Full review posted to comixtreme.com.
Story: 4.5/5
Art: 4.5/5
Overall: 4.5/5
Filed under: Blackest Night, Blackest Night (Event), cxPulp.com, DC, DC Universe | Tagged: Adam Schlagman, Alex Sinclair, Aquaman, Black Hand, black lantern, Black Lanterns, Blackest Night, Comic Reviews, cxPulp.com, DC, DC Comics, Eddie Berganza, Geoff Johns, Green Lantern, Hal Jordan, Ivan Reis, Julio Ferreira, Nick J. Napolitano, Oclair Albert | Leave a comment »
Fade to Black
Story & Words: Peter J. Tomasi
Penciller: Patrick Gleason
Inkers: Rebecca Buchman & Tom Nguyen
Colorists: Randy Mayor
Letterer: Steve Wands
Editor: Adam Schlagman
Cover: Gleason, Christian Alamy & Mayor (variant by Joe Jusko)
Publisher: DC Comics
This has been a great–and large–week for comics. Including the second issue of the core mini-series, there are three issues of Blackest Night this week–one of which is this issue.
While the story so far has largely centered on Earth and the Earth-based characters, this issue brings the rest of the GL Corps into the story–specifically main characters like Guy Gardner, Kyle Rayner, and the other usuals for this title. While the Daxamites continue to mop up from their battle with the Sinestro Corps, no one’s particularly aware of Mongul’s new proclamation off-planet. Not aware of what’s happened on Earth nor the most recent post-Sciencell Riot events on Oa, the GLs seek answers. Before they can arive at Oa, they encounter a wave of Black Rings, and though they’re able to warn fellow Lanterns, no one is able to stop the rings from making their way into the GL crypt and raising all the dead Green Lanterns…converting them to Black Lanterns. As the heroes begin to realize what they’re up against, Guy and Kyle’s conversation regarding women in Kyle’s life comes back to haunt him.
As usual, the visual style isn’t quite my thing…of the three Blackest Night books this week, this one’s my least-favorite visually. Also as usual, that’s not to say the art is bad–it’s not–it’s just a stylistic thing that I don’t like…it comes across as somewhat cartooney. However, perhaps it’s sheer enjoyment of the story, but while the art’s noticeable, it doesn’t “bother” me the way it has in other recent issues. On the whole, a good visual presentation.
The story stays tight with the overall Blackest Night event unfolding the last couple months. Tomasi knows these characters, and Blackest Night, and that shines in how he steers his characters into the mix. Staying true to what I recall being a conceptual point of this series–that it focuses on the GL Corps on a far wider view than the main GL book–here we see the Green Lantern Corps on a broader scale encountering and facing the rising of the Black Lanterns.
All in all, a very good issue and with the above-mentioned reservations on the art, this is not an issue to be missed if you’re following the larger event.
Story: 8/10
Art: 7/10
Whole: 8/10
Filed under: Blackest Night (Event), Comic Reviews 2009, DC, DC Universe, Green Lantern Corps | Tagged: Adam Schlagman, Blackest Night, Christian Alamy, Comic Reviews, DC, DC Comics, GL, GL Corps, GLC, Green Lantern, Green Lantern Corps, Patrick Gleason, Peter J. Tomasi, Randy Mayor, Rebecca Buchman, Steve Wands, Tom Nguyen | Leave a comment »
Full review posted to comixtreme.com.
Story: 4.5/5
Art: 4.5/5
Overall: 4.5/5
Filed under: Blackest Night (Event), Blackest Night: Batman, cxPulp.com, DC, DC Universe | Tagged: Adam Schlagman, Adrian Syaf, Alex Sinclair, Andy KUbert, Batman, black lantern, Blackest Night, Blackest Night: Batman, Boston Brand, Comic Reviews, cxPulp.com, Damian, DC, DC Comics, Deadman, Dick Grayson, Eddie Berganza, Green Lantern, John Dell, John J. Hill, Nei Ruffino, Peter J. Tomasi, Robin, VIcente Cifuentes | Leave a comment »
Full review posted to comixtreme.com.
