Brightest Day #7 (Early October, 2010)
"The Secret of Life"
Writers - Geoff Johns & Peter J. Tomasi
Artists - Ivan Reis, Patrick Gleason, Ardian Syaf, Scott Clark & Joe Prado
Inkers - Vicente Cifuentes, David Beaty & Mark Irwin
Colors - Aspen MLT's Peter Steigerwald w/John Starr
Letterer - Rob Clark, Jr.
Assistant Editor - Rex Ogle
Associate Editor - Adam Schlagman
Editor - Eddie Berganza
Cover Price: $2.99
And so, we wrap up #BrightestMay... with, kind of a bang?
I wanna thank the folks who stuck around for this weird themed month... judging from the numbers, not all that many people really cared to read about this strange time in DC Comics.
Oh well, if I wanted a bigger audience... I'd probably have just become a famous actor or professional athlete or something. Ya live, ya learn.
Speaking of living (and learning), Boston Brand's about to have quite the day!
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We open with some hot cheeseburger eatin' action. I mean, this stuff is intense... just look at ol' Boston's face! He sinks his teeth into that mass o' meat... and, well, he likes it. Better than he remembers to boot! He and Dawn then proceed to get to know each other a little better. She seems to be really interesting in what makes... or made, Boston Brand tick.
Their chat is cut short by the return of Hank Hall, who just took out some of his aggression on a Dixie Chicks-playin' jukebox. Were people still talking about them in 2010? Never let it be said that comics are behind the times!
Suddenly... the White Lantern Entity speaks! Asks the gang if they enjoyed their meal (seriously) then teleports them to the White Lantern Battery in Silver City, New Mexico... all without paying for their food! Hawk tries giving the battery a tug, and it won't even budge. Then, it's Boston's turn... and wouldn'tcha know it, he's able to lift it! Worth mentioning that a nearby Aqualad-to-be feels a bit... weird.
In a pretty great full-page splash, Boston is transformed back into Deadman, though with a White Lantern twist.
The Lantern tells Brand that it (the entity) is dying, and he must find a replacement. Then, Hawk gets a White Lantern makeover...
We pop over to the Tanami Desert in Australia, where we last left the Martian Manhunter happening across the badly beaten body of Miss Martian. The White Lantern Entity tells him to "burn it down". Suddenly, he's surrounded with fire... and M'Gann appears to have made one heckuva recovery!
Next stop Pittsburgh University, where Professor Stein tells the Firestorms that everything that is going on is... his fault. As he goes to "show them something" the White Entity speaks! It tells Ronnie to study more, and Jason to study less. Okay, mom.
As this happens... that third member of the Matrix creeps up... holding a Black Lantern.
Off to Hawkworld, where Hawkman is reconnoitering with the beast men who tried to kill him not too long ago. He is suddenly bathed in white... and given a White Lantern upgrade. He is instructed to "stop the Queen". Hmm... couldn't be, right? Nah, probably not.
Meanwhile, in the Nth City... Hawkgirl gets Whited-up as well.
She is warned that if Hath-Set happens to kill them here, there will be no more resurrection. Wouldn'tcha know it... Hath-Set just so happens to be her captor.
Back on Earth, Mera continues to apologize to Aquaman... and I really just want this story thread to end. Arthur is then summoned by the White Entity... and advised to "find him" (Aqualad). Just then, the waters go clean... and all of the fish start flopping around alive!
Then we kick the vignette-a-palooza into overdrive... with a single-panel look at everything else going on in the Brightest Day crossovent! Captain Boomerang is told to throw a boomerang, which we saw in the pages of Flash. Jade is told to "balance the darkness", which... unfortunately we saw in the never ending "The Dark Things". Osiris must free his sister, which we saw a bit of in Titans. Max Lord is told to stop a Magog-led World War... which, happens in Justice League: Generation Lost... we just didn't get there this time around. Also, Eobard Thawne is back... and Hawk is told to "catch" Digger's boomerang.
