Brightest Day #16 - From the Ocean to Awesome

The past few issues of Brightest Day have been like a topless Playboy model trying to break into your house to give you oral sex. She's been so good to you in the past, but she earned herself a time-out for getting sloppy on the job. She's still skilled at her craft, but she has to earn the right to be awesome at delivering the goods again. Two issues ago, the Brightest Day series hit a low point. Now bear in mind a low point for Brightest Day is like a bad throw by Peyton Manning. It's bound to happen, but he always makes up for it. The previous issue got the book back on track. It wasn't flawless awesome like much of Brightest Day has been to this point. Going back to the Playboy model I referenced earlier, it's the equivalent of three quarters of a blow job. So there's still a ways to go to reach the desired peak.

Brightest Day #16 is left with the less ominous task of improving on an improvement. The last issue had to claw it's way out of a whole. This issue has light already visible from the beginning. It just has to avoid tripping over itself to get there. What has caused some of the recent issues of Brightest Day to fall face first into a pile of horse shit lately has been a deviation from what worked so well earlier. Normally when you're on the yellow brick road, you don't want to veer off. Writer Geoff Johns did that a few issues ago when Deadman met up with Batman. Instead of balancing multiple plots in a way only he can, Johns focused on just one plot for an issue. This is all well and good, but if the way that plot is handled sucks then the whole damn issue sucks. It's like investing all your money in Enron and having no fall-back plan when your bank comes over to ass rape you into bankruptcy. The last issue was similar, but not entirely. It spent most of the time on one plot involving J'onn J'ozz. Granted, this story was much better done, but it still didn't tie into the rest of the series very well. It offered at the end a hint at the next issue, which would revisit the Firestorm arc.

Now you would think a story involving two college kids with the power to create another big bang would be a big fucking story, but no. Somehow this got put on the back burner. It's not the only one either. The Aquaman story was pretty important for a while, involving Aurthur finding the son of Black Manta and letting him know his biological father is a real asshole. So far we've been denied the inevitable kick in the balls this kid, Jackson, is poised to receive. Brightest Day #16 is left being the steel-toed shoe that does the kicking and it tries to get back on that yellow brick road by throwing in the Firestorm arc.

It starts off with Aquaman and Jackson. For the past few issues, they must have twiddled their thumbs or saw Tron Legacy because in their last appearance they hopped on a truck with Jackson's adopted parents to get away. Aurthur then took him to an old hang-out where he can prepare his next move. While there Jackson sees some pictures of Aurthur, Mera, and their son. The scene becomes more awkward than a pedophile in Toys-R-Us when Aurthur reveals that Jackson's biological father killed the cute baby boy in the pictures.

Now here's where this issue takes a definitive turn from the previous two books. Rather than sick entirely with the Aquaman plot (which isn't necessarily a bad thing) it actually *gasp* transitions to the Firestorm plot. This after *second gasp* it was hinted at near the end of the previous issue. I know it sounds like I'm making a big deal of this, but it's worth ranting about through a bull-horn. Part of what made previous issues of Brightest Day so awesome was Geoff Johns flaunting his ability to balance these plots in a single issue. It's not an easy thing to do. It's like having a big dick. You don't stand atop a building announcing it, but you wear slightly loose pants so that people can see the distinct outline to demonstrate your virility. Geoff Johns has been known for subtlety before and regardless of whether or not he has a big dick, the man knows how to flaunt it.

The Firestorm arc, if some are sober enough to remember, was once one of the most volatile plots. Not only did the Firestorm matrix split into a new incarnation of the Black Lanterns, but Professor Stein said that in it's current volatile state the matrix could cause another big bang. And by big bang I'm not referring to porno slang or the nerdtastic show on CBS with the hot chick. I mean an actual big bang that destroys the whole freakin' universe. Seeing as how this is clearly a bad thing, Firestorm seeks out help from the Justice League and they're not in a position to say no when the universe is in the hands of a couple of college frat boys.

