Brightest Day #7 (2010)

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!

--

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...".

--

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 (2010)

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!

--

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.

--

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 #4 (2010)

Brightest Day #4 (Late August, 2010)
"Thresholds"
Writers - Geoff Johns & Peter J. Tomasi
Artists - Ivan Reis, Ardian Syaf, Scott Clark & Oclair Albert
Inkers - Vicente Cifuentes & David Beaty
Color - 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

It's still #BrightestMay... and I'm running out of clever things to say.  That is assuming, of course, that I ever did!

Who wants more vignettes?  Let's do it.

--

We pick up with the Hawks... if you recall, we last left them stood before a portal crafted from their own remains.  They're not amused... but intrigued.  Tell ya what, that Claw of Horus really wants to see what's inside.  And so, mace-in-hand, they step through... and get to witness all of the times they'd died.  Once on the "other" side, they find themselves... somewhere.

We shift scenes to Georgetown where Deadman finds himself in the bedroom of (the lilac scented) Dove.  His arrival stirs her from her slumber, and she waylays him with a jab.  He's surprised... not only because of the punch... but because it would appear that she can actually see him!

Dawn Granger then "Doves up" to see just what's going on.  After noticing that he still wears a white ring, she tells Brand that the Justice League have been looking for him, in order to offer him "documentation", that is... officially proclaiming him "back among the living".  At this point, Boston ain't so sure that's such a good thing.

Just then, Hawk bursts into the room!  He sensed that Dawn had changed into her costumed identity and wanted to find out what's going down.  He grabs the interloper by the throat... and is surprised to learn that it's Deadman... what's more, he surprised to see he's still wearing the white ring.  Because... Hawk himself might have a good use for it (any guesses?).

We next shift back to Silver City, New Mexico... where a young man named Jackson is about to go swimming with his friend Maria.  Well, he would if a) he knew how to swim, and b) if there were any water left in the pond.  Hmm...

Next stop, the Bermuda Triangle.  Where a ship comes across a pair of "badly dehydrated" people bobbin' in the surf.  By "badly dehydrated" they mean almost completely without skin.  While they approach the bodies... they wind up attacked by Siren!  Yawn.  If you're saying to yourself "Hey, that looks like Mera!", well... meet Mera's sister.  Double yawn.

Meanwhile... a raging kegger is going down at Pittsburgh University.  One which Ronnie Raymond has decided to skip... or at least turn in early from.  He is awakened, however, by the very salty (nyuk) Gehenna.  She grabs Ronnie by the throat demanding he say her name... before exploding into... well, more salt.  We can see that Jason... or the Firestorm Matrix might just be responsible for this "visit".

We wrap up back with Hawk, Dove and Deadman... as they stand before, you guessed it, Don Hall (the original Dove)'s grave.  Hank comments that while a Black Ring couldn't coerce him into "rising"... perhaps a White Ring could.

--

I kinda feel like I'm experiencing Brightest Day in the least effective way possible.  My first time through I read these as they came out... so, with few exceptions, that meant I read 'em two weeks apart.  That gave the time for each "layer" of vignettes to kind of "settle"... and feel ready to be "built upon".

The other way a lot of folks read this was in collected edition... all in one big bite.  That way you get it all done-in-one, and perhaps hardly notice the repetition and glacial pacing.  You experience the whole thing... and you move on.  You might dig some bits more than others, but by the time you're reflecting... it's over!

Then there's the way we're doing it here.  Every couple of days we read a bunch of vignettes.  What's more, every couple of days we actually discuss what occurred in each one, when really... not all of them are really worth mentioning.  I'd just feel like I wasn't doing the book the proper "service" if I were to leave anything out.

This way feels just so... redundant.  So monotonous.  I must have picked the exact wrong way to get the most out of a series like this.  Not sure if this bodes well for the second half of the month... but, as always, we'll do our best!

Let's start with the Hawks.  They decide to pass through the bone-portal... and as they do, they see all the ways in which they'd died.  Pretty cool effect/visual.  Out the other side, though?  They're "not in Kansas anymore"... and I'm not sure I'm all that interested.

In Silver City we meet... a young man.  Okay, this is the new Aqualad, of course.  He definitely looks a lot less like a tool than his post-Rebirth counterpart... so, I'll give him that.  Not much more to say about him just yet.

Siren attacking the ship in the Bermuda Triangle?  Man, another bit I just don't care about.  It feels like anytime Aquaman gets involved with a story we see the same damn scene... I mean, almost exactly!  Look at the page where Siren is emerging from the water... flanked by generic Atlantean soldiers.  Tell me we haven't seen that exact page dozens of times!

The Firestorm bits were decent.  From the cover, I was hoping Ronnie and the gang might be the focus here... but nope.  We get a salty-ghosty Gehenna... and that's about it.

The real "meat" of this issue (if we can even call it that) is the Deadman, Hawk and Dove vignette.  First, Deadman can be seen.  That's something altogether new for Brand... and it's neat "seeing" how he copes with that.  I guess being defined by your lack of living might make the transition into the land of the living a bit tougher for him.

I'd almost forgotten that Brightest Day features a strange little romance brewing between Deadman and Dove.  Just one more sign that the DC brass had no inclination toward New-52ing the universe just one year later.

Hawk asking Brand to attempt to revive his brother Don is pretty cool.  One of the most creative parts of Blackest Night was a black lantern ring attempting to revive Don Hall... only to find that his soul was too "at peace" to be swayed.  I feel like that's such a perfect moment... and one of those head-slapping "of course!" moments.  Of course Don, the personification of "peace" wouldn't take a black lantern ring... it makes perfect sense!

A white lantern ring though?  Maybe, right?  At this point in the story we had no idea who would go on to wield the white ring... and the speculation was (relatively) wild.  Could it be Don Hall?  Why not?  Such build-up... and yet another sign that DC hadn't yet pulled the plug on the pre-Flashpoint universe.

Overall... this is more vignettes.  If you're digging the way this story is being told, you're also going to like this issue.  If the pacing has been a turn-off, this won't do anything to change your mind.  I'd say it's worth a look... but might be more enjoyable in a collected edition format.

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Brightest Day #3 (2010)

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.

--

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?!

--

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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