We wrap up with Boston Brand being given the order to find "the chosen one" to be the White Entity's "replacement". Well, talk about a case of being "always the bridesmaid...".
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Lotsa loose threads coming together here... probably one of the (few) "must reads" of the Brightest Day crossovent (so far). So many of the things we've been reading about converge here... and kinda "get into place" to move into the middle-third of the story.
Off the top of my head... it's gotta suck to be Deadman, right? The White Ring won't leave ya alone... actually drops you in front of the freaking Anti-Monitor just to teach you a lesson... then you come to learn that you're not the chosen one?! Jerk move, Ring... jerk move. What's wrong with Boston? He not good enough for you?
One of the things I've taken this crossovent to task for is a bit of bait-and-switch cliffhangers... and this issue is no different. We closed out yesterday with Martian Manhunter's discovery of Miss Martian's body... and now? She's just a-okay? I suppose it'll be elaborated on as we proceed... but, still... kind of annoying.
I'm not sure I've mentioned it (or mentioned it enough), but the art all throughout this series... is really fantastic. Each art team has their own "segments", but it never looks jarring when we shift from one to another. The whole artistic end of this was really very well done.
About Brightest Day as a whole (or at least the first third of it). I'm not quite sure what I think of it. After immersing myself in it over the past 31 days... I just dunno. Ya know how Blackest Night was supposed to be "just" a Green Lantern event? DC felt it could support a line-wide crossover extravaganza... and let it completely dominate the shelves for the better part of a year.
This is kind of the inverse of that. This was intended as a line-wide extravaganza... but, if you ask me, could barely even support it's two "main" titles. If we look at the tie-ins... the non-Brightest Day or Justice League: Generation Lost books... the Brightest Day "bits" feel forced... and at the same time, kind of like an afterthought.
We had eight-issues of Justice League/Justice Society crossover... and had, I dunno... less than a half-dozen panels that showed Jade in her White Lantern gear? A six-issue Flash arc (which was fantastic, mind you) that Captain Boomerang (and poor Thawne) only get a smattering of appearances?
I'd call Brightest Day ambitious... if only it showed a little... ya know, ambition. I leave this crossovent (for now) disappointed. I recall being "all in" on this back in 2010-2011... it's only in reading it in a big "glop" and looking at what's come since that I can truly see what a middling event it really was.
Does this mean I feel like The New-52! was justified? Hell no. These are still great characters... and had this event not been so diluted throughout the line, we might've had something really special.
Oh well... tomorrow, the #BrightestMay "chains" are off... which means I'll have to actually put some thought into what I'm going to cover! Scary thought!
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Brightest Day #6 (Late September, 2010)
"Dead Zone"
Writers - Geoff Johns & Peter J. Tomasi
Artists - Ivan Reis, Patrick Gleason, Scott Clark & Joe Prado
Inkers - Vicente Cifuentes, David Beaty, Mark Irwin & Christian Alamy
Colorist - Aspen MLT's Peter Steigerwald w/John Starr
Letterer - Rob Clark, Jr.
Assistant Editor - Rex Ogle
Associate Editor - Adam Schlagman
Editor - Eddie Berganza
Cover Price: $2.99
Welcome to the... ahem, penultimate day of #BrightestMay!
I was hoping to organize this in such a way as we'd end up with a little bit of "closure"... but, planning ain't exactly my bag. Looks like we'll probably wrap up with "just another issue" from the Brightest Day box!
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We open in Big Hendy Park in California, where a couple are having a peaceful picnic... sounds like the start of just about every horror movie there is, doesn't it? Well... if you think this scene is about to get dark... you're right! A multi-mouthed martian-ish creature rises from the stream... and kills 'em up real good! This beastie is looking for J'onn... and has a little chat with itself (multi-mouths, donchaknow) to decide their next stop.
Speaking of J'onn, we next join him in Denver, Colorado as he visits the remains of Professor Erdel's Laboratory... which doesn't look like it's been touched in years. I suppose that's convenient. J'onn notices as he makes his approach that everything he comes into contact with... withers. Hmm...
