Blackest Night #1 (of 8) - WOW! This first issue was a great kick off to this big event. Johns and Reis deliver the goods as the day of rememberance of the departed heroes turns into the beginning of a nightmare. When they said the dead would rise, they weren't kidding! Given all the heroes who have died in the past 25 years or so just since the Crisis, this could make for an event that will hit all the major franchises. Looking forward to more.
Brave and the Bold #25 - the team ups with the Milestone heroes continues - this time with Hardware meeting the new Blue Beetle. I wasn't majorly impressed by the issue - it was okay. I never was a huge Hardware fan. Ah well.
R.E.B.E.L.S. #6 - the cosmic conflict with Starro continues, and no alien world is safe. Vril Dox again shows why he's known as a ruthless leader when he and his rag-tag team put a bit halt to Starro's campaign. That won't bode well. Enjoying this title a lot.
"Wow" is the word. Not for the faint of heart, and I know there are plenty of folks who don't care for the dark turns comics have taken these days. But I don't think there's any denying that this was a fantastic piece of comic storytelling, that perfect rare combination of terrific writing with unbelievable art. The whole thing just worked.
ReplyDeleteI knew I had to get this issue, and I was well-vindicated for that feeling. What a start! Sorry, Grant - THIS is how you do it. There's plenty of shock value here, but it can't be ALL shock value. Notice how Johns took his time building things up, how he was careful to work in all those great character moments (the ones that showed he cares as much about these characters as we do...not just about his own story). He did a great job building in enough explanation to give you the backstory you needed - instead of, say, just firing ahead and assuming you've read every issue of DC Comics ever and leaving many readers in the dark (who would write a story like THAT? Hmm...).
I won't argue with the folks who think this is not the DC they grew up with, and it's gone too far into the "realistic". I get their point, and I respect it (and I'm at about 50% agreement with it). What excites me about this issue has nothing to do with that debate. It's just so damned refreshing to see such awesome storytelling! And an event that FEELS like an event. You know me...I'm not a big DC guy these days. But I won't be missing this series, no sir. And as my greatest love in the DC universe is all the Green Lantern stuff, I'm giddy that it's at the heart of this story. And while this is certainly no COIE, this first issue is having the same effect on me that series did back in the day--reminding me of all the things I love in the DC universe, and introducing me to the stuff I'm not as familiar with.
Best comic read I've had in a long time. I almost never read comics twice. I'm not a big re-reader. This one may get a second go-round before issue #2.
Mike, great comments and I am in full agreement. Final Crisis failed to deliver for me on many different levels - primarily due to Grant's lack of clear, careful storytelling that remembers that the readers have to get it. Geoff pulls this off nicely. Did he showcase a bit characters he has written a lot in the past and now (JSA, Hawkman, the Titans, Superman, GL and Flash)? Yup. Know what - that just shows the guy has a broad range of DCU history behind him. He knows this stuff and knows how to make them resonate. Marv Wolfman did the same thing back in Crisis.
ReplyDeleteI have a feeling this is truly going to be the darkness before the light returns, and I'm okay with that.
I kind of like Hardware, actually - and I really enjoyed this issue. Nice to see that SYSTEM's still around (fight the System - hilarious, no?).. though I see only Hardware's out to stop them.
ReplyDeleteI don't know what I like about Hardware so much - maybe it's the attitude, maybe it's the smarts. But I do like Hardware. A lot.
Shrug - different strokes for different folks.