Blackest Night #3(of 8)

I'm actually a bit surprised that I have my hands on this comic book, I wasn't expecting to get this comic until Monday at the earliest. But needless to say, I'm not complaining! I actually would have had this review up a lot sooner, but I was over at Kello's blog checking out his second anniversary post. I'd definitely recommend anybody reading this to go over and check Kello's work out. With that plug out of the way, on to this comic. So far, I've given the first two issues of this mini-series perfect scores. Here's hoping that trend continues. The writer here is the stupendous, the amazing, the magnificent, the comic book GOD himself, Geoff Johns! Ivan Reis graces us with his pencil work while Oclair Albert and Joe Prado provide the inks. Alright, enough with the introductions, on to the review!

-This issue begins with the current Firestorm, Jason Rusch, having a bit of a lover's quarrel with his girlfriend Gen. While the two are talking, Jason's Justice League communicator begins to call him to JLA headquarters.

-In Gotham City, Flash(Barry Allen)and Hal Jordan are facing off against the Black Lantern version of the Justice League. Barry and Hal are barely holding their own when the Atom(Pay Palmer)pops out of Hawkman's Black Lantern Ring, which is where he took refuge last issue. Ray tells Hal that the rings are funneling energy from the Black Lanterns back to an unknown source.

-Firestorm heads to the Hall of Justice in Washington DC and discovers that whoever summoned him to the Hall used Aquaman's passcode. Firestorm heads to the security room and stands in front of a wall of television monitors dumbfounded by the awful reports coming in from all over the world. He is then met by Mera who we find out sent out the call for help with Aquaman's passcode. She tells Firestorm what befell her last issue and warns him not to panic, or the Black Lanterns would be upon them.

-Back in Gotham, the BL Justice League is finally gaining the upper hand against Barry, Hal and Ray. Before BL Elongated Man can tear out Ray's heart, the Indigo Lanterns teleport to the scene and somehow manage to use Hal's power ring to destroy BL Elongated Man and BL Sue Dibny. Before Hal can process what happened, the Indigo Lanterns teleport the trio of heroes to the Hall of Justice where they all meet up with Firestorm and Mera.

-The leader of the Indigo Lanterns, Indigo-1, tells the gathered heroes the origin story of the colors of the universe. In the beginning, there was only blackness after the universe formed. In time, the blackness gave way to blinding light, and for several hundred years the light reigned supreme. The blackness fought back and the white light splintered into the seven colors of the emotional spectrum of which every sentient being contributes to... Or something along those lines...

-Indigo-1 then tells the heroes that the only way to destroy the Black Lanterns is for the respective emotions to work together, which explains why Indigo-1 was able to destroy BL's Elongated Man and Sue Dibny with help from Hal's ring. Hal's connection to all of the other Corps also explains why Indigo-1 came to him. Upon learning that Carol Ferris is a Star Sapphire again and that she is fighting Black Lanterns on the Sapphire's homeworld of Zamaron, Hal decides he wants to leave the Earth and head to Zamaron to help Carol out. Barry convinces Hal that he is still needed on Earth, and the heroes decide to come up with some sort of plan to defeat the Black Lanterns.

-Before a plan can be formulated though, the JL Black Lanterns break-in and attack. The Indigo Lanterns teleport away, leaving Hal and the other heroes alone to face their dead comrades. BL Firestorm attacks Firestorm and manages to separate Jason from Gen. BL Firestorm grabs Gen by the throat and Jason grabs BL Firestorm, which causes Jason to wind up trapped in BL Firestorm's head, powerless to prevent BL Firestorm from murdering Gen.

-While the other heroes are battling the BL Justice League, a slew of Black power rings enter the Hall of Justice and head straight to the underground tombs where the deceased enemies of the League were being kept. This issue ends with Dr. Light, Maxwell Lord, Alexander Luthor and others rising to join the Black Lantern Corps.

Well I guess I should just come out and say it... I didn't really like this issue all that much. There, I said it. Where to begin... I guess I'll start with the Indigo Lanterns. I don't like 'em. All they seem to be is a convenient plot device Geoff is using to provide the heroes with information. Where exactly did Indigo-1 get all of her information from? How did she know about the battle between the light and dark during the beginning of time? How did she know that the various Corps could destroy the Black Lanterns if they all worked together? It was all just too convenient for my liking.

Another thing that bugged me a little was the dialogue, which honestly shocked me. I'd easily consider Geoff Johns to be among my two favorite writers(Ed Brubaker is the other one), and one of the things I really enjoy about his work is his dialogue. This issue was just full of hackneyed, borderline embarrassing lines. When Barry said to Hal, "Death is literally sweeping across the Earth." and Hal responded by saying, "Death is overrated." I actually groaned. "Death is overrated"... That sounds like something Arnold Schwarzenegger would say in a Terminator movie. Ugh.

This entire comic read like one of those blockbuster action movies. All we had here were brawls, "dramatic" scenes, and ridiculous dialogue. No, this issue definitely won't be getting a perfect score. For a score, I'm going to have to go with a lowly 6 1/2 out of 10... I readily await my fellow comic book fans to rip me a new one after they read this review.So long Black Lantern Sue Dibny. Don't let the door hit you on your way back to the land of obscurity!