Experiment Phase 3: Blackest Night #3

A Review by DJ, a DC aficionado

Have I bought too much into the hype? Yes, perhaps I have. Am I bothered by the countless tie-ins I am “forced” to buy? I’m not, but my wallet is.

What can I say—I LOVE this book! Green Lantern is my favorite superhero, and I couldn’t be happier with how this “event” has gone on. Issue #3 is no exception. I am going to get my compliments on the art out of the way early because I just say the same things over and over and over. I’ll sum it up with a “BRILLIANT!” and call it a wrap.

On to the story . . .

When it comes right down to it, I feel that the story in this issue moves in a more linear fashion. I feel that this issue is spent more on upping the stakes of the battle than it is progressing the story. That’s not to say that we don’t learn anything new in the issue or that it’s a bad issue at all. Because it is not. It seems that every three or four pages in this story someone new gets a black ring, we see them zombified, and we wonder how the heroes could possibly win.

The Firestorm relationship continues to grow (only to have that pillar knocked down later in heartbreaking fashion).

The action scenes are fast and fun and enhanced by the reveal of what happened to the Atom. It answered some questions and enlightened the reader to some long awaited Black Lantern info.

The entrance of the Indigo Tribe serves as the big (at some points, too big) exposition piece in this issue. Both Johns and Reis do not disappoint with this reveal, which seems to have been building for months and months now.

Hal and Barry’s conversation was good banter between two characters that have both been just recently brought back into the swing of things. But, it did have a sense of “man-love fest” in it.

I am not going to go into detail about what happens to both halves of the Firestorm matrix in this issue, but if you read it, you know how crushing yet intriguing it is.

Keeping in the tradition of the last page cliffhangers, the last page of this issue has the rising of what I am going to call the Black Lantern Injustice League from their JLA-sponsored crypts.

In my opinion, issue #3 of Blackest Night was another great issue. Was it plagued by some hokey dialogue? At times, yes. Was the majority of the issue more of the same? Sure. Maybe, I guess. But hey, it’s comics. I don’t mind one bit.

I’ll end with my two favorite things from this issue . . .

1. On the first page, there is a flashcard in Jason’s (Firestorm) room that reads NaCl . . . I love foreshadowing.

2. The news feed splash page . . . Can you say Black Lantern Rocket Red!?!

A Review by Michelle, a DC Rookie

Geoff Johns is still on his DC killing spree. The Atom was not part of the body count, however. In this issue, we were officially introduced to the Indigo Lanterns. They showed up—just in time—and used Hal Jordan’s willpower to save Atom from his second brush with death. (Geoff Johns must be an Atom fan.)

When one of the Black Lanterns tried to convince the Indigo Lantern to pity him, which would allow him to take her heart and make her a Black Lantern, but she was able to resist tapping into her compassion. This, along with other moments in the issues we’ve read, tells us that the presence of raw emotion allows the Black Lanterns to kill their victims and convert them into Black Lanterns. The Green Lanterns can stop the Black Lanterns, and the Indigo Lanterns will help them to do so.

So I’m left wondering. Why was Batman such a big deal in issues #0 and #1? Is that other Firestorm guy really trapped in the Black Lanterns head now? (And does he really need an index card to remember the chemical formula of table salt?) But I guess that’s why everyone is still reading—to find out.

Meanwhile, I’m confused. It’s just page after page of the same—Geoff Johns giving out Black Lantern rings like he’s Oprah—“And you get a black ring! And you get a black ring! Everybody gets a black ring!”

This event is shaping up to be one that’s difficult for Marvel fans like myself to follow. Geoff Johns is a good writer, but he’s not writing to show off his writing skills. He’s writing an event for DC fanboys (and girls) to drool over. The rest of us are waiting patiently (or not so patiently) for the payoff. While DC fans may be excitedly flipping through to see what happens, I’m left wondering what exactly is going on.