionless writing for narrative complexity. 'Blackest Night' is too awful to for even the lamest excuse. I still think the Green Lantern is the worst of the classic heroes; my first attempt left me just as cold as the first... the Green Lantern is a strangely unimaginative and farcical jewelry-powered bad-idea-accumulator. Perspectives. They make the world ahellish beautiful place to live.)
The 'comic event' that DC and Marvel thoughtfully provide for the faithful fanboys, who have learned to subsist on whatever shit the 'Big Two' excrete, is a storyline that wanders off at oblique angles to include as many characters and monthly titles as it can. It's origins are shrouded in mystery... oh shit, hold on...
Nope, I guess I was just being lazy, 'cause they actually aren't mysterious at all. Thanks, Wikipedia!
It started with 'Zatanna's Search', written by Gardner Fox to include several DC superhero titles (Hawkman, Detective Comics, The Atom, Green Lantern, & Justice League of America), way back in 1964. Twenty years later, notorious wunderkind/former editor-in-chief Jim Shooter re-introduced the crossover event in Marvel's 'Secret Wars', which was either pure genius or a complete waste of paper; either way, it did put a slick looking black outfit in Peter Parker's closet (which soon became an alien parasite with the consciousness of some evil villain, after fans decided they would forever curse artists to draw the classic Ditko costume, with all it's annoying spider-web details. The classic Spidey-animators just said 'fuck it, I'm not drawing that shit 5000 times an episode').
The big crossover event is so shamelessly marketing based, you might think fans would avoid it as an affront to their intelligence, but you'd be wrong. Characters from titles with anemic sales are shoehorned into whatever cosmic menace the event deals with, and tendrils of sub-plot extending from the convoluted narrative of the 'maxi-series' pull readers into titles they're not usually interested in, using the event as a 'jumping-on' point. 'Blackest Night' was huge business for DC, 'master-minded' by Geoff 'Golden Boy' Johns to shrewdly capitalize on the success of Kirkman's 'The Walking Dead' and 'Marvel Zombies'.
After reading reviews and interviews that made Johns sound like Alan Moore multiplied by Grant Morrison plus Joss Whedon cubed, I made the mistake of checking out his work. I have no legitimate excuse for buying two hardcover 'Blackest Night' volumes, and I'm pretty sure that fateful purchase has somehow stained my soul. I wish I could blame it on drugs. I probably should have spent the money on crack instead, because I think 'Blackest Night' does more long-term damage to your mental processes. I'll take the shitty heroin withdrawal instead.
And why the fuck I ever thought that a story about Green Lantern fighting zombies would be readable I'm not sure. I plead temporary insanity. You've got a half dozen writers, some of whom are trying to create their own complicated superhero stories, and don't appreciate having to accommodate whatever scraps of plot they're supposed to write into their own tale -- just to satisfy idiotic editorial demands. They've got deadlines, ferfucksake; they're beating themselves about the cerebellum with toasters and dildos, trying desperately to dredge up just one more issue that stays on the right side of the suck-line, nevermind the dead-line. Then you've got about twenty different artists fighting for pages, and the further afield from 'Blackest Night' and 'Blackest Night: Green Lantern' you get, the fuglier the patchwork crazy-quilt gets. In fact, Ivan Reis is pretty terrible, IMO, and he's supposed to be a 'star' name. Doug Mahnke is actually a very talented artist, with an ability to shift styles with ease, but he's changed for the worse to satisfy the fans who think Reis is a genius.
None of the volumes were numbered, and 8 or 9 of these 'Blackest Night' hardcovers were released within a two week period, collecting over 2500 pages of material originally published over a 36-week period. That might have something to do with the confusion Johns creates, as bit-players in spandex jump and fly about, screaming things at one another before being turned into zombies. Huge gaps in the story are addressed with helpful captions directing the reader to some other volume they should rush to the store and purchase. When it directed me back to the other volume I DID own, I decided to start reading it, hoping that by reading two unspeakably fucking awful books simultaneously, some act of comic-book alchemy might occur... but no. Combining two shitty books makes for one long, shitty story. It didn't even seem to fill in the plot gap I had been told it would explain by the trusty caption. I'll never trust captions again.
I think the story might have had something distantly related to a coherent narrative when the individual issues were published, but because the order sends you deliberately from one title to the next, forcing you to buy 5 or 6 issues per month, collecting the story as hardcovers -- based on title -- means each book is a chopped up mess. The silly little recaps don't do much to make the story enjoyable; only fans who followed this 'event' when it was released in a stapled format are going to get any satisfaction from this. For anyone who isn't familiar with the Green Lantern Corps or Sinestro, this is going to seem like a boring, cynical, unoriginal attempt to cash in on the zombie thing. Taking these books on their own merits -- DC gives the reader no better ideas on how to read or judge them, other than buying them all and devouring 2500 pages at once -- means Geoff Johns seems utterly clueless about writing stories that appeal to new readers. This is pure deus ex machina.
I don't remember much about the story. After a few years of counselling I was able to put my 'Blackest Night' behind me, but I still begin moaning and rocking back-and-forth uncontrollably when anyone talks about how great Geoff Johns is. DC followed this event with a sequel, and it was inevitable they'd call it 'Brightest Day'. It gave birth to its own healthy litter of hardcovers. I don't believe in burning books, but I did the next best thing and returned both 'B.N.' copies to my local 'Chapters' store, even though I hadn't purchased them there. I didn't have a receipt, of course, but it's surprising what a few minutes of sustained weeping can accomplish. Muttering between sobs about 'the institution' and how you 'never meant to hurt anyone' can only help the situation. The ability to froth at the mouth on command is probably the most useful talent there is, but if you're not blessed with such a gift, just bite your tongue or the inside of your cheek -- bloody drool is almost as good.
The secret is to not ask first. And don't ever speak with near-sighted ostriches that think they're smart. The ratio of their golf-ball-sized brain to their enormous body-mass should give them an intelligence-level somewhere between fungus and flatworm.
A Mysterious Review That Might Be Related to the Book in Question, But Written By A GR-Friend Instead
Right back at ya, big guy. And Geoff Johns sucks too.
Please excuse the 300-proof hatred; I'm a vitrioholic. And apologies to my GR friends who liked 'Blackest Night'. I feel terrible that you genuinely find this shit entertaining (I'm kidding, of course; it's theoretically possible that people who deliberately baptize themselves in the Hulk-piss Kool-Aid of Spandex-wearing cosmic super-douchebags Hal Jordan & Kyle Rayner, it all makes perfect sense.
Even superhero fans without a PhD in Green Lantern history may be familiar enough with the chaotic 'structure' of crossover events to make sense of it, and... enjoy it(?). But as someone with a limited knowledge of both, and lacking a personal DCU Rosetta-stone (as well as any desire to own one) for sorting out all the various line-wide reboots, clusterfucks & 'shake-ups' (like the shocking introduction of Superman's Super-mullet)... even if I could forego the hand-carved granite & limestone versions for a handy digital format Android App. Sometimes people confuse bad editing & convoluted, directionless writing for narrative complexity. 'Blackest Night' is too awful to for even the lamest excuse. I still think the Green Lantern is the worst of the classic heroes; my first attempt left me just as cold as the first... the Green Lantern is a strangely unimaginative and farcical jewelry-powered bad-idea-accumulator. Perspectives. They make the world a
The 'comic event' that DC and Marvel thoughtfully provide for the faithful fanboys, who have learned to subsist on whatever shit the 'Big Two' excrete, is a storyline that wanders off at oblique angles to include as many characters and monthly titles as it can. It's origins are shrouded in mystery... oh shit, hold on...
Nope, I guess I was just being lazy, 'cause they actually aren't mysterious at all. Thanks, Wikipedia!
It started with 'Zatanna's Search', written by Gardner Fox to include several DC superhero titles (Hawkman, Detective Comics, The Atom, Green Lantern, & Justice League of America), way back in 1964. Twenty years later, notorious wunderkind/former editor-in-chief Jim Shooter re-introduced the crossover event in Marvel's 'Secret Wars', which was either pure genius or a complete waste of paper; either way, it did put a slick looking black outfit in Peter Parker's closet (which soon became an alien parasite with the consciousness of some evil villain, after fans decided they would forever curse artists to draw the classic Ditko costume, with all it's annoying spider-web details. The classic Spidey-animators just said 'fuck it, I'm not drawing that shit 5000 times an episode').
The big crossover event is so shamelessly marketing based, you might think fans would avoid it as an affront to their intelligence, but you'd be wrong. Characters from titles with anemic sales are shoehorned into whatever cosmic menace the event deals with, and tendrils of sub-plot extending from the convoluted narrative of the 'maxi-series' pull readers into titles they're not usually interested in, using the event as a 'jumping-on' point. 'Blackest Night' was huge business for DC, 'master-minded' by Geoff 'Golden Boy' Johns to shrewdly capitalize on the success of Kirkman's 'The Walking Dead' and 'Marvel Zombies'.
After reading reviews and interviews that made Johns sound like Alan Moore multiplied by Grant Morrison plus Joss Whedon cubed, I made the mistake of checking out his work. I have no legitimate excuse for buying two hardcover 'Blackest Night' volumes, and I'm pretty sure that fateful purchase has somehow stained my soul. I wish I could blame it on drugs. I probably should have spent the money on crack instead, because I think 'Blackest Night' does more long-term damage to your mental processes. I'll take the shitty heroin withdrawal instead.
And why the fuck I ever thought that a story about Green Lantern fighting zombies would be readable I'm not sure. I plead temporary insanity. You've got a half dozen writers, some of whom are trying to create their own complicated superhero stories, and don't appreciate having to accommodate whatever scraps of plot they're supposed to write into their own tale -- just to satisfy idiotic editorial demands. They've got deadlines, ferfucksake; they're beating themselves about the cerebellum with toasters and dildos, trying desperately to dredge up just one more issue that stays on the right side of the suck-line, nevermind the dead-line. Then you've got about twenty different artists fighting for pages, and the further afield from 'Blackest Night' and 'Blackest Night: Green Lantern' you get, the fuglier the patchwork crazy-quilt gets. In fact, Ivan Reis is pretty terrible, IMO, and he's supposed to be a 'star' name. Doug Mahnke is actually a very talented artist, with an ability to shift styles with ease, but he's changed for the worse to satisfy the fans who think Reis is a genius.
