1455 ( )

Just did not like this at all. Could not follow the plot, which was basically re-animated dead zombie superheroes battling current alive ones. I do not know enough of the DC League of Justice characters and their normal personas to follow who is who, and what animosities exist. The story was presented in a very disjointed and non-linear way. SO gGlad to be done so I can read something enjoyable again. ( )

Totally freaking kick-ass.

It took a hell of a long time to get through, considering that it is interspersed through a whopping 106 issues of story set-up, main and side action, and the epic fight on so many different fronts. One issue here, one issue there meant that I was eagerly checking the list to see when the main action would come back around.

I could have cheated and read this and a few of the Black Lantern volumes and ignored the rest, but I'm very pleased to have gone ahead and read them all, including the issues in a few volumes that were only partly Blackest Night related.

I learned a lot about the DC universe, too. Am I impressed? Yeah, I am. I thought I was just a Marvel Junkie.

Do I have to turn in my fanboy badge? ( )

Although I've never really been into the Green Lantern Corps, I picked this up on the strength of Johns' work on Flash and Infinite Crisis. An obscure villain called Black Hand has somehow become an emissary of death and black lantern rings are resurrecting dead heroes and villains in terrifying form. Lots of heroes fighting lots of super-zombies ensues. Many people die, though few of these scenes are actually affecting. There are parts I enjoyed, mainly the quiet scenes with Hal Jordan and Barry Allen just talking. The writing elsewhere is sometimes embarrassing. The art is technically good but very busy; every inch of each panel is filled with so much detail that you don't know where to look. That's just not how comic art works. There are too many "magical" explanations for events (or no explanation at all), and ultimately the color-coded emotions idea is rather silly. An average effort at best from a writer who has done much better. ( )

When the ancient prophecy of the Guardians come true and Black Lantern rings begin to fall on earth, bringing the dead back to something resembling life, Hal Jordan, the Green Lanterns, and the superheroes of Earth will have to align with Lanterns across the colour spectrum to attempt to defeat this new evil.

The art in this one is fantastic, which is little bit much in some cases as big chunks of the narrative is filled with what are essentially zombies off the flesh falling off and skeletons protruding school. If the initial darkness and creepiness of the villains isn't enough to throw you off, there's a great heroes unite plot going on here that focuses heavily on the Lanterns but incorporates tons of characters from across the DCU. ( )