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Check out this cover for Brightest Day #13:
Thank God for Geoff Johns and his love of obscure characters...
When I began to read through this week's Brightest Day I started to worry. I became concerned that this new Aqualad -- a boy by the name of Jackson Hyde -- was going to have his origin suffer in the way so many origins do.
As Jackson and his adopted father fled from the menace of Black Manta I was afraid that Jackson's father was going to die. It don't think it was an unreasonable worry. After all, Geoff Johns has killed Superman's father, Hal Jordan's dad, and Barry Allen's mom. Why wouldn't he give poor Jackson the same tragic origin?
My concerns seemed justified as I watched Black Manta fire a harpoon at Jackson's father with the chilling words: "He is not your father. He is nothing but another man I've killed." It was going to be the same story all over again.
But I was wrong.
Stories like that are why I read superhero comics, after all...
I'm going to be straight with you: ever since I first started seeing them these Brightest Day variant covers have been creeping the hell out of me.
I can't really explain what it is. But they give me the same feeling that I get from seeing real old works of European sculpture. There's the unsettling feeling inside that... I just can't explain.
Brightest Day has had that feeling all along. Like something just isn't quite right. Behind all the different stories there seems to be something else going on. I don't really know what it is, but I've got a few guesses.
First and foremost: the ring's been telling Boston Brand to live. Now, some of it surely means to live his life now that he's got it back. But I think there's something more going on. I think the returnees are still dead.
Sure, they're alive. But I don't think it's quite alive in the way we usually think. There's clearly something wrong. Black Lantern Firestorm lurking in the matrix. Martian Manhunter's psychic feedback. Aquaman's powers. They've been brought back to life and yet... They haven't.
I think that what we're seeing here is a false resurrection. They look alive and they seem alive. They think they're alive. But I believe that beneath the surface they are all still dead. And that finding their way back to true life is their real mission.
I'm particularly enjoying Martian Manhunter's story in Brightest Day. Part of that is the art; Patrick Gleason has done most of it I've seen and he's one of the more unique artists around these days.
But as with most comics it's the story that draws me to it. Martian Manhunter has never been able to hold a series for long, but he's a really intriguing character to look at as an individual. So I'm glad to see that they're taking advantage of a book like Brightest Day to give him some of the coverage he deserves.
I also like that Martian Manhunter is getting to flex his classic detective muscles. He's always been a fine detective (and until Bruce Wayne comes back he's probably the best detective currently active in the DCU) but too often it's his super-powers that get all the play. He does have a lot of them.
But Johns and Tomasi are using those powers in support of Martian Manhunter's detective abilities rather than in place of them. By doing this I think they're moving him to a unique place. It feels like they're moving him towards a character who works in the behind the scenes. As one of my one-shots put it -- paraphrasing here -- "Superman saves the world in the sun, Martian Manhunter saves it in the shadows." That's where J'onn J'onzz belongs.
Well, I'm finally finished with classes for the semester. As a consequence, I am really wiped out. So don't expect a long (or coherent) post tonight. All the good comics come out tomorrow anyway.
Behold: the Aquaman cover for Brightest Day #1. Go take a look at it and come back here; I'm too tired to actually post a copy of it here on the blog.
That's a really nice cover, don't you think? Aquaman looks like he's supposed to (green gloves, orange shirt). There are sharks (which is always good when you're talking about Aquaman). Here's the problem, though: why are those apparently zombie sharks? The fact that they appear to be the swimming dead unnerves me.
Remember Aquaman gazing at his reflection in the water in Brightest Day #0? He saw an image of himself as a Black Lantern. I worry... Are these resurrections really as complete as they seem? Or are there lingering side effects?
Well well well. Look what is upon us. It seems that it's Brightest Day. I don't have a lot of time tonight, so I'm just going to hit my main thoughts on each of the twelve "resurectees."
