"The Blackest Night" Talkback Thread (Spoilers)

[JME2]

Geoff Johns and Ivan Reis raise the dead in the most anticipated comics story of the year! Throughout the decades, death has plagued the DC Universe and taken the lives of heroes and villains alike. But to what end? As the War of Light rages on, the prophecy of the Blackest Night descends upon us, with Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps at the center of it all.

Don't miss this 8-issue epic taking the DCU beyond the grave!

***

Well folks, this is it. The storyline Green Lantern: Rebirth set in motion almost five years ago is finally here. I was going to hold off until either Tuesday night or Wednesday morning, but I figured we're close enough to close down the "Road to TBN" thread and open up SDN's official talklback thread for the final installment in Johns' GL trilogy.

To whet our appetites until Wednesday, IGN has posted previews for TBN#1 and TBN: Tales of the Corps # 1. And finally, a reading from the Book of Cosmic Revelations - Verse 3:

***

Seven Corps will be born. Seven Corps will shine their light brightly.



Seven Corps will be at war.





It is foretold that as the emotional spectrum glows brighter and the War of Light ignites in full force, the skies on every world will darken. The hiss of the shadows will announce to us that our time is over. Then the Blackest Night will descend upon us all. Without prejudice or mercy. Without reason. The Seven Corps will fall. As will the Universe. Back to a place devoid of light. Of emotion. And of Life.

***

Let it begin...

[Steve]

The Blackest Night
Falls from the skies
The Darkness grows
as all Light dies
We crave your hearts
and your demise
By my Black Hand
The Dead Shall Rise!


MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[JME2]

Cry havoc and let slip the dogs of war, eh?

[Steve]

Cry havoc and let slip the dogs of war, eh?

Looking for some variety.

[JME2]

Cry havoc and let slip the dogs of war, eh?

Looking for some variety.

Nothing wrong with that.

[The Grim Squeaker]

Huzah!
I'll put on my black lantern shirt once i get back to Israel

[JME2]

Anybody else feel like a kid on Christmas Day this morning?

[JME2]

Hey, Grant Morrison. Take notes; this is how you do kick-off a Crisis-level event in the DCU.

So, my thoughts on the first issue...
Spoiler

* Coast City: A fitting start; this began with Coast City and it’ll probably end with it. We’re going to see just how fearless the City Without Fear really is in the coming months.

* Crypt of the Villains: I liked that this plot thread from Tomasi’s run on Nightwing was revisited and makes perfect sense in context of the story. Speaking of graves, I also liked that Johns revisited the Rogues’ secret graveyard from his own Flash run (and the Rogues bringing a keg to was hilarious). And…Black Lantern Roscoe Dillion! Yes!

* Downfall of the Guardians: Couldn’t have happened to a nice bunch of assholes. I mean, even though this is crippling for the GLC, it’s still immensely satisfying after all of the bullshit the smurfs have pulled over the last two years. I’m glad now that Scar’s eventual betrayal occurred here and not in “Agent Orange” or “Emerald Eclipse”.

* Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner: Guy’s response to the resurrected GL’s was appropriate and spot-on.

* Black Hawks Down: Well, now we know why the Hawks weren’t sacrificed in Final Crisis as was Morrison’s original plan. I’ve noticed people on other boards are going nuts and calling Johns a hypocrite, but I disagree. Their deaths actually work better here and tie to the theme of emotions and of life and death, especially with their resurrection style. And who knows; if they survive and return to the living, maybe Johns will be doing another Hawkman/Hawkgirl relaunch.

* Dark Dibnys: I never thought I’d say this, but thank you for killing Sue Diby, Brad Meltzer. Because if you hadn’t, it wouldn’t have set Ralph’s arc and death in 52 in motion and without that, we wouldn’t have gotten one of the creepiest and most fucked up sequences I’ve seen in years. It was interesting, though not surprising that the Black Lanterns can see the emotional spectrum. I didn’t expect, though, that the “we crave your hearts and your demise” bit from the oath was so literal.