None of the volumes were numbered, and 8 or 9 of these 'Blackest Night' hardcovers were released within a two week period, collecting over 2500 pages of material originally published over a 36-week period. That might have something to do with the confusion Johns creates, as bit-players in spandex jump and fly about, screaming things at one another before being turned into zombies. Huge gaps in the story are addressed with helpful captions directing the reader to some other volume they should rush to the store and purchase. When it directed me back to the other volume I DID own, I decided to start reading it, hoping that by reading two unspeakably fucking awful books simultaneously, some act of comic-book alchemy might occur... but no. Combining two shitty books makes for one long, shitty story. It didn't even seem to fill in the plot gap I had been told it would explain by the trusty caption. I'll never trust captions again.
I think the story might have had something distantly related to a coherent narrative when the individual issues were published, but because the order sends you deliberately from one title to the next, forcing you to buy 5 or 6 issues per month, collecting the story as hardcovers -- based on title -- means each book is a chopped up mess. The silly little recaps don't do much to make the story enjoyable; only fans who followed this 'event' when it was released in a stapled format are going to get any satisfaction from this. For anyone who isn't familiar with the Green Lantern Corps or Sinestro, this is going to seem like a boring, cynical, unoriginal attempt to cash in on the zombie thing. Taking these books on their own merits -- DC gives the reader no better ideas on how to read or judge them, other than buying them all and devouring 2500 pages at once -- means Geoff Johns seems utterly clueless about writing stories that appeal to new readers. This is pure deus ex machina.
I don't remember much about the story. After a few years of counselling I was able to put my 'Blackest Night' behind me, but I still begin moaning and rocking back-and-forth uncontrollably when anyone talks about how great Geoff Johns is. DC followed this event with a sequel, and it was inevitable they'd call it 'Brightest Day'. It gave birth to its own healthy litter of hardcovers. I don't believe in burning books, but I did the next best thing and returned both 'B.N.' copies to my local 'Chapters' store, even though I hadn't purchased them there. I didn't have a receipt, of course, but it's surprising what a few minutes of sustained weeping can accomplish. Muttering between sobs about 'the institution' and how you 'never meant to hurt anyone' can only help the situation. The ability to froth at the mouth on command is probably the most useful talent there is, but if you're not blessed with such a gift, just bite your tongue or the inside of your cheek -- bloody drool is almost as good.
The secret is to not ask first. And don't ever speak with near-sighted ostriches that think they're smart. The ratio of their golf-ball-sized brain to their enormous body-mass should give them an intelligence-level somewhere between fungus and flatworm.
A Mysterious Review That Might Be Related to the Book in Question, But Written By A GR-Friend Instead
December 31, 2015
A bunch of people were talking about how much they enjoyed this story, and Green Lantern is one of the very few comics I used to read and enjoy as a kid (though very briefly). So I decided to try it out.
Maybe it's the fact that I don't read many mainstream superhero comics, so I have trouble following these big crossover events where everyone and their 30 years of dramatic baggage is brought into the spotlight. I don't know who so-and-so's dead girlfriend was 10 years ago. I didn't read that story, so it doesn't have any emotional impact for me.
It's also possible that the structure of the story just didn't work for me. This series of graphic novels was presented in a rather non-linear fashion. And while I respect the artistic choice, I didn't enjoy it.
Lastly, I'm not a big fan of end-of-the-world events fought by hugely overpowered heroes. It's really hard to pull off in a narratively appealing way. Since I don't have a big emotional attachment to the 100 characters involved or their elaborate backstories, it ends up coming across to me as a series of escalating shark jumps followed by a series of Deus Ex Machina resolutions.
I expect that a lot of die-hard DC comic fans will get a lot more out of this than I did, and as a result enjoy it a lot more.
Maybe it's the fact that I don't read many mainstream superhero comics, so I have trouble following these big crossover events where everyone and their 30 years of dramatic baggage is brought into the spotlight. I don't know who so-and-so's dead girlfriend was 10 years ago. I didn't read that story, so it doesn't have any emotional impact for me.
It's also possible that the structure of the story just didn't work for me. This series of graphic novels was presented in a rather non-linear fashion. And while I respect the artistic choice, I didn't enjoy it.
Lastly, I'm not a big fan of end-of-the-world events fought by hugely overpowered heroes. It's really hard to pull off in a narratively appealing way. Since I don't have a big emotional attachment to the 100 characters involved or their elaborate backstories, it ends up coming across to me as a series of escalating shark jumps followed by a series of Deus Ex Machina resolutions.
I expect that a lot of die-hard DC comic fans will get a lot more out of this than I did, and as a result enjoy it a lot more.
February 10, 2017
Totally freaking kick-ass.
It took a hell of a long time to get through, considering that it is interspersed through a whopping 106 issues of story set-up, main and side action, and the epic fight on so many different fronts. One issue here, one issue there meant that I was eagerly checking the list to see when the main action would come back around.
I could have cheated and read this and a few of the Black Lantern volumes and ignored the rest, but I'm very pleased to have gone ahead and read them all, including the issues in a few volumes that were only partly Blackest Night related.
I learned a lot about the DC universe, too. Am I impressed? Yeah, I am. I thought I was just a Marvel Junkie.
Do I have to turn in my fanboy badge?
It took a hell of a long time to get through, considering that it is interspersed through a whopping 106 issues of story set-up, main and side action, and the epic fight on so many different fronts. One issue here, one issue there meant that I was eagerly checking the list to see when the main action would come back around.
I could have cheated and read this and a few of the Black Lantern volumes and ignored the rest, but I'm very pleased to have gone ahead and read them all, including the issues in a few volumes that were only partly Blackest Night related.
I learned a lot about the DC universe, too. Am I impressed? Yeah, I am. I thought I was just a Marvel Junkie.
Do I have to turn in my fanboy badge?
July 11, 2013
Zombie superheroes vs. non-zombie superheroes – that’s basically what Blackest Night is. The storyline entails both sides punching one another until – guess what? – the superheroes win!
This is a 300+ page book that really doesn’t explore further than this basic this premise and therefore could’ve been far, far shorter than it was. From the moment the Black Lanterns show up at the start, resurrecting dead superheroes to fight the ones who’re alive, nothing much changes until the book ends. It’s such a tedious read. Green Lantern and Flash battle Black Lanterns… 100 pages later, more Black Lanterns show up and more superheroes show up to fight them… 100 pages later, same thing as 100 pages ago… 100 pages later… same thing as 100 pages ago. The end.
Don’t expect character development or nuanced storytelling, it’s just big brash superhero Event nonsense where one boring fight scene follows another with so many characters crammed on the page that you can barely make out what’s happening. Blackest Night is the comics equivalent of a Transformers movie and, like Michael Bay’s big budget stinkers, is unfathomably popular.
Geoff Johns throws in what seems to be an interesting idea in the final act where he makes non-Lantern DC characters into Lanterns – Lex becomes an Orange Lantern, Flash becomes a Blue Lantern, Mera becomes a Red Lantern, and Scarecrow (Batman villain) becomes a Yellow Lantern, Atom becomes a Purple Lantern – but this inclusion doesn’t change the trajectory of the story one iota. More pointless fighting ensues.
There was one scene that made me laugh – on one of the numerous splash pages, a Lantern from each colour of the spectrum raises their ring and chants their oaths and it made me think that if only the Power Rangers took Poetry 101, this could be their book. Those rhyming couplets are so lame – except for the Red Lanterns, every stanza ends in a variation of “might” (light, bright, etc.). And the way they solemnly stand there looking like the weirdest rainbow ever, saying these moronic lines… thanks Geoff Johns for that moment of levity, even though I’m sure it was supposed to be serious and whatever.
Ivan Reis’ artwork is just ok. It’s detailed but is too much of the DC house style to be considered beautiful or distinctive. And it’s just so busy – some splash pages literally feature hundreds of characters punching one another! I can’t say it’s particularly good, despite the skill and effort obviously on show.
I realise there are numerous other books that tie in to this one – that I definitely won’t be reading – but you can just read this one and still understand what’s going on. It’s a really straightforward story: bad guys show up to kill everything, good guys stop them. Given that the entire book is one extra-long fight sequence, it’s not complicated to follow.
Johns also makes Earth the centre of the universe which I thought was a stupid concept and a bit too egotistical. The villains suck – Black Hand and Necron. Could they have more obvious villain names? Dark Evil Menace maybe or Pestilent Death Villain? The only thing frightening about the bad guys in this book is the bad dialogue Johns has them spout every time they appear. Their “characters” make Punch and Judy shows look like realist performances in comparison.
Blackest Night is representative of the worst excesses that superhero comics, particularly Event comics, are guilty of: it’s dumb, loud, far too long, and boring. If shit comics are what you’re after, look no further than Blackest Night.
This is a 300+ page book that really doesn’t explore further than this basic this premise and therefore could’ve been far, far shorter than it was. From the moment the Black Lanterns show up at the start, resurrecting dead superheroes to fight the ones who’re alive, nothing much changes until the book ends. It’s such a tedious read. Green Lantern and Flash battle Black Lanterns… 100 pages later, more Black Lanterns show up and more superheroes show up to fight them… 100 pages later, same thing as 100 pages ago… 100 pages later… same thing as 100 pages ago. The end.
Don’t expect character development or nuanced storytelling, it’s just big brash superhero Event nonsense where one boring fight scene follows another with so many characters crammed on the page that you can barely make out what’s happening. Blackest Night is the comics equivalent of a Transformers movie and, like Michael Bay’s big budget stinkers, is unfathomably popular.
Geoff Johns throws in what seems to be an interesting idea in the final act where he makes non-Lantern DC characters into Lanterns – Lex becomes an Orange Lantern, Flash becomes a Blue Lantern, Mera becomes a Red Lantern, and Scarecrow (Batman villain) becomes a Yellow Lantern, Atom becomes a Purple Lantern – but this inclusion doesn’t change the trajectory of the story one iota. More pointless fighting ensues.
There was one scene that made me laugh – on one of the numerous splash pages, a Lantern from each colour of the spectrum raises their ring and chants their oaths and it made me think that if only the Power Rangers took Poetry 101, this could be their book. Those rhyming couplets are so lame – except for the Red Lanterns, every stanza ends in a variation of “might” (light, bright, etc.). And the way they solemnly stand there looking like the weirdest rainbow ever, saying these moronic lines… thanks Geoff Johns for that moment of levity, even though I’m sure it was supposed to be serious and whatever.
