Since 2007, the DC Universe has been building towards Blackest Night, an event that the company, along with writer Geoff Johns, promised would rattle the cages of the DCU. Finally, after all this time, Blackest Night #1 has hit. What was found between the covers was more than merely another "event" comic, but instead an epic conglomeration of the blockbuster mini-series we've come to expect from major publishers and the subtle beginnings of a story that is poised to explore the meaning of death within the DCU. Blackest Night is significantly set-up, with much of its first half jumping from point to point throughout the DCU and visiting the graves of characters who have died, as well as those who mourn them. Much of the conversation between characters is morbid but moving, as they converse about past losses and those still to come.
Perhaps Johns' greatest strength in this issue - aside from delivering some of the best lines of dialog in recent memory - is his ability to create atmosphere and a sense of forboding, using mostly his adeptness for successful pacing. Johns is able to bound from character to character and in a few short panels, give the reader a starting point for each plot thread that is sure to lead somewhere as we delve deeper into the story. Beyond the introductions, we can see where Johns wasn't kidding when he said that this really is a Green Lantern story that happens to ecnompass the rest of the DCU.
A hefty amount of this issue's scenes feature Hal Jordan and his monologue, as the beginnings of the overall plot begin to emerge. More interestingly, the rest of the main cast featured in this issue are characters I was overjoyed to see take center stage, and certainly offered a fair jolt in my expectations for story beats within the first issue. Many questions are answered concerning the Black Lanterns: do they speak, are they conscious of their past lives, are they merely zombies? All of these things are established quickly and thoroughly, and we begin to get a real sense of just how dangerous the Black Lanterns truly are to the living, both physically and emotionally.
Of course, Geoff Johns is certainly not alone for the ride here, as Green Lantern artist Ivan Reis takes the reigns of penciling duties, and to great success. Reis never fails to surprise me in how dynamic he is. Blackest Night #1 features scenes of all types: intimate personal reflections, large scale action scenes, average back and forth conversation; all of them are faithfully represented on the page with layouts that are fairly simplistic, but successful.
Where Reis really picks up steam is in the itroduction of the Black Lanterns. Delivered on a splash page, (with Ch'p, fallen squirrel Green Lantern, as a member, much to my delight) the Black Lantern Corps are a truly horrifying sight. Reis' Lantern designs and kinetic prowess really add to the intensity of these scenes and building the new Lanterns as more than just an army of zombies with superpowers. Within these few pages and some help from colorist extrordinaire Alex Sinclair - especially in contrast to the earlier, brighter panels just pages before - it becomes apparent that this book is going to be comparable to a horror film playing out within the DC Universe, but with characters we actually care about.
Though there isn't much that actually happens in this issue in the way of plot advancement, Blackest Night #1 delivers in assuring readers that this is going to be a story on an epic scale, and one that will not have the same old story beats that we've come to expect from most event comics. Granted, Final Crisis changed the way many people looked at these large-scale books as well, but there was more than a fair share of unrest amongst fanboys. While I loved Final Crisis to the fullest, Johns strongest point as a superhero comics writer has been his ability to take the traditional capes and cowls story and reinvent the wheel.
I don't expect the pacing of the story to be so minimal in future issues, but new and long-time readers alike will surely appreciate the time that Johns and Reis take to establish the main players in a fantastical world that features very real, and very raw emotion.
