Courtesy of DC Comics
“In brightest day, in blackest night.” This quote has begun the signature “Green Lantern Oath” since the 1960s, when the silver age of comics began. It had always just been an inspirational quote, having no real meaning outside of being chanted by the Green Lantern when recharging his ring.
This all changed this year, with the beginning of the newest big event to come to DC Comics. Entitled “Blackest Night,” this new series brings an invigorating new excitement to not only the “Green Lantern” series, but the entire “DC Universe” as well.
Geoff Johns is the head writer for the current Green Lantern series, and is widely regarded as one of the best writers in the comic industry today. His work on the series has taken it from being one of the lesser-known comics to being one of the mainstream and best-selling series for DC Comics month in and month out. Johns just won Spike TV’s 2009 scream award for best comic book writer.
After writing the best-selling story arc, “The Sinestro Corps War” in “Green Lantern” and “Green Lantern Corps” last summer, Johns has expanded his newest story line into the entirety of the DC Universe.
The seeds for the series have been sown over the past several years. In it, the dead are rising to kill all the currently living heroes in the DC Universe. With superheroes and major characters dying all over the place in modern times, there are going to be plenty of zombie superheroes to go around.
The main series has not gotten up to issue four of eight, and so far the pacing has been great. With it focusing on the non-Green Lantern related characters, it has provided lower-tier superheroes, like the Flash and the Atom, the chance to take center stage. The action and characterization has been top-notch, offering great moments for characters to develop and still providing plenty of action to entertain.
It also features the artwork of Ivan Reis, who consistently provides beautiful pencils each month. He keeps the artwork crisp and realistic while still giving it the majestic cartoon nature that is expected in the comic book world. Somehow Reis keeps even the small details consistent throughout each issue, hardly ever causing any continuity errors in his drawings.
The “Green Lantern” and “Green Lantern Corps” series’ are the other two comics needed to understand the main story, and both are also providing amazing thrills at every turn. The “Green Lantern” series follows the current adventures of the Green Lantern himself, and what he is doing to stop dangerous current events. “Green Lantern Corps,” on the other hand, shows what is happening on the home planet of the Green Lantern Corps (think an intergalactic police force, with each cop having a Green Lantern Ring).
To get the full experience, one must also collect the other new spin-offs coming out, showing how other characters who are not as prominent in the main series are coping with the return of their loved ones. These are not required reading, but they all help to more fully flesh out the events occurring in “Blackest Night.”
Even though the series is halfway through, it is still easy to jump in and collect the back issues and catch up. This is a great time for new readers to get hooked on comics, or even old readers who had given up on comics to return to the hobby. This may be the blackest night for DC Comics superheroes, but one thing is for certain: It is the brightest day for comic collectors.
Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Ryan Brooks at Ryan.j.brooks@colorado.edu.
