Comic Reviews by Walt

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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 »