Published by: DC Comics (November 25, 2009)
Blackest Night: Geoff Johns (w), Ivan Reis (p)
Green Lantern: Geoff Johns (w), Doug Mahnke (p)
“I think I saw this on a Saturday morning cartoon.” – Star Sapphire
Hype! The Blackest Night & Green Lantern series have been the meat & potatoes of the Blackest Night run. While Green Lantern has focused on the various rainbow-brite Lanterns encountering and challenging the Black Lanterns in space, Blackest Night has kept the spotlight mostly on The Flash (Barry Allen), Ray Plamer and company back on Earth – more or less. Green Lantern #48 sets up Blackest Night #5, which (finally) deftly brings all (most) of the storylines together.
Review: The biggest complaint is that both of these books came out the same week and they are a sequential story with no indicator of which to read first. (Soap box warning) Okay, this is my pet-peeve with the current leadership at DC, almost nothing they turn out makes any sense. It’s like Dan Dido wakes up and says, “Look, it’s big, it’s shiny… it has toys! Read this!” And we do. Meanwhile, the characters and (what could be good) stories become bogged down by “event hype” and lack of planning. For example, there’s actually a downloadable checklist on the DC website, which lists all the BN titles. Unfortunately, it lists the books out of order. Go figure. But don’t worry, there’s an editor’s blurb on the first page of Green Lantern #48 that warns readers that the issue takes place before BN #6. Of course while that’s great, except the story ALSO takes place before BN#5, which you probably have in your stack of books. But I digress.
It has been a long road, but Johns has injected some character into the various aliens of the Chromatic Corps. There are still some that are more scenery that not, but some classic characters have some new life (Sinestro & Carol Ferris/Star Sapphire) and he's made at least two of the “new aliens” (Red & Orange Lantern) more-or-less interesting. If nothing else, Atrocitus and Larfleeze make good supporting characters for Jordan, Sinestro & Ferris. The BN story advances in GL #48 in that an alliance is formed, a promise (that someone may regret later) is made and the last sequence leads directly to Blackest Night #5. Overall, the issue was a better than average chapter of BN, but average-at-best as a comic on its own.
Blackest Night #5 is better. It’s better than the last issue of Blackest Night and better than any of the other BN titles over the last few weeks. The stories are really starting to come together here. Everything from the Technicolor war to dealing with the seeming-revolving door of death and return that seems to plague the DCU. The Flashes (especially Barry) steal the show, as has been the case with all the Blackest Night (core mini) issues that have been any good. Even the storylines from the Blackest Night: Teen Titans series are prominent.
As an aside, now that three BN: Mini-series (Batman, Superman, Titans) are finished and two more underway (Flash & Wonder Woman), the Blackest Night: Teen Titans series stands apart from the other four. BN: Superman was okay, but mostly a slugfest and “intro’d” Superman (who has been away all year) to the current Crisis. But, BN: Titans has some legs: it has two meaningful events that are carrying over into the Blackest Night core story.
Finally, you have to love the irony behind there being no Green Lanterns on hand to help their Guardians, when the Black Lantern materializes on Earth. You know, Earth, which has (had) three active Green Lanterns in their fold, with none to be found on hand. Sure, the sector needs three because it’s such a hub of cosmic activity, heavens forbid you actually leave one there. Because, you know, hub of cosmic activity and all… little blue aliens never learn. (Okay, a Lantern does show up half-way through)…
The turn of events at the end of Blackest Night #5, which is sparked by a completely gratuitous use of Batman is interesting and involves some major characters in the DCU... switching sides. Very interesting.
Scoring:
Green Lantern #48: 3
Blackest Night #5: 4
Blackest Night (so, far): 3 barely
Seriously too many of the “artery” (mini-series, crossovers, etc.) stories are so bad that they are muddying an already difficult-to-be-interested-in (but good) plotline.