Next, we return to Georgetown... where Deadman, Hawk and Dove are... still knelt before the graves of the fallen Don "Dove" Hall and Holly "Hawk" Granger. As Boston tries to raise Holly, the White Ring reminds him that he... er, loved cheeseburgers. Anyhoo, Holly does rise... as a Black Lantern. Before she can do much damage, a glowing white version of Dove (Don) interjects... and in a flash, everything goes back to "normal". After the dust settles, Boston and the birds decide to go out for burgers. It's as though they were bad enough dudes to rescue the President from ninjas.
We shift scenes to Pittsburgh University, where Jason Rusch is declining the advances of a pretty young thing who'd really like nothing more than to "study" with him. As he walks by a construction site, a crane's molecular structure changes to that of... bubble gum?!
Jason taps into the Firestorm Matrix and rouses Ronnie Raymond from his... er, hangover. Together they manage to save the day... but not without Ronnie puking on one of the construction workers... because, ya know... hangovers.
Jason lectures Ronnie on his irresponsibility... which Raymond kinda excuses away, because he's had so much on his mind... including what he did to Gehenna. Jason is surprised to learn that Ronnie remembers... but before they can dig any deeper, they're interrupted by that mysterious third voice in the Matrix. Ruh-roh.
We next rejoin Aquaman and Mera. If you recall, we ended last issue with Mera confessing that she was originally sent to kill Aquaman. Riveting stuff. Turns out, she didn't quite have the stomach for it... and instead, fell in love with Aquaman. It's then confirmed that the mysterious Mera-looking baddie is, in fact, Siren... Mera's sister.
We rejoin J'onn... who's still killing everything he touches. That is, until a squirrel runs up his arm... and doesn't die. Hmm...
After a brief stop at "the Still Zone" to check on his, uh, collection of White Martians... J'onn swings by the Batcave to have a chat with Oracle about the odd and brutal murder we witnessed a few issues back and J'onn used doggie-vision to "witness" an issue after that. Babs tells J'onn that these are the kind of killings that scare the Feds so much that they often "bury" them... covering them up as accidents.
Suddenly, J'onn is struck by a familiarity about the case... and asks Oracle to patch him over to the... Teen Titans?! Superboy answers the call... and J'onn asks to speak with M'gann M'orzz... Miss Martian! Kon tells him she ain't around... and to check her little dwelling in Tanami, Australia.
Which is exactly where we end this outing... and it looks like M'gann ain't having the best walkabout.
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Feels like things are going to get rolling here... but, it's starting to feel like... ya know when you "miss" a sneeze? Like, you're expecting it... you feel it coming on... you might even stare into a bright light to prompt it, then... nothing. It's kinda like when you're listening to Journey's "Don't Stop Believing"... and you feel like nearly every single line should be followed up with Steve Whatshisface belting out the chorus... then he doesn't! That's Brightest Day to me. Every time it feels like we're getting somewhere... the sneeze gets stifled.
Let's talk up some good points here.
Even though the scene at the gravesite felt a bit "off", I do appreciate the fact that Deadman has to relearn what it means to... ya know, not be dead. His stomach rumbles... and he has to be reminded by the Ring to eat something. I dig that... even if we took a roundabout way of getting there.
J'onn's walkabout was pretty neat, and is the first time we get the impression that Brightest Day and the Parliament of Trees might be crossing paths before all is said and done. I can't remember if I picked up on these clues my first time through... but this time around, it's definitely telegraphed. If you don't know what I'm alluding to... notice that J'onn's touch is killing things associated with "The Green" (plants and whatnot), but not "The Red" (the squirrel).
That was pretty cool... but, I still can't shake the feeling that we're wasting too many pages. From here, we get a page of J'onn checking in at "The Still Zone"... then for a multi-page chat with Oracle which amounts to... J'onn just remembering something on his own. Oh well... I guess it's always cool to see Oracle.
