REVIEW: Brightest Day #9

After a week off in observance of Labor Day, we’re back to discuss DC’s Brightest Day #9. This time around we clarify who the Aquaman expert around here is and how to most effectively booby-trap a magic forest.

We usually spoil things along way.

PTB: The big revelation surrounding Aqualad comes to light this issue as we learn that he’s Black Manta’s son, and somehow Mera knows this?

Also, Aqualad’s powers seem like they might be similar to the water constructs Mera’s people can create. Could he be Mera’s son as well? Or maybe one of her people?

And did his adoptive parents raise him in New Mexico to keep him away from water?

KevinMLD: I think I’ve done my best during the course of these discussions to establish that no one (myself included) knows anything about Aquaman and his related characters. I mean if a comic book comes out and no one buys it, does it really exist? That’s Aquaman. So I’m just taking all of this information like it’s new.

I think the best we can hope for from this Aqualad stuff is a what-if Superman story. Something along the lines of What if Superman was really General Zod’s son and he was adopted by a presumably loving family in a Desert somewhere in New Mexico. Or maybe the real analogy is “and he was adopted by a loving family somewhere far away from a yellow sun.”

PTB: Any significance to the ship in the bottle? I don’t know anything about Black Manta except that he was part of the Hall of Doom on the Super Friends cartoon.

KevinMLD: I assumed it was some sort of ham-handed metaphor.

PTB: Speaking of Doom, I know it’s off topic but Marvel’s Children’s Crusade was awesome last week. It’s coming out every other month so it’s going to take forever to finish, but the ending to issue 2 was amazing. I did not see it coming at all.

KevinMLD: I haven’t read any of it. I’m not reading any of the Avengers books anymore. They lost me.

PTB: Despite the cover claiming “forest fire!” the Star City forest didn’t really go down in flames. I have to say, I didn’t really understand a lot of what was going on here. The art didn’t really tell the story for me. I just couldn’t really follow all the things that were happening to the Manhunter. It seemed like it was mostly an excuse to quote classic rock songs.

KevinMLD: I thought it was generally clear. Something on a psychic level was happening leading him to lose control of his form and shoot red lasers out of his eyes like Superman or that guy in the X-Men movies who was played by Lois Lane’s boyfriend.

It seemed to me the one voice is the White Lantern or Entity or whatever has been speaking to people and the other was maybe the other green evil Martian… But maybe I’m wrong. Not sure what I make of that yet. It could be he also still has a Black Lantern inside him.

I can tell you the Chocos thing in the supermarket is a reference to the Manhunter’s fondness for Oreos, which I learned about in Sandman of all places.

PTB: On the other hand, it was easy to follow what was happening with the other Green Martian in the gruesome super market scenes. The time she spent inspecting the baby food stood out as particularly suggestive of what might be coming for her and the Manhunter.

KevinMLD: Yeah she’s basically Sil from Species.

PTB: We also get what appears to be direct evidence that he’s not a Black Lantern. Do you think the voice of the White Battery can be taken at its word, and if this is true for the Manhunter is it true for the other resurrected heroes?

KevinMLD: I’m not sure it’s as definitive as you think. He becomes a Black Lantern and the White Lantern subdues it. I think the cards haven’t been fully laid out for us yet.

PTB: What does that mean for Firestorm?

KevinMLD: To be determined.

PTB: I thought the Ewok defense system Green Arrow unleashed on Manhunter was a little too convenient, but I suppose this was set in front of a special tree in the forest. I guess you just have to hope would be wrongdoers approach from the right direction to fall into your trap.

KevinMLD: I guess I kind of buy it. He’s building defenses into this forest he’s taken residence in because it’s magic and bad guys keep showing up in it.

Read our thoughts on:
Brightest Day #8 / Brightest Day #10

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