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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Justice League: Generation Lost #5 (2010)

Justice League: Generation Lost #5 (Early September, 2010)
"The Gang's All Here"
Script - Judd Winick
Breakdowns - Keith Giffen
Penciller - Aaron Lopresti
Inker - Matt Ryan
Colors - Hi-Fi
Letterer - Steve Wands
Editors - Rex Ogle & Michael Siglain
Cover Price: $2.99

The power of a great cliffhanger... wasn't planning on doing two issues of Generation Lost in a row, but after the way last issue ended, I just couldn't help myself!

The Day... and May are still Bright.  Now that we're just a couple days shy of the halfway point of the month, I'm wondering if it's time that we started skipping around the "crossovent"... or just stick it out with these early issues.  If anyone has any thoughts... or is even still reading, lemme know!

--

We open with a flashback... to the future?!  We meet up with a "just threw the big game" Michael Jon Carter as he's being persuaded to help the authorities track down the big bad bookie.  They promise him immunity if he hands over some names... and, of course once he does, they renege.  This is a "once bitten, twice shy" moment for Booster in the ol' getting screwed over arena... and takes us to the present... in the past... relatively speaking, where the Gen Lost League is chatting up a holographic Maxwell Lord.

Max shares with them that... yeah, he's been working in the background in hopes that the Justice League International would reform, because he thinks the world needs them now more than ever.

He describes his own mission as one with a "saving the world" sort of scale.  He'd like the JLI to work together... but more "alongside" him than "with" him, if that makes any sense.  They're all going to be working to the same ends, just not "together"... ya dig?  This baffles and annoys Booster, who just a few days ago was nearly beaten to death with a pipe by this very man.  Max figures since he didn't actually kill him, it's "no harm, no foul".

They argue a bit, with Max talking to them kind of like they were children.  Like he knows what's best for them.  He tells them not to pursue him anymore... not like they could.  After all, Max is so much "better at this" than any of them.  He turns his attention to Skeets and tells the little bot to stop trying to trace his signal... then, just as he triggers the Rocket Red armor he's emanating from to self-destruct... he ends the transmission.

The Gen Lost League frantically attempt to figure out how to disarm the bomb... since, ya know... there's an innocent human inside that Rocket Red armor.  It gets to the point where the "big boom" is eminent... and so, Captain Atom takes the Red into his arms and flies him a safe distance away from the League.

On the ground, the Gen Lost League look on at the, err... Rocket's Red Glare.  Then... Jaime informs Booster that he, ya know... managed to trace Max's signal.

We jump ahead to the New York Branch of the Justice League International where Booster and Beetle run the coordinates through the computer system.  Gotta imagine that Max might still be tapped into these computers since they are, ya know... his.  Maybe we're thinking too hard.

Off to the side Captain Atom and Ice have a fairly contentious and uncomfortable conversation about death and dying.  They compare their circumstances... and both seem to come to the conclusion that... death kinda sucks.

Off to another side, Gavril and Bea are having an awkward... and only sorta contentious chat about hypocrisy.  Gavril espouses all of these Communist beliefs... hates everything western... but still thinks it's awfully cool to be a part of the Justice League.

Booster and Beetle are finally able to triangulate Max's location... and wouldn'tcha know it... he's at Checkmate!  Weren't we like just there?

Booster has another flashback... and this one's really from the past.  He's remembering the first time he ever met Maxwell Lord... how arrogant and cocky he... well, they were.  Max offers him membership into the Justice League... because, well Max can do whatever he wants.

We wrap up with the Gen Lost League vowing to go after Max.

--


Okay, maybe not exactly the follow-up I was hoping for... but still a good time.

Let's get Max out of the way.  There's this weird charismatic charm about him here... not unlike the way Lex Luthor was depicted in the early parts of The Final Night.  It's almost like there's part of me that... wants him to win!  I swear, all Max needed to do was call Booster "kemo sabe", and I'd have been done!