While Ronnie and Jason are trying desperately not to undo what God and Allah did over a drunken bar bet, the Black Lantern Firestorm is handling his power with the same responsibility as 2-year-old armed with crazy glue. He has the black lantern in hand, which is like a pedophile who has keys to the boys bathroom at a pre-school. Not content to be a complete arrogant douche-bag, he plays tricks on Professor Stein and Jason's father that he absorbed earlier. He makes Jason's dad believe he can stop the Black Firestorm by killing the host (himself) so he forms a gun for him. It's his way to prove that he loves his son enough to kill himself. It's like a mirror reflection of the Old Testament, except Yahwe in this instance is a juvenile jerk-off. Firestorm made him the gun, but put no bullets in it. He essentially just fucked with Jason's dad for shits and giggles while on his way to deliver the lantern.

We go back to Aquaman (yep, Johns is flexing that package of his again) and the new Aqualad. At least that's how Jackson is being groomed. Aquaman is like a more pushy version of Yoda, dragging Jackson along this path and taking him to a special cave where there's another bio-locked chest to open. Along the way he teaches Jackson a bit about living underwater. He shows him that he can see in the dark and breathe underwater. Aquaman is also nice enough to not warn him when he gets a holographic recording (think Superman origins) from his biological parents. Except he's no savior or a hero. He's pretty much a key and not the kind used in cheap college sex jokes either. He's supposed to release Mera's people from their prison in the Bermuda Triangle. It's pretty much his purpose and the only consolation he gets from it is a new Aqualad costume. To be fair though, the costume looks pretty damn awesome.

It's a lot to take in for a kid his age. Most guys at his stage of life bury their faces in pillows because that hot chick with the D-cup breasts in Algebra class wants to file a restraining order because you kept staring down her shirt. But this is a comic! Surely Jackson can summon the inner courage that Clark Kent did back in the day and accept his responsibility.

Actually, he can't. He responds in a way you would expect a teenage boy to respond who got pulled over for a DUI. His words are and I quote "I want to go home." It may be the least heroic thing ever said in a DC comic. Jackson might as well put on a skirt and start sucking his thumb. However, he does redeem himself somewhat by lashing out at Aquaman when he tries to persuade him otherwise. As whimpy as some teenagers can be, they can also be rebellious and fierce.

Aquaman lets Jackson throw his little hissy fit. Over the course of the next two pages, Jackson's balls start descending again after having retreated to the back of his throat. Say what you will about Aquaman being one the lamest superheroes in DC (next to the Penguin), but the man is king of Atlantis. For a kid to fight back and hold his own is still quit a feat. Aquaman resists channeling his inner Namor and helps Jackson settle down. He gives a speech that is basically cut from every episode of 7th Heaven, saying how he went through the same crap when he was young. Except he throws in a few light kicks in the ass so he'll be willing to hero up and help fight back against the Xebels. That may mean pissing his father, Black Manta, off. Then again, what teenage boy wouldn't want to piss off the father that left him? It helps Jackson seem a bit more kick-ass and a bit less ass-kicked.

So Jackson comes full circle and embraces his new role as the new Aqualad. It's a nice little journey that has some parallels with Superman, but not so many that it would excite that inner copyright lawyer in all of us. It makes Jackson more relateable and likable. He's a guy who just found out his biological father is an evil asshole and that he's the key to preserving the whole (underwater) world. It's like finding out you're related to a serial killer and then become a police officer (the non-corrupt non-donut eating kind). For that, Jackson earns the label of awesome.

He's not the only college-age guy having his testicles forcibly descended. Ronnie and Jason are still stuck in the Firestorm matrix, trying to prevent another (non porno) Big Bang. The help they're getting is from the Atom. The theory is they're going to use Metamorpho to stabilize the Firestorm matrix. There's no long-winded Star Trek inspired explanation here. It's just adapting to whatever havoc he's unleashing at the moment. No Nobel Prize in nuclear physics needed.

As with so many things in science, what sounds good on paper doesn't always work out in real life. Communism sounded good on paper to some. Then Stalin put it into practice and nobody was a fan. However, Atom doesn't even get a chance to implement his plan because Ronnie and Jason do exactly what Professor Stein told them not to do. He warned them that if they argued like college students at a football game, they could destabilize the matrix. Well keeping in mind that Ronnie inadvertently killed Jason's girlfriend, it was bound to happen sooner or later. And it did in a big way.

