Just in time for Black Friday, we have yet another installment of D.C. Comics' latest multi-title event, Blackest Night. Issue 5 is continuing to build on the excellent story we've seen so far, which is of course one of the most coherent crossovers D.C. has ever put out. This coherence pays off, for the main story itself seems to keep growing and evolving to something... which should have a satisfying finish.
This particular issue is right up there with the first four books, at least where the thrills and chills, so to speak, line up. It continues to focus on the Flash and Green Lantern thankfully, even with the momentary cameos of Superman and Wonder Woman (who get little, if any actual dialog). Oh, and for those of you who've been wondering, we finally get an explanation as to why the villains needed Batman's skull.
Not to give too much away, but it has to do with the notion of the 'revolving door' of death in comics. The big bad ugly freak job behind the whole Black Lantern mess, Nekron, claims that he was behind heroes and villains and whatnot coming back from the dead over and over throughout the years, ostensibly as part of a plot of his against the Guardians of the Universe - the blue shorties that run the Green Lantern Corps.
Or ran... signs seem to be pointing at an exit for them here very soon.
Anyhow, if you're a fan of super-heroes and horror and suspense and all that (especially in one convenient package), you really should be picking up the Blackest Night series, at only $4 an issue!. Furthermore, there's a metric crapton of related tie-ins and crossovers that attach to the main series, some of which actually matter to the story and some of which do not. The Green Lantern books, for instance, are the 'important' ones.
Not vital, but you know... important.
Also, if you're lucky, your friendly neighborhood comic book store just might have a few rings left. Rings, you ask of your gentle Enquirer? Rings, I say! Over the last four weeks, D.C. has been running an odd promo with the Blackest Night books, where they offered comic stores the option of ordering special toy rings when they ordered x amount of the tie-in books.
This Examiner has them all of course, because he is a big nerd (and proudly so). But if you haven't been following along, you just might be missing these... unless your comic book store has some left. This week's offerings are the Green and Red Lantern rings, and the red one looks particularly shiny for some reason. Or maybe it's just easier to relate to the rage...
But don't worry. As he drives to the wilds of Kentucky over this holiday break, your Comics Examiner definitely won't be wearing a big shiny ring and yelling 'pew pew pew' at people. Surely not!
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