As we start whittling down toward the concluding issues, Blackest Night has become the rollercoaster ride of the end of the decade. It's too enjoyable to ignore, and everything happening in the story justifies my resolve to see the event to its conclusion, where all hell's going to break loose before it gets better once everything's said and done. With hardly breaking a sweat, Geoff Johns and Ivan Reis present the book where all points come to head. This issue has all of the main stars of the show come center stage, and as tension builds as the war continues to escalate, new developments occur that make the outlook of the heroes' situation as bleak as they come. Are the Black Lanterns gaining the upper hand? Better read on and find out how epic all of this is, comic wise.
Blackest Night #5Written By: Geoff Johns
Illustrated By: Ivan Reis
The Blackest Night has arrived, and in the farthest region of outer space known as Sector 666, seven colors of light shine brightly to deal with the dark prophecy foretold in the Book of OA eons ago. Gathered together by the two ex-Guardians Ganthet and Sayd, Hal Jordan, Sinestro, Atrocitus, Saint Walker, Larfleeze, Carol Danvers, and Indigo-1 investigate the source of the Black Lantern power battery, only to find their point of search utterly empty. The unholy corps of death have already begun their frontal assault on Earth, beginning with the resurrection of Coast City, and the appearance of Nekron, lord of the Black Lantern Corps. As Earth's heroes struggle to hold down the undead until the power ring cavalry arrives, Nekron unleashes an unexpected attack on Green Lantern and his allies, one that will reveal the true nature of death itself.
For the record, readers will NEED to pick up Green Lantern #48 to catch up on what events took place before Hal Jordan and his ring colored posse arrive at Space Sector 666. This issue can definitely stand on its own two feet without reading the other issue, but it helps fuel the importance and symmetry that Blackest Night has already established since it launched months ago. The tie-ins help to bridge events happening in and around the same time the main book is progressing, so it's a lot of information to draw in. Geoff Johns and the rest of the DC writing crew have taken special care to make continuity a priority, so if you can't catch up with all the numerous books under the label, wait for the trade to collect everything in a few months time.
Now onto to the book itself... what can I say? THIS EVENT IS AWESOME. Geoff Johns establishes himself as the driving force behind many of today's best DC comic book stories, and he utilizes every character, note, and history so well with less efficiency that he's deserved the title and awards he's won for his work and contributions so far. With five issues out and three more to go until it wraps up, it can be said that Blackest Night was well worth the two year wait since the Sinestro Corps War saga ended. Every detail and nitpick addressed in the DC Universe concerning death is fully addressed in the soon to be classic crossover, and praise such as this is not given for exaggeration, it's a fact. When you read the book as a veteran who's come across comic book death so many times, questions that come to mind are "How do these characters come back" and "What is Death in comics, really"? As far as the DC Universe was concerned, there were many deaths, significant or otherwise, and Johns has readily tapped himself into that well, emerging with a story so brilliant, so convincing, it's hard to let go of the book after being drawn into what will be an Epic saga. I've reviewed the past four issues, and each and everyone of them has contributed a wow and a clap from readers, but this one... it literally takes the cake. Anyone who wanted a good reason to jump in or stay with Blackest Night until its conclusion have all the cards are all laid out here. I won't be spoiling what happened or what Nekron did, but let's just say it will make fans go nuts about the entire DCU all over again.
As far as the characters in this book go, they're a dime a dozen, and since this doesn't rely on the Green Lantern property alone, expect to see favorites from the Teen Titans and Justice League make an appearance to lend a helping hand to our favorite Space Cowboy Hal. Last issue, Geoff gave the spotlight to Barry Allen, a character that the writer's also working on in Flash: Rebirth, and he played the ever reliable friend to rally up the forces of good while the emerald warrior was away for the entirety of the previous issue. Even with Hal back on Earth, Barry's still a key player readers will be rooting for, as well his allies in the form of Bart and Wally assist him, with the latter sporting a "new" uniform that really suits the character in my opinion. Being secondary heroes for the longest time, The Flash and GL finally get to be the heroes we need to count on to save the world because of what occurs in Blackest Night, and while I may be a Batman fan through and through, these two are also personal favorites who happen to be great personalities, and I'm glad Johns has given them the recognition they deserve. He also gives the villains some time to "shine", most notably Black Hand and Scar, the evil Guardian. While the latter's fate is resolved in this issue, it's the former and right hand man of Nekron we have to watch out for. Maybe in the last few issues, we'll see something big happen to the herald, but his words in the supplemental "Book Of Black" co-feature continue to echo how disturbing and focused his undead mind is, and that provides more exposition on his character and nature from behind the scenes.
Art direction has been pretty stellar, and Ivan Reis handles it so well that anyone will deem it big shot comic book material for proper reading. The way he draws is similar to Johns' dedication to the book, with so much commitment and effort that one cannot coexist without the other's involvement. If you thought drawing several lantern colors was hard, wait til you see the rest of the heroes (and undead) in action. This issue in particular taps into all the penciling talent Reis' has got in him, and along with the stellar coloring and inking contributions by the rest of the BN team, the results are breathtaking and simply fantastic. Previous issues have had their epic spreads and one sheet pages, but this one just one ups every single one of them, especially towards the end of the book, where the real meat of the story's jaw dropping visuals are unveiled. Pick up the book to know what the hell I'm talking about, it's a real doozy.
If there were any doubts on your mind to how big Blackest Night would be, then rest assured, IT IS BIGGER THAN EVER. The scope of this event is so huge alone that we're getting more tie-ins coming in on the next few months, and while collecting each and everyone of them may be too much to bare, this month's incentive collector's power ring fuels hope, willpower, fear, love, avarice, rage, and compassion into all the readers out there. Death has arrived on the DC Universe's doorstep, and with its grip growing so tight and unpredictable, there's no telling how everything will end soon. Time will tell, so brace yourselves and expect more awesomeness.
Score - 10/10