I say big because Firestorm erupts in the heat of a the college-equivilent of a yo momma's so fat joke. As a result, that eruption essentially snuffs out everything. And by everything I mean everything. It appears they destroy the universe. All the stories, plots, and struggles in the entire DC universe post Blackest Night are suddenly meaningless. The universe is dead. Now given that there are still a number of issues left in this series, it's reasonable to assume that this is not the end. But still, it's over the top in a universal way. You expect that kind of shit from Jeph Loeb. Not Geoff Johns. It's a somewhat fitting way to end the book in that you can't really end it any other way. It sets the stage for what could be an either very interesting or very dull resolution in the next issue.

So is it safe to say at this point that Brightest Day has recaptured the magic? Well no one can fault Geoff Johns for not going the distance. It takes more stones than Stone Henge to use a plot that involves destroying an entire universe. Scale isn't the issue here. It's quality. Brightest Day has always set itself apart with quality, mixing action and more personal issues. In Brightest Day #16 the personal aspect was covered by Jackson and Aqualad. This was done very well, painting Jackson as a real kid who didn't ask for the responsibility he's been given and now finds himself in a position he can't easily walk away from. The fact he responded in such a whimpy manner shows he's human and since every other guy in comics is too macho to fit in their own scrotum, it's somewhat refreshing.

But as nicely developed as the Aquaman story was, the Firestorm plot left something to be desired. It was nice to see the Black Lantern Firestorm again, but it's still not clear what the hell he's doing with the lantern or what he has planned. It also felt like the conflict between Ronnie and Jason was a bit rushed. They argue for just a few panels and then the universe blows up? It's not that it's a bad idea (as much as blowing up a universe can't be), but it is over-the-top and it does happen a bit quickly. Now this could all be a ruse of sorts and the Atom hit a failsafe at the last second. Something has to happen to remedy this and that's it's biggest flaw. No self-respecting DC comics fan in the right mind believes that this is the end. It's that knowledge that somehow it will be retconned that makes this twist horribly flawed.

However, flaws are a matter of degree. Compared to the flaws of recent issues, does Brightest Day #16 still measure up? It doesn't fall flat, it doesn't trip over itself or sniff it's own farts, and it doesn't destroy the series. It does succeed at moving the story along in an engaging way and it's nice to get a sense of flow again from the last issue to this issue. Seeing more than one plot made this comic feel bigger than it was and for that, it is still pretty damn awesome. So for the final score, Brightest Day #16 gets a 4 out of 5. It hasn't taken that final leap back to the peak of comic book awesome. It just needs a few more pushes. With the end of this series in sight, rational and level-headed comic fans everywhere have to assume that DC is setting it up for an end so awesome that it will tear a hole in the space time continuum. Anything less at this point would be lame. Nuff said!

Brightest Day #11 - Dark Awesome

Every two weeks I'm inclined to pay my routine tribute to DC comics. This has been the longest stretch of time in over a decade where I've routinely ponied up my hard earned cash for a single ongoing series. It used to be DC comics couldn't hold my interest in the same way Lost couldn't hold my interest. So much was going on and unless you were stoned, it wasn't going to knock your socks off. Well then Blackest Night happened and the ongoing Brightest Day followed up and let's just say I've been walking barefoot ever since! Brightest Day remains one of the most consistently quality stories in comics right now. Not only is it biweekly, but the damn thing only costs $2.99 when most comics these days cost a buck extra. It's a better deal than the five dollar foot long.

Since issue one (or zero if you want to be technical) Brightest Day has followed the story of characters who returned from the ashes of Blackest Night. They've all played a part in the unfolding world of the new DCU status quo. It took a number of issues to set up, but in recent months the action has really escalated. There's a lot more focus on certain character plots. The ones most prominent have been that of Firestorm and Aquaman. The Aquaman plot has spun out of the white lantern, which thanks to Boston Brand (Deadman for all you folks too lazy to use wikipedia) is seeking a new guardian. That guardian is tied to a new Aqualad, who happens to be the son of Black Manta (go on, use wikipedia this time). So somehow the battle for this kid will determine what happens with the White Lantern. It's like a struggle for the keys to a new Ferrari or the combination to Scarlett Johanssen's underwear drawer.