Ivan Reis’ artwork is just ok. It’s detailed but is too much of the DC house style to be considered beautiful or distinctive. And it’s just so busy – some splash pages literally feature hundreds of characters punching one another! I can’t say it’s particularly good, despite the skill and effort obviously on show.
I realise there are numerous other books that tie in to this one – that I definitely won’t be reading – but you can just read this one and still understand what’s going on. It’s a really straightforward story: bad guys show up to kill everything, good guys stop them. Given that the entire book is one extra-long fight sequence, it’s not complicated to follow.
Johns also makes Earth the centre of the universe which I thought was a stupid concept and a bit too egotistical. The villains suck – Black Hand and Necron. Could they have more obvious villain names? Dark Evil Menace maybe or Pestilent Death Villain? The only thing frightening about the bad guys in this book is the bad dialogue Johns has them spout every time they appear. Their “characters” make Punch and Judy shows look like realist performances in comparison.
Blackest Night is representative of the worst excesses that superhero comics, particularly Event comics, are guilty of: it’s dumb, loud, far too long, and boring. If shit comics are what you’re after, look no further than Blackest Night.
August 24, 2015
I liked it, but the last couple issues were hard to get through, because -- as other reviews have already said -- things quickly turn into an ordinary slugfest without any real plot. Sure, it was cool to see Lex Luthor with a ring, but what did it do to develop the story? Nothing. Same with Superman and Wonder Woman and all the rest. Guess what I am saying is this should have been even better than it was.
May 12, 2020
The truly epic Johns led space opera sees the entirety of the Green Lantern continuity combine with the entirety of Crisis continuity to see the coming of the Black Lanterns and the evil they bring… and the uniting of the seven Lanterns and DC Universe heroes to combat them, with a shocker of a shocker finale! 7 out of 12
March 7, 2012
After reading the meandering and disappointing Countdown to Final Crisis and confusing and disappointing Final Crisis, it was so, so nice to read a DC crossover that delivers. If you haven't been keeping up on the new spectrum of Lanterns, I'd suggest reading Blackest Night: Tales of the Corps first.
So, where does Blackest Night succeed where Countdown and Final Crisis didn't? Unlike Countdown, Blackest Night has a tight, focused story that, while epic in scope, doesn't wander from what's really important. Unlike Final Crisis, Geoff Johns delivers a clear, driving narrative. And there's a true emotional connection here, probably best expressed through Barry Allen. Barry is, after all, still fresh off being dead for 23 years, and still learning who's been lost. And there are the Black Lanterns, which are basically zombies, and that's always a plus.
I was really pleased with the art. Including the entire spectrum of Lanterns leads to some beautiful splashes of color against nearly black backgrounds, and it's a pretty effect. I also think that the artistic team did an admirable job of depicting White Lanterns without making them look like holes in the page. I do have to wonder, though, why all the Star Sapphires had to be women in very small costumes. I don't think fanservice has much to do with love.
So, where does Blackest Night succeed where Countdown and Final Crisis didn't? Unlike Countdown, Blackest Night has a tight, focused story that, while epic in scope, doesn't wander from what's really important. Unlike Final Crisis, Geoff Johns delivers a clear, driving narrative. And there's a true emotional connection here, probably best expressed through Barry Allen. Barry is, after all, still fresh off being dead for 23 years, and still learning who's been lost. And there are the Black Lanterns, which are basically zombies, and that's always a plus.
I was really pleased with the art. Including the entire spectrum of Lanterns leads to some beautiful splashes of color against nearly black backgrounds, and it's a pretty effect. I also think that the artistic team did an admirable job of depicting White Lanterns without making them look like holes in the page. I do have to wonder, though, why all the Star Sapphires had to be women in very small costumes. I don't think fanservice has much to do with love.
June 21, 2018
IT'S DC UNIVERSE VS ZOMBIES SHOWDOWN!!!
Not bad at all and Ivan Reis amazing hyperdetailed artworks are just over the top, but my knowledge about DC characters is still too much flawed to fully appreciate this event basing its roots on several past events that I've not read about like main villain past appearances and the (temporary, of course) demises of iconic characters like Batman, Aquaman, Martian Manhunter and something like a thousand of heroes/villain I've never heard of...
Luckly I've read last year Identity Crisis and Hawkman: Endless Flight storylines so I could appreciate for good the dramatic (and so brutal) fight of Hawkman and Hawkgirl against poor zombified Ralph and Sue Dibny, Carter's pain for his beloved not remembering him, Atom's grief and much more.
There are a few intense deaths and horrific moments in this volume, but they were just sporadic and without the gore and the black humour I was just expecting for after reading similar "Superheroes vs Zombies" comics like Marvel Zombies.
Really enjoyed storyline and artworks, but first half was for me far better than second half where cheesiness level just went off scale... and these praises of Green Lantern movie in preface and appendix just reminded me Deadpool 2 post-credit scene and made me laugh a lot!
But for these flaw, this is great read if you are into superheroes, space-opera and zombies.
Just not a good idea for a chance buy if you aren't an expert of DC universe continuity and characters.
August 13, 2016
Easily in my all-time favorite comics. I told myself I was just going to finish part 3 last night and sleep. Then I read parts 4 and 5. Then I gave up and read it before I went to sleep. And let me tell you, it was better than sleep.
Geoff Johns really crafted something amazing here. The storytelling was phenomenal and the dialogue was impeccable. Ivan Reis... *slow clap evolves into a disturbing cacophony of congratulation* ... This guy can illustrate. He's one of my favorite artists now. His work here was jaw-dropping. Some of the full 2-page panels just blew my mind with how detailed they were.
I'm not really going to go into the plot because there's just so. much. there. But Johns and Reis really made a distinct impact on my introduction to the other five Lantern Corps. I had always known about the Green Lantern Corps and the Sinestro Corps, but I didn't know there were five others. And then other forms of light: black and white.
And then the sheer number of other characters in this. It was a Green Lantern comic, but the entire Justice League, Teen Titans, etc. was in this thing. And the way they changed the characters for this comic was so awesome. I LOVED IT. What can I say? Superhero crossovers make me extremely happy.
I'm really glad I thought to pick this comic up. It really just made me so happy. Amazing artwork, great storytelling, a plethora of awesome characters, tons of WTF and "oh, sh*t" moments. What more could you ask for?
P.S.
Geoff Johns really crafted something amazing here. The storytelling was phenomenal and the dialogue was impeccable. Ivan Reis... *slow clap evolves into a disturbing cacophony of congratulation* ... This guy can illustrate. He's one of my favorite artists now. His work here was jaw-dropping. Some of the full 2-page panels just blew my mind with how detailed they were.
I'm not really going to go into the plot because there's just so. much. there. But Johns and Reis really made a distinct impact on my introduction to the other five Lantern Corps. I had always known about the Green Lantern Corps and the Sinestro Corps, but I didn't know there were five others. And then other forms of light: black and white.
And then the sheer number of other characters in this. It was a Green Lantern comic, but the entire Justice League, Teen Titans, etc. was in this thing. And the way they changed the characters for this comic was so awesome. I LOVED IT. What can I say? Superhero crossovers make me extremely happy.
I'm really glad I thought to pick this comic up. It really just made me so happy. Amazing artwork, great storytelling, a plethora of awesome characters, tons of WTF and "oh, sh*t" moments. What more could you ask for?
P.S.
January 14, 2018
Here it is, the culmination of everything that Geoff Johns has been doing in his groundbreaking Green Lantern run. And it's so epic that it affects more than just the Green Lantern stories, it becomes a major DC Comics event that rocks the entire universe! As prophesied, the rise of the different colors of the emotional spectrum and the ensuing conflict between them has stirred Nekron, the embodiment of death. He begins to re-animate the dead across the universe to join the "Black Lanterns" in an effort to extinguish all life and emotion in the universe. So the DC heroes, as well as all seven Lantern Corps have to contend with fighting zombified versions of their dead loved ones, fallen partners, and past enemies, in an effort to protect all life in the universe.
I read this in tandem with the tie-in Green Lantern: Blackest Night, and it seems totally necessary to read it this way in order to truly follow and appreciate the story, especially because Geoff Johns wrote both comics as part of his huge story. You can find the issue reading order somewhere online. I wish they released a big book combining all of this because it really is one big story. I probably wouldn't have liked this as much if I didn't read both books at the same time.
This is an action-packed epic that brought the elements of a pure horror story to the DC Universe, as our heroes basically fight super-zombies. And characters dying and coming back to life has always been a major part of DC comics and I loved that this event looks at this trend in a new way. Even though, again (as expected), it suffers a bit from over-crowdedness, this story is chock-full of memorable moments and twists that I won't spoil here. And I was so happy to see a DC crossover event that was centered around the Green Lantern mythology. This event is a must-read if only for the way it completely changes the DC universe. I don't think I ever give these big superhero books 5-stars because they're so busy and barely ever stand alone, being dependent on a lot of knowledge from previous stories. And most times the focus on that stuff and the plethora of characters leaves no room for much meaningful character development. But, the art here is fun. Green Lantern books are always know for their insane splash pages, but there's some stuff in here that really takes the cake!
I read this in tandem with the tie-in Green Lantern: Blackest Night, and it seems totally necessary to read it this way in order to truly follow and appreciate the story, especially because Geoff Johns wrote both comics as part of his huge story. You can find the issue reading order somewhere online. I wish they released a big book combining all of this because it really is one big story. I probably wouldn't have liked this as much if I didn't read both books at the same time.
This is an action-packed epic that brought the elements of a pure horror story to the DC Universe, as our heroes basically fight super-zombies. And characters dying and coming back to life has always been a major part of DC comics and I loved that this event looks at this trend in a new way. Even though, again (as expected), it suffers a bit from over-crowdedness, this story is chock-full of memorable moments and twists that I won't spoil here. And I was so happy to see a DC crossover event that was centered around the Green Lantern mythology. This event is a must-read if only for the way it completely changes the DC universe. I don't think I ever give these big superhero books 5-stars because they're so busy and barely ever stand alone, being dependent on a lot of knowledge from previous stories. And most times the focus on that stuff and the plethora of characters leaves no room for much meaningful character development. But, the art here is fun. Green Lantern books are always know for their insane splash pages, but there's some stuff in here that really takes the cake!
