Hello again GEN readers! It’s Jill a.k.a. The Nerdy Bird back with this week’s installment of DoubleDCoverage. I’ll be off to the San Diego Comic Con by the time you read this. Hooray! Hush escapes Wayne Tower in order to give lots of money away to charity? I smell foul! Maybe that’s just the burning Gothamites. Also, Black Lanterns are not zombies. Try to keep up. Don’t tell them I said that. Reviews for Batman: Streets of Gotham #2 and Blackest Night #1 are ahead, also, check out my star ratings for my other pulls from last Wednesday!
BATMAN: STREETS OF GOTHAM #2
Gotham City looks pretty peaceful lit by candlelight don’t you think? What? That’s people who have spontaneously combusted into flames? Oh, well, in that case. Pass the marshmallows!
Sorry, I’ve got a little pyromaniac in me. Just like Firefly who’s adapted Black Mask’s own chemical implants to create widespread panic in the city. He hasn’t asked for a ransom, he just likes to see things burn. Batman and Robin have already discovered his methods and see to disabling the implants in citizens who haven’t already gone up in flames like the child prostitute from last issue. They’ve also located Firefly’s hideout but not before Black Mask can show up to reprimand his associate. A fight breaks out and Firefly has the advantage but Robin reluctantly saves Black Mask before he can be executed. Firefly is quickly captured by Batman considering, you know, he’s not that great a villain anyway.
In the midst of all this chaos Alfred is caught off-guard when Hush, locked up in Wayne Tower, seemingly catches on fire. Thinking it’s part of Firefly’s evil scheme he rushes in to aid him but realizes a second too late it was a all a ploy. Tommy Elliot is now on the loose with his brand new Bruce Wayne face. Dick believes he’ll be discovered sooner rather than later by one of their network but he shows up almost immediately for the press conference to end all press conferences. Posing as Bruce, Tommy gives a heartfelt speech as to the horrific state of Gotham City as of late. Both the Justice League and Ra’s Al Ghul sit back and watch knowing full well this is not Bruce but Dick and Damian take another course of action. They stand next to Tommy as he announces he’ll be giving one billion dollars to the city each month until the crisis is over. Didn’t see that one coming.
The second feature finds Manhunter tracking down Jane Doe, which as you can imagine, is a bit difficult. She pays a visit to Arkham and manages to get a look at Jane’s file without having to kick in any skulls. She’s pretty horrifying to look at as her normal appearance is skinless but Kate gets to see that up close when Jane puts a knife to her throat from the back seat of her car. For such a short amount of pages, a good deal of information was handed out but the story hasn’t moved along much in general. The main story with Firefly seems like it’s pretty much wrapped up but I can’t wait to see where Paul Dini goes with the Hush storyline. How exactly do you handle a villain who’s doing something positive for Gotham. Dick should go have a talk with Superman, Lex Luthor’s been pulling this kind of crap for years.
BLACKEST NIGHT #1 (OF 8 )
There are times when reading comics I forget that the people whose lives I’m following each week are not real. It doesn’t happen often but when it does I’m happy to lose myself in the moment. It’s a true gift when a writer can make me feel for a character like that. It’s happened since but one of the most shining examples of this effect was Identity Crisis. Blackest Night may be a Green Lantern centric storyline but Geoff Johns has incorporated the entire DC Universe in such a way that I can say for sure I’ll be emotionally attached to this one for a while. Fortunately, emotions are running high in Blackest Night #1.
If you like your comics cheerful, Blackest Night is not for you. Though anyone silly enough to start reading the book not expecting horror and tragedy are fools. Comparisons have been made left and right to Marvel Zombies when in fact, the Black Lanterns are not zombies. They are reanimated dead for sure but they still have their wits about them and do not eat the flesh of the living. At least not yet. However, Black Hand has licked the skull of (presumably) Bruce Wayne. All around the world, heroes and villains alike are remembering their fallen comrades. It’s the anniversary of the death of Superman, which has now become a holiday of sorts. Recent losses and resurrections are weighing heavily on everyone – most significantly, Barry Allen. Having been dead for twenty years, Barry wasn’t around for the countless deaths of many of his friends and allies but insists Hal Jordan fill him in on what he’s missed. He’s floored and we’re reminded of just how many heroes aren’t around anymore.