Story: 4.5/5
Art: 4.5/5
Overall: 4.5/5
Filed under: Blackest Night (Event), cxPulp.com, DC, DC Universe, Green Lantern | Tagged: Adam Schlagman, Alex Sinclair, Black Hand, black lantern, Black Lanterns, Blackest Night, Christian Alamy, Comic Reviews, cxPulp.com, DC, DC Comics, Doug Mahnke, Eddie Berganza, Geoff Johns, Green Lantern, Ony the Good Die Young, Randy Mayor, Rob Leigh, Rodney Ramos | Leave a comment »
Full review posted to comixtreme.com.
Story: 4.5/5
Art: 4.5/5
Overall: 5/5
Filed under: Blackest Night, Blackest Night (Event), cxPulp.com, DC, DC Universe | Tagged: Adam Schlagman, Alex Sinclair, Black Hand, black lantern, Black Lanterns, Blackest Night, Comic Reviews, cxPulp.com, DC, DC Comics, Eddie Berganza, Geoff Johns, Green Lantern, Hal Jordan, Ivan Reis, Nick J. Napolitano, Oclair Albert, Scar | Leave a comment »
Full review posted to comixtreme.com.
Story: 4.5/5
Art: 4.5/5
Overall: 4.5/5
Filed under: Blackest Night (Event), cxPulp.com, DC, DC Universe, Green Lantern | Tagged: Adam Schlagman, Alex Sinclair, Black Hand, black lantern, Black Lanterns, Blackest Night, Blackest Night Prologue, Christian Alamy, Comic Reviews, cxPulp.com, DC, DC Comics, Doug Mahnke, Eddie Berganza, Geoff Johns, Green Lantern, Randy Mayor, Rob Leigh, Tale of the Black Lantern | Leave a comment »
Full review posted to comixtreme.com.
Story: 3.5/5
Art: 4/5
Overall: 4/5
Filed under: cxPulp.com, DC, DC Universe, Green Lantern | Tagged: Adam Schlagman, Agent Orange, Anti-Monitor, Blackest Night, Comic Reviews, cxPulp.com, DC, DC Comics, Eddie Berganza, Eddy Barrows, Geoff Johns, Green Lantern, Green Lantern Corps, Jonathan Glapion, Nei Ruffino, Philip Tan, Prelude to Blackest Night, Rob Leigh, Rod Reis, Ruy Jose, War of Light | Leave a comment »
One of my favorite sci-fi authors (Sharon Lee) has declared June 23rd Fantasy and Science Fiction Writers Day.
As she puts it:
So! In my Official Capacity as a writer of science fiction and fantasy, I hereby proclaim June 23 Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Day! A day of celebration and wonder! A day for all of us readers of science fiction and fantasy to reach out and say thank you to our favorite writers. A day, perhaps, to blog about our favorite sf/f writers. A day to reflect upon how written science fiction and fantasy has changed your life.
So … what might you do on the 23rd to celebrate? Do you even read fantasy/sci-fi? Why? Why not?
I’m not sure I’ll do anything to ‘celebrate’…I’m not much for the “big” holidays, even.
Fantasy/Sci-Fi is the primary genre I read in. I haven’t read many of the “classics” in Sci-Fi; Ender’s Game is probably about the most “mainstream” sci-fi I’ve read. (Then again, I’ve read a number of Star Trek novels as well…)
I’ve enjoyed the Battletech books I’ve read, and I’ve read some of the more recent (2002-ish) Mechwarrior volumes (in part due to a brief period of time involved with the Mechwarrior: Dark Age miniatures game with some friends in my college days).
I’ve mentioned the Aliens series several times in earlier BTT posts–I’ve read the novelizations of the films, and about 2/3 of the novels based on the comics, and several of the Dark Horse Comics Omnibus volumes.
Some Star Trek, Stargate, Highlander, and a Star Wars novel or two can be added to the stack; and I’m sure I’ve read plenty of other sci-fi I’m not thinking of offhand…especially from the Science Fiction and Fantasy and Tolkien and Culture courses I took my junior and senior years of college.