March 14, 2012
I'm sure I'll annoy Green Lantern fans everywhere by saying I don't honestly see what the big deal about this cross-over event is.
I should probably preface that by saying that I'm more a Marvel than a DC reader, so part of this could be my own natural bias coming into play. And part of it could be that I haven't read every single issue of Green Lantern leading up this storyline, so I could be at a huge loss on picking up the nuances of the tale.
That said, I found this storyline tedious and a bit off-putting. I'd heard a lot of buzz about it and figured this comic book line had to be better than the tedious Green Lantern movie we got last year.
Yeah, not so much.
It's got some good art and it's engaging at certain points. But overall, this didn't do a lot for me.
I should probably preface that by saying that I'm more a Marvel than a DC reader, so part of this could be my own natural bias coming into play. And part of it could be that I haven't read every single issue of Green Lantern leading up this storyline, so I could be at a huge loss on picking up the nuances of the tale.
That said, I found this storyline tedious and a bit off-putting. I'd heard a lot of buzz about it and figured this comic book line had to be better than the tedious Green Lantern movie we got last year.
Yeah, not so much.
It's got some good art and it's engaging at certain points. But overall, this didn't do a lot for me.
October 24, 2019
For me, and for I suspect for a lot of readers, The Blackest Night crossover was the perfect culmination of everything that was going on in the DC Universe in the 2000s.
Written by the legendary Geoff Johns--featuring Ivan Reis's gorgeous art in the vein of Alan Davis--in the climax of his Green Lantern run, the brilliant idea of multiple colored corps led up to this event. As Green was will, there was the Yellow of fear, Red of rage, Blue of hope Orange of Avarice, Indigo of love, and Saphire of compassion.
Utilizing continuity in all the best ways, the storyline focused on dead characters rising up to join Black Hand and Nekron's "Black Lantern Corps." All your memories of old now evil zombies. But it wasn't just about name-dropping a bunch of fan favorites. It was really all about the emotional impact, as they literally fed on the living heroes reactions be they fear or compassion or love (all the rainbow colored themes that were going on). Plus, I love a good cosmic space battle.
With dual protagonists Hal Jordan and Barry Allen (along with foil Sinestro) having recently come back to life, a plot device that is admittedly overused in comics, at least Blackest Night had something to say about the Superman-type revolving door afterlife of superhero universes. It truly didn't feel like a cash grab but rather was a solid story worth telling with real stakes.
Crossovers just aren't what they used to be. Soon after that, continuity was thrown out in the next overdone trying-to-top-itself Flashpoint and The New 52 and DC has been all over the place ever since. To be fair, keeping track of these kinds of complex timelines never was sustainable. But for this humble reader, I was fully in the world that Johns made built up by the history of the first superhero comics publisher, and it was a splendid ride. Feels good rereading after a decade.
Written by the legendary Geoff Johns--featuring Ivan Reis's gorgeous art in the vein of Alan Davis--in the climax of his Green Lantern run, the brilliant idea of multiple colored corps led up to this event. As Green was will, there was the Yellow of fear, Red of rage, Blue of hope Orange of Avarice, Indigo of love, and Saphire of compassion.
Utilizing continuity in all the best ways, the storyline focused on dead characters rising up to join Black Hand and Nekron's "Black Lantern Corps." All your memories of old now evil zombies. But it wasn't just about name-dropping a bunch of fan favorites. It was really all about the emotional impact, as they literally fed on the living heroes reactions be they fear or compassion or love (all the rainbow colored themes that were going on). Plus, I love a good cosmic space battle.
With dual protagonists Hal Jordan and Barry Allen (along with foil Sinestro) having recently come back to life, a plot device that is admittedly overused in comics, at least Blackest Night had something to say about the Superman-type revolving door afterlife of superhero universes. It truly didn't feel like a cash grab but rather was a solid story worth telling with real stakes.
Crossovers just aren't what they used to be. Soon after that, continuity was thrown out in the next overdone trying-to-top-itself Flashpoint and The New 52 and DC has been all over the place ever since. To be fair, keeping track of these kinds of complex timelines never was sustainable. But for this humble reader, I was fully in the world that Johns made built up by the history of the first superhero comics publisher, and it was a splendid ride. Feels good rereading after a decade.
October 1, 2013
MINI REVIEW: in which Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps must save Earth from an undead apocalypse which includes fallen heroes and villains. Impressive artwork and character reveals are good but the plotting of the story goes back and forth at the expense of the over the top action (and we have to read crossovers to “get” the entirety of the tale). Then again, this is Green Lantern. It makes Superman seem mundane in its action sequences.
I finally learned what all those different green lanterns colors mean. Sorta.
Written by Geoff Johns and artwork by Ivan Reis, Joe Prada and Oclair Albert.
ARTISTIC PRESENTATION/PANELS: B plus to A minus; ACTION SCENES: B plus to A minus; CHARACTERS/DIALOGUE: B to B plus; STORY/PLOTTING/PANELS: B; DC MYTHOLOGY: B to B plus; WHEN READ: end of September 2013; OVERALL GRADE: B to B plus.
I finally learned what all those different green lanterns colors mean. Sorta.
Written by Geoff Johns and artwork by Ivan Reis, Joe Prada and Oclair Albert.
ARTISTIC PRESENTATION/PANELS: B plus to A minus; ACTION SCENES: B plus to A minus; CHARACTERS/DIALOGUE: B to B plus; STORY/PLOTTING/PANELS: B; DC MYTHOLOGY: B to B plus; WHEN READ: end of September 2013; OVERALL GRADE: B to B plus.
January 8, 2016
Just did not like this at all. Could not follow the plot, which was basically re-animated dead zombie superheroes battling current alive ones. I do not know enough of the DC League of Justice characters and their normal personas to follow who is who, and what animosities exist. The story was presented in a very disjointed and non-linear way. SO gGlad to be done so I can read something enjoyable again.
June 10, 2016
No. It is bad. All the build up led to a terrible story. Confused, irrelevant and mixed up.
January 21, 2018
Other Useful Reviews: Sam Quixote's review
Book Info: This collection contains Blackest Night issues #0-8.
ABSOLUTE RATING: {2/5 stars}
STANDARDIZED RATING: <2/5 stars>
In Blackest Night, Black Hand – under the orders of his dark lord Nekron – sets out to spread his infectious Black Lantern rings throughout all of existence. Starting on Earth, the power rings are used to reanimate some of the planet's greatest heroes. Feeding off their feelings of guilt, anger, and fear, the power source of the Black Lantern Corps nears 100% capacity, and increasing numbers of once-dead heroes are reborn, or living ones killed, and remade into flesh-eating zombies slavishly devoted to the extinction of life in the universe.
Unlike many big crossover events, aside from Flash and Hal, this one focuses more on some of the lesser-known heroes of the DCU (including Atom Smasher, Hera, and Firestorm). While this was an arguably admirable gesture on the part of the writer, it did lead to some problems. First off, I would think that if you as a reader are to feel anything at all substantial towards these troubled heroes and their loss, you'd have to have followed their histories fairly closely. The problem is, I'm not such a big DC fan, so I only read enough to have been previously aware of bits and pieces of these histories. But since Johns is *clearly* relying on some level of sympathy between readers and these B-listers, this lies closer to the neighborhood of "blatant failure" rather than "minor oversight" – at least to me, anyway.
Interestingly enough though, the halfway measure Johns uses to provide backstory for these heroes is through the taunting monologues of the corrupted heroes Nekron brings back to life. Other than faces being blown off and hearts torn out, these "menacing" encounters pretty much entail the zombies' attempts to convince the living heroes that they're useless and contemptible human beings whose so-called friends never really cared about them at all. And while all this is going on, simple pictures of the characters' past are drawn, and we get some insight into the tragedy that had befallen them.
This brings me to my second point: the idea that this demonstration of kindergarden-level psychological attack would rattle these seasoned heroes is, at first, laughable. They must have experienced that kind of thing before (i.e. mind-control schemes), and moreover, it should be clear to them that their zombified comrades are acting completely out of character, and for that reason shouldn't be taken seriously. Not surprisingly, this routine soon becomes tedious, and that's problematic, since Johns does this quite a bit in the first couple issues. The only hero who really manages to keep his head on the entire time and behave in the manner a superhero of their status ought to, is the Flash.
Since this story primarily deals with a conflict among the Lantern Corps, one might guess that the Green Lantern is the superstar of the book. However, Flash gets slightly more "screen time" than Hal in the story, and the consideration of which of them contributed more to the story's resolution is somewhat debatable. As DC's herald of hope, I think it makes perfect sense to have Flash serve as coach and cheerleader in this crisis. Unfortunately, a potentially inspirational tale is rendered entirely inert.
Mawkish, didactic, and painfully monotonous, Blackest Night isn't able to effectively convey the catastrophic implications of Nekron's villainous plot, nor is it able to get me to care about anything that transpires. After the first three or so major heroes are converted to the dark side (i.e. made into zombies), I was desensitized, and any subsequent instances were uninteresting; even if Johns was a better writer, I felt as if he didn't allow me the chance to really *feel* anything at times like this. And in the end, what resolved the conflict relates to the guardians' big and scary secret, and, once revealed, it's disappointing to find that it turns out to have a "wow factor" of exactly *zero*. From beginning to end, no one outsmarts anyone else in a clever way, and instead brute force is what progresses the entire story; while not exactly *terrible* on it's own, it certainly ain't something to brag about.
I know this is going to sound overly harsh, but as bad as Ultimatum was supposed to be, I think this was even worse. I'm not the kind of person who would shy away from a very grim story, but this one's particularly poorly written and melodramatic. Everyone's either pissed off, moping, bickering with one another, or torturing themselves over past mistakes. This makes for a very unpleasant read. But perhaps even worse, is John's failure to slow down, downsize, and allow himself the opportunity to make the conflicts between and within these tight-knit heroes credible and compelling.
I really don't think there's any way this could have worked under Johns. Anything less than a complete overhaul – even if he had all the good advice in the world to help him out – would have earned this three stars tops. And even then, he would've needed to bring his absolute best to the table. Although this was the worst comic book I've ever completed, it's also my very first two-star book! Gotta at least be able to pat myself on the back; that's quite an accomplishment for me. So thank you, Johns: if I can successfully get through this heap of garbage and come out in one piece, then I can handle nearly anything the comic book industry has to throw at me.
