As many of you are aware, DC's mega comics event Blackest Night has gone on a planned one month hiatus for January, with issue #6 hitting on December 31 and issue #7 not coming until February 23. Technically, I suppose that's two months, but as far as a publishing schedule goes, it's a one month gap. Either way, comics fans are generally frothing at the mouths for more Blackest Night action, so DC set a clever plan into action to fill the void.
In keeping with the central themes of death and resurrection, DC "resurrected" 8 cancelled monthly series of old that would once again get their time to shine for one single issue. The series featured are as follows:
- Suicide Squad #67 (ended 1992)
- Weird Western Tales #71 (ended 1980)
- Catwoman #83 (ended 2008)
- Power of Shazam #48 (ended 1999)
- Phantom Stranger #42 (ended 1976)
- Starman #81 (ended 2001)
- Atom & Hawkman #46 (ended 1969)
- The Question #37 (ended 1990)
As of today, five of the eight issues have released. I love this concept for two reasons. One, it's an extremely clever extension of the themes Geoff Johns and DC are exploring in Blackest Night, taking the concept of resurrection and applying it to their physical books instead of just the characters contained within them. Secondly, it is a chance for certain characters to be in a spotlight that has since faded for them. Not that The Phantom Stranger or The Atom have gone away whatsoever in theDCU, but it's been a while since their names were branded on their own solo book.
Being now past the halfway point of the release of these resurrected titles, I think it's a fair assessment to say that the results have been a mixed bag. Our ownIann Robinson has explored this in his review of Weird Western Tales #71 and his review of Power of Shazam #42, where one book was nearly detrimental to the Blackest Night story and the other provided a new dimension to it entirely. The problem seems to lie in the choice of titles brought back, the characters they feature, and their overall importance to the story as a whole.
Using the examples of Iann's reviews above, Tales featured a Black Lantern Jonah Hex, but for no real purpose. There was nothing truly rewarding about the experience in relation to the overarching Blackest Night tale. A similar problem arose in Catwoman. Now, many of you might recall that I have an undying passion for all things Selina Kyle, and as much as I loved where Catwoman #83 picked up, it was relatively inconsequential to Blackest Night as an entity.
Alternatively, Osiris' return in Power of Shazam showcased a character that was rejecting the typical characteristics of a Black Lantern, instead depicted as the child he is, alienated and overwhelmed with his new life. This approach expanded the Blackest Night experience and brought to light the potential of this ballsy editorial concept.
To further that point, last week's Phantom Stranger #42, while not the most technically proficient comic book ever published, offered some hints regarding the coming Brightest Day project and showcased what the magical side of the DCU is up to during this undead crisis. In addition, showcasing characters like The Atom and Hawkman are also exciting, considering they are lead players in the Blackest Night saga and their history dictates that their stories should be expanded on.
In all, despite the mixed results, the best thing DC did in handling this funky idea is their choice of writers. While Fabian Nicieza on Catwoman and Dan Didio on Weird Western Tales are seemingly arbitrary choices, returning James Robinson to his beloved Starman, John Ostrander to Suicide Squad and Greg Rucka to The Question are top notch. And of course, coupling Blackest Night architect Geoff Johns with Hawkman, a character he has a storied history with, is brilliant as well.
After all of the madness is through, I'm not sure what the fans' memories of this little month of nostalgia will be, or how it will be collected. At best, I imagine that it'll be recalled in passing along with mentions of other obscure DC marketing attempts like the "Sightings" banner or the "Origins & Omens" back-ups, but for now we can at least enjoy seeing some familiar faces having their stories told, while hopefully lending a hand to the overall DCU.