While the Aquaman issue has been unfolding for a few issues, now the last issue revisited the story with Firestorm. Since the beginning of Brightest Day their story has been mostly the tired college drama you would find on MTV reality shows. Some guy's girlfriend is dead because some other guy had the audacity to come back from the dead and merge with the Firestorm matrix. It's basically the plot of no fewer than two seasons of the Real World. Now Jason and Ronnie, the two sides of the Firestorm matrix, have learned how their mutual hatred for one another had the potential to cause another big bang. While this offers a much stronger incentive to forgive and forget, some of Ronnie's old demons literally come back to haunt them in the form of the Black Lantern corps. Apparently not everyone died or re-died as it were in Blackest Night. The Firestorm Black Lantern was just buying his time and having a big bang in his hip pocket leaves him in pretty good position to kick some ass.

So this new Firestorm seems eager to learn about this deadly power Professor Stein has uncovered. He basically comes off as having the maturity of a college frat boy who claims to know the secret of the universe. So in that sense, he's an accurate representation of no fewer than 60 college stereotypes. And like a college stereotype, he's not inclined to study for answers. He does the equivalent of buying his essay off the internet and absorbs Professor Stein in hopes of uncovering the full potential to his power.

There's then a quick interlude of the battle between Aquaman and Black Manta. It's really an old school style brawl, a classic comic character battling his arch rival in the Lex Luthor vs. Superman tradition. However, the stakes are extra high in this one. Black Manta seems a lot less like his sinister self in that he's fighting for control over his son (granted, the same son he apparently abandoned, but still). Aquaman is trying to keep those influences away from him and understandably so. However, as old school as this battle is there isn't much of a spectacle here. It's basically like a reminder to the reader that there is a fight going on and that's about it. Plus it only lasts two pages. It's basically some filler to cover the gaps with the Firestorm arc.

This is really Firestorm and Deathstorm's issue to shine. Jason and Ronnie are facing their darkest half and for once Professor Stein isn't going to bail them out. Now it's not entirely clear just how Deathstorm is using Stein. He just seems to be fooling around with his powers, not using that whole big bang thing that Stein described in the last issue. You would think that someone with the maturity level of a drunk college student couldn't resist the temptation to use it. But instead he just harasses Ronnie and Jason. That's a little underhanded, but it does give Jason and Ronnie time to set aside the whole I-killed-your-girlfriend bit and join forces as Firestorm again. In terms of being an evil villain, Deathstorm is already proving to be pretty incompetent. But that's forgivable from a reader's perspective because it makes for some awesome moments with Firestorm.

This ends up being another short scene, like a prelude for the fight to come. The story goes right back to Black Manta and Aquaman. There's not a whole lot of overbloated dialogue here. There's just an all out brawl and even in a story as deep as Brightest Day, there's nothing wrong with that! It's like porn. There will always be a place for deeper stories, but there are just some times you want to look at pretty things that will get your juices flowing! The art here really shines and the old school style struggle with Aquaman and Black Manta really shines. It unfolds nicely, but eventually someone had to gain the upper hand. In this case it's Black Manta. He's the one fighting for his son so he kicks just enough extra ass to make Aquaman regret coming back from the dead.

This battle appears to be the simpler plot of the comic and like each scene so far, it doesn't last long because the story bounces back to the Firestorm/Deathstorm arc. Now at this point readers may be feeling a bit of vertigo because this issue is bouncing around so much. If your brain is prone to falling out of your skull, now is a good time to take a breather. But the story is still worth following here.

Now that Deathstorm has to contend with Jason and Ronnie, he tries to make it personal again. To do this he brings Jason's father, Alan Rusch into the fold. Now it's not quite clear what kind of strategy Deathstorm is employing. It's not entirely reckless though. If you want to psyche out Firestorm, a good way to do it is piss off a part of it. In this case that part is Jason and unlike the Mafia, Deathstorm isn't afraid to go after family. He sucks in Alan the same way he sucks in Professor Stein. Before Firestorm can even begin to fight back, he flies off. So basically that means for everything that's happened so far Firestorm and Deathstorm have yet to really fight. It seems like a shortcoming, but the stage is being set for something here. It's just taking much longer than it should to unfold.