The Firestorm scene confused me a bit because... didn't we just spend a couple of issues prying Ronnie and Jason apart? Seems kinda soon to bring 'em back together, also a little anticlimactic... but, what do I know?
The requisite Didio-DC gore is here in spades. I mean, when we have a graphic decapitation on page 1... you'd assume that we can only go "up" from there. That's not the case though... because on the last page we get a look at a bloody and beaten Miss Martian. I dunno what it is, but it doesn't feel like such brutality should be used with M'gann. Just doesn't feel right... which is probably exactly why they did it.
Overall... ehh. Read it in trade.
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Brightest Day #5 (Early September, 2010)
"Under Pressure"
Writers - Geoff Johns & Peter J. Tomasi
Artists - Ivan Reis, Ardian Syaf & Joe Prado
Inker - Vicente Cifuentes
Colors - Aspen MLT's Peter Steigerwald
Letterer - Rob Clark, Jr.
Assistant Editor - Rex Ogle
Associate Editor - Adam Schlagman
Editor - Eddie Berganza
Cover Price: $2.99
I'm really not sure what I expected when I initially pitched the #BrightestMay event... to myself. I must've been insane to think that I'd be able to give an issue by issue overview of the entire event in only 31 days!
Well... hopefully by the time May 31 rolls around we'll have at the very least scratched the surface!
And there's always next year... and the year after that... and the year after that.
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We open off the Bermuda Triangle where Aquaman and Mera are checking on the rig that was attacked last issue (feels like it's been years since we read that! We might call that the "The Dark Things" effect). Anyhoo, they find themselves attacked by some very Mera-like water constructs... originating from that new Mera-like mystery woman, Siren!
We shift scenes over to Deadman, Hawk and Dove who are still standing in front of Don Hall's grave. A reluctant Boston Brand finally decides to try and use his White Ring to revivify the dead Dove... and lemme tell ya, the ring ain't entirely happy about it.
Back in the drink, Aquaman and Mera fight off Siren's generic forces... until Mera and Siren lock eyes, at which point Mera insists that she and Aquaman ought to beat a hasty retreat. It would appear that she's got a secret. Mera, that is.
Next we pop over to whereverthehell the Hawks wound up after passing through the portal. They admire all of the floating land masses... kinda looking like a less pretty Zeal from ChronoTrigger. They are able to deduce that only one of these masses appears to be inhabited. They then kiss... and begin to, er... decay a li'l bit?
They are then attacked by a group of Cheetahmen! Thankfully this gang doesn't hop out of a television set. They fight for a bit, until...
Bird beasts join the fray! Looks like our heroes have found themselves in the midst of a beast war!
One of the birds nabs Hawkgirl and manages to deposit her into an electrified cell. Hawkman is embroiled in combat, and more or less helpless to stop the abduction.
Back on Earth, the attempt to raise Don Hall proves to be unsuccessful. You know how it is... he's too "at peace, maaaaaan". Hank ain't convinced... after all, he's heard that line before (and so have we). The trio aren't about to leave well enough alone, however... ya see there's a nearby cadaver that isn't at peace. That would be Dawn Granger's sister (and former Hawk, herself) Holly! The White Ring is still displeased. Ya know, Ring, if you'd be a little less cryptic, ol' Boston might actually do your bidding.
Back in Hawkworld... oh yeah, that place where Hawkman and Hawkgirl went is actually Hawkworld... Hawkman wakes up next to a beast man who... welcomes him to Hawkworld.
We wrap up back by Bermuda, where Mera finally comes clear to Arthur. Ya see, she was originally sent there... to kill him! A revelation that might've carried a bit more "oomph" if Aquaman hadn't just been dead for an extended period of time.
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Well, we're still in vignette-city, but kinduva more focused "suburb".
This time around we only follow three of our story threads... which, if you ask me, is both a good idea, and a bad idea. Good in that, it made this issue feel like something actually, ya know, happened. Bad in that, it might be a few issues time before any of these threads get followed up on. I mean, if you were reading this for Firestorm or Martian Manhunter... you get a whole lotta nothin' here.
