Topic: In Blackest Night

[bustin98]

I haven't read a comic book series in a while, thanks to the lack of a local store and me unwilling to subscribe to an online store. But I am so stoked for this upcoming series, its driving me nuts! I picked up the Sinestro Corp Vol 1 and will be getting vol 2 soon. I figure its a good place to hop in and get some background details.

Now though it seems I should have been reading Batman R.I.P. as he may be coming back as a Black Lantern, along with Black Hand, Martain Manhunter, and Kilowog. Ah, yes, those without DC knowledge would be so lost.

Anyone here plan on picking the book up?

[Khushrenada]

Unlike you, I have been following DC closely for awhile. It helps when multiple branches of the Public Library have a regular subscription to all comics. I got into Green Lantern after hearing about the hype for the Sinestro Corps War and went through early issues of GL to catch up and get my bearings. Not only does the library have comic books, they also have a huge amount of the graphic novels and collections on series so I was able to read Recharge and Rebirth.

As it was, I got tired of waiting for the next issue to appear in a series and since they weren't getting any Final Crisis issues, I finally bit the bullet and just started buying comics regularly now. However, now I'm starting to run out of room for them. I was thinking of giving them away as a prize in a mafia game where the theme was the DC Universe. I probably still will someday. Maybe now I'll throw in Blackest Night because on plan on picking up those issues as they come out.

So, yes. I'm in. Some things of note. Black Hand isn't dead. Nor is Kilowog. At least I've yet to see either of them die. The only people announced as Black Lanterns so far are Superman of Earth 2, who was a big player in Infinite Crisis and Aquaman. I'm not sure when or how Aquaman died. However, Martion Manhunter is also pretty much a given along with Conner Kent unless Johns brings him back before Blackest Night occurs.

The Batman situation is hard to say due to the nature of Batman's death. I don't want to spoil Final Crisis but if you read it, you'll know what I mean.

Also, I would consider Green Lantern Corps essential reading. I don't know who to best describe the dynamic between the two books but Green Lantern is focused on Hal and the greater mythology of the Green Lanterns. It is often more focused on Hal's trials and brings forth new ideas to the series. But GLC looks at the trials of many people and actually focuses on what impact all these new ideas mean for the universe brought forth in GL. Because of that, GLC is starting to become the better book for me since the pace is quicker and there is a lot more crazy things going on.

The best starting point is probably Green Lanter Secret Origin, especially if you are unfamiliar with the characters of GL. Plus, it was written to incorporate elements of Blackest night. From there, you could probably jump into The Sinestro Corps Wars and take off in any GL book.

[bustin98]

Green Lantern has always been my favorite super hero. I started reading when the 'big' issue 200 came out of the 80s Green Lantern. I only wish I had read Green Arrow/Green Lantern when it first came out. I figured out long ago that if one guy could wipe out the other heros, GL is the one to do it. All he has to do is WANT it. And Parallax just about did it. Man, the destruction of Coast City and all that was an awesome story.

The latest preview of the GL book covers show off Black Hand, Martian Manhunter, Kilowog, and Bruce Wayne's tomb marker. I had heard a while ago that Martian Manhunter and Kilowog were going to be Black Lanterns, and IGN's previews I believe have mentioned Black Hand's involvement, but I won't trust anything til I read the story. The same rumblings did mention Earth2 Superman and I had forgotten it. Aquaman I think is news to me also.

[bustin98]

I missed out on free comic day. Can anyone hook me up with a copy of In Blackest Night 0?

[Khushrenada]

Oh shoot! That's right. Crap. I wonder if anyone would still have this.

[Khushrenada]

So, is anyone else following this now that it has begun?

[that Baby guy]

I'm half following it?

I've told you already, Khush, but I'll say it in the open:  Over the last year and a half, my father's been on a comic book binge, and I've been sorting them off and on over the summer.  Now I'm house sitting for them, and trying to get the bulk of the sorting and organizing in, and I hope to be able to pick up those issues just before I finish house sitting, and sit down and read all of the new GL stuff, beginning with Rebirth, including all those other mini-series, as well as the flagship series and corps, and segue that into the Blackest Night storyline.

It's worth saying that the storyline probably would make sense with a brief visit to Wikipedia, to catch up on all the other major DC universe stories, for instance, Barry Allen died and came back to life, mysteriously, similar to Hal Jordan.  Superman, way back when, against Doomsday, also died and returned to the land of the living, and there's a few other heroes.  Apparently, DC's hinted that characters who've undergone a literal revival are of particular interest to Black Lanterns, so knowing that history might help.

Latest GL Spoilers:
Also of note, did I read correctly?  Bruce Wayne's skull was stolen from his grave?  If that's the case, it almost sounds like there's someone who knows what was going to happen... and did something to save Bruce from a black ring!
What's going on with the Guardians, also?  Has that been revealed, in the least, or is that a mystery that will unfold?

[Khushrenada]

If you've read Blackest Night 1, you'll know why that particular item was stolen and it is not for the purpose you think. One of the guardians is betraying the corps from within and has right now captured all the guardians taking them out of the fight at the moment. In Green Lantern #44, there is a list of people who have died in the DCU recently and those who have come back to life which I'm guessing are going to pop up in the big event

[that Baby guy]

Now I'm nearly caught up.  I've read every Vol. 4 Green Lantern with the exception of issue 39, as well as Rebirth and Corps: Recharge.

