REVIEW: Brightest Day #4

The world of Brightest Day expands a bit with this issue as more of the resurrected characters enter the spotlight. No progress on Martian Manhunter or Aquaman, but there’s all kinds of Hawk-stuff. Unfortunately, there’s no issue shipping this week, but things seem to be back on track next Wednesday. In the meantime, PTB and I have been discussing issue #4.

Hawkpeople

PTB: The book opens with a sequence involving the Hawk People at the portal Hath-Set has constructed with their bones. Apparently, Hawkman has a gauntlet with a bone fragment from their original bodies? and the bone fragment was given to them by a Star Sapphire? and those bodies belonged to Khufu and Chayara? Should I know any of this?

As they pass through the portal, there’s a great two page spread of their various lives ending. Are all of these deaths at the hands of Hath-Set? The current Hawkpeople passing through the portal look like skeletonized versions of their Black Lantern selves. It seems like they may have just been reliving all those moments, but since all of those resurrected by the White Lantern have some connection to their Black Lantern selves, there’s probably more to it. It’s unclear if they’re aware of it though.

And then they come out of the portal on Hawkworld? the Avatar planet? is this Thanagar? Do they even know where it is?

Kevinmld: I really have no idea what’s going on here. But let me just add I’m so sick of flying mountain things on other planets. It’s becoming as cliche as aliens that just look like bugs.

Secondly, the dialogue during this entire sequence… really the whole issue… was ridiculously clunky. This issue combined with BN5 not shipping today makes me wonder if Geoff Johns’ new job is limiting his involvement in the title.

Non-Hawkpeople Hawks

PTB: Deadman is taken from his battle with the Anti-Monitor (that is the last place we saw him, right?) to the current Dove who didn’t die. One of her powers appears to be that she can really change her outfit fast. She’s surprised to see that he still has a white ring, as Hawk bursts in to defend her from the intruder. It’s interesting to note that they can both see him while others have not been able to. As Deadman tells them of his experiences with the White Ring, Hawk takes him to resurrect the original dead Dove, who the Black Lanterns couldn’t resurrecting in Blackest Night.

We also learn that the forest in Star City grew as a result of Deadman’s ring. I don’t remember that at all, but I’m certain it was there in one of the earlier issues of Brightest Day (possibly #0). The back-up/preview from last issue makes a lot more sense as a Brightest Day tie-in now.

KevinMLD: I was definitely aware of how the star shaped forrest grew but I don’t remember where it happened. But the stupidity of a star shaped forrest in the middle of Star City kills me.

I’m pretty sure it’s not possible to make Hawk a character I want to read about.

Mystery section

PTB: Who are these people in Silver City talking about the White Lantern and trying to dive in the shallow end?

KevinMLD: The guy will become the new Aqualad who was created for the Young Justice animated series that will debut on Cartoon Network this fall. He just doesn’t know it yet. I believe this is his first appearance. His debut was announced a few weeks ago during all of the racial controversy regarding DC killing the Chinese Atom Ryan Choi.

As for the girl, how dumb is she to go run off a cliff without looking? Real people don’t act that way… At least not while their sober. DC is shoveling out a lot of stupidity lately.

PTB: Who are these people in the Bermuda Triangle that are far worse off than “dehydrated”?

KevinMLD: The dead bodies from the cave on LOST. They’re now free of the island. Hurley failed miserably.

PTB: Who bursts out of the water to kill the rescue team?

KevinMLD: I don’t know. I’m suspecting they’re from Mera’s other dimension, but I’m basing that on nothing. Maybe they are from Atlantis. My Aquaman knowledge is particularly limited.

Firestorm

PTB: Poor drunk Ronnie Raymond. The Black Lantern voice in his head appears to him as Jason’s dead girlfriend Gehenna, who Black Lantern Ronnie happened to kill by turning into salt. The last panel seems to suggest Jason is at least subconsciously aware of this attack if not responsible for it.

KevinMLD: Yeah I had actually assumed Jason was behind the attack not Black Lantern Firestorm. In fact, I probably would not have thought it possible that it could be BL Firestorm were he not on the cover for NO reason. This adds to my suspicion that the new Aqualad was squeezed into this at the last moment in response to the Atom controversy.

Back-up

PTB: The preview this time is for a Brightest Day Justice Society of America/Justice League of America crossover. I like Mark Bagley’s art and this looks interesting, but I know nothing of Jade. If she had been at all a part of the Brightest Day series outside of appearing with the group of resurrected characters, I might have tried this out. I vaguely remember her from Green Lantern: Rebirth, but at that point she was alive and Alan Scott’s daughter.

KevinMLD: Yeah. She died. Now she’s back. I think she arrived on earth in a meteor or something. James Robinson is not impressing me on Justice League so far.

PTB: And is that the original Green Lantern poem at the end there? “And I shall shed my light over dark evil, for the dark things cannot stand the light — the light of the Green Lantern.” Is that the same lantern the OA Green Lantern’s use?

KevinMLD: I’ve never understood Alan Scott’s relationship with the Green Lantern Corps. It has to have been explained somewhere, but I don’t know where. I know he’s not a part of the Corps and his weakness is/was wood. For awhile he was called Sentinel. I liked that better as it limited unnecessary confusion.

PTB: And is the JLA now basically the Titans considering its membership consists of Dick Grayson, Donna Troy, Supergirl, etc.?

KevinMLD: At one point the JLA was going to basically be the old New Teen Titans, but that didn’t really last more than a few issues and never really became the status quo. Last I saw there were like four members of the JLA: Grayson, Troy, a Starman, and a Gorilla. It’s seen better days.

Read our thoughts on:
Brightest Day #3 / Brightest Day #5

More on the series can be found at our Brightest Day hub.