With Blackest Night having kicked off last week, I was worried that we’d have to wait a month at a time for advancement of the main plot. Ah, more the fool me. I should have known that the main Green Lantern title would be a big part of the story. What I didn’t expect was that this issue would pick up on a specific story beat from Blackest Night #1 and run with it.
In that first issue, Hal Jordan and Barry Allen were suddenly faced by the reanimated corpse of their friend J’onn J’onzz, the Martian Manhunter. They face off against him, while in space the War of Light continues to rage. Scar begins to explain the master plan of the darkness, and in the ruins of the planet Xanshi, John Stewart faces a hell beyond imagining.
Man, what a fantastic issue. Pretty much all the story beats that are specific to the Green Lantern title are followed up on here, with some great hints laid out for us in the process. We also get a bit more insight as to how the Black Lanterns view the universe, and along with that, a hint about what may really happen when the Black Lanterns are fully charged. It’s also wonderful to see Hal and Barry in action together. More than ever, I’m starting to believe that Barry is really going to be Hal’s main co-star in this series, which is something I really wouldn’t have guessed before Blackest Night #1.
Mahnke‘s art is a wonderful blending of science fiction and horror, a perfect fit for this story. But in a story of this nature, you’ve got to give credit to the colorist as well — Randy Mayor does some brilliant work here, especially on the scene where we see our heroes through the eyes of a Black Lantern.
Rating: 9/10
Okay, now that that’s out of the way, I’m going to get into some speculation along with minor spoilers. If you haven’t read this, step back.
Scar tells us this issue that “the Black Lanterns are collecting hearts full of the splintered light, and soon it will be his turn to rise.” As she says this, we get a running tally of how much power the Lantern has collected (up to 1.20 percent, which doesn’t sound like much until you remember that at the end of Blackest Night #1 they were only up to 0.02). When the charge reaches 100 percent “he” will rise.
So who is “he”?
I think I know.
Earlier this year, DC finally released a trade paperback edition of one of my all-time favorite Green Lantern stories, Tales of the Green Lantern Corps, a three-issue miniseries from the early 80s written by Mike W. Barr and Len Wein with art by Joe Staton. In this classic story, the mad Guardian named Krona broke through the barrier between the land of the living and the land of the dead. The main power battery on Oa was destroyed, and Hal and the Corps had 24 hours — the time of a single ring-charge — to fight their way past the armies of the dead.
Sounds familiar, right? And frankly, I don’t think it was a coincidence that this book was reprinted now. I think that the 100 percent charge of a Black Lantern will bring with it the rise of Nekron, Lord of the Unliving, the god of death that has lusted after our universe — a universe of life — ever since he first laid eyes upon it.
Just my speculation. We’ll see how right I am when that Black Lantern makes it up to 100 percent.
How about a few more reviews from me before I sign out? I’ve been a reviewin’ machine over on Comixtreme lately.
First up, I reviewed the film Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.
Also, here’s a bunch of comic reviews:
In Brightest Day…
It’s a big week for Bruces and Blake and Erin take in Willis’s newest film, A Good Day to Die Hard, and talk about the repercussions of Wayne’s lastest battle with the Joker in the conclusion of Death of the Family. We also talk about the return of The Walking Dead, rejoice in the crapitude of Birdemic: Shock and Terror, and Blake recommends that if you’re not reading Morning Glories, you go back and start at the beginning. Contact us with comments, suggestions, or anything else at Showcase@CXPulp.com!
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