Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle Reviews

Blackest Night #8 of 8
DC Comics
Johns, Reis, Albert & Prado

DC wraps up its latest crossover/event with the finale of Blackest Night. It has a lot of what you might expect from a project of this scope. There are a lot of splash pages, lots of characters, plenty of clichéd dialogue and plenty of loose threads for future storylines. It's a competent issue but doesn't really deliver the powerful ending that I was anticipating. The issue itself is light on the action and seems to abandon many of the elements that we've seen as pillars during the last nine months or so. For some, I'm sure this issue will be revered because it does have a big-stage-like quality to it that lathers up to some of the characters. However, as a finale to a story it leaves too much unresolved to really be satisfactory. This just simply wasn't the Sinestro Corps War.

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Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle Reviews

Blackest Night #7 of 8
DC Comics
Johns, Reis, Albert & Prado

The penultimate chapter in the main mini series continues to move around the pieces for the big finish. The comic book looks great, has some great confrontations and has a lot of loud moments, but its light on story. As has been the case since the beginning of this series (and the satellite titles) seems to not have enough story to fill in the duration, and yet, in the main series the story seem to be leaving out too much story. It's puzzling when you stop to consider the elements of the issue and how they get from point A to C while leaving out point B.

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Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle Reviews

Suicide Squad #67
DC Comics
Simone, Ostrander & Calafiore

DC resurrected a bunch of cancelled titles this month in conjunction with Blackest Night. Suicide Squad was one of them and it has ties to the present because the Secret Six title has some overlap with that long since cancelled Suicide Squad series. This comic manages to bring the two sets of characters together in this issue very nicely. It takes readers who have been following the Secret Six title and carries along those plots while introducing the key cast from the Suicide Squad series. The only thing this issue is lacking is its involvement in the Blackest Night event, but this one-shot is really just the first issue of a three issue arc that continues in the Secret Six series. It's confusing in that way.

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Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle Reviews

Blackest Night #5 of 8
DC Comics
Johns, Reis, Albert & Prado

Note: Read this after reading Green Lantern #48 if you are picking both up.

The cover might state that Nekron rises but this is not the big story in this issue. Just as you probably thought that this event was getting stale with all of the Black Lanterns rising up and pestering their loved ones or former super hero friends, this issue ups the ante and not a moment too soon. It's a good switch-up as this mini series finally got as interesting as the two core Green Lantern titles. It's not possible to discuss this issue without doing some spoiling so this is your warning. If you decide not to read any more of this review then be ready for a great surprise in this comic book, both in plot and in the concept of raising the dead.

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Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle Reviews

Green Lantern #48
DC Comics
Johns, Mahnke, Alamy & Nguyen

Note: Read this prior to reading Blackest Night #5 if you are picking both up.

This issue brings the ring colors together. It's an issue that is spent with most of the coalition trying to convince the remaining two holdouts to help out in the war against the Black Lanterns. It's a good issue mostly because of the character interactions. It also manages to pull off the impossible and that is to make the most blindly violent character, Atrocitus, have some depth to him. This issue could have been filler but instead we actually learn how some of these characters tick. Overall this is a good comic book.

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Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle Reviews

Adventure Comics #4 (507)
DC Comics
Johns, Gates, Ordway & Wiacek

The fourth issue of this series ties into Blackest Night. The comic focuses on Superboy Prime and relies heavily on satire. The issue manages to raise a smile or two but adds little to the Blackest Night mosaic and doesn't establish what this title is really about. The issue also contains a backup about the Legion of Super-Heroes that seems to provide a story with a theme but does little to clue the unengaged reader about the characters involved making it rather hollow. I'm not sure this issue provides much to anyone other than the hardcore fan.

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by Elisabeth@TFAW

New Reviews of This Week's Releases!

This week's Wednesday New Releases is especially exciting, with looks at Cinderella: From Fabletown With Love #1, Psylocke #1, Buffy Season 8 #30, Doom Patrol #4 with the Yellow Lantern ring, the Criminal Omnibus, and the Wolverine: Old Man Logan Hardcover. Watch the video below to hear more!

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Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle Reviews

Blackest Night #4 of 8
DC Comics
Johns, Reis, Albert & Prado

Flash, Atom and Mera continue to run around Earth attempting to hold down the fort while more Black Lanterns sprout up all over the place. The comic loops in some more DCU characters and reveals the master behind the Black Lanterns as their power gauge reaches 100%. The comic is essentially well executed filler that feels more like a JLA tie in than the main series. It's apparent that this comic is aimed at the hardest of hardcore DCU fans as it deals solely with the Black Lanterns as seen on Earth rather than even attempting to involve any of the Green Lantern cast or bulk of any of the colored corps war. This comic really just isn't essential reading nor is it memorable.

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