What I don't really get is the purpose of exploding the Rocket Red armor.  I mean, he reassembled the Gen Lost League because he feels like they're the "right heroes" for the time, right?  So, why would he trigger a bomb around them?  He'd have to assume that these heroes might risk their own lives in order to save the innocent Russian inside the armor, no?  Wouldn't that just undo all of his prior machinations?  Am I thinking too hard?  Probably.

Feel like a better way to do it would just have Skeets try and trace the signal... and short-circuit, with Max all "Tsk, tsk, tsk... that's what you get for trying to track me."  I feel like that would've made more sense.

Outside of that one bit though... really dug this.  There was some very strong characterization... and we get the feeling that we're actually "working through this" with the members of the team.  The scene between Captain Atom and Ice was definitely an unexpected treat.

Aaron Lopresti provides pencils this time around, and he's just as great as ever.  I wanna say that it was with this series that I finally started to notice when his name would pop up in the credits.  Super clean, super dynamic work.  Really like it!

Overall... sort of a "roundabout" issue.  Ends exactly where we knew it would.  We open with the League wanting to track down Max... and we end the very same way.  Still, there were some fun character interactions... and some neat "motivational" flashbacks.  Worth a look.

--

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Justice League: Generation Lost #4 (2010)

Justice League: Generation Lost #4 (Late August, 2010)
"The Rocket's Red Glare"
Script - Judd Winick
Breakdowns - Keith Giffen
Penciller - Joe Bennett
Inker - Jack Jadson
Colors - Hi-Fi
Letterer - Steve Wands
Assistant Editor - Rex Ogle
Editor - Michael Siglain
Cover Price: $2.99

If I had more time in my day I think I'd research how many issues dedicated to the Rocket Reds bear the title "Rocket's Red Glare".  I bet it's a lot.  Kinda like when any book takes place in England the title will very likely be "London Calling".

Anyhoo, it's still #BrightestMay... we're almost halfway through, and it feels like we haven't even made a dent!  That's probably because we haven't!  I think to truly do this, it'll take 4-5 more Brightest Mays.  Well, if we're still at this next year... maybe we'll give it another go!

--

We open in... an undisclosed location.  Parts unknown, if you weeeeel.  There, Maxwell Lord is chatting up a researcher... who, of course, doesn't know Max from a hole in the wall.  Lord pulls one of his "power of suggestion" tricks, which surprisingly changes the lab-man into a zombified Black Lantern?!  We then shift scenes.  If you recall, last issue ended with the Gen Lost League catching a ride from an OMAC portal in El Paso... and winding up in Russia.  Enter: The Rocket Reds.

The Reds shout out some threats... but it turns out they're not even paying attention to our Super Buddies... they're actually threatening another Rocket Red?!

Skeets gives the deets... turns out this "rogue" Rocket Red is Gavril Ivanovich, a "revolutionary".  He was once a Captain in the Brigade... but has broken off as the Reds move a bit closer "to center".  Ya see, Gav is a "true Communist", and sees any and all westernization as a betrayal.

The Gen Lost League decides... maybe it would be best to stay out of it.  Ya know, "International Incidents" and all.  Plus, this gaggle of geeks doesn't exactly have the best reputation at the moment.  It isn't until the War of the Reds starts endangering innocent civilians that the heroes know they must get involved.

Gavril is overjoyed to see that the Justice League International has come to lend him a hand.  Just how old are Russian newspapers, anyway?  The JLI hasn't been a thing in like forever, right?  Anyhoo, they enter the fray and fight for a bit... and are eventually joined by Fire.

Now at "full capacity", Gavril gets it in his brain that they can take on the Rocket Reds head on.  Thankfully, Booster and Captain Atom drag him away.  Ya see, they know the fight's not over... but would rather it occur where there are fewer potential civilians to injure, maim, or kill.