Now at this point you gotta hold onto your brain again because the story heads right back to Aquaman and Black Manta. Now to this point Black Manta still has the upper hand just as the baby daddy always has the upper hand in all things outside Maury Povich. He keeps messing with Aquaman, letting his actions do most of the talking here. There's not nearly the same dialogue as there is with the Deathstorm struggle and that's not a bad thing. It's a lot easier to follow here. You don't need to study astrophysics at Oxford to follow it. You don't even need to graduate the third grade to follow it. This is especially apparent in the way that Aquaman turns the tables on Black Manta. He uses an oncoming truck. Even in a superhero comic, there's just no substitute for road rage.

This renders Black Manta officially pwned and humiliated, allowing Aquaman to escape with the new Aqualad (his name is Jackson for all those who skipped that part). This effectively puts a stop to that battle and then resumes the chase with Deathstorm.

Finally, it's getting a bit more coherent. Firestorm chases Deathstorm to his destination. It turns out he was heading straight towards the White Lantern, which Boston Brand found earlier. Now Boston is nowhere in sight and neither are the White Lanterns. So that seems like a bit of a head-scratcher. But wherever he is, Deathstorm takes advantage of his absence and starts corrupting this power that has been at the center of the Brightest Day series since the first page. It immediately upgrades Deathstorm's hit-points in terms of evil from a 10 to a 70 because he's got ambition as well as balls. And with it, he does something that should make Blackest Night fans run naked through the streets while high on ecstasy. He resurrects the Black Lantern Corps.

If ever there was a stage to be set for a battle of cosmic proportions, this is it! Now most should probably have forgotten that whole lack of a fight between Deathstorm and Firestorm. That would have been too easy. Throw in the entire Black Lantern Corps and you've got something that's the awesomeness equivalent of the Death Star! It definite kicks everything up a notch within this series.

While this battle is being waged, the struggle is still unfolding for Aquaman and the new Aqualad. They've left Black Manta behind and are in search of their next battle. For whatever reason, Jackson is the key and Aquaman helps him figure it out. It's not entirely clear what he does, but he manages to open up that sealed case his father gave him earlier to reveal a map that's supposed to tell them where they have to go next. Once again, Brightest Day shows how well-thought out it is because the next destination further ties into the other plots that have been unfolding within the series. Their next trip will be to Mars, where the Martian Manhunter has been caught up in a search of his own. He hasn't shown up in Brightest Day in a few issues. Now it looks like he's going to finally get the spotlight again along with the Black Lanterns. It's like the end of an episode of House. The answers fall into place and Dr. House winds up looking more awesome. He's not even in this comic, but even he would celebrate the end of this issue with an extra helping of Vicodin.

So once again, Brightest Day proves why it's still the most reliable source of awesome from DC. This issue was heavy on the action and the foreboding, showing old school battles with Aquaman and Black Manta alongside new school battles with the Black Lantern Corps. It's like both schools coming together in a way that doesn't piss off the teacher unions! Only someone like Geoff Johns could pull that shit off and it makes this issue a worthy contribution to this series.

Now I do have some criticisms this time. I've caught some flack in the pass for overlooking flaws within this series and giving perfect scores out in the same way Paris Hilton gives out blow jobs. But there are some more serious issues this time around. What really made this issue a bit of a struggle was the pacing. The scenes changed every couple of pages and there wasn't nearly the kind of flow that made the other issues so easy to follow. First it's Deathstorm, then Aquaman, then Deathstorm again, and then back to Aquaman. It made everything more choppy than was necessary. If it were a boat, everybody on board would get sea sick and blow chunks into the nearest school of leaping dolphins.

Confusing or not, the content is still up to par and that's really the most important part of comics like this. You can overlook the seeming lack of organization if the material is still awesome. So while I can't give this book a perfect score like all the others, I can still give it a stellar 4.5 out of 5. Hopefully the next issue won't fly over everybody's head and be a bit more coherent. But with all the big stories set up in this issue, there's a shit ton of reasons to still celebrate the awesome of Brightest Day! Nuff said.

