Back from tour and ready to display my opinions on what I thought sucked and what I thought you need to own. I've got about three weeks worth of stuff backed up so bare with me. Without further adieu, I've got something to say!
BRIGHTEST DAY #6
The pieces are finally starting to fall into place as things are starting to make sense for the recently returned. Martian Manhunter finds that there's another Green Martian running amok, Mera explains to Aquaman that she was sent to kill him, Jason and Ronnie fuse back together as Firestorm and Hawk, Dove and Deadman learn what the White Lantern wants.
Martian Manhunter learns that there's another Martian on Earth that's going around killing people. He quickly begins to track her down in hopes of finding out who it is and why after all this time are they letting their presence be known.
Mera explains to Aquaman that she comes from a world of people who come from the deepest depths of the ocean and that she was sent to kill Aquaman. She also reveals that Black Manta also comes from this world, explaining his desire to kill Aquaman all these years.
Jason and Ronnie were told that merging together again and becoming Firestorm would be catastrophic, so what happens, They merge to say some people on a construction site and yet again they're stuck together. This time however, they both hear the voice of the Black Lantern Firestorm in the back of their heads.
Hawk, Dove and Deadman are at the grave of Dove's fallen sister and the former Hawk, Holly Granger. In an attempt to resurrect her, the trio learns that, that's not the reason they were brought back. The learn collectively that the White Entity wants them to live and in Boston Brand's case, he wants a cheeseburger!...
Johns and company are really starting to get the ball rolling with explaining what the hell is going on with these characters and what they're back for. At the same time Johns is also syncing up all the loose ends left over before these characters died.
4 out of 5
BRIGHTEST DAY #7
Finally the big reveal, we learn just what the Entity has in mind for all the returned and it's big!
The Entity gets a lot of speaking time in this issue, so we’re getting a lot of revelations.Clues as to what The Entity is all about, what it’s trying to do, through the immediate assignments it issues to the resurected. Interestingly, some of the missions are contradictory, or even already completed. All in all, very cool. The writing is crisp and well-paced. One thing I noticed about Johns’ writing is that he ends every page on a bit of a cliff-hanger, which is smart story-telling for a story that has a lot of plots and subplots going on. The characters were sympathetic and mostly multi-dimensional, especially with Boston Brand (arguably the series protagonist) and Hawk and Dove. With things now coming into focus, more and more of the story is slowly making sense as well as the other DCU books that have a direct line to characters involved in Brightest Day. Without a doubt the best issue of the series thus far.
5 out of 5
SHADOWLAND #2(OF 5)
Matt Murdock is really filling in the role of the heroic villain rather nicely and this issue just goes to show how far down the rabbit hole Matt has fallen since taking over control over The Hand.
The Kingpin shows up to talk to Iron Fist and Luke Cage about their "former" friend and that eventually they're going to have to take him down. A nice role reversal for Fisk since Matt's descent into darkness. Inside Shadowland, Matt is sulking about murdering Bullseye. He then tells Tarantula that he needs more powerful followers. He puts the word out to the superhero community that they can join The Hand or that they're against him. Fisk gets his hands on an ancient scroll in which they plan on envoking the spirit of vengeance to battle Matt and The Hand, guess who they call upon.
In an attempt to talk to Matt and try and talk some sense into him, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, Shang-Chi, Misty Knight and Colleen Wing all make an audience with him under the false guise of wanting to join up. Once inside the castle, they begin to plead with Matt that what he's doing and how he's going about cleaning up Hell's Kitchen is all wrong and that they're his friends and not his enemy.
Just when things seem like they can go from bad to worse, they do. Ghost Rider comes barreling into the castle and sets Matt off. The war for the streets of New York has officially begun.
This story thus far is incredible, playing Daredevil as the ultimate villain after so many years of fighting to never blur the line between right and wrong as he's defended justice both in and out of the courtroom is perfect. As it's been said in Spider-Man for years, "With great power comes great responsibility" just goes to show that with a little push even the most honorable people can become their own worst nightmare.
5 out of 5
SHADOWLAND:BULLSEYE #1
I really hate to say it but I really hated this issue and I feel like it was a waste of time and effort. Bullseye is dead. J.Jonah Jameson has publicly announced that the city will not spend a dime on a funeral for Bullseye, so in light of that, a motorcycle gang decides that since he was an honorary member that they'll do all the leg work to have a funeral for him and on top of that they'll get Ben Urich to cover the whole thing. Not such a great idea and not such a great story. I wish Marvel was doing a Front Line: Shadowland mini just like they've done with every other event over the past couple of years. That would've been a great idea but instead we get this shotty one shot rushing along this funeral for a fiend.
2 out of 5
MARVEL UNIVERSE VS. THE PUNISHER #1(OF 4)
We've had Five incarnations of the Marvel Zombies storyline and that horse has been beaten to death more times that it should have been allowed. This story however has nothing to do with Zombies. In a sense it does but at the heart of the story it doesn't. A viral outbreak happens and everyone is infected and becomes cannibalistic savages. The Punisher manages to get himself inoculated by accident with a government serum that was going to be used in case a nuclear war ever happened. Now five years after the point of infection, the entire world has gone mad and Frank Castle is the only one left to clean up. Jonathan Maberry does an excellent job of explaining patient zero who turns out to be none other than Spider-Man, how the world assumes its a Zombie Virus, even making reference to "28 days later" and how through it all Frank has done what Frank does, kill everyone that's infected and moved on. For a first issue dealing with a post viral infection, this book is a homerun. It's not cheesy and like I said.."IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH ZOMBIES!"
Definitely check this book out.
5 out of 5
NANCY IN HELL #1(OF 4)
Strolling along as I picked up my books, I came across this book on the shelf. Being curious, I picked it up and flipped through real quick, seeing the artwork of Juan Jose Ryp's depiction of Hell had me. The story get's explained on the first page as Nancy tells her story of how in most horror movies, the last girl standing kills the psychopath murdering everyone and makes it out alive, in her case she didn't make it an got killed and sent to Hell. Now in a bar full of people just like her, her new friend "Philosopher" explains that even though they're all in Hell, it's almost Heaven because they can do, say and be pretty much anything they want. Without giving away too much of the story, Nancy must now deal with her location and the situations she's put in. If you're looking for a great book with some really twisted ideas of Hell, this is the book for you. I highly suggest this book because after the first couple of pages, if you're not like "Damn, that's awesome." then something's wrong.
5 out of 5
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