Fantasy-wise, I’ve read The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings; the primary series I’ve read in the genre, though are Dragonlance and Magic: The Gathering.
Comics-wise, it seems that a lot of the superhero stuff can be in one or both genres without being so overtly. Superman involves plenty of science fiction elements (and certainly the same sort of “suspension of disbelief”) and yet would probably be classified “comics” or “super-hero” before “sci-fi.” Ditto Green Lantern, and pretty much any of the “cosmic books” from DC or Marvel (or any smaller publisher. Runners, or the TMNT for example).
It’s also interesting to note that what was once only science fiction in some cases either IS–or is close to being–science reality. And that while something may be fantasy, that does not render it un-real.
Now, despite my opening statement…perhaps–assuming I remember–I WILL blog on the topic in recognition of the day. Time’ll tell.
Filed under: Booking Through Thursday, NON-REVIEW CONTENT | Tagged: battletech, booking through thursday, dargonlance, DC, DC Comics, Ender's Game, fantasy, Green Lantern, lord of the rings, magic: the gathering, MARVEL, mechwarrior, runners, science fiction, star wars, Superman, TMNT, tolkien | 3 Comments »
Emerald Eclipse part five
Story & Words: Peter J. Tomasi
Penciller: Patrick Gleason
Inkers: Rebecca Buchman & Tom Nguyen
Colorists: Randy Mayor & Gabe Eltaeb
Letterer: Steve Wands
Editor: Adam Schlagman
Cover: Gleason, Buchman & Mayor
Publisher: DC Comics
Sodam Yat uses his Ion powers to transform Daxam’s sun into a yellow sun, thus granting all the Daxamites super-powers so that they can fight back against their oppressors. Meanwhile on Oa, the Lanterns continue battling the excaped sciencell prisoners, with some fairly unlikely alliances forged in the midst of battle. Finally, Scar throws off pretense and sets into motion what she’s been building toward for awhile now.
All in all, a decent issue story-wise. It’s cool to see what the GLs are doing all over the place and not just one or two specific GLs on a single planet. We get to see Yat continue to do spectacular things worthy of the tremendous power he harbors..and the fact of his doing it fits perfectly with a cosmic-level book such as this. Seeing things deteriorate on Oa adds a bit of desperation to things–again giving cause to wonder how the GLs are going to fare against the Black Lanterns soon to rise if they’re having this much trouble now without the Black Lanterns invading/attacking.
As usual–such that I feel completely repetetive even talking of it–the art is not at all to my tastes, and is a serious detraction to the book. I’m sure the style has its place, but for this reader at least, its place is not this book.
Given the story elements, I do recommend this issue for those already following the book and/or following everything related to Blackest Night. It’s not a great jumping-on point in and of itself, though if one wants to jump in amidst the ongoing action, this isn’t a horrible point to do so, either. Still…let’s just get to the “main event,” now, can we? I’m almost ready to just dive on in, and let a “flashback story” fill the gap later.
Story: 7.5/10
Art: 6/10
Whole: 6.5/10
Filed under: Comic Reviews 2009, DC, DC Universe, Green Lantern Corps | Tagged: Adam Schlagman, Blackest Night, Comic Reviews, DC, DC Comics, Emerald Eclipse, GL, GL Corps, GLC, Green Lantern, Green Lantern Corps, Patrick Gleason, Peter J. Tomasi, Prelude to Blackest Night, Randy Mayor, Rebecca Buchman, Steve Wands, Tom Nguyen | Leave a comment »
Full review posted to comixtreme.com.
Story: 3/5
Art: 3/5
Overall: 3/5
Filed under: cxPulp.com, DC, DC Universe, Superman: World of New Krypton | Tagged: Brad Anderson, Comic Reviews, cxPulp.com, DC, DC Comics, Gary Frank, Green Lantern, Greg Rucka, Hal Jordan, James Robinson, John Stewart, Krypton, Matt Idelson, New Krypton, Pete Woods, Sodam Yat, Steve Wands, Superman, Wil Moss, World of New Krypton, Zod | Leave a comment »
Comic Reviews by Walt 