Blackest Night - A Bright Beacon of Awesome

For years it seems Marvel comics have overshadowed DC in terms of scale, quality, and overall awesome. It always reflects in the sales figures which routinely have Marvel comics beating DC on a monthly basis. Every so often DC will come along with something like Infinite Crisis that will narrow the gap, but only briefly. They haven't had a real breakthrough story that beat Marvel at it's own game. Then Blackest Night came out and all bets are off.

This past week, the eighth and final issue of Blackest Night came out and it finished a story that can only be described as an ultra advanced supped up nuclear powered state-of-the-art mind-blowing supernova of awesome. This massive crossover, which spans nearly every corner of the DC universe, follows Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps and nearly every other corps as they go up against the Black Lanterns, a corps led by Nekron who uses Black Lantern energy to reanimate the dead. These dead become wielders of the black rings and include some notable DC names like the Martian Manhunter, Elongated Man, and Aquaman. But these dead aren't mindless zombies. These are dead with a very different persona, one driven by an emotional disdain for the living. They don't walk around groaning incoherently to eat brains. They forge together like a real Lantern Corp and unite with Nekron to find the White Light, which the guardians say is the same light that brought the universe into existence.

It is a masterfully crafted tale that builds various personal dramas around a heated core of action that is nothing short of orgasmic for comic fans or anyone who enjoys a good story. Even if a reader couldn't give two farts from a skunks ass about the Green Lantern or Hal Jordan, they come to relate to him and his struggle as he and other lanterns like John Stewart, Kyle Rayner, and Guy Gardner take on Nekron.

Writer Geoff Johns, who was recently voted best comic writer by fans and promoted to chief creative officer in DC, demonstrates why he is one of the best comic writers of the modern era. Johns has the distinction of making people give a damn about the Green Lantern again with his landmark Sinestro Corps run. Blackest Night takes it a step further, bringing the entire DC universe into focus. Few writers can take on the responsibility of telling a story around an entire comic universe. Geoff Johns is one writer for whom the universe is always in good hands. What makes his writing so enjoyable are the little things. Most writers for any company will gladly omit certain details and leave certain plot holes open for the sake of moving forward. These holes are usually small and most readers couldn't care less about them. Who can blame them? Comics are short. There's only so much space to work with. It's only when those little gaps are filled that their true value shows.

This is highlighted in the final issue where Nekron is defeated and the many dead who were brought back were left alive and well. It would have been so much easier to just show them all alive again, have a few witty comments, and leave it at that. But Johns didn't do that. He dedicated several pages to certain character reactions and even focused on specific characters to highlight the emotional significance. This is something the reader doesn't realize is so powerful unless it is there and masterfully done. It is a comic that ends on a brighter note...literally in some respects. It's a welcome shift from a decade of style over substance coupled with a need to shock readers and make characters grimmer and grittier. After a while, that shit gets old. Readers just want a good story that will make them smile at the end. Blackest Night does that and opens the door to a new chapter in the DC universe.

I personally didn't want to review this until I saw the whole series. From issue one, I was sucked in even though I was more focused on Marvel events like Necrosha. Now that it's over, the awesome of Blackest Night has overshadowed everything Marvel has done to this point. The bar has been raised and I might just start working more DC into my pull list. From a lifelong Marvel fan, that is tantamount to blasphemy and worthy of being burned at the stake. Call me a revolutionary, but Blackest Night's awesome is just too great to ignore.

Months ago I was split between death-centered stories Necrosha and Blackest Night. Months later Blackest Night has kicked Necrosha's ass and that's saying something because Necrosha was still pretty awesome. But overall, Blackest Night wins with a knock-out. It raises the bar for comics and that bar is simple. Shock value and darkness can only go so far. Sometimes it's nicer and more awesome to read a story that ends with brighter days ahead. That being said, Blackest Night gets a perfect score!

The next big event, X-men Second Coming, has a lot to live up to. If it is going to follow in Blackest Night's big shadow, it better pull out all the stops. Awesome comes in many forms. For a big event to be special, it has to follow the examples of Geoff Johns and Blackest Night. Make sure the little things count, make sure the big things count even more, and make sure it all comes together in a way that makes a fanboy smile. It's simple, but it isn't easy. For stories like Blackest Night, it is so worth it.