Blackest Night # 4

Oh my. OH MY!!

Let me first state, that the artwork by Ivan Reis, is simply gorgeous. And then let me state, that Geoff Johns is really getting into his stride with the story.

Things are just about as bad as they can be. The beleaguered heroes have learned that they can defeat the Black Lanterns, with the aid of a Green Lantern. Hard on the heels of this discovery however, Hal is whisked away by the Indigo Corps, much to the indignation of the poor good guys on Earth.

In the absence of anyone else, Barry, Mera and Ray Palmer have stepped up and taken charge. There is an unholy horde of reanimated villains, not to mention heroes opposing them, and there's not a whole lot that they can do to hold them off. It IS nice to see poor Jason actually assuming control of Ronnie/Firestorm, at least momentarily. And the Atom utilizes a rather...unique method of escape, through the 911 telephone line.

I love the part where Black Lantern Azrael shows up and tries to scare the Scarecrow, but it doesn't work. Nothing but Batman can frighten the Scarecrow anymore apparently. I wonder if this is something that will come into use later on? Geoff Johns is very very good at seeding clues throughout his stories. There is also the nice little bit with the Calculator calling Lex Luthor, and letting drop the fact that the original Doctor Polaris just ripped out the heart of the new obnoxious Doctor Polaris. As Diamondrock pointed out in his blog...it's as though Geoff Johns was writing it just for him! Lex seems a little concerned, which is probably considering the number of people that he's killed over the years.

Heh.

Meanwhile, Barry gives one hell of a peptalk to a perturbed Ray and Mera. They want to find Superman and Wonder Woman, but Barