Those that have been dead for some have a number of startling revelations ahead of them.
What They Say:
Deadman discovers the truth behind the formation of the White Lantern and what it means to the twelve returnees and the rest of the DC Universe. Plus, Aquaman, Martian Manhunter, Hawkman, Hawkgirl and Firestorm discover the price for their resurrections…and why they may be doing more harm than good to the world.
The Review:
The various subplots running through Brightest Day have largely been enjoyable, with only a few pieces not really coming up to speed just yet. This issue runs a bit better overall with stories that I want to see more of that are starting to gestate a little more, but one is not without its problems. The timeliness of content can be a problem sometimes such as with the Aquaman story here that draws on real world events of the time where Aquaman and Mera are working to deal with an underwater oil rig spill. It’s something that’s likely been dealt with in the past as Aquaman has quite the history to him, but it all feels a little bit forced here. What this situation does lead to is something very surprising for Arthur as their attempts to help fix everything reveals a new enemy.
Arthur and Mera work well together, but things go south in the middle of their work when they’re attacked by someone wielding water weapons similar to Mera’s. That it’s actually Siren, a character that in the last couple of years seems to have been relegated to a lower status, almost to that of a minion or sidekick. Siren’s arrival is something that sends Mera into a panic as she just wants to get Arthur away from her and for good reason when she reveals that the truth of the matter is, Mera was sent there to kill Arthur. There’s larger issues at play here, which may come from a time when I wasn’t reading any Aquaman stories, but it feels like a fresh idea that’s being incorporated on top of existing history, which could be really interesting and a definite challenge for Arthur to deal with.
The book has two other main stories running through it, both of which are definitely very interesting. The story involving Boston Brand is one that has the potential to provide a lot of answers as he’s the sole White Lantern at the moment and the ring is talking to him. Unfortunately, it’s not particularly happy with him at the moment because he’s being pushed and pushed hard by Hawk to bring back his brother Don from the dead. What we did learn in Blackest Night and reinforced here is that the dead who are at peace aren’t ones that come back, which is why Don hasn’t. Not that Hank believes Boston at this point, even with him passing on a message of sorts from his brother. The curious part is when Dove notes that her sister likely isn’t at piece and the ring really sounds like it doesn’t want to be involved in this at all as it’s not going to lead to anything good.
The story that gets a bit of the short end of the stick but is made up of most of the action is that of Carter and Shiera. With them now in this otherworldly place, one where it’s made up of numerous floating islands where there seems to be only one with buildings on it, they’re perfectly suited to it with their wings and are ready to investigate. Unfortunately, they’re attacked by some sort of panther-like beast which causes a quick separation of the two that’s made worse when a hawk-like creature jumps into the scene and carts some of them off and then another nabs Carter as well. Learning that this place is some actual Hawkworld of some sort, with Carter sitting amidst a large pile of bones being gnawed clean, certainly proves to be intriguing as this could be a new variant on all the lives we’ve seen before that could tie it together in a new way. It’s not overly violent, but this arc continues to be the one that actually has some bloody moments to it that’s definitely apropos for the characters.
Digital Notes:
This Comixology edition of Brightest Day contains both the David Finch primary cover which features Hawkman and Hawkgirl and the Ivan Reis variant cover which puts its focus on the current Hawk & Dove along with the statue of Don All in between them. With the variant included in here as it would be with a trade paperback release, it’s definitely a welcome value added piece for digital fans rather than making us choose between two editions to buy, a practice I do not like as I’ve seen it done elsewhere.
In Summary:
Brightest Day has some very good moments throughout this as we continue to follow the lives of those resurrected at the end of Blackest Night. With twelve characters to work with, and a definite push to make Aquaman an A-lister again, not everyone gets a lot of time and quite a few of them have had little time at all. But of the stories working so far, the three in this issue are my favorites and all of them have key moments. Aquaman gets a solid revelation that could change how he views Mera, Boston is starting to understand the White Ring even more as it shows what it’s capable of and Hawkman and Hawkgirl find themselves in a world that’s brutally violent in a way that likely feels very natural to them. I find myself the most intrigued by Boston Brand’s arc if only because for now, that’s where the real answers seem like they’ll be coming from. But this series has brought back to light my love for Aquaman, something I haven’t felt since the Peter David series way, way, way back in the day. This is a good issue all around that moves all three story lines forward a bit more with revelations and discoveries along with a nice dose of action.
Grade: B