Postscript:
Johns, did you really think including a supervillain funeral was a good addition to the story? It's almost as if he went out of his way to include everyone in the DC universe in some way, no matter how awkward or silly it appeared. Was the message that even supervillains have feelings too?
------------------------------------------------
And there's something about the intro has been really bugging me: In the first couple of pages, Hal is standing over the grave of Bruce Wayne, brooding. Soon, Flash arrives, and in an effort to cheer him up, he tells Hal that death never manages to stop superheroes, and suggests he chill out a bit. Obvious, isn't it? They know it. I know it. We all know it. Still, that doesn't mean you just stand there and say it; it's more of an unspoken truth. Just coming out and saying something like that trivializes those deaths, and mocks both the characters who are in the process of mourning and the entire comic universe itself. Not such as strong start, but I suppose that's why they call it issue "zero."
Book Info: This collection contains Blackest Night issues #0-8.
ABSOLUTE RATING: {2/5 stars}
STANDARDIZED RATING: <2/5 stars>
In Blackest Night, Black Hand – under the orders of his dark lord Nekron – sets out to spread his infectious Black Lantern rings throughout all of existence. Starting on Earth, the power rings are used to reanimate some of the planet's greatest heroes. Feeding off their feelings of guilt, anger, and fear, the power source of the Black Lantern Corps nears 100% capacity, and increasing numbers of once-dead heroes are reborn, or living ones killed, and remade into flesh-eating zombies slavishly devoted to the extinction of life in the universe.
Unlike many big crossover events, aside from Flash and Hal, this one focuses more on some of the lesser-known heroes of the DCU (including Atom Smasher, Hera, and Firestorm). While this was an arguably admirable gesture on the part of the writer, it did lead to some problems. First off, I would think that if you as a reader are to feel anything at all substantial towards these troubled heroes and their loss, you'd have to have followed their histories fairly closely. The problem is, I'm not such a big DC fan, so I only read enough to have been previously aware of bits and pieces of these histories. But since Johns is *clearly* relying on some level of sympathy between readers and these B-listers, this lies closer to the neighborhood of "blatant failure" rather than "minor oversight" – at least to me, anyway.
Interestingly enough though, the halfway measure Johns uses to provide backstory for these heroes is through the taunting monologues of the corrupted heroes Nekron brings back to life. Other than faces being blown off and hearts torn out, these "menacing" encounters pretty much entail the zombies' attempts to convince the living heroes that they're useless and contemptible human beings whose so-called friends never really cared about them at all. And while all this is going on, simple pictures of the characters' past are drawn, and we get some insight into the tragedy that had befallen them.
This brings me to my second point: the idea that this demonstration of kindergarden-level psychological attack would rattle these seasoned heroes is, at first, laughable. They must have experienced that kind of thing before (i.e. mind-control schemes), and moreover, it should be clear to them that their zombified comrades are acting completely out of character, and for that reason shouldn't be taken seriously. Not surprisingly, this routine soon becomes tedious, and that's problematic, since Johns does this quite a bit in the first couple issues. The only hero who really manages to keep his head on the entire time and behave in the manner a superhero of their status ought to, is the Flash.
Since this story primarily deals with a conflict among the Lantern Corps, one might guess that the Green Lantern is the superstar of the book. However, Flash gets slightly more "screen time" than Hal in the story, and the consideration of which of them contributed more to the story's resolution is somewhat debatable. As DC's herald of hope, I think it makes perfect sense to have Flash serve as coach and cheerleader in this crisis. Unfortunately, a potentially inspirational tale is rendered entirely inert.
Mawkish, didactic, and painfully monotonous, Blackest Night isn't able to effectively convey the catastrophic implications of Nekron's villainous plot, nor is it able to get me to care about anything that transpires. After the first three or so major heroes are converted to the dark side (i.e. made into zombies), I was desensitized, and any subsequent instances were uninteresting; even if Johns was a better writer, I felt as if he didn't allow me the chance to really *feel* anything at times like this. And in the end, what resolved the conflict relates to the guardians' big and scary secret, and, once revealed, it's disappointing to find that it turns out to have a "wow factor" of exactly *zero*. From beginning to end, no one outsmarts anyone else in a clever way, and instead brute force is what progresses the entire story; while not exactly *terrible* on it's own, it certainly ain't something to brag about.
I know this is going to sound overly harsh, but as bad as Ultimatum was supposed to be, I think this was even worse. I'm not the kind of person who would shy away from a very grim story, but this one's particularly poorly written and melodramatic. Everyone's either pissed off, moping, bickering with one another, or torturing themselves over past mistakes. This makes for a very unpleasant read. But perhaps even worse, is John's failure to slow down, downsize, and allow himself the opportunity to make the conflicts between and within these tight-knit heroes credible and compelling.
I really don't think there's any way this could have worked under Johns. Anything less than a complete overhaul – even if he had all the good advice in the world to help him out – would have earned this three stars tops. And even then, he would've needed to bring his absolute best to the table. Although this was the worst comic book I've ever completed, it's also my very first two-star book! Gotta at least be able to pat myself on the back; that's quite an accomplishment for me. So thank you, Johns: if I can successfully get through this heap of garbage and come out in one piece, then I can handle nearly anything the comic book industry has to throw at me.
Postscript:
Johns, did you really think including a supervillain funeral was a good addition to the story? It's almost as if he went out of his way to include everyone in the DC universe in some way, no matter how awkward or silly it appeared. Was the message that even supervillains have feelings too?
------------------------------------------------
And there's something about the intro has been really bugging me: In the first couple of pages, Hal is standing over the grave of Bruce Wayne, brooding. Soon, Flash arrives, and in an effort to cheer him up, he tells Hal that death never manages to stop superheroes, and suggests he chill out a bit. Obvious, isn't it? They know it. I know it. We all know it. Still, that doesn't mean you just stand there and say it; it's more of an unspoken truth. Just coming out and saying something like that trivializes those deaths, and mocks both the characters who are in the process of mourning and the entire comic universe itself. Not such as strong start, but I suppose that's why they call it issue "zero."
November 22, 2019
>>>before this review...read mine for Blackest Night: Green Lantern....
Okay. Confession: I misunderstood the order of the graphic novels and read BN:GL first. Wrong! Don't do that! Like any series, reading it out of order messes it all up.
I read all the preludes and buildups first. And while I appreciated the grand setup for the large event coming...i've got to show my crankiness. Specific subtleties aside: every one had the same basic plot = new color in the spectrum revealed, Hal Jordan comes in contact, of course he is taken over by the new color, back to green. Every. Single. Time. Except for the Star Sapphires, they are all women. hmm...oh yes! Long time staccacto-girlfriend: Carol Ferris.
One more bit of crankiness: I stand by my opinion that these graphic novels needed a better editor. Like I said, I read these two out of order. However, there was several times that if I hadn't read the GL one first, I wouldn't have understood parts of Blackest Night. The scope of this story was the entire DC Universe. Every character was involved. Old and new. I may not understand the difficulties of putting together a cohesive main story...still, I can claim it should be better. Its so easy to be a sideline critic!
Complaints over. On to compliments.
There is no way that I could include every amazing aspect here...that would take a page-by-page "look at this!". and, I'm not kidding. You open it. That page is amazing. Turn. Amazing. Turn. Amazing. And, that's just the art! Anyone who claims that comic-art isn't REAL art...has never read one, and definitely has not looked at this one. The detail, textures, color, full-spreads, small-panels...every single penstroke and paintcolor was beautiful (even the black lanterns). I've seem some comics where the artist was good...but, the characters each had a similar feel. The women looked the same, in different outfits. The men all had the same face. Not here. Every single character was their own character - with very individual looks, costumes, mannerisms, implied movements. It was truly amazing. The black lantern designed-look of each was so cool. There were so many that I would proudly use as art on our walls. I can not express enough how impressive the art in this series was.
Now, the danger with this kind of story was that it could easily have devolved into a facile zombie/slasher/b-movie-esque type tale. That danger wasn't realized. Johns wrote a brilliant, interesting, emotional epic. Even if the art wasn't fantastic, if the story was superficial, this would've failed. It didn't though. It was carefully crafted, emotionally-involving, detail-oriented, GL-mythology-involving, expansive story. The larger view was enthralling, but, it was the characters who kept my addicted. I've said it before, and it bears repeating: some of the best modern writing is found in comic books. (I am TRYing to describe how great it was, without giving anything away!). And, I have to say, FLASH IS SO COOL. He stole the spotlight in every single scene. I jammed through this so fast, I couldn't get enough. Now, I need to read it again - taking my time to enjoy the myriad of details.
One more thing. As dark as this tale got, it was laced with lighter details: i'll just say "zombie sharks".
GJ Hal Jordan: "A poet once said "carpe diem quam minimum credula postero", which meant, "seize the day, trusting as little as possible in the future." Most people only know the first part -- "carpe diem" -- probably because not trusting tomorrow is too damn cynical. It is to me, anyway. Sure you can't rely on tomorrow, we're not guaranteed we'll have it -- but we can't be afraid of it either."
Black Hand: "Why? Life was an accident. It has no meaning. It has no purpose."
Flash Barry Allen: "LIFE doesn't give US purpose, Black Hand. WE give LIFE purpose...I don't know why the earth or sky or people exist. And the fact is, i'll probably never know...We are the ones that give life purpose...We all live for different reasons, Hal. It's up to us to figure those out."
Okay. Confession: I misunderstood the order of the graphic novels and read BN:GL first. Wrong! Don't do that! Like any series, reading it out of order messes it all up.
I read all the preludes and buildups first. And while I appreciated the grand setup for the large event coming...i've got to show my crankiness. Specific subtleties aside: every one had the same basic plot = new color in the spectrum revealed, Hal Jordan comes in contact, of course he is taken over by the new color, back to green. Every. Single. Time. Except for the Star Sapphires, they are all women. hmm...oh yes! Long time staccacto-girlfriend: Carol Ferris.
One more bit of crankiness: I stand by my opinion that these graphic novels needed a better editor. Like I said, I read these two out of order. However, there was several times that if I hadn't read the GL one first, I wouldn't have understood parts of Blackest Night. The scope of this story was the entire DC Universe. Every character was involved. Old and new. I may not understand the difficulties of putting together a cohesive main story...still, I can claim it should be better. Its so easy to be a sideline critic!
