Publisher: DC Comics
Writer: Geoff Johns
Artist: Ivan Reis
Cover: Ivan Reis, Oclair Albert, & Joe Prado
“Blackest Night pt 4”: Halfway to the end of Blackest Night and things just went from horrible to get me the hell off the planet!! However, that’s when true heroes are tested and defined, and Barry Allen a.k.a The Flash is THE man in this issue. The Flash is the spotlight character here as he, Atom, and Mera do what they can to slow down the onslaught of Black Lanterns plaguing the city! After a last second retreat, the three heroes find a few seconds to catch their breath and come up with a plan. Mera and Atom begin to doubt their mission, and Flash quickly reminds them that they have no choice but to push on. While taking on the leadership role he’s a little harsher with Atom, demanding that he step up and do what he was born to do. Afterward they split up, with Flash running around the city informing the other heroes of what he’s learned so far about the Black Lantern’s weaknesses, and even getting help from Wally and Bart to help spread the word. Meanwhile, Atom and Mera end up helping the JSA for a while. But like I said earlier, by the end, things get real bad for our heroes, and The Flash looks like he just dropped a brick in his pants when it hits the fan!
Reis continues to impress with great visuals from panel to panel. There is so much going on, but he keeps it all in check, and the shot of Atom bursting out from inside of the Black Lantern was great! I like that his style isn’t too over the top, and the women look proportioned realistically as well. Plus his variant cover for this issue looks fantastic!
This deep into a major cross over event and Johns has been holding it together nicely! In a prior review I mentioned unexpected deaths keeping this thing interesting, because you never know who is next. So with that, Johns gives us a family reunion gone very bad, the power levels for the Black Lanterns have finally reached 100%, and the real bad guy is able to make his move! I know that DC made this reveal early on in an advertisement, but if you didn’t catch it I won’t ruin it for you. Oh and if you’re not reading the “Book of the Black” at the end of the issues, then you are missing out on some bits that help flesh out the story even more.
For those of you tired of the huge cross over events that don’t deliver, you’ll be very happy with this one here. This is one I don’t mind paying for, and I think DC has knocked it out of the park with back to back events for Green Lantern, with the Sinestro Corps War and now Blackest Night!
Infinite Speech
infinitespeech@comicattack.net
Great review! This has been one of the better-run DC crossover events. The story’s tight and the tie-ins have been pretty good (and relevant). The problem with Infinite Crisis, for example, was that there were four separate storylines that made following the entire story tough. Final Crisis had similar problems with the tie-in series being only peripherally related to the main plot (“Revelations” had little in common with “Legion of Three Worlds,” and neither had much to do with the central plot, for example).
I was a bit disopinted with #3, but things picked back up with this one. I don’t mind giant events as long as the extension like Blackest Night Batman or BN Superman stay in their own books and don’t invade the regulars.
I can’t wait until this all comes out in trades, so I can read it all over a weekend. I am sure this will rock!
I think BN is f-ing fantastic. I’m really digging the GL and GLC issues the most, though!
BN#4 was amazing. And your right about the Flash, InfiniteSpeech. Barry’s balls were bout as big as the womprats i used to shoot back home in my T-16. XD
And i agree with Andy, the Green Lantern/GLC issues coming out with this are blowing me away. I mean, Hal and Sinestro working together again is soo cool. Even though he’s an evil douche, Sinestro is a badass evil douche. lol
I havnt read many crossover events besides the last 3 main Crisis. I loved Infinite Crisis but i still have no idea what happened in Final Crisis. Like Andrew said, crossover stories should be able to tell the story efficiently through its main issues and not make you pick up 10 other side issues for it to make sense. i.e. Final Crisis. ..anyways. imjustsaying
Final Crisis gave me a headache and I’m thinking DC should do another Crisis that eliminates Final Crisis and you get it by mailing in your copies of Final Crisis lol
I actually have only been getting the GL and GLC books to go along with BN only because I feel they’ll be the most relevant to the series and i’m cool with that. Though in January there will be a BN break for a bit to give us a breather which might be a company first now that I think about it.
BN: Superman is okay. BN:Batman is pretty cool tho. Seeing pimp-daddy Jim Gordan blow the heads off some zombie lanterns in the GCPD with his shotgun is amazing. ZOOOOMBBBBIIIIIESSS!!!! WITH POOOOWEERRRR RIIIIINGGS!! WHOOOOAAA!!! lol
May have to check out the Batman books then but in trade. Final Crisis just really turned me off to buying auxillary issues. just because it was so poorly coordinated and confusing
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