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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Titans (vol.2) #26 (October, 2010)
"Suffer the Children"
Writer - Eric Wallace
Artists - Fabrizio Fiorentino & Cliff Richards
Colors - Hi-Fi
Letterer - Travis Lanham
Editor - Rex Ogle
Cover Price: $2.99
Okay, it's been a little over a week of #BrightestMay coverage... and it still feels like we haven't even made it out of the gate! So much repetition in the early stages of this crossovent.
So today... we're going to jump ahead a few months and cover an interesting issue of Titans (vol.2). Since this is the first time we're looking at them, let's do a quick and dirty "catch up". The volume started as... well, a Titans book. After Blackest Night ended, it became a Deathstroke book. He assembled his own team of "Titans"... and entered into an agreement with Lex Luthor (which we have seen the beginnings of).
--
We open in Star City's Morningstar Cemetery... it is two weeks ago. Cheshire is knelt before the grave of her daughter Lian (we haven't covered it here yet, but Lian was killed by Prometheus during Justice League: Cry for Justice. She is soon joined by Lian's father, Roy Harper... Arsenal. This is hot off the heels of Roy's relapse in Justice League: Rise and Fall/Rise of Arsenal... which, you might remember as the series where Roy mistakes a dead cat for his daughter.
Anyhoo, Cheshire has called Roy because she has a job for him. They appear to have an enemy in common...
Roy ain't too keen on going toe-to-toe with Deathstroke... at this point, Roy doesn't care much about anything. Jade tries to goad him by revealing that Deathstroke is referring to his team (which she is a member of) as "Titans". Roy still doesn't care. She finally guilts him into it by throwing the fact that Lian was murdered on his "watch".
We shift scenes to a present day press conference being held at the Los Angeles Courthouse. A child named Christoff Brockman has been abducted as part of a child slavery ring. Afterwards, a text is sent... and it looks like an offer has been accepted.
Back in time again, this time only one week back... Deathstroke's Titans, Cinder and the Tattooed Man chat about their current lots in life. Suddenly, Osiris busts in to accuse them of messing with his Isis statue (which we saw back in Brightest Day #0). He shoves Tattooed Man to the ground, and gets his face nicked up by teeny-tiny shuriken for his troubles. This shocks him, as he's supposed to be invulnerable.
Then, the White Lantern entity calls out to him... and informs him that his sister Isis is needed, and he is the only one who can break her free. And so, he go.
Back to the present, Jade and the Tattooed Man are undercover meeting with a man named Elijah. He is the hook-up for a new drug called "Bliss". Ya tired of these "new drug" stories yet? Yeah, me too.
He brings them to a run down gas station in the desert... then invites them inside. What we see is a "super-science" distillery... vats filled with a purple fluid.
It's revealed that this "Bliss" is derived from a certain harvested ingredient... youth. Yeah, yeah. Anyhow, this is why all those kids (including that Christoff we heard about earlier) have been abducted. Now Cheshire just lost a child herself... so, she kinda lashes out and blows their cover.
Turns out this Elijah has himself a team of Metas at his disposal... and they respond in kind.
Flashback time, this time only 24 hours earlier. Cheshire attacks Slade... who disarms her pretty handily. Then, Arsenal appears and hurls a knife in Deathstroke's direction... and it misses by inches. Wha? Roy never misses! Well, ya see... he's not there to kill Slade, he's there to join him!
Deathstroke is intrigued... and welcomes him "back" with open arms. Cheshire gives a knowing smirk to the camera... ya see, this was the plan all along.
Back in the present, Deathstroke's Titans arrive at the vats... and they get their butts kicked by Elijah's team... who he introduces as "The Dominators"... uhh, not those Dominators.
--
Not a bad issue.
I wish they'd spent a bit more time with Cheshire and Roy... as their bits were far more interesting than this "designer drug" and the resulting disposable "baddies of the month" that built to, but whattayagonnado?
Let's concentrate on the good. Jade and Roy have just lost their daughter. Their relationship has always been... awkward... uncomfortable... odd... and this only makes it more so. Also, Roy's just had a pretty bad drug relapse. We can joke about the "dead cat" all we like, but this was a pretty big deal. Or it would've been if Roy's character hadn't been resigned to "junkie first, archer second" since the O'Neil/Adams run. Still dug the back and forth between them though.
The designer drug thing? Ehh, so played out. At least this one doesn't give the user meta-powers (that we know of). The Dominators? Ehh, just can't be bothered to care.
The Brighest Day bits here were kept to a minimum... really just a page or two. Osiris is summoned to rescue Isis... and that's it. We get no resolution, even though that scene was said to have occurred a week before the "current" story... and Osiris shows up for the "present day" Dominators fight. Oh well.
Overall, a decent enough issue... really good characterization for Cheshire and Roy. Cheshire's inability to maintain her cool when learning about why children are being abducted is a nice touch considering what she'd just gone through. Worth mentioning, the art here is pretty fantastic as well.