Complaints over. On to compliments.
There is no way that I could include every amazing aspect here...that would take a page-by-page "look at this!". and, I'm not kidding. You open it. That page is amazing. Turn. Amazing. Turn. Amazing. And, that's just the art! Anyone who claims that comic-art isn't REAL art...has never read one, and definitely has not looked at this one. The detail, textures, color, full-spreads, small-panels...every single penstroke and paintcolor was beautiful (even the black lanterns). I've seem some comics where the artist was good...but, the characters each had a similar feel. The women looked the same, in different outfits. The men all had the same face. Not here. Every single character was their own character - with very individual looks, costumes, mannerisms, implied movements. It was truly amazing. The black lantern designed-look of each was so cool. There were so many that I would proudly use as art on our walls. I can not express enough how impressive the art in this series was.
Now, the danger with this kind of story was that it could easily have devolved into a facile zombie/slasher/b-movie-esque type tale. That danger wasn't realized. Johns wrote a brilliant, interesting, emotional epic. Even if the art wasn't fantastic, if the story was superficial, this would've failed. It didn't though. It was carefully crafted, emotionally-involving, detail-oriented, GL-mythology-involving, expansive story. The larger view was enthralling, but, it was the characters who kept my addicted. I've said it before, and it bears repeating: some of the best modern writing is found in comic books. (I am TRYing to describe how great it was, without giving anything away!). And, I have to say, FLASH IS SO COOL. He stole the spotlight in every single scene. I jammed through this so fast, I couldn't get enough. Now, I need to read it again - taking my time to enjoy the myriad of details.
One more thing. As dark as this tale got, it was laced with lighter details: i'll just say "zombie sharks".
GJ Hal Jordan: "A poet once said "carpe diem quam minimum credula postero", which meant, "seize the day, trusting as little as possible in the future." Most people only know the first part -- "carpe diem" -- probably because not trusting tomorrow is too damn cynical. It is to me, anyway. Sure you can't rely on tomorrow, we're not guaranteed we'll have it -- but we can't be afraid of it either."
Black Hand: "Why? Life was an accident. It has no meaning. It has no purpose."
Flash Barry Allen: "LIFE doesn't give US purpose, Black Hand. WE give LIFE purpose...I don't know why the earth or sky or people exist. And the fact is, i'll probably never know...We are the ones that give life purpose...We all live for different reasons, Hal. It's up to us to figure those out."
September 19, 2011
I'm not a comic book fan. Let me just say that up front. I am not normally so interested in any comic book series and I am quite sure I'm the least qualified person on earth to say anything about this title or any comic book on the planet. And most comic book readers are quite geeky about it so I wouldn't want to step on anyone's toes by pretending I'm an expert. However, allow me to say this: Geoff Johns, I'm a fan.
I read the Blackest Night series after a colleague recommended it to me. She said, "You have to try this." She kept harping me on it, so I tentatively grabbed this first title in the series just to appease her. Then I settled down for a read. What happened next was I literally stayed put on my chair and did not move for the next two hours, reading and re-reading the book.
I can't even begin to tell you what I love about it. Not because there are so many that I don't know where to start, but because I myself have no idea what sucked me in. It could be the story. It could be the illustration. It could be imagining Ryan Reynolds as Hal Jordan (give me a break, OK? I'm a newbie and my point of entry into comic books was the movies). It could the zombies. It could be that Geoff Johns's words form a story that was equally chilling and thrilling in every page. But it's probably... all of the above.
I was looking at the whole universe through the eyes of an infant. I was wide-eyed and enchanted. This was a new world I was discovering and I wanted to know everything and anything. It was like stepping outdoors in the playground for the first time when you're a kid. There are already people there and you just want to get to know everyone.
Of course this title alone could not satisfy my curiosity; you still need a certain amount of knowledge of the characters, and their history in the DC Universe, as well as plenty of back stories and myths, to be able to fully grasp the intricacies of the series. So my lack of comprehension at first read is completely my own fault. Luckily, thanks to Johns' masterful handling of the story, I was able to enjoy it and be entertained without worrying about missing information that I would eventually get later on.
I like to think that I've been educated a little about the DC Universe and its inhabitants after reading this book (and the entire series). My education is still incomplete but I'm not totally ignorant the way I was before. And if there's anything or anyone whom I will gladly allow to educate me further, it's Geoff Johns and whatever his creations are.
I read the Blackest Night series after a colleague recommended it to me. She said, "You have to try this." She kept harping me on it, so I tentatively grabbed this first title in the series just to appease her. Then I settled down for a read. What happened next was I literally stayed put on my chair and did not move for the next two hours, reading and re-reading the book.
I can't even begin to tell you what I love about it. Not because there are so many that I don't know where to start, but because I myself have no idea what sucked me in. It could be the story. It could be the illustration. It could be imagining Ryan Reynolds as Hal Jordan (give me a break, OK? I'm a newbie and my point of entry into comic books was the movies). It could the zombies. It could be that Geoff Johns's words form a story that was equally chilling and thrilling in every page. But it's probably... all of the above.
I was looking at the whole universe through the eyes of an infant. I was wide-eyed and enchanted. This was a new world I was discovering and I wanted to know everything and anything. It was like stepping outdoors in the playground for the first time when you're a kid. There are already people there and you just want to get to know everyone.
Of course this title alone could not satisfy my curiosity; you still need a certain amount of knowledge of the characters, and their history in the DC Universe, as well as plenty of back stories and myths, to be able to fully grasp the intricacies of the series. So my lack of comprehension at first read is completely my own fault. Luckily, thanks to Johns' masterful handling of the story, I was able to enjoy it and be entertained without worrying about missing information that I would eventually get later on.
I like to think that I've been educated a little about the DC Universe and its inhabitants after reading this book (and the entire series). My education is still incomplete but I'm not totally ignorant the way I was before. And if there's anything or anyone whom I will gladly allow to educate me further, it's Geoff Johns and whatever his creations are.
October 5, 2022
Bludgeoning Darkness, Relentless Assault, Sub-Plots, and Inspired Ending
Couloration & shading is outstanding, excellently crafted details similar to a high budget film, panels chock full of action, nice storyboarding/directing. Comic work of art page after page. Many good things to be said for this collection as a full army of heroes engage an overwhelming horde of foes in a large-scale melee. Characters abound not only in familiar looks and skills, but also some insight into backgrounds and motivations. This series is dark, it's gruesome, but these attributes provide an excellent contrast to the good guys.
Writing is good, effort was made to avoid clichés (at times even poking fun at tropes). For those of us without a lot of lore knowledge of the plethora of superheroes, there are many times where the casual reader may feel completely lost. Who are they? What are they doing? Why would they do that? Who died when, and how? Many are the questions, but this series isn't here to answer them, rather propel the present state forward at full throttle. This continuity is likely a delight to those who have already read the hundreds of issues over decades. Other story disconnects could've flowed better for the reader. A re-read perhaps would help provide clarity to events. Though there was a departure from a stock story, beyond the action and perhaps some personal drama, there's not really a deep story despite some glancing philosophical ideas which improves by the end. The fact that this story has a (sort of) beginning, a middle, and an end is very satisfying.
Couloration & shading is outstanding, excellently crafted details similar to a high budget film, panels chock full of action, nice storyboarding/directing. Comic work of art page after page. Many good things to be said for this collection as a full army of heroes engage an overwhelming horde of foes in a large-scale melee. Characters abound not only in familiar looks and skills, but also some insight into backgrounds and motivations. This series is dark, it's gruesome, but these attributes provide an excellent contrast to the good guys.
Writing is good, effort was made to avoid clichés (at times even poking fun at tropes). For those of us without a lot of lore knowledge of the plethora of superheroes, there are many times where the casual reader may feel completely lost. Who are they? What are they doing? Why would they do that? Who died when, and how? Many are the questions, but this series isn't here to answer them, rather propel the present state forward at full throttle. This continuity is likely a delight to those who have already read the hundreds of issues over decades. Other story disconnects could've flowed better for the reader. A re-read perhaps would help provide clarity to events. Though there was a departure from a stock story, beyond the action and perhaps some personal drama, there's not really a deep story despite some glancing philosophical ideas which improves by the end. The fact that this story has a (sort of) beginning, a middle, and an end is very satisfying.
July 19, 2016
Well, I finally got around to Blackest Night, the must-read crossover event of the summer (of 2009)! I'm about 5 years behind on this, and I think there's two ways to look at this: either this hurt my overall experience with the story, or the story doesn't really hold up over time. Essentially this is Marvel Zombies, only they found a way to make it fit within continuity. Every superhero and villain DC has seemingly ever killed comes back to life to battle Earth's Mightiest Heroes and the various Lantern Corps in a free-for-all battle that will shake the very foundations of the universe!
Yeah, that's what happens. I just explained the entire book. You have now read Blackest Night. The plot setup is almost nonexistent, with stuff just starting out of nowhere. I imagine I would've had to have been reading many of the other series in the DC universe, specifically in the Green Lantern sector, to fully understand why any of this crazy zombie superhero stuff is actually happening, but unfortunately I didn't. So, thanks for making this a standalone story, Geoff Johns. If I'd known I was going to need to do 12 hours of research into the background of every minor hero to have ever died, I would've passed.
I guess I'm spoiled by many of Marvel's big crossover spectaculars, like Dark Reign and Civil War. These crossovers indicate a change in the Marvel Universe itself, making for interesting explorations of that change amongst all the various superhero franchises. They're typically fairly simple concepts, but played out in a multitude of ways. Blackest Night just didn't make a whole lot of sense to me, as someone who doesn't read a ton of DC. And I'm sorry, but that's not how this should work. I shouldn't HAVE to go back and figure out why everyone is acting the way they are, and where they are in their respective lives. Can you imagine if the Avengers movie just launched into its story without every even explaining WHO the heroes were? No one would have seen it! And this is what happens in Blackest Night.
Also, to be so convoluted on the surface, there isn't much underneath, either. This is just a blatant good vs. evil fight featuring essentially every superhero DC has ever thought of. It's too much and all over the place. Also, Superman and Wonder Woman don't show up in this book until about halfway through, which indicates they HAVE been around, but where the hell were they? He's Superman! She's Wonder Woman! They would probably be a pretty good pair to have around for this thing, but instead they're left out in interest of raising the stakes, then show up when the fight gets really big. This is just bad planning on Johns' part.