Tora asks Bea how things went at Checkmate, which segues beautifully into a scene where the Black King is reporting everything that went down last issue to Batman.  Batman takes the information... but isn't quite sure what to do with it.  You know how Batman is always the smartest guy around, right?  Well, he has a sneaking suspicion that there might be more to this than meets the eye.

Back in Russia (after beating up the pursuing Rocket Reds), Gavril takes inventory of his new "team", and refers to them as the Justice League International.  This goes over like a lead balloon... but he's sincere.  He suggests all they need is a Green Lantern to make the "ensemble" complete.

Booster gets a whiff of what he's cooking... and suggests that Gav's right.  He starts ranting and raving... finally realizing that they're being "played" by Max Lord... and they're being played for a reason.  Suddenly a voice box on one of the fallen Rocket Reds starts to crackle.

It's Max!  And he just might be ready to answer some questions.

--

Very nice issue!  We're definitely getting somewhere.

Before we get "into" the issue, I really wanna say that this is the series where I finally started to "get" Judd Winick as a writer.  It felt like he really found his "voice" here.  This no longer feels like snarky, stale Bendis-lite... or, even worse Kevin Smith-lite.

The jokes here, while not laugh out loud, actually land.  The characterization is strong, and there are some pretty great working-off-each-other moments to be had.  I remember being so bummed out when the "follow up" to this series, Justice League International (vol.3) from The New-52! was announced... and Judd's name was nowhere to be found!

Not that Dan Jurgens (who wound up writing that short-lived volume) is any slouch, but by the time Gen Lost ended, I felt like Winick really made these characters his own.  What's perhaps worse... Judd went on to write that Catwoman (vol.3) book that featured rooftop sex in the very first issue.  Maybe Gen Lost was an anomaly?  Who knows?

Anyhoo... into this book!  It's a pretty good blend of talky and fighty.  There is banter... but it's written in an... I dunno, organic way?  So often it seems as though a writer will think of a really great punchline... and work backwards from there.  Like setting up a joke for pages... lobbing dialogue softballs for a set-up.  I bet if we look though the archives we'll find that I've very likely leveled that accusation at Winick himself.  Here, however... it doesn't feel like that.  Jokes just "happen"... and it makes for a much smoother read.

The Batman scene... eh.  I could say I could "do without" it... but, one of the few things I do remember about this series is that Batman will eventually get involved.  Remember, he was a founding member of the Bwah-ha-ha League too.  I remember growing up and how annoyed we'd get when Wolverine always seemed to have "all the answers" and would get involved with everything.  Never really see those complaints about Batman though.  Ehh, maybe I'm just not looking hard enough.

The Maxwell Lord stuff is pretty interesting.  In our look at the various returnees so far, it's clear that they're not exactly as they'd left us.  Aquaman is summoning undead sea(un)life... the Firestorm Matrix has some sort of dark entity swirling about... Captain Boomerang can summon black boomerangs... and now Max is "power of suggesting" people into dead Black Lanterns?!

Really feels like we're building to something special here.  I'm going to wager that DiDio and Company didn't yet have their hands on the toilet flusher just yet.  I mean, could you imagine putting this much effort into revitalizing the line... knowing that you're a year away from dropping the entire magilla (minus Batman and Green Lantern) into the commode?  Seems like a mighty dumb idea, don't it?

Overall... this was a fun read... and the cliffhanger we're left with is a great one!  This whole Brightest Day endeavor almost feels like we're watching a class on serial storytelling.  Good stuff.

--

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Flash (vol.3) #3 (2010)

Flash (vol.3) #3 (August, 2010)
"Case One: The Dastardly Death of the Rogues, Part Three"
"FlashFacts: Boomerangs Part One & Two!"
Writer - Geoff Johns
Artist - Francis Manapul & Scott Kolins
Colors - Brian Buccellato
Letterer - Sal Cipriano
Associate Editor - Adam Schlagman
Editor - Eddie Berganza
Cover Price: $2.99

When last we left the Flash, Barry Allen was accused of murdering the Renegade Mirror Monarch... in the future!  Man, I hope this doesn't lead to three-years worth of courtroom drama.