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Green Lantern (vol.4) #54 (July, 2010)
"The New Guardians, Chapter Two"
Writer - Geoff Johns
Penciller - Doug Mahnke
Inks - Christian Alamy, Tom Nguyen, Keith Champagne & Doug Mahnke
Colors - Randy Mayor w/Gabe Eltreb
Letterer - Nick J. Napolitano
Associate Editor - Adam Schlagman
Editor - Eddie Berganza
Cover Price: $2.99
Since yesterday's look at the Green Lantern book was mostly an advertisement for "what's to come", I figured we may as well check out the next issue.
This is a weird one. You ever pick up a random issue of a comic you read a long time ago... and you remember every thing about it? For whatever reason, this is one of those issues for me. It's been nearly a decade since I've picked it up... and I might've read a comic or two in the interim, but... somehow, this one stuck out to me. Weird.
--
We open in the subway in New York City where a trio of nogoodniks are holding up all of the law-abiding citizens for their loot... before hopping on a train themselves. Suddenly the lights go out, and the car screeches to a halt. One of the baddies looks to see what just happened... and is shocked to be greeted by, Dex-Starr the Rage Kitty?!
Well, it's not just Dex-Starr...
We shift scenes over to Silver City, New Mexico where the White Lantern Battery has appeared. Seems like Johns might have Silver City confused for Mayberry or something, cuz these down-home folks sher toke funny. Anyhoo, Hal goes to attempt to lift the Lantern.
And, he can't... but we already knew that. This scene is pretty much the same as the one we already read in Brightest Day #1... even down to the "Sword in the Stone" comparison... and lesson. Star Sapphire then decides to give it a try, and is also unsuccessful. Then, the trio of Lanterns try and lift it together...
... which triggers an unexpected reaction from the Battery! Suddenly, all of the resurrected heroes appear in the white light emission. It looks really cool. After they subside, the Lanterns can see the entities representing each color of the emotional spectrum appear... with the request to "find them".
We next pop over to Daxam, where the mystery man we met yesterday is in the midst of drawing the Ion entity from Sodam Yat. Back at the pillars, it would appear as though this mystery fella is collecting emotional entities.
Back with Hal and the Gang... the White Lantern speaks. It tells them that Atrocitus will help, and with that... they are teleported to New York City. They follow the horror into the subways, and find the Red Lantern... who they learn is also seeking out the Entities. Before a fight can break out, Star Sapphire notes that she believes him to be sincere.
Well, they still fight a little bit anyway... until, the Main Man shows up?!
--
A fun issue... even if we've already read a few pages of it in Brightest Day.
I'll hand it to the editors... at least it matches up, right? I normally wouldn't put money on that. It seems as though the more editors you list, the more mistakes show up. So, ya know... good on 'em here. If this were a Marvel book (with 6-7 editors listed), I'd wager that one of these scenes would have Sinestro teaching Hal about King Arthur.
I dig the idea that there's a race to track down the Entities. It's sorta "easy" storytelling, but it keeps the Lantern-family occupied while Brightest Day rolls on throughout the line. It's smart... because without this "task", it would be difficult to keep the spotlight off of Hal and the Gang. This is a wise way of handling that.
I like Star Sapphire suggesting that Atrocitus might just have a little love in him. When they first introduced the "Skittles Corps", a lot of the new color-coded characters were pretty boilerplate... and, even maybe a bit dull. I feel like this ambiguity adds some much-needed "flavor" to the Red Lantern.
Overall, a fun issue. Feels like things are moving forward at a decent clip... and our Lobo cliffhanger is a pretty cool "capper". I mean, we're almost certainly going to get a fight between Rage Kitty and the Main Mutt, right? I'd recommend checking this one out. Fun story, great art... leaves us wanting more. Can't ask for a whole lot more than that, right?
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Green Lantern (vol.4) #53 (June, 2010)
"The New Guardians, Chapter One"
Writer - Geoff Johns
Penciller - Doug Mahnke
Inks - Christian Alamy, Keith Champagne, Mark Irwin & Doug Mahnke
Colors - Randy Mayor
Letters - Nick J. Napolitano
Associate Editor - Adam Schlagman
Editor - Eddie Berganza
Cover Price: $2.99
Sometimes I forget that Brightest Day (and the Blackest Night that proceeded it) are, at their core (corps?), Green Lantern stories.
Sooo... today let's take a look at the Lanterny-leg of the dawning of the Brightest Day. And lookit that title "The New Guardians"! I was wondering whatever happened to Extraño!
--
We open in Belle Reve Prison with a look at Hector Hammond. He's kinda upset, on account of his being, ya know... hideous. Especially when compared to one Hal Jordan. Suddenly, there's a second voice in his head. We shift to the planet Ryut in the "Lost" Sector, where the person that second voice belongs to walks shrouded and alone. He claims to have protected the universe long before the Lanterns... and even the Manhunters. Just who could this be?