Also, whenever something big happens, the only indication is based on a gigantic splash page. I never had any idea who the new villains and such were that kept showing up, and Johns sure as hell didn't tell me. I kept having to go to Wikipedia to look up people like Nekron (who?) as they were just thrown into things as if everyone on earth must know who they are so let's just keep rolling.
Now, all those pretty major complaints aside, I'm still giving this 3 stars, and maybe that's generous. BUT, I did find Ivan Reis's artwork to be stunning, capturing the massiveness of this action incredibly well. Also, for all this story's faults, when you hold it up to something like Infinite Crisis or Shadowland, two of the worst crossovers of all time that also happen to have been published pretty recently, Blackest Night shines (no movie poster blurb intended). At least its weak plot movement is coherent and in line with each of the characters. Also, if you ARE caught up with all of the Green Lantern stuff, I bet this story is fantastic.
So, I'd say don't read this if you haven't also read a ton of Green Lantern/lead-up DC stories, unless you're just looking to gaze at some stellar pencils while every single hero ever invented fights each other (seriously, the pages are so crammed with heroes, Reis could've fit Spider-Man in there and Marvel never would've noticed).
Yeah, that's what happens. I just explained the entire book. You have now read Blackest Night. The plot setup is almost nonexistent, with stuff just starting out of nowhere. I imagine I would've had to have been reading many of the other series in the DC universe, specifically in the Green Lantern sector, to fully understand why any of this crazy zombie superhero stuff is actually happening, but unfortunately I didn't. So, thanks for making this a standalone story, Geoff Johns. If I'd known I was going to need to do 12 hours of research into the background of every minor hero to have ever died, I would've passed.
I guess I'm spoiled by many of Marvel's big crossover spectaculars, like Dark Reign and Civil War. These crossovers indicate a change in the Marvel Universe itself, making for interesting explorations of that change amongst all the various superhero franchises. They're typically fairly simple concepts, but played out in a multitude of ways. Blackest Night just didn't make a whole lot of sense to me, as someone who doesn't read a ton of DC. And I'm sorry, but that's not how this should work. I shouldn't HAVE to go back and figure out why everyone is acting the way they are, and where they are in their respective lives. Can you imagine if the Avengers movie just launched into its story without every even explaining WHO the heroes were? No one would have seen it! And this is what happens in Blackest Night.
Also, to be so convoluted on the surface, there isn't much underneath, either. This is just a blatant good vs. evil fight featuring essentially every superhero DC has ever thought of. It's too much and all over the place. Also, Superman and Wonder Woman don't show up in this book until about halfway through, which indicates they HAVE been around, but where the hell were they? He's Superman! She's Wonder Woman! They would probably be a pretty good pair to have around for this thing, but instead they're left out in interest of raising the stakes, then show up when the fight gets really big. This is just bad planning on Johns' part.
Also, whenever something big happens, the only indication is based on a gigantic splash page. I never had any idea who the new villains and such were that kept showing up, and Johns sure as hell didn't tell me. I kept having to go to Wikipedia to look up people like Nekron (who?) as they were just thrown into things as if everyone on earth must know who they are so let's just keep rolling.
Now, all those pretty major complaints aside, I'm still giving this 3 stars, and maybe that's generous. BUT, I did find Ivan Reis's artwork to be stunning, capturing the massiveness of this action incredibly well. Also, for all this story's faults, when you hold it up to something like Infinite Crisis or Shadowland, two of the worst crossovers of all time that also happen to have been published pretty recently, Blackest Night shines (no movie poster blurb intended). At least its weak plot movement is coherent and in line with each of the characters. Also, if you ARE caught up with all of the Green Lantern stuff, I bet this story is fantastic.
So, I'd say don't read this if you haven't also read a ton of Green Lantern/lead-up DC stories, unless you're just looking to gaze at some stellar pencils while every single hero ever invented fights each other (seriously, the pages are so crammed with heroes, Reis could've fit Spider-Man in there and Marvel never would've noticed).
June 30, 2011
I have never read a graphic novel this epic before. Blackest Night is nothing sort of the Apocalypse in the DC Universe only its way cooler. There are so many fascinating concepts including the emotional spectrum and the seven factions of light; green, blue, orange, indigo, yellow, red and violet which represent willpower, hope, avarice, compassion, fear, rage and love respectively. Fortunately I was aware enough of the history of the Green Lantern so this wasn't difficult to follow like so many people have complained. I recommend reading Green Lantern: Secret Origin, Green Lantern: Rebirth and Sinestro Corps War before picking this one up. I prefer DC over Marvel because DC heroes and villains are symbolic unlike Marvel's superheroes who are just punks with superpowers protecting the world of absurdity. Each and every hero in DC is symbolic and in Blackest Night it is more evident that anywhere else. Wonder woman is the only person who loves more than anyone else on Earth. The Flash is capable of instilling great hope. These are just few examples of the symbolism I mentioned. Hell, even the villain, Nekron, is symbolic of an idea. No one is inherently evil. They just believe in different things.
November 29, 2021
If you're like me, the only knowledge you have of the Green Lantern is the horrible Ryan Reynolds movie. Hopefully, you're not like me. Trying to scrub that version from my mind, I was handed Blackest Night from one of my comic loving friends. And wow, what a story to read.
Blackest Night holds nothing back as in the first few scenes we are welcomed into a world where superheroes such as Batman and Aquaman are dead. Green Lantern and Flash are trying to come to terms with what losing Batman will cost the world when an attack comes from the last place they would expect - the graves of their fallen comrades. What emerges is a new Lantern power, one that thrives on the dead. Soon friends are fighting not only friends they thought they long buried but also ones who still live.
While I liked getting to know more about the Lanterns and their different colors, this book was really jumbled for me. So much action was packed into these pages that it felt hard for me to really see who was dying and who was coming back. I chalk this up to there being so many superheroes with similar looking outfits. Overall, a depressing tale but one that provided more information into this world.
Blackest Night holds nothing back as in the first few scenes we are welcomed into a world where superheroes such as Batman and Aquaman are dead. Green Lantern and Flash are trying to come to terms with what losing Batman will cost the world when an attack comes from the last place they would expect - the graves of their fallen comrades. What emerges is a new Lantern power, one that thrives on the dead. Soon friends are fighting not only friends they thought they long buried but also ones who still live.
While I liked getting to know more about the Lanterns and their different colors, this book was really jumbled for me. So much action was packed into these pages that it felt hard for me to really see who was dying and who was coming back. I chalk this up to there being so many superheroes with similar looking outfits. Overall, a depressing tale but one that provided more information into this world.
May 14, 2018
Good. I'm not too keen on the "Where's Waldo" style clusterfarks:
(of which there are many)
If someone had asked me a week ago what "The Indigo Tribe" is, I would have guessed "folk rock."
Overall quite impressive.
(of which there are many)
If someone had asked me a week ago what "The Indigo Tribe" is, I would have guessed "folk rock."
Overall quite impressive.
June 8, 2017
Death is still held up as the ultimate failure and punishment in superhero comics, despite the fact that heroes and villains come back regularly. A lot of readers bemoan the use of the resurrection as a storytelling device since it's been done so often, but really, it's the threat of death and the actual dying of a character that should probably be derided. After all, we know (or should know) the death is not going to stick, and the character may go through some changes but will ultimately be back soon in some form. But that's the thing - if it's written well, death of a character still gets to us and still makes us feel that sense of loss. It's a little Pavlovian string that we'll probably see get pulled in these kinds of stories until the end of time. It works, we know it works, and we know the dead will return once more (especially if they sell a lot of comics). I personally embrace characters' deaths and resurrections in comics. By now, those events are so integral to the stories of so many major characters that they're almost as essential as the origin story. They're just one more mode of transformation for characters, giving them a vehicle for change that's story driven in a meta way. It's really the way these events are told and how they're unique to each character that should be critiqued.
Blackest Night nails the resurrection trope to the wall and holds a black light up to it. Every notable character who died in DC Comics, going back at least into the Crisis-era 1980's, is resurrected and set against the living as part of the rise of the Black Lantern Corps. Are these your traditional zombies? Not exactly. They talk, and the stinging, sadistic, sarcastic things they say (probably the dialogue highlights of this event) drill into the hearts of the living heroes and villains still trying to cope with the loss of their friends and adversaries. The kicker is that even the heroes and villains who were resurrected (a roster that includes Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Arrow, and others) are also taken over by the black rings. Some nice ideas about life and death are scattered into the mix, and there are several successively interesting phases to the fight that elevate the story above a simple mass brawl.
Another element of the DC Universe is reconstructed and augmented by Geoff Johns, that of the Green Lantern Corps. Johns asks some pretty basic questions and comes up with some fun answers. Why are the Green Lanterns green? Because that's the color embodied by willpower. (I don't think this has been proven scientifically, but I can go along with it.) Why do they oppose yellow rings? Because yellow is the color of fear. What about the other basic colors on the spectrum? They each have their own intuitive emotional colors. Johns introduces a Corps for each color and enough variation for each group to make them interesting. Are their oaths goofy? Sure. But they match up to the Silver Age GL oath still used today. All the colored corps come into play by the end, struggling to combine effectively against the Black Lanterns and the true threat behind them.
There are still a lot of other heavily used superhero tropes in this event that probably could have been worked around. If they really rub you the wrong way, traditional "Big Two" superhero comics may not be your thing.
Blackest Night nails the resurrection trope to the wall and holds a black light up to it. Every notable character who died in DC Comics, going back at least into the Crisis-era 1980's, is resurrected and set against the living as part of the rise of the Black Lantern Corps. Are these your traditional zombies? Not exactly. They talk, and the stinging, sadistic, sarcastic things they say (probably the dialogue highlights of this event) drill into the hearts of the living heroes and villains still trying to cope with the loss of their friends and adversaries. The kicker is that even the heroes and villains who were resurrected (a roster that includes Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Arrow, and others) are also taken over by the black rings. Some nice ideas about life and death are scattered into the mix, and there are several successively interesting phases to the fight that elevate the story above a simple mass brawl.
