Necrosha - Dead, Alive, and In Between

On the same week Blackest Night reached it's conclusion, the other major death-themed story in the comics world ended as well. Necrosha, the big X-men crossover involving X-Force, finally reached it's conclusion. While the awesome factor was still strong, in many ways it was overshadowed by the sheer magnitude of awesome cast by Blackest Night.

Never-the-less, Necrosha did end on a solid note. Over the past few months the event had been unfolding nicely throughout the X-books (except Uncanny). It gave X-Force it's biggest moment since Messiah War and they really stepped up to the plate. Writers Craig Kyle and Chris Yost did a nice job bringing a lesser used villain like Selene into the fold and writing her in a ways that would never leave a reader to suspect she was so underused. It would have been so much easier for them to use someone who had much bigger credentials as an X-villain. They could have used Mr. Sinister, the Hellfire Club, or Black Tom Cassidy. But they took a chance on using a lesser name like Selene and by the end she wasn't lesser anymore. That and she looks much better in a thong.

The final issue was the final showdown. X-Force which consisted of Wolverine, X-23, Domino, Vanisher, Warpath, and Angel made their way to Selene and attacked. It took some help from Warpath's deceased brother, John "Thunderbird" Proudstar, to get them close, but they were able to take her on and literally rip out her heart. It made for a moment of brutal awesome that is consistent with the quality that has always been X-Force.

Now some reviewers on sites like CBR have criticized X-Force for being too dark and too bland. This is being somewhat short-sighted because darkness is a major theme of X-Force. Kyle and Yost made that clear from the beginning. You don't have a team of mutant killers hunt down thong-wearing immortal with a goddess complex and have it be merely PG. This story merely continued the traditions established in X-Force since the beginning and there's nothing wrong with that.

That's not to say some criticisms weren't valid. It didn't feel as though the other books that crossed over with Necrosha, including X-men Legacy and New Mutants, had much of an impact on the final battle. Basically, some enemies like Proteus broke off from Selene's main force and just fought other teams of the X-men and that was it for the most part. It would have been more fitting of Magneto came over from X-men Legacy and took part in the battle on the very island he once ruled. It may be because he was a major player in Uncanny instead, but it feels like a missed opportunity. Also, the final blow against Selene felt as though it could have been made earlier. Unlike Blackest Night, the mutants of X-Force didn't really need to do anything special to take her down. They just needed to get close and stab her. It's very in line with X-Force's brutal nature, but it feels a bit underhanded that someone with that kind of power would be taken down with just a stab to the heart.

Criticisms aside, Necrosha still did a fine job of bringing the story to a close. It also opened the door for more stories. It was able to end on a positive note like Blackest Night. Not all the mutants Selene resurrected were accounted for in the end. That means some like Banshee, Pyro, Senyaka, and Blink could still be out there. There was also the touching moment between Warpath and his brother. All too often characters like Thunderbird get glossed over and this was a moment for him to shine. Even though X-Force as a series is such a dark book, it really ended on a positive note with Cyclops saying the dawn is coming. That dawn should emerge through Second Coming and Necrosha helps bleed in nicely to this much bigger event.

Necrosha as a whole deserves plenty of praise. If Blackest Night hadn't unfolded right along with it this series would deserve a 5 out of 5 or at least a 4.5 out of 5. But since Blackest Night bested Necrosha in so many ways, it is overshadowed in a sense can only be given a 4 out of 5. It's still a quality book with quality art and quality storytelling. It is merely a victim of timing, sandwiched between Blackest night and Second Coming. Once these events are over and the aftermath begins, the truth context of Necrosha will come into focus and there will be plenty more reasons to praise it's awesome.

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.