That aside, this was a far better issue structurally. Although it still felt somewhat cramped, the bits we do get feel like they get a decent amount of panel-space to "breathe"... or at least stretch their legs some.
Let's talk Aquaman. The "army of underwater baddies" isn't my idea of a good time. I've said it before... it just feels like we've been here too many times before (and since) to get all that excited about. The "twist" at the end? Ehh. I get it, it's hard coming up with a cliffhanger every two weeks.
The Hawkworld bits... almost got me interested in Hawkman? Well, no... that's a lie. This is yet another well-tread trope that we've seen skatey-eight hundred times before. The heroes wind up in the middle of a war... and will ultimately be drafted into it.
The Deadman part might've been the most interesting, if it wasn't so infuriating. The White Ring is a major pain in the ass at this point... we're moderately deep into this thing, and we still don't have the foggiest idea what it wants... because it refuses to tell Deadman what it wants! Maybe next issue will start with it dropping poor ol' Boston into Granny Goodness's shower as a punishment or something. Maybe it'll drop him into a room where the only thing to do is read comics starring the Spectre! Talk about "cruel and unusual".
The "Don Hall is at peace" thing? Talk about "diminishing returns". That whole thing felt so right during Blackest Night... but, now it's kinda spent. It's like if you make the mistake of laughing at a little kid's joke... then the rest of the day they keep trying to retell the same joke to get the same response. It had it's moment... but that moment has passed.
Overall... a pretty middling issue. In fairness, it's taking place during a "middling" portion of this "crossovent". I feel like there's enough forward momentum to recommend this... but maybe not in single-issue format. More and more I feel like this should be read in trade form (hell, that's definitely what they had in mind when they were writing it).
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#JLMay2018:
If you'll allow me the indulgence of switching gears for a moment... May has been a very "thematic" month at the Palatial Christate. Here at the humble blog we are in the throes of #BrightestMay... however, in the podcasting world, we are just wrapping up the crossover event #JLMay2018.
Throughout the month, we along with several of our fellow podcasts have run through the entirety of the Silver Age event from 2000.
Today it all comes to a close with the release of the latest episode of our Cosmic Treadmill, wherein we check out Silver Age: 80 pg. Giant #1.
Definitely check out the rest of JLMay!
- Justice's First Dawn (May 1, 2018) The Silver-Age #1
- Relatively Geeky Presents (May 3, 2018) Episode 12: The Silver Age: Challengers of the Unknown #1
- Coffee & Comics Podcast (May 7, 2018) Episode 22: The Silver Age: Justice League of America #1
- Batgirl to Oracle (May 8, 2018) Episode 157: The Silver Age: Showcase Presents #1
- Super Mates (May 10, 2018) Episode 81: The Silver Age: Teen Titans #1
- The Idol-Head of Diabolu (May 14, 2018) Episode 32: The Silver Age: Dial H for Hero #1
- Longbox Crusade (May 16, 2018) Episode 15: The Silver Age: Flash #1
- Fire & Water Podcast (May 20, 2018) Episode 211: The Silver Age: Secret Files and Origins
- Waiting for Doom (May 20, 2018) The Silver Age: Doom Patrol #1
- The Lanterncast (May 22, 2018) Episode 322: The Silver Age: Green Lantern #1
- Comic Reflections (May 23, 2018) The Silver Age: The Brave and the Bold #1
- Chris and Reggie's Cosmic Treadmill (May 27, 2018) Episode 92: The Silver Age: 80-pg. Giant #1
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Brightest Day #3 (Early August, 2010)
"Revelations"
Writers - Geoff Johns & Peter J. Tomasi
Artists - Ivan Reis, Patrick Gleason, Ardian Syaf, Scott Clark & Joe Prado
Inkers - Vicente Cifuentes, David Beaty & Mark Irwin
Color - Aspen MLT's Peter Steigerwald w/John Starr & Beth Sotelo
Letterer - Bob Clark, Jr.
