Welcome back to Read/RANT, everyone – I hope you enjoyed your week off. I know I did! And while I traveled far and wide for my pre-Thanksgiving Break break, I’m back now and ready to review. And what better place to start than everyone’s favorite book to see us read…
Blackest Night #5
Blackest Night #5 was, for my money, easily the strongest issue of the series to date. Two major weak spots hurt it, but otherwise, it was a relatively exciting, action-packed issue that finally realized that Johns has no skill whatsoever with horror. Instead, despite the grim tone and overly dark art, Blackest Night #5 was almost campy fun, and while the sudden tonal shift of the book from action-horror to action-dark camp may throw some readers off, it was a welcome, if strange, shift.
Johns had me seriously worried as the book opened, suddenly shifting to an introduction featuring characters we haven’t seen on a quest we knew nothing about. While that’s just about always a bad narrative choice, and one that added nothing whatsoever to the book here, the extended introduction at least had the courtesy to be as cheesy and brightly colored as it could be. The other problem moment is harder to mention without spoiling a major twist, so consider the remainder of this paragraph to be a spoiler: Batman’s sudden, bizarre, momentary resurrection, in which everyone was super surprised and called him by his real name before he vomited up a few Black Lantern rings with batwings that killed Superman, Wonder Woman (whose golden lasso immediately turns black, apropos of nothing at all) and pretty much everyone else except Hal and Barry before he promptly re-died.
End spoilers.
Reis continues to do fine work on art, though the book’s relentless darkness hurts his art far more than it helps. His crisp illustrations often come off as muddied as everything that isn’t surrounded by an omnipresent black goo is instead coated in neon bright light. Despite that, however, he is still doing a fine job, and the contrast between the lanterns’ lights and the muddy dark further aids the book in achieving its bizarrely over-the-top tone.
Blackest Night is still deeply flawed, but at least it’s become fun, a relatively enjoyable issue of so-bad-it’s-good storytelling with a slew of color-themed one-liners and minor art blips that cause Bart Allen to, despite standing only a foot or so away, only come up to Wonder Woman’s knees. It also featured what was very probably the book’s strongest action segments and a few more hints to set up the upcoming big finale. While it’s hardly A-list storytelling, at least it isn’t taking itself quite so seriously anymore.
Grade: B
- Cal Cleary
I’m starting to think with the Care Bear joke and bringing back the painful Gonzo crack that Johns definitely is a fan of this site. And…
“Gonzo didn’t have hair. He had feathers like Uncle Scrooge.”
Uh, what?
Wow, that just sounds awful. I’m glad I haven’t read it.
To be honest, Blackest Night has been a major contributing factor in my lack of involvement around here lately. I haven’t even been to my local comic shop in weeks.
I may have finally kicked the comic book habit.
But there’s so much good out there.
Yeah, there’s good comics. I’m not judging the medium.
The reason I read comics is for the super hero genre. It is the best medium for super hero stories (although I think video games are creeping up). DC’s always been my drug of choice most likely because I was raised on the super friends. If I’d read comics as a kid, I probably would have been a Marvel zombie like everyone else.
Right now, the comics I read just aren’t doing it for me. And I’m pushing 40 with two kids. So, my time and resources are too precious to waste on an expensive hobby that isn’t getting the job done.
I’m not storming off or anything. But I haven’t been to my comic shop in a few weeks and so far I don’t miss it. I’m not really seeing anything on the horizon that’s likely to pull me make in the door, but you never know. Maybe the itch will come back.
Well, for DC, if you’re reading Batman & Robin, Detective Comics, Green Lantern, and Secret Six, you’re good.
Sad but true. I also like World of New Krypton, but it hasn’t been enough to motivate me to go out to the shop.
(Oh and I’ll take GLC over GL. GL hasn’t been good in at least a year.)
Odds are, I’ll make the trip eventually and catch up. But once upon a time, I HAD to make that trip every Wed. I’m amazed how much I haven’t missed it.
You have an email to check.
GL’s highs and lows still trump GLC’s mediocrity, especially with Mahnke onboard.
GL has had high points (other than the art)? Since Sinestro Corps War? Are you sure about that? I just remember lows and not-so-lows.
I’ll check my e-mail sometime tonight.
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