Blood Between the Panels: Blackest Night #1
Blackest Night # 1
DC Comics
Writer: Geoff Johns
Penciller: Ivan Reis
Review: Bryce Holland
I have to admit, I am a little late reviewing this one, as it came out a few weeks ago, but I have a good reason. Over the last 5 years or so the “Big Two” comic companies (Marvel and DC) have fallen into a rather annoying trend. There was a time not so long ago when almost any issue of a single title you picked up from either company came with the promise that you’d be reading a chapter of a single, self-contained story. Sure, there were many times when titles would cross-over with other titles in order to tell a bigger story, but more often than not you were really only expected to buy one, maybe two, books to be able to follow any given story. Out of these smaller story-lines came some of the most memorable comics of all time, but every few years the big companies would pull out all the stops and cross-over damn near every title they published for a massive, continuity-shaking story that would change the status quo of the entire universe. The infrequency of these gigantic stories really helped make them seem so much more epic and important. Nowadays though, the universe-spanning saga is as commonplace as any other story. Both Marvel and DC have set up a trend of creating one huge multi-title story every few months that only serves to lead into another one, and the only way to get the whole story is to buy what feels like 10 books a week, many of which you never would have purchased anyway. Sure, many of these “event” stories have produced some memorable moments, and overall have pretty solid storytelling and art, but they’re all pretty much the same story: unimaginable cosmic/otherworldly threat comes to earth to destroy it/take it over, and all the super-heroes must band together to fight it off (I guess Marvel’s Civil War, which I really liked, is a notable exception to this). Granted, I am simplifying, but not much. These comic companies have gotten lazy, and really seem more preoccupied making movie-properties than producing quality, original comics.
Now, I realize that was a bit of a rant, but I felt it necessary to paint the picture of how apprehensive I was at the idea of reading this book. After all, it was the first issue of a new, huge company-spanning tale. Yet, unlike so many of the “epics” that have been churned out like clock-work over the past several years, this one has a decidedly original, and terrifying, slant.
Because of how much continuity is involved with the story, fully summing up Blackest Night would easily take it’s own very long wikipedia entry. Suffice to say that Blackest Night is a Green Lantern-centric story about the fulfillment of a fabled titular prophecy. A war between the soldiers of the various Lantern Corps is raging across the galaxy, and amidst all the chaos and destruction rise the Black Lanterns, a group led by perennial Green Lantern villain Black Hand. What differentiates these Lanterns from the others? How about the fact that all of them are the rotting, resurrected corpses of dead heroes and villains. The Black Lanterns tear across space killing anyone that crosses their path and adding them to their undead ranks, and the heroes of Earth and other parts of the universe must unite to defeat them.
While this story may sound terribly similar to the ones that I bitched about earlier, it really does separate itself admirably. What makes this series so unique is that, to my knowledge, it is the first company-wide crossover that is a true piece of horror fiction. Geoff Johns, known primarily for his amazing ability to reinvigorate flagging super hero franchises, again works his magic here and proves that he isn’t easily confined to just one kind of story or genre. Johns uses his trademark emotional dialogue to set the tone of the entire series with several meditations on death and grief from a “who’s who” of the DC universes top heroes. Hawkman has an angry exchange over the phone with The Atom, who wants the avian hero to go with him to visit the grave of his ex-wife, a woman who murdered one of their best friends. The Flash has a heartbreaking conversation with Green Lantern concerning the friends and allies that died while he was trapped in an alternate dimension. These and several other scenes set up an underlying somber tone and provide allusions to tide of darkness that is fast approaching. Johns’ spot on characterization also helps you really care about every member of the immense cast of characters, but the most surprising thing here is his ability to craft a truly disturbing horror tale. I mean, when you’re dealing with super-heroes, how do you craft true terror? What could possibly scare a group of people that can move planets, run faster than light, or melt steel with their eyes? Johns’ answer is by having them fight a legion of the zombified remains of their dead friends. This may very well be first horror story that plays out on a scale akin to the Star Wars saga or The Lord of the Rings; A truly epic tale of terror.
The expert writing is only enhanced by the deft pencils of Ivan Reis. Reis is no stranger to massive space operas, having drawn the Rann-Thanagar War series from a few years back, but a horror story is a different beast. Reis’s fluid, yet realistic, style perfectly complements Johns’ writing, never becoming stale, and always very evocative of the sense of dread permeating the narrative. He also shows a true penchant for creating some of the best horror imagery seen in years. Zombies are a dime a dozen, but Reis’s ability to transform and distort some of the most recognized characters in comics is unmatched. His mid-book splash page of an immense army of zombie Black Lantern soldiers, each one uniquely rendered, shows his attention to detail, and his imposing portrait of Black Lantern Martian Manhunter shows off his ability to create truly imposing villains. Above all though, the stand-out piece of work that he’s created here is his twisted, evil rendering of Elongated Man and his wife, Sue Dibny. These characters have long been thought of as true pillars of heroism and very lighthearted characters. Somehow, Reis was able to take everything good about the characters, strip it away and leave the reader two of the most terrifying zombies ever envisioned. I can’t wait to see what he does some of the other iconic characters that are sure to rise from the dead in later issues.
I can’t recommend this series enough. I was so adamantly against reading this one, but the allure of a new, and possibly different kind of zombie tale proved too much for me. While it is mired in a heavy load of continuity, that never stops it from being immensely enjoyable. If every huge crossover story could be this original and engrossing, I’d gladly read them all. Unfortunately, most of them aren’t, so you would be wise to check this one out while you can.
Now, here’s hoping that we get to see a zombie Batman in a future issue…