Whoever he is, he plans to once again protect the universe... and he won't let anybody get in his way. He approaches pillars marked with each lantern "symbol"... and, izzat Parallax floating above?
We shift down to Earth where Hal and Carol are having a drink at the Ferris Air bar... and it's just a regular "Hal and Carol" talk... a bit of passive-aggression, a lot of non-committal statements. Eventually Carol tires of this, and suggests they hit the skies.
They fly 'n flirt for a bit... we're reminded that Hal is currently involved with another pilot called "Cowgirl". Suddenly the pair notice an "incoming" force... which flies straight through both of their crafts. Why, it's Sinestro! Luckily, Hal and Carol are, ya know... ring-wielders, so they survived the impact, just as Sinestro knew they would.
Hal's questions Sinestro's presence... after all, they agreed on a truce after Blackest Night. Sin insists he not there for a scuffle... he just wants to report that he located "the entity" (the White Lantern Power Battery, that is)... and to inform him that it's asking for him (Hal). I'm assuming this scene occurs between the ending of Brightest Day #0 and the opening pages of Brightest Day #1.
We next hop over to Metropolis, where Lex Luthor is running some tests, hopeful that he may perhaps be able to locate (and procure) a Black Lantern Ring. He is then visited by his former Agent Orange comrade, Larfleeze... who wants something. Something that everybody wants. Luthor suggests "power"... but, Larfleeze is all stocked up on that. Then Luthor suggests "land". Fleeze doesn't even know what "land" is... but, whatever it is, he knows he wants it!
Next stop, the Hand Mortuary... where Blue Lantern Saint Walker is attempting to un-desecrate the upturned corpses.
Then Ysmault, where Atrocitus is sitting next to a pool of lava. Seems to be one of his favorite past-times, dunnit? He is approached by somebody... who has, like him, pitting themselves against the Green Lantern Corps.
We wrap up with the reveal... this is Ganthet, flanked by Guy Gardner. It's almost like we're splitting all of these stories out... well, no... that's actually exactly what we're doing!
--
Definitely a "springboard" issue... not that that's a bad thing.
Kinda feels like a Brightest Day #0 "lite" with all of the vignettes... again, not a bad thing... but if you're reading them in succession like I am, there might be a little bit of vignette-fatigue.
I suppose we could go one-by-one, but there won't be a whole lot to say about most of 'em.
Let's get the biggie out of the way... Hal, Carol, and Sinestro. I was wondering how Hal and Carol arrived in Silver City so quickly for Brightest Day #1... and, now we know. The scene proceeding that was... I dunno, kinda weak? I feel like the Hal and Carol relationship is to the point where, even if they were to announce they were getting married... at this point, I wouldn't care. It's just so played out... and samey.
Neither of them want to commit... and by now, I can't be bothered to care either way. Also... the fact that Carol kept calling Hal by his "Highball" nickname? Lame-o. I don't care if that's "how they do it" in the air... these two shouldn't be calling each other by their nicknames.
We meet a mystery man at the open... and, even though most of us know (and knew immediately) who this is, we'll play along and save the "spoiler" for another day. I gotta say, I definitely dug all of the imagery on Ryut... the multi-colored lightning... the etchings... the pillars. Such cool visuals!
The Luthor/Larfleeze scene was pretty neat, and gives us an idea of where Lex's Action Comics arc is headed. It might've been helpful to leave a footnote to follow along or something, but whattayagonnado? Nobody's thinking about people reading single issues a decade later, right? I mean, who does that anyway?
Saint Walker gets a brief, but sweet scene. A really cool visual of the Flash tidying up the graveyard while Saint does the un-desecration thing. Probably the best use for the character at this point in time.
The Atrocitus/Guy/Ganthet bit at the end was a great way to "spin" everything out. DC was launching that brand-new Emerald Warriors book (which I recall annoyed many of us at the time, simply for it's $3.99 cover price), so this was as good a place as any to let us know what was going to be happening in it.
I gotta say, I can get behind "spin-out" pages every now and again... but they've gotta be used sparingly. Even though I dig where these stories are going, I can't help but have the wind pulled out of my sails when I see a page like this... makes me feel like I've just read an advertisement, rather than a story (probably because it is). Here in 2018, we just had a "Pretend to Care About Comics Day" (otherwise known as "Free Comic Book Day")... and I'm looking at this book thinking... why didn't DC use this issue for 2010's FCBD? It came out at the right time of year!
Oh well. Even with all of my complaints, I still think that was a pretty good "setting the table" issue. Unfortunately, it's hitting our reading rotation at a time where we're getting a whole lotta "setting the table" issues... which kinda hurts its impact. Worth checking out? I suppose... just know that, to follow the continuing story, you'll have to buy four more titles. If you're down with that, you'll be down with this.
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