I find Hal Jordan to be most interesting this time:  He's worn his green ring, several yellow rings, a red ring, and a blue ring, as well has having held the orange lantern, which then spoke and tried to influence him in the same ways the other power rings do.  That leaves Violet and Indigo, really, and he's very close to a Violet ringer.

I disagree with you about the Agent Orange arc, Khush, I thought it was one of the most interesting parts, solely because of what was involved:  We learned the Guardians are all pretty much dirty and selfish, we saw that even when inactive, if worn, a blue ring can maintain a green ring's charge, we saw that when it was used aggressively, it powered down instantly, and flew away, and we saw that Larfleeze actually hopes to not be an Orange Lantern at all, and that hope showed he had some good in him.  The only things I had any issue with was John Stewart and what's-her-face.  The Violet Lanterns are spreading too thin and, well, I'm not yet sure what's going on with them, or why they're even fighting anyone..

What interests me are the interactions rings have with each other.  It actually seems like, Parallax removed, that Green and Yellow rings are on an even level, with the same amount of power stored up. So, if you take what we've seen at face value, and think of it as Pokemon types, we've got this:

G = Y   B > Y   Y = R   R > G  BG > R    B < R

Beyond that, I don't know if the strength of Orange compared to blue or green could really be ascertained from what we saw, since Larfleeze's ring was over 48x the strength of a normal ring, and didn't drain, thanks to his lantern, but it looked like he'd be more on the level as a yellow enemy, and he was just more prepared than the Green Lanterns around, although I could be remembering incorrectly, and he could have been draining the green rings' energy, similar to what blue did to yellow earlier.

Of course, I know this is all what leads up to Blackest Night, but c'mon, we see in GL 44 that the Black Lanterns constantly read what their enemies show on the emotional spectrum, when the Flash changes from blue (hope), to yellow (fear), as J'onn J'onzz taunts him with memories he's afraid of.

Regardless, it's likely that the goal will be to obtain certain ring-bearers, probably one of each color, who have great influence.  Sinestro for yellow, Larfleeze for orange (Could he actually be the blue representative, and a controller be the orange?), Atrocitus for red, Carol Ferris for Violet (or Fatality, or someone else, I haven't read GL: Corps), someone unknown for Indigo, and likely Hal Jordan for Green, which only works if Lafleeze, as a surprise, does gain a blue ring and forfeits the orange.  Anyways, those seven would have to all "blast" the black battery at the same time, creating a white light to counter-act the darkness, with the idea that no one, single emotion is stronger than death, but if you work together, often, you can overcome it.  That's not what's interesting, though, it's everything in-between that is.

Also, I'm surprised, but I like Ganthet.

[Khushrenada]

So, did anyone else pick-up the latest Blackest Night issues? Really curious to see where this is going since right now, the Black Lanterns look unstoppable. I really liked the Green Lantern Corps issue all though it was mainly set-up to the event it's been promising for months. The dead lanterns have fillen risen. That wasn't a big surprise. Green Lantern Corps is more interesting since it keeps hoping across the galaxy and showing all the different events that are unfolding at the same time. A lot of interesting story points besides just Black Lanterns rising.

Blackest Night #2 was pretty stellar also as the threat continues to grow. Right now, it doesn't look like the Black Lanterns have any weakness. I'm curious to see what can be done to defeat them.

I'm really interested in see the Blackest Night Superman tie-in next week. That's the tie-in I'm most excited. Partly because I'm becoming a big Superman fan.


Getting back to thatguy's earlier post, some things I wanted to mention. I really liked your idea of the different Corps working together to form a white light. That's the best conclusion I've heard from the speculation going on about this story. The idea that most speculate on is that there will be a White Corps that will rise instead or that Jordon will breifly become a White Lantern since he's had contact with all these power rings as you have mentioned. But will Jordan have to wear a Black ring before this is all over?

And going back to Larfleeze, he wasn't draining rings. He really is the most powerful Lantern. That's because he controls the Orange Battery and is the only one to use it. Therefore, his power isn't divided among other Corp members wielding rings like all the other Corps. I'm not sure if it was explained in that storyline or not but I at least am sure Geoff Johns said so in an interview. Also, I'm pretty sure Larfleeze doesn't have good in him. He only wants the blue ring because he doesn't have it. The orange power makes you greedy like what happened when Hal briefly held it. It gives you an insatiable appetite as it were. Larfleeze thinks the ring will finally satisfy his hunger but it won't. He wasn't even wearing the blue ring. It was an illusion to trick him.

[that Baby guy]

But he did wear the blue ring, didn't he?  He saw the image, yes, but the ring rejected him then.  The blue rings don't except a lie, and they have a strict definition of hope, along the lines of something that's selfless and "good," don't they?  Him seeing that, seeing himself as a blue ring, couldn't that be his hope?  To actually overcome his greed and do good?

I think there's potential in Larfleeze being the one who attacks the blue corps, to that extent... Besides, if Hal is going to actually wear an orange ring, something's got to give with the Orange, right?

[nickmitch]

I'm following it.  I'm also loving it.  Although, I'll have to find a way to keep up once I get back to school.

[bustin98]

I asked a friend to pick up the issues for me, but I haven't been able to read the story yet. I'm sad there isn't a comic store nearby. Not even a news stand, though I would be hard pressed to buy a comic off a spinner. I did read IGNs spoiler though. Very interesting, and I'm glad a 'nobody' from the past is being used. That should drive up some back issue prices. I hear the Captain Atom appearances are rare.

[ShyGuy]

http://www.pvponline.com/2009/08/10/sinestro-grumpy-bear/