Actually... ya know what?  Considering what's coming down the pike for the DC Universe about a year after this issue hits shelves... I think I'd take another trial!

Yup... I definitely would!

It's #BrightestMay... let's go!

--

We open at Iron Heights where Captain Boomerang is recovering in a bed after receiving a beating from a gaggle of prison guards.  As they discuss what they plan on doing with him, he lunges forward and bites one of the guards on the nose.  This gets him a bit more of a pummeling... until he discovers that he now has the ability to manifest boomerangs!

Digger proceeds to boomerang-the-hell out of the guards... and sets his sights on the great egress.

Over at the Central City Police Department, the place is abuzz with the news that Barry Allen's DNA was found on the murdered Mirror Monarch.  This is sidestepped rather cleverly with Singh's accusation that Barry simply contaminated the crime scene!  Easy enough, right?

Barry sends a text off to Iris, and the meet for a coffee and a chat.  She questions whether or not Barry might have accidentally contaminated the crime scene... which is met by a (rather deflated) dirty look.  He's brought some work to the cafe with him... but it isn't his case.  This is the Jason Hicks wrongful incarceration thing that we heard about last issue.  Barry says there are still eighty-some-odd days until he supposedly kills Mirror Monarch, so the Hicks case is far more pressing.

They chat for a while longer... and Iris tells Barry she'll do whatever she can to help with the Hicks case (because, her eyes and her smile afford her "connections"... ethical journalism!).  Anyhoo, the cafe is suddenly bathed in blue... it's the Renegades!  And they're back for the Flash!

A chase (and fight) is on.  The Renegades manage to snare the Flash in a stasis field... but that doesn't hold him for long.  Really love the way these panels look.

So yeah, Flash busts out and goes straight for Commander Cold.  While barking in his face, Barry finds himself victim to Cold's "Cold Suit".  This leaves him, well, frozen.  The rest of the Renegades pitch in and use their powers on the prone speedster... and it looks as though our man is about to be arrested.

That is, until... Captain Boomerang comes to his rescue?!

We then hop into our (two-page) backup.  You ever wonder how boomerangs work?  Well, wonder no longer.

You ever wonder how Captain Boomerang's boomerangs work?  We gotcha covered there as well.

--

Probably the strongest book of the Brightest Day bunch!  Really enjoying this revisit.

To be fair, I haven't yet gotten around to digging out the Green Arrow and Birds of Prey books... but, something tells me that this Flash book will still come out on top.  Well, there's also Generation Lost.  I guess what it comes down to... and what I'm trying to say is, this wasn't a half-bad time to be following DC.

Our story here moves along at a decent enough clip.  Still decompressed, sure... but not quite to missable "chapter four of six" levels of decompressed.

I really like the way they sidestepped Barry's DNA being at the crime scene.  It's a tough situation... as it calls into question Barry's forensics acumen.  If he really did contaminate the scene, this makes him look like a sloppy rookie.  He's definitely gotta swallow his pride here, and just take his bumps... because otherwise, he's, ya know... a murderer.

The Renegades come across as a little more "put together" than I remembered.  They actually seem to have Barry's number, and work well as a team.  If not for Digger, they would've actually been successful in apprehending the Flash!

Since this is a Brightest Day book... we should probably mention... the only Brightest Day bits to get any panel time.  Captain Boomerang now has the ability to manifest boomerangs.  Is it interesting?  Ehh, kinda.

The back-up sorta feels like an afterthought... in the "Hey, we probably ought to add more Brightest Day to this Brightest Day book" sorta way.  It did, however, show what a remarkable colorist Brian Buccellato is!  The transition from Manapul to Kolins is nearly seamless... and I gotta figure much of that can be attributed to Buccellato.  Just some great stuff!  The art in this book in general continues to blow me away.  I really can't gush enough about it!

Overall... still enjoying this, and feel like it's a worthy addition to anyone's comics library.

--

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