Assistant Editor - Rex Ogle
Associate Editor - Adam Schlagman
Editor - Eddie Berganza
Cover Price: $2.99
Back to the straw that stirs the drink... the main Brightest Day crossovent book.
Can we expect all-out action and intrigue? Ehh, probably just some more vignettes.
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If you recall, last issue ended with Deadman plopped in front of the Anti-Monitor... which is right where we pick things up. As the big bad looks on curiously, the ring commands Brand fight... and with that a burst of white energy is emitted, within which, all of those who had been brought back to life. This only serves to tick off the Anti-Monitor... especially since it's just the one blast. Ya see, the ring won't allow another.
The Anti-Monitor levels Brand with a blast... sending him into a Qwardian crater. Ya see, this whole thing was the ring teaching Boston a lesson in self-preservation. It's dumb... but effective.
We shift over to Pittsburgh to check in with Ronnie and Jason who have managed to become separated from the Firestorm Matrix. Professor Stein tells Ronnie what went down... in the explosion, everything was changed into salt, just like whatsherface during Blackest Night.
In the next room over, Jason is getting a talking-to from his father. His pop plans to bring him far away from all of this, but Jason refuses. Ronnie gets dressed and leaves the hospital... while recounting all of the recent madness. He's snapped back to reality by Jason's father shouting at him to "stay away" from his son.
Next stop, somewhere in the North Atlantic... where Aquaman tries to summon a whale. Of course, the whale that answers the call is rather zombified.
It pulls him under water where they wrestle a bit. Mera suggests they head back to Atlantis so the doctors there may have a look at him. He refuses... Atlantis is on his "s-list" at the moment. Mera apologizes, knowing that Atlantis turned their backs on him... just like she had.
Pearl River, New York. The Martian Manhunter arrives at the home where the Rock Band: Tom Petty Edition massacre occurred last issue. As he peruses the scene, he notices... some dog hair?!
He tracks the pup to the Animal Shelter and gives it the ol' psychic what-for. Seeing through the doggo's eyes, J'onn witnesses the brutal event. He then mind-wipes the dog, planning to bring him to Melissa Erdel in Colorado. Not sure they allow pets, but we'll play along.
Next stop, Peru. Hawkman and Hawkgirl are fighting their way through some disposable baddies, while nearby Hath-Set is doing... something... with the bones he's collected.
We wrap up with the Hawks fighting their way through... all the way to a portal made from their remains?!
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Well, I sure hope you were in the mood for more vignettes!
I know we're still early yet in this series... I mean, there are still 21 issues to go at this point, but it already feels like we're building to something. Like there will be a new status quo once this wraps up. If anyone were to tell me that The New-52! was already in the works at this point (remember, that was in the hopper for years, and was always the plan), I don't think I'd wouldn't believe them.
With that out of the way (for today), let's get to the vignettes. We had very very very little forward momentum this time around.
Our big cliffhanger last issue was just a test for Deadman. Makes me wonder if the rest of the DC Universe is just okay with the Anti-Monitor still lurking in the antimatter universe? You'd think they'd have sent some heavy-hitters in to put him down. Oh well.
The Firestorm bit had a little bit of progression, in that Ronnie and Jason are no longer conjoined in the Matrix... Aquaman is still summoning undead sea creatures... J'onn gets a dog's eye view of a massacre... and the Hawks track their bones to a portal. And that's it.
Probably the weakest issue so far, from a story standpoint. I guess this is a classic "part four" issue... if we've learned anything from the past two decades of decompressed storytelling, it's that we can probably skip every "part four of six" and not really miss a beat. The art is still pretty fantastic... this title definitely feels like the "flagship" of the DC Universe from an art standpoint.
Overall... if you're reading Brightest Day, you'll probably want this one too. Just know if you really wanted to skip an issue... this is (so far) the one you could safely pass up on.
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