The Guardians, having all the time in the world to prepare, are still caught off guard when they witness the erupting War of Light. Not only that, Scar finally announces herself as a traitor biting one of the Guardians, revealing his yellow shaded blood. The rest watch helplessly as she then rips out his green heart and turns it to dust. Am I sensing a theme here? At the same time, the Black Lantern power rings have been unleashed from Sector 666 and hammering down upon Oa while staking their claim on the deceased there and elsewhere. Most noticeably, St. Roch, where Hawkman and Hawkgirl are busy arguing over their complicated relationship. Out of nowhere, Kendra is stabbed through the heart with a spear. The wielder? Black Lantern Sue Dibney. She’s accompanied by her husband, Black Lantern Ralph, who proceeds to beat the living shit out of Carter. Neither Hawk survives the battle. As if that wasn’t hard enough to watch, Ralph and Sue take both their hearts as they are called as the next Black Lanterns.
The road to Blackest Night has been building ever since Johns’ Green Lantern: Rebirth. The Sinestro Corps War sort of took everyone by surprise by it’s awesomeness but even the significant amount of time DC had been talking about Blackest Night did not diminish it’s impact. The issue itself had the same kind of build. The groundwork was laid, a new Corps emerges and then the action explodes with the force of a hydrogen bomb. Johns has given enough information to keep Blackest Night accessible even if you haven’t been following the Green Lantern books for the last few years but gives the kind of detail only true fans can appreciate. Black Lanterns Ch’p and Bzzd just about broke my heart, Ralph and Sue actually did. I cannot give enough praise to the artists. Ivan Reis, Oclair Albert and Alex Sinclair are a dream team. The spreads are outstanding but it’s the particulars that bring it all home. Hawkman’s bloody, mangled face actually gave me nightmares. There’s lots more we still don’t know about the Black Lanterns but I’m dying to find out. Uh oh, I said the D word.
ACTION COMICS #879 – That Mirabai chick is crazy powerful, can’t wait to find out what her deal is. Anyone else creeped out by Thara having a thing with Chris considering he’s about 10 years old mentally?
BLACKEST NIGHT: TALES OF THE CORPS #1 – Stop making me think Mongul is cute in any way, shape or form. Klok klek ne nok. Now you speak Indigo Tribe.
WEDNESDAY COMICS #2 – Batman suggests Superman goes on super-prozac and I laugh for a minute straight.
My pull list for next week:
BLACKEST NIGHT: TALES OF THE CORPS #2 (OF 3)
FINAL CRISIS: LEGION OF THREE WORLDS #5 (OF 5)
GOTHAM CITY SIRENS #2
GREEN LANTERN #44
THE OUTSIDERS #20
POWER GIRL #3
SUPERGIRL #43
WEDNESDAY COMICS #3 (OF 12)
Which two should I review for DoubleDCoverage #18?
July 22nd, 2009 at 4:19 am
“Batman suggests Superman goes on super-prozac and I laugh for a minute straight.” - You weren’t the only one!
I vote for Supergirl, I haven’t kept up and have no clue what’s going on there.
July 22nd, 2009 at 10:23 am
“Stop making me think Mongul is cute in any way, shape or form.”
The genius of Johns and Tomasi (and of course some supremely talented artists) can achieve even something so impossible… little Mongul was so adorable, even the raging genocidal maniac not very well concealed in that scrawny little body!
And thanks for pointing out BN is not about zombies… that comparison annoys me no end.
As for next week, could be anything, but I will vote for Green Lantern 44 to see Hal and Barry dealing with Black Lantern J’onn. The other could really be just about anything.
July 22nd, 2009 at 5:41 pm
Supergirl! Not only is it the strongest Supes book (by far), it’s definitely one of DC’s best. My shop sells out regularly and that makes me happy.
Oh, Indigo Tribe. You had me at Klok.
And yes, that really sums up my WC #2 experience. Love that book. It doesn’t come out often enough, true story.
July 23rd, 2009 at 5:40 am
You were completely correct about Blackest Night. It catches you by the throat and will not let go. As for the book I would like your take on? Power Girl. I am reading it and really have a clean slate about the character because I really just know a bit about her. What do you think about the book?
July 28th, 2009 at 12:19 pm
I’m digging Power Girl a lot CBG. I think it’s a good spot for people to start reading because they’re really giving her her own fleshed out story now.