By Damon Martin
“In brightest day, in blackest night,
No evil shall escape my sight
Let those who worship evil’s might,
Beware my power… Green Lantern’s light!”
That is the Green Lantern oath for those not aware, and two key words make up one of the biggest comic book events of all time.
“Blackest Night”, a series created and written by Geoff Johns, was the crossover mega-storyline for DC Comics in the past year, and just last week the collected trades were released, comprised of all eight regular issues of the series, plus issue #0, which was given away during “Free Comic Book Day” in 2009.
The “mega-event” has become almost a cliché part of comic books over the last decade. From DC events like “Final Crisis” to Marvel Comics and their run on “Secret Invasion”, the event format has been done over and over again, and sometimes they hit and miss, and other times an impact is truly felt.
What “Blackest Night” accomplished, was one of the best written, and most well plotted stories in the history of the DC universe.
Starting back in 2007, Johns began to drop hints about the forthcoming “Blackest Night”, and carried out the actual story with what can only be described as superb storytelling. Weaving seemingly hundreds of characters from around the DC universe, into one cohesive storyline wouldn’t be an easy task for the best comic book writer, but Johns shows off his true love of the art in this series.
It seems like only Johns would have a thought so deep in his mind that he would put the seeds of the idea together years before actually unleashing the plot on the world. It’s this kind of thinking turned into writing that separates Johns from most comic writers, and what separates “Blackest Night” from your average comic book event.
Comics have always been known as the classic story of “good vs. evil” and this series is no different, but what sets “Blackest Night” apart is the emotional element that the story clings to with each turn of a page.
At the center of it all are the emotions held inside all of us, and how they can work for you and against you. In “Blackest Night”, Johns sets the stage by remembering all the great heroes lost over the years, from the most loved like Aqua-Man (Arthur Curry) all the way to the villainous side of the main antagonist in the series, Black Hand (William Hand).
Watch as Black Lantern rings fly from outer space and land on the hands of those who have passed away, and they rise up with one mission…death. The resurrected corpses not only crawl back to life, but they have past memories and past experiences with which to use to batter and beat the living heroes that couldn’t save them the first time around.
The first issue marks one of the most emotional scenes in comic book history in my opinion, and without ruining the book for anyone, it truly is the lifelong story of love, and in the end death.
While “Blackest Night” does delve into quite a bit of Green Lantern lore, the story never goes so far away that any comic book fan couldn’t read and appreciate the book in the end. It’s a cornucopia of great heroes and villains from over the years including Firestorm, Elongated Man, Maxwell Lord, the Blue Beetle, Martian Manhunter, and others.
Johns, who has also penned television episodes for the CW series “Smallville”, puts everyone on alert early on in the book that there is nothing sacred that could not be sacrificed in the name of the “Blackest Night” and he portrays the heroes peril as well as any writer in comics today. The story also forces the heroes to team up with past villains to combat the resurrected Black Lanterns, while also battling the demons of the dead they’ve buried coming back to life.
What “Blackest Night” accomplishes is a plot driven book with real emotion, while connecting the readers to all the heroes, villains, and the dead who were brought back to life. Of course, like most big event storylines, “Blackest Night” leaves the door open to the currently ongoing series “Brightest Day”, but overall the 8-issue run is enough to satisfy any reader who wants a great story to go along with their superhero comics.
The collected “Blackest Night” series is now available at comic shops and bookstores nationwide.
[…] As i have mentioned previously, I am a big fan of the Green Lantern. His character as the embodiement of Will becomes a read of what people can do when they embrace a specifc trait of the human condition. Rage, Avarice, Fear, Will, hope, Compassion, and Love- these are all of the emotions and character traits people have to a certain degree. Green Lnatern and a host of other DC characters examine this as they build up to the event known as Blackest Night. Every color of the spectrum comes out to battle a new force that is bent on spreading death as much as possible. It is when life overcomes death that commences a new search for answers in the thrilling saga of “In Birghtest Day” (click here for a very comprehensive take on The Blackest Night) […]