* Zombie Utilitiues: The “Power Levels at .02 Percent” – either they’re powering themselves, or it’s almost like they’re collecting emotional energy for the CPB. But why and for who, ah, that’s the question….

And in regards to the “Tales of the Corps” # 1…
Spoiler

Saint Walker’s Origin: One of the best fucking stories I’ve ever read.

Mongul’s Origin: Eh…it’s alright. Still not a fan of Mongul Jr.

The Indigo Tribe: Interesting. Very interesting; this confirms a lot of my thoughts about the Indigos.

[Steve]

Haven't read Tales yet, but I read TBN #1.



This is gonna be fuckin' sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet.

[Crom]

Spoiler

Saint Walker’s Origin: One of the best fucking stories I’ve ever read.

Mongul’s Origin: Eh…it’s alright. Still not a fan of Mongul Jr.

The Indigo Tribe: Interesting. Very interesting; this confirms a lot of my thoughts about the Indigos.

Spoiler

I crave spoilers. What are Saint Walker's origins? What was confirmed about the Indigo Tribe?

[JME2]

Spoiler

Saint Walker’s Origin: One of the best fucking stories I’ve ever read.

Mongul’s Origin: Eh…it’s alright. Still not a fan of Mongul Jr.

The Indigo Tribe: Interesting. Very interesting; this confirms a lot of my thoughts about the Indigos.

Spoiler

I crave spoilers. What are Saint Walker's origins? What was confirmed about the Indigo Tribe?

Spoiler

* The Blue Lantern story picks up seconds after the end of "Agent Orange". Walker basically reflects on his past during the battle against Larfleeze's constructs. We learn that Walker was a minister on the wold of Astonia in Sector 1. Around the time of the SCW, Astonia's star was about to go supernova and the entire planet was descending into chaos. Rather than give in, Walker sought solace in his faith and with his family in tow, set out for their sacred mountain. Their spiritual texts indicate that their Messiah would be found by the Believer there.

During the sojourn, everyone except Walker is killed by the elements or destruction, but he doesn't lose hope. When he reaches the mountain, however, he finds only a blank stone. Walker screams to his god, demanding that the Messiah be revealed rather than denouncing him. A rainstorm suddenly drenches the mountain and the stone shines...causing Walker to see his own reflection.

Walker returns to his city, preaching for hope. The riots stop and the impending supernova reverses, turning the sun blue (ala the sun in "Rage of the Red Lanterns"). A Blue Ring descends from the sky and plants itself on Walker's finger, stating all will be well and noting he is capable of instilling hope. Constructs of his family appear and tell him they will see him in the next life.

* The Indigo Tribe story appears to begin during TBN # 1, Indigo and her tribe encounter a dying GL and Sinestro Corpsmen duking it out on an alien world. Indigo assess the GL's condition, siphons the Lantern energy, and mercy kills him. She then siphons the yellow energy and creates a fearsome construct that sends the Sinestro Corpsman fleeing in terror. Both acts were done out of compassion, but therein, as Steve speculated in previous threads, lies the problem with the Indigos. They're unable to overcome compassionate impulses and are quite willing to cross the line if it equals a compassionate gesture. Hell, they might even view helping the Black Lanterns achieve their aim and be at peace to be an act of compassion; that would be a hell of a twist.

[Crom]

Spoiler

* The Blue Lantern story picks up seconds after the end of "Agent Orange". Walker basically reflects on his past during the battle against Larfleeze's constructs. We learn that Walker was a minister on the wold of Astonia in Sector 1. Around the time of the SCW, Astonia's star was about to go supernova and the entire planet was descending into chaos. Rather than give in, Walker sought solace in his faith and with his family in tow, set out for their sacred mountain. Their spiritual texts indicate that their Messiah would be found by the Believer there.

