This week’s question:
Is Blackest Night living up to the hype?
I will admit that earlier this year I had some reservations about Blackest Night. I felt that the story sounded a bit to gimmicky. After success with the Sinestro Corps War DC needed a way to up the ante. So why not create 5 more Lantern Corps and have a huge war on a much grander scale? During the Agent Orange storyline in Green Lantern Geoff Johns was really starting to lose me but I was still very much enjoying Green Lantern Corps. In May Blackest Night #0 was released on Free Comic Book Day and I was really not impressed (as many of you saw in our video review). I really started to think that Geoff Johns was pulling a Bendis and just overextending himself.
Now that we are more or less half way through the Blackest Night miniseries I can safely say that my worrying was all for naught. I never would have thought I would be enjoying it as much as I am. Sure, most of the credit goes to Johns, Reis, Mahnke, Tomasi, Gleason (to name only a few) for making it so enjoyable but I have to throw the rest of the credit to DC as a whole.
DC is really handling this “event” exceptionally well. The editorial on all the books seem to be really tight and are keeping a nice, cohesive story on the rails. The 3-issue miniseries (Batman, Titans, Superman) and tie-ins(REBELS, Doom Patrol, Booster Gold) have added to the overall scope of Blackest Night without feeling at all like a cash grab. Most of the tie-ins and miniseries have been $2.99 while the books that are $3.99 actually have more pages and warrant the price.
DC running their Ring Promotion along with retailers is kind of the icing on the cake. DC didn’t have to do this but it really does make this event feel exciting and special. Add to that the fact that new customers have been making their way into comic shops just to see what all the hype is about and it’s all good.
Which brings me back to the question “Is Blackest Night living up to the hype?”
I would have to say yes. Yes it is.
J.
The CCW*TV Companion Blog 
My answer is heck yes. btw what did you guys think about the ending of GLC#42??? To support my answer: Blackest Night has been a thrill ride for me and I have been enjoying every second of it. It’s way beyond the average zombie story. It has emotionally DRAINED me at some points and has me emotionally invested me in all the characters and has me caring about what is going to happen to them. And every minute of every day I wonder, “What’s going to happen next? What’s going to happen next?” For me this is THE BEST COMIC BOOK EVENT I HAVE READ IN MY WHOLE COMIC BOOK READING LIFE. No joke.
Feel the same, johns is hitting his stride never in my life did I think I’d be this invested in Green Lantern or the DCU proper in general.
Thus far BN has exceeded my expectations. While I find certain points within the series to be predictable, its what happens between those points that draws me in, again and again
k….0…
My answer is “HELL YES”!
This is the best DCU event since Infinate Crisis (which I loved!). To reinterate what comicbookdude above said. It keeps you asking: what will happen next? Who will live, who will die, and how will it end?
While I have the opportunity, let me just say that the best of the tie-ins has to be Titans, in my opinion. No other team in the DCU has been affected by death more than the Titans, which is something I think fans don’t know or have forgotten. Donna Troy having to crush her own deceased Black Lantern Baby in her own hands….that was brutal! So Metal!
BN titans also ended an important plot device as well making it the most important of the mini series so far.
Is Blackest Night paying off? Goddamn right it is
I have been reading the main series here and there, but honestly i’m tired of events and thus don’t really pay much attention. I try to keep up with all goings since I work for a comic site, but lack the cash to become totally engrossed.
Of course, what I’ve read I’ve enjoyed. Geoff Johns is certainly doing a damn fine job with his baby. Better than Secret Invasion by far.
I haven’t been reading it. I tried to read Blackest Night Batman but it found it really boring.
Though, I believe it has been living up to the hype. The sales speak for themselves, and I’ve only really heard praise for it. The only complaint that I’ve heard has been to pacing of the main book.