Aquaman: Aquaman, afraid of the water? I never thought I'd see the day. Aquaman does see a disturbing reflection in the water. I fear that the scars of Blackest Night are not so easily healed...
Professor Zoom: We already know part of Zoom's destiny. That said, I fear there may be more to it if this week's issue of Flash is any indication...
Captain Boomerang: Old Boomer is certainly getting back into the Rogue business. But I wonder whether the other Rogues will welcome him back...
Hawkman and Hawkgirl: What power do those old bones hold? And who has found them? I wouldn't be surprised if it's our old buddy Hath-Set, back again to kill the Hawks...
Maxwell Lord: Here's Max setting things up to erase his memory from, well, everybody. I'm curious to see why those old members of the JLI are unaffected. Perhaps it's by design...
Martian Manhunter: I'm happy to have J'onn back, and even happier to see a smile on his face. It's clear that J'onn would love to get his hands on the White Lantern. I wonder if he'll remain the last of his race for long...
Jade: Jade and Kyle aren't getting back together. That much is clear. They are going their separate ways and I think that's for the best. She always seemed to be in his shadow when they were a couple. Perhaps now she can shine her own light...
Ronnie Raymond: I hate Ronnie Raymond. This version of him is every guy I ever hated back in college. Jason, conversely, seems a lot more like me. I wonder if they'll be able to keep from killing each other...
Osiris: I think Deadman is right when he says "some men were better off dead." Maxwell Lord is tricky. The Reverse-Flash is deadly. But I think that of all those brought back Osiris has the potential to be the most dangerous of all...
Hawk: Hawk seems to be going to extremes. But then, that's what the character was created to do, isn't it? There doesn't seem to be much finesse there, but there has to be something else that what seems to be on the surface...
Deadman: Deadman is the keystone. He's at the center of whatever is going on here just like he was at the center of the miracle in Star City. Who is he tasked with helping to live? This is the question at the heart of Brightest Day...
Did you really think you wouldn't see me with Blackest Night at its end? Did you truly believe that the twelve resurrections on the four page foldout were the limit? Know this: I was the first of many off panel resurrections. Doctor Polaris had returned.
What does this mean for the DC Universe and this blog? First and foremost, my conspicuous absence in the case of the latter has come to an end. No longer will you be disappointed in coming to this site to seek my wisdom. Do not doubt this: Doctor Polaris will be here.
I will also grace the pages of DC comics in the not too distant future. What comic? I cannot say. When will it happen? Soon.
The Brightest Day begins here, loyal readers. For the DC Universe and for this blog. Doctor Polaris has returned. The world will never be the same.
Well, it's over. Blackest Night, at least. Be forewarned: here there be spoilers.
With that out of the way let's hit a few of the main points: it's not surprise that characters were brought back from the dead. We all knew that was coming. And like I gathered it was only a select few who actually made it back to life.
As to those who did return, some of them were pretty obviously. Aquaman and Martian Manhunter were both pretty obvious. Osiris and Captain Boomerang? Those were a little more surprising.
The biggest surprise, of course, was Deadman. For a character who was created to be dead, being brought back to life is a bit of a shock. Here, I think, we see the seeds of a very important future story. I think it's very clear that characters coming back from the dead is not all smiles and sunshine. As Nekron said, everyone dies sometime.
Boston Brand said the following: "This isn't right. I'm not supposed to be here." And he's right. Deadman is supposed to be dead. His being a live is in many ways a corruption of the natural order. It's not the way things are supposed to be.
In this, I suspect that Brightest Day won't be quite as bright as some people are thinking. We've already seen the seeds of other terrible evils planted in books over the past couple of years. Blackest Night is merely another chapter in the ongoing story of the DC Universe.
What of the Indigo Tribe and Black Hand? What of Maxwell Lord? What of the newly risen Anti-Monitor?
And who know that the white light of life could also deliver fantastic fashion?
Well, there's one issue of Blackest Night left. Then I'll be able to stop talking about it... Until the next big story comes along.