During the sojourn, everyone except Walker is killed by the elements or destruction, but he doesn't lose hope. When he reaches the mountain, however, he finds only a blank stone. Walker screams to his god, demanding that the Messiah be revealed rather than denouncing him. A rainstorm suddenly drenches the mountain and the stone shines...causing Walker to see his own reflection.

Walker returns to his city, preaching for hope. The riots stop and the impending supernova reverses, turning the sun blue (ala the sun in "Rage of the Red Lanterns"). A Blue Ring descends from the sky and plants itself on Walker's finger, stating all will be well and noting he is capable of instilling hope. Constructs of his family appear and tell him they will see him in the next life.

* The Indigo Tribe story appears to begin during TBN # 1, Indigo and her tribe encounter a dying GL and Sinestro Corpsmen duking it out on an alien world. Indigo assess the GL's condition, siphons the Lantern energy, and mercy kills him. She then siphons the yellow energy and creates a fearsome construct that sends the Sinestro Corpsman fleeing in terror. Both acts were done out of compassion, but therein, as Steve speculated in previous threads, lies the problem with the Indigos. They're unable to overcome compassionate impulses and are quite willing to cross the line if it equals a compassionate gesture. Hell, they might even view helping the Black Lanterns achieve their aim and be at peace to be an act of compassion; that would be a hell of a twist.

Spoiler

Wow that sounds awesome!

One thing I have to comment on, is that it sounds like the Indigo Tribe is fucking nuts. I don't think compassion means you have to play true neutral. If anything, I would think that the Indigo Tribe would be more like the old GLC, with a no-killing rule, and generally act like the Red Cross.

Thanks for the spoilers!

[JME2]

Well...Spoiler

...their original appearance in the SCW's War of Light spread seemed to indicate that,. Then Johns started saying that the Indigo Tribe was not going to be what people expected and that they were pretty fucked up. Again, we'll see how this pans out, but as I said, the tale seems to have confirmed my suspicions.

[avatarxprime]

Hey, Grant Morrison. Take notes; this is how you do kick-off a Crisis-level event in the DCU.

So, my thoughts on the first issue...
Spoiler

* Zombie Utilitiues: The “Power Levels at .02 Percent” – either they’re powering themselves, or it’s almost like they’re collecting emotional energy for the CPB. But why and for who, ah, that’s the question….

Yeah, I have a theory about that: Spoiler

I imagine that much like how Black Hand was able to absorb Green Lantern energy, the fully realized Black Lanterns absorb energy from the entire emotional spectrum in order to use that energy against the rest of the Corps that are running around. I think that's one of the reasons that the vast majority of Black Lanterns so far has either powers or unique equipment since their Lantern powers seem to be defensive for now.

[JME2]

Yeah, that makes sense.

In the meantime, IGN has posted a preview for "Tales of the Corps" # 2. This second anthology focuses upon the Red Lanterns (Bleez), the Orange Lanterns (Blume), and the Star Sapphires (Carol Ferris). The first two are interesting by themselves, but I'm really curious to see the Star Sapphire story bridge the end of "Rage of the Red Lanterns" and the "Origins and Omens" backup by showing how Carol was re-inducted.

[Manus Celer Dei]

Spoiler

Indigo assess the GL's condition, siphons the Lantern energy, and mercy kills him.

Spoiler

I would hardly call it a mercy killing. The GL was struggling and the muffled noises from under the construct over his mouth indicates he was screaming as the indigo woman killed him. He didn't seem to be badly wounded anyway, beyond superficial cuts and scratches, certainly nothing the warrant being euthanised. The Indigo tribe seem somewhat psychotic from their introduction.

I also found Saint Walker's origin story to be incredibly trite and unsatisfying.

I found Blackest Night itself quite entertaining. I especially liked the conversation between Carter and Palmer, even if it did remind me of the dreck that was Identity Crisis
Though the end did worry me somewhat; Spoiler

With Carter and Kendra dieing and apparently being drafted into the Black. Is it just Johns killing characters off arbitarily and without reason again, or will they be resurrected before the end of the story? If so, how will that work in a way that won't open the door for all the other Black Lanterns to return as well?

