By: Geoff Johns and Peter J. Tomasi (writers), Patrick Gleason, Scott Clark, Ivan Reis, Joe Prado (artists), Mark Irwin, David Beaty, Tom Nguyen, Rebecca Buchman, Mick Gray, Christian Alamy, Patrick Gleason (inkers), Rex Ogle (assistant editor)
The Story: The Martian Manhunter dominates this issue as he finally meets up with the mysterious D’Kay D’Razz, the only other living green Martian. Firestorm (Jason and Ronnie) watches a fleet of Black Lanterns make off with the White Lantern and try to stop them.
What’s Good: The writing and the art! Johns and Tomasi lay down a *dense* script (and I mean 80s dense…Chris Claremont dense) for the Martian Manhunter. Is this a complaint? Hell, no! I loved it. Somebody finally told me straight, through flashbacks and argument and the occasionally unreliable narrative, what the heck is up with Mars, its manhunter and the only girl there. We get conflict, set-up, slap down, and weird psychological and physical mergings as only shape-shifting telepaths can do (don’t try this at home, kids), and it is a fun ride. It’s been a long time since someone has given me a thick read. The brief (1-2 pages) Boston Brand segment eclipsed the larger Firestorm arc, because (a) I thought there was romantic tension, and (b) Boston and Dove are actually narrowing down the list of candidates for the one destined wearer of the White Ring. Cool stuff. The romantic tension may be in my head, but Dove isn’t drawn badly, and I’m assuming Boston hasn’t had a lot of action since Neal Adams drew his death in the early 70s.
Speaking of drawing, the art platoon did some great work, especially bringing the intense psycho creepiness of D’Kay D’Razz to life. Femme fatale? This lady isn’t just out to boil his rabbit. D’Kay: “Want some scars?” Me: “Ummm….no thanks.” The art team also made the fight between Martian Manhunter and D’Kay real, dynamic and kick-ass. Ever seen a Martian on steroids pound his wooing suitor into the stony Martian permafrost? You will if you buy this issue! Wanna see lightning and clouds scud across a Martian lava plain? Check. You want one kick-ass double splash page at the climax of the book? You got one here.
What’s Not So Good: While I loved the alien and the abandon of the artwork, I found that the more pedestrian art chores (like drawing the Justice League attractively) were a little flat. Given a green light to spew creativity across the page, these guys made a mark. Asked to put evocative and realistic expressions on the faces of the Justice League, something didn’t work. Maybe with so many people, they just got in each other’s way? I’m imagining Rex Ogle standing over them all in a small room with a drafting table. The conversation is probably “Rex, tell Joe to move his arm!” “Rex, Patrick is blocking my panel.” “Rex, make Ivan give the compass back!” Maybe my imagination is going a bit far, but those faces really weren’t working for me. Small point. Only a few pages. Another minor point is that the DC website promised some Black Manta/Aqualad storyline, as well as Ardian Syaf. I didn’t see them or Aquaman or Mera either. Maybe Rex needs to talk to the marketing department?
Conclusion: This was one good issue of Brightest Day, well worth the cover price because it certainly moved this story along. If you got off this train earlier because it was moving too slow, it’s probably the right speed now.
Grade: B+
-DS Arsenault
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