Another element of the DC Universe is reconstructed and augmented by Geoff Johns, that of the Green Lantern Corps. Johns asks some pretty basic questions and comes up with some fun answers. Why are the Green Lanterns green? Because that's the color embodied by willpower. (I don't think this has been proven scientifically, but I can go along with it.) Why do they oppose yellow rings? Because yellow is the color of fear. What about the other basic colors on the spectrum? They each have their own intuitive emotional colors. Johns introduces a Corps for each color and enough variation for each group to make them interesting. Are their oaths goofy? Sure. But they match up to the Silver Age GL oath still used today. All the colored corps come into play by the end, struggling to combine effectively against the Black Lanterns and the true threat behind them.
There are still a lot of other heavily used superhero tropes in this event that probably could have been worked around. If they really rub you the wrong way, traditional "Big Two" superhero comics may not be your thing.
October 19, 2010
Undead villain Black Hand is working with the embodiment of death, Nekron, to eliminate all life in the universe. Black rings turn the dead into Black Lanterns, although it is later explained that these are not the actual dead, but just a version of them that the rings somehow download and project. This is a sloppy idea--how are the rings downloading information from rotten brains, and isn't personality more than just brain cells?--but it allows Johns to sidestep the idea of souls and have the Black Lanterns be eeeeeeevil in ways that would be out of character for the deceased. The Black Lanterns provoke emotions in people they knew in life, then harvest their hearts once the person is emotional. To do this, they are exceptionally cruel, using personal knowledge against friends and lovers.
In some ways, the whole concept of the Black Lanterns perfectly reflects this series--it's all about pushing boundaries to provoke emotion from the chronically numb.
Beyond the silliness of the dead being not-themselves--seriously, where are the souls? Are there souls in the DCU?--there's the silliness of the Rainbow Spectrum Lantern Corps, who supposedly represent the main emotions sentient beings feel: rage, avarice, fear, will, hope, compassion, and love. Well, that makes for a complex emotional range. Will isn't even an emotion. They all also have a little cantrip to recite, similar to the (somewhat) famous Green Lantern "In brightest day, in blackest night..." The original maho shoujo* corps has the best one, which is no surprise, since the others are clearly derivative and suffer for it.
*Yes, the Green Lanterns are all magical girls. They fit the maho shoujo tropes to a T.
Readers who are not intimately familiar with the history of third-tier characters will need to frequently consult Wikipedia.
I will now let the editors speak for themselves:
"You pretty much knew the tone of the book, when on the second page, you had Black Hand licking the skull. It really would be like no DC series before it." Eddie Berganza, editor. Black Hand licking the skull was indeed completely disgusting and seemed really unnecessary.
"Originally, this scene opened with Gen and Jason making out....this was just not a slasher flick." ibid Gen is one of the few Asian characters in the DCU and was killed by being turned into salt.
"Here's our first shot of Black Lantern Aquaman and holy cow, he just ripped out the heart of one of his people. Our heroes are evil and they kill. ANYTHING can happen!" Adam Schlagman, Associate Editor
"Check out that eel ripping off the Atlantean's lips." ibid
Do you get the impression of a bunch of testosterone laden fanboys sitting around trying to make things as extreme as possible? At least when Marvel brought in zombies and thought up atrocities like Spider-man eating Mary Jane, they had the sense to make it a stand-alone story and didn't make it part of continuity. [i]Blackest Night[/i] stretches back to [i]Identity Crisis[/i]--a lovely story of rape and murder--and having lasting effects into [i]Brightest Day[/i]. One of the characters even says, "I think dead is dead from here on out," but let's be realistic, that will only last until some other writer wants to play with a character Johns killed off in this round.
The cover says "The talk of the comic book world"--USA Weekend, but I honestly don't remember any of that talk being positive, and now I know why. This is horrible and unnecessary. The story is impossible to understand without a degree in the history of the DCU. It's not even good horror. It's no wonder it's almost impossible to find good superhero books for the library if this is what DC considers one of their premiere events.
In some ways, the whole concept of the Black Lanterns perfectly reflects this series--it's all about pushing boundaries to provoke emotion from the chronically numb.
Beyond the silliness of the dead being not-themselves--seriously, where are the souls? Are there souls in the DCU?--there's the silliness of the Rainbow Spectrum Lantern Corps, who supposedly represent the main emotions sentient beings feel: rage, avarice, fear, will, hope, compassion, and love. Well, that makes for a complex emotional range. Will isn't even an emotion. They all also have a little cantrip to recite, similar to the (somewhat) famous Green Lantern "In brightest day, in blackest night..." The original maho shoujo* corps has the best one, which is no surprise, since the others are clearly derivative and suffer for it.
*Yes, the Green Lanterns are all magical girls. They fit the maho shoujo tropes to a T.
Readers who are not intimately familiar with the history of third-tier characters will need to frequently consult Wikipedia.
I will now let the editors speak for themselves:
"You pretty much knew the tone of the book, when on the second page, you had Black Hand licking the skull. It really would be like no DC series before it." Eddie Berganza, editor. Black Hand licking the skull was indeed completely disgusting and seemed really unnecessary.
"Originally, this scene opened with Gen and Jason making out....this was just not a slasher flick." ibid Gen is one of the few Asian characters in the DCU and was killed by being turned into salt.
"Here's our first shot of Black Lantern Aquaman and holy cow, he just ripped out the heart of one of his people. Our heroes are evil and they kill. ANYTHING can happen!" Adam Schlagman, Associate Editor
"Check out that eel ripping off the Atlantean's lips." ibid
Do you get the impression of a bunch of testosterone laden fanboys sitting around trying to make things as extreme as possible? At least when Marvel brought in zombies and thought up atrocities like Spider-man eating Mary Jane, they had the sense to make it a stand-alone story and didn't make it part of continuity. [i]Blackest Night[/i] stretches back to [i]Identity Crisis[/i]--a lovely story of rape and murder--and having lasting effects into [i]Brightest Day[/i]. One of the characters even says, "I think dead is dead from here on out," but let's be realistic, that will only last until some other writer wants to play with a character Johns killed off in this round.
The cover says "The talk of the comic book world"--USA Weekend, but I honestly don't remember any of that talk being positive, and now I know why. This is horrible and unnecessary. The story is impossible to understand without a degree in the history of the DCU. It's not even good horror. It's no wonder it's almost impossible to find good superhero books for the library if this is what DC considers one of their premiere events.
January 23, 2011
While vampires have been all the rage, lately, zombies have not been too far behind. Like Marvel, DC Comics had a cross-title series that introduced zombies into the canon. In Blackest Night, Johns has found a way to bring back some of DC Comics most popular (and less popular) fallen heroes and villains from over the years.
It all starts when some of the fallen heroes start to arise, attacking some of those who would be considered their nearest and dearest friends. In the process, they kill their friends and bring them over to the Black Lantern Corps. While many comics fans are probably familiar with the Green Lantern Corps, most people will not realize that the universe's police force have peers spread throughout the various colors of the spectrum, with each color being tied to various emotional elements from anger to hope.
It quickly becomes clear that the world's superheroes may not have the capability to fight back against the Black Lantern Corps. It will really take the forces of all of the corps if the zombie-like heroes are going to be beaten back. Interestingly enough, some of the most affective heroes to fight against the evil forces are heroes who fell in the past only to be reincarnated and some of DC Comic's most interesting heroes. These color-corps avatars will lead the fight against the Black Lantern Corps. Will they be enough to keep light shining in the galaxy?
It all starts when some of the fallen heroes start to arise, attacking some of those who would be considered their nearest and dearest friends. In the process, they kill their friends and bring them over to the Black Lantern Corps. While many comics fans are probably familiar with the Green Lantern Corps, most people will not realize that the universe's police force have peers spread throughout the various colors of the spectrum, with each color being tied to various emotional elements from anger to hope.
It quickly becomes clear that the world's superheroes may not have the capability to fight back against the Black Lantern Corps. It will really take the forces of all of the corps if the zombie-like heroes are going to be beaten back. Interestingly enough, some of the most affective heroes to fight against the evil forces are heroes who fell in the past only to be reincarnated and some of DC Comic's most interesting heroes. These color-corps avatars will lead the fight against the Black Lantern Corps. Will they be enough to keep light shining in the galaxy?
July 19, 2016
This is the book that changed my entire mind about Green Lantern. before reading it, I was like, who is this guy? He is a green hero, who does his work with lights.. bleh.
But then, I read Blackest Night. And my world changed.
It's a very cliche premise, right? Dead people rising, day of reckoning, zombie apocalypse, bla bla bla, right?
WRONG.
Geoff Johns managed to get past every overused stuff of horror fics. He reached down and grabbed something almost all zombie fics fail to capture.
Emotions.
When you see your loved ones return, whose death once destroyed your life, there's always will be a tidal surge of emotions inside you, and Johns tried putting that into the main focus.
These great character moments, however, are only a part in this epic. The Rest?
SUPER-DUPER-MINDBLOWING-LEGENDARY stuff. Scenes yoy don't see in every comic book. From J'onn hovering above Barry and Hal, from the horrifying images of Dead Aquaman, to coast city, to Necron, to the seven spectacular corps, to Black Lantern Justice league, to Blue Lantern Flash, and to finally the four page spread of heroes coming back to life- EVERYTHING WAS PERFECT. Every single page, every damn dialogue.
Take a bow Geoff Johns, Ivan Reis, Joe Prado, Oclair Albert. You created something that is truly EPIC.
But then, I read Blackest Night. And my world changed.
It's a very cliche premise, right? Dead people rising, day of reckoning, zombie apocalypse, bla bla bla, right?
WRONG.
Geoff Johns managed to get past every overused stuff of horror fics. He reached down and grabbed something almost all zombie fics fail to capture.
Emotions.
When you see your loved ones return, whose death once destroyed your life, there's always will be a tidal surge of emotions inside you, and Johns tried putting that into the main focus.
These great character moments, however, are only a part in this epic. The Rest?
SUPER-DUPER-MINDBLOWING-LEGENDARY stuff. Scenes yoy don't see in every comic book. From J'onn hovering above Barry and Hal, from the horrifying images of Dead Aquaman, to coast city, to Necron, to the seven spectacular corps, to Black Lantern Justice league, to Blue Lantern Flash, and to finally the four page spread of heroes coming back to life- EVERYTHING WAS PERFECT. Every single page, every damn dialogue.
Take a bow Geoff Johns, Ivan Reis, Joe Prado, Oclair Albert. You created something that is truly EPIC.
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