Blackest Night is pretty much pure awesome. Civil War was cool and it drew me into mainstream comics but Blackest Night is just so brutal. The entire premise is all the needlessly dead characters come back from the dead to metaphorically and physically rip out the heart of the DCU. In the mean time you get to see all your favorite heroes as the worst villains ever. Zombie Aquaman was f’in metal. He told a bunch of a sharks to eat dudes with his mind powers. On top of that the Superman cross over where they skewer the “Look up in the sky” moment was easily one of the creepiest things I’ve ever read in comics.
Oh, I would have to say yes to that.
Although I’ve been a Batman fan all my life, I’ve only just collected trades. Blackest Night got me back into collecting singles, and every peso (i live in Manila) is fucking well-spent. The Titans and Superman tie-ins are so well-written, and the main title gives you the feeling that you’re being part of comic book history. It just feels grandiose.
The only minor complaint I have is that I feel the main story is not happening in the BN 8 issue miniseriess
Other than that I think it has been solid. Not a challenging read like Final Crisis but still plenty satisfying.
What I absolutely LOVE is the love being given to characters that most people don’t find to be the “A-listers”
The Aquafamily,Hawk & Dove,Atom & the Hawks,Firestorm,Deadman,Krypto :), Donna Troy, Beast Boy,etc as opposed to Batman,Superman and Wonder Woman being the center of attention
yes!!!
HELL YES!!! Unlike a Bendis event it actually pays off.
Matthew
Yes, this is how Events should be done.
I’ll go farther than johnny horror and say its the best crossover since Inferno and that was back in 1989. Crossovers are usually stories cobbled together by a bunch of (usually) unwilling writers forced to make up some spurious story to generate cash for the company.
This has the feel of something with a relatively sophisticated story with editing and marketing hitting all the right notes. The ring thing is genius, cheap little plastic rings…that look fucking cool and make the geek in everyone go “I want them, I want them ALL”, most mini-series tie-ins being $2.99, the “lost” titles coming back for one time during skip month. Plus most importantly the main story, the 2 GL titles and the tie-ins so far have been very very satisfying.
I am really impressed so far, like Locusmortis, this is the first big event I have actively followed since the late 80’s. I usually wait until the trades come out. Like many other have said before me.. Good editorial control, a story that is flowing smoothly(for the most part) despite being spread over many titles, and many compelling character moments. You actually care about what is happening to our DC heroes, when they are feeling pain,fear,anger, so are we. Pretty much everything that is going right in Blackest Night is going wrong in Dark Reign.
Any complaints? Well, not all of the Tie-ins flow as smoothly as some. The Rebels tie-in was handled very well, working the Blackest Night story into it’s ongoing Staro invasion event smoothly. The Booster Gold issue I picked up seemed to shoehorn the Blackest Night stuff in, admittedly I don’t read Booster Gold, but the first half of the book was just reminding the reader that, yes, Booster and the old Blue Beetle were very close. All of the exposition got old after awhile, I was like.. “OK, I get it, Booster is going to freak out when Kord comes back! lets get on with it!”
I can’t help but wonder what will happen to the DC universe after Blackest Night is resolved. Will any of the resurrected heroes or villains stay around? What will happen to the different lantern corps? If Necron gets taken care of in a permanent way, what does that mean for the way death is handled in DC universe?
But until then I will be enoying the hell out of Blackest Night =)
IM
I’ve liked Blackest Night, its really starting to pick up at the min. But I had to drop GL Corp, as i wasn’t really feeling it, might go back to it later on though.
Yes. As someone else said, this is probably the best “event” comic I’ve ever read. I feel like the main action is taking place in GL, with all the cosmic, war of light stuff, but the street level events taking place in the main book are pretty cool as well. All the tie-in’s have been good too, so I’d say Blackest Night is definitely living up to the hype.
in a world of shitty events (Dark Reign and Battle for The Cowl) there comes an event that overwhelms all. Blackest Night is exceeding the hype in my opinion I’m really glad I got into Green Lantern when I did I would’ve missed a truly great story.
yeah me too. I started reading DC literally a week before Blackest Night#1 came out. I’m glad I started reading DC when I did!