While I've been enjoying the Blackest Night storylines so far, this issue doesn't do much to advance things. It's the old problem of what to do when you're faced with an unstoppable opponent. The Black Lantern Corps members seem to be oblivious to pain, and if their zombie-like bodies are damaged, they quickly reconstitute.
That makes it difficult for the heroes to have any kind of serious conflict - they can fight a holding action, run or be killed - and that's about it for options.
It sets up emotional conflicts, of course, as heroes have a grisly reunion with loved ones long gone, old friends and the recently departed.
The problem I have with the Green Lantern Corps is that there are too many Lanterns to keep track of - each one only gets a page or two before getting shuffled out of the way for the next story. It's probably unavoidable on a story of this scope, but it would be nice to see some of these characters getting a little more "screen time."
As always, it's a solid writing job by Peter Tomasi, and the art by Patrick Gleason is good, despite the complete lack of backgrounds - but that's because there are so many characters to squeeze in.
The Blackest Night continues to command attention, and even the side-stories (like this issue) are worth checking out.
The series reminds me of a conversation I had with my pal Gary when we were kids. We were watching a monster movie and I asked him, "What would you do if a monster came after you?" Without missing a beat, he said, "That's easy. I'd kick him in the nards and run."
Excellent advice, which I happily pass along to the heroes facing the Black Lanterns.
Grade: B
No comments:
Post a Comment