Anyway, I don't want to give too much away as some of you may not have read Blackest Night #7. I'll probably talk more about it on Friday, but I just want to hit of a few of the beats that I really enjoyed.
First of all, I think Lex Luthor got one of the best lines in the comic. "What I really want... Is to be Superman." does a pretty good job of encapsulating who Lex Luthor is and what drives him -- even though he doesn't want to admit it to anyone.
Secondly, there's Atrocitus. Atrocitus is, I think, one of the most interesting of all the Corps leaders. He's not simply a mindless brute. He's not a simple "bad guy" either. I really think that Atrocitus -- as Saint Walker hints -- is a deeper character than we've been led to believe. I hope we'll be seeing more of that during the Brightest Day.
Finally, I think it's safe to say that most people got that final page at least partly right. But as far as I can tell very few people accurately guessed who would wear that ring. I know I didn't...
There's a lot of speculation going on about Brightest Day. But one thing is very clear: Aquaman is coming back.
Why? I think it's because Aquaman is going to be Geoff Johns's new pet project. Whatever you think about Geoff Johns and his work, you can't deny that he's done a fantastic job of revitalizing floundering franchises. If someone had come to me in 2002 or 2003 and said that Green Lantern would be one of the hottest books in comics with a spin-off (and a third on the way) I would have said they were crazy.
But there you have it. And I imagine the new Flash book will be a big success as well (assuming all the Rebirth delays haven't crippled it before it even hits the starting line).
To me, all signs point to Geoff Johns taking on Aquaman next. Johns has already said that he has big plans for Mera in the coming year. Now, when he said that he clearly couldn't come out and also say that he had big plans for Aquaman. But with Aquaman pretty obviously returning in Brightest Day, how exactly could Johns work on Mera without touching on Aquaman as well.
Aquaman deserves a place of honor among the DC pantheon. He is one of the true "Big Seven." Hopefully by the time Geoff Johns is done with him everyone else will see that as clearly as I.
Yargh! I did it again. I keep meaning to not let every Friday through Sunday slip by without me doing a post. But sometimes these things happen. I've got good reasons but I won't go into those here and now.
Anyway, lots of comic book news has come out in the past few weeks. DC has been announcing things like nobody's business. Blackest Night is coming into the home stretch. And I'm still not sure what the DCU will look like once the dust settles.
They're calling it Brightest Day, of course. But things can't be too bright. If everything is great then there won't be any conflict. And you know as well as I that stories thrive on conflict. Comic book super-hero tales are no exception.
Take, for instance, Deathstroke's Titans. I don't know if it'll be any good. I probably won't buy it. But it will definitely kick off in-universe conflict -- and it will carry the Brightest Day banner.
Where are some other potential sources of conflict? Well, on the Green Lantern front I believe Geoff Johns has already hinted at conflict with the return of Evil Star. That should keep the "New Guardians" busy for a while. At least as long as Johns continues his tradition of turning also ran villains into powerhouses.
There will be conflict in the Superman universe as well. The New Krypton story may not be completely over by the time Brightest Day hits. And even if it is, there's always Lex Luthor. You can always count on Lex Luthor to create conflict.
Oh, and one of these days Bruce Wayne is going to return. And when he does you know the Joker will be following right behind.
So really, Brightest Day doesn't look too bright. And for that I'm very grateful...
Brightest Day, huh? Raise your hand if you saw that coming.
That's not to say it won't be an interesting story. But I was really kind of hoping that the post-Blackest Night world would give us a break from crossovers. Brightest Day doesn't sound like a break: it sounds like a continuation.
I'm not really looking forward to another weekly (or bi-weekly as it may be) series. As much as I've enjoyed stuff like 52 and Trinity in the past, I just can't afford a weekly (or bi-weekly) commitment these days.
All that said, I am looking forward to Blackest Night wrapping up. The DCU could really use some daylight...