The scene between Hal and Wally, and later J'onnz, was totally awesome though.

I suppose the best way for BN to end would involve Secret showing up and shouting at everyone involved to knock it off, but that's not likely since PAD isn't writing it

[JME2]

I liked the Walker story, but it's just me. And in regards to...
Spoiler

Kendra and Carter...as I said, given the nature of the reincarnation cycle Johns established during his tenures on JSA and Hawkman, it makes sense to off them and works with the story's themes of life and death. Now, whether or not they come back once Scar, Black Hand, and their master is defeated-- this applies to anyone who's a Black Lantern, doesn't it? It could be a set-up for another HM/HG relaunch, hopefully with Johns back at the helm.

[Steve]

For more fun, the known oathes of the eight Corps....


"In Brightest Day
In Blackest Night
No Evil Shall Escape Our Sight
Let those who worship evil's might
Beware our power
Green Lantern's Light!"



"In Blackest Day
In Brightest Night
Beware your fears made into Light
Let those who try to stop what's right
Burn like our power
Sinestro's Might!"



"For Hearts Long Lost
and Full of Fright
For Those Alone in Blackest Night
Accept our ring and Join Our Fight
Love Conquers All
With Violet Light!"


"With Blood and Rage
of Crimson Red
Ripped from a Corpse so freshly dead
Together with our Hellish Hate
We'll Burn you All
That is your fate!"


"In Fearful Day
In Raging Night
With Strong Hearts full our Souls Ignite
When All seems Lost in the War of Light
Look to the Stars
For Hope Burns Bright!"


And as quoted before.....



"The Blackest Night
Falls from the skies
The Darkness grows as all Light dies
We crave your hearts and your demise
By my Black Hand
The Dead Shall Rise!"


Finally, though we've not heard the Indigo or Orange oaths yet, a funny speculation from Wikipedia on the Orange oath.




MINE!

[Steve]

I NEED MORE TBN DAMMIT MUST FEED MUST HAVE OUTLET FOR AWESOMENESS!

My head's going all ASPLODEY!!!

[JME2]

I NEED MORE TBN DAMMIT MUST FEED MUST HAVE OUTLET FOR AWESOMENESS!

My head's going all ASPLODEY!!!

Well, we've got the preview for GL# 44 next week. Given that Mahnke put J'onn to rest last year, it's fitting that he be the one to raise him from the dead.

In addition, I got to meet and speak with Maestro Johns himself at Isotope Comics in San Francisco this afternoon:



While I got my SCW HC's autographed I spoke with him more about his Flash work and got a confirmation that not only is he writing the forthcoming TBN: The Flash mini-series, but that his old Flash/Rogues' Revenge collaborator Scott Kollins will be returning for art duties. So, there's another TBN-related purchase in the bag.

[Steve]

I suppose I could continue writing the WoW/GL crossover to find an outlet for when I get like that. Unfortunately my fellow TGG collaborators tend to give me stern looks when I leave my many unfinished TGG projects untouched while writing such stories.

[mr friendly guy]

I am still waiting for my rage of the red lanterns TPB. However I caught Steve's excitement about the different corps. So in addition to the

Green Lanterns, Sinestro Corps and Red Lantern posters I had done earlier, I have added

Blue Lanterns and Star Sapphires

I will do the other corps when I have their oath and when DC realises pictures showing more Black Lantern corp members and not just their hands reaching out from the ground.

[Steve]

HOLY SHIT

I just had an evil potential epiphany. Oh JME2, check your messages.

[JME2]

HOLY SHIT

I just had an evil potential epiphany. Oh JME2, check your messages.

Yes, and quite the epiphany it was...

[Bedlam]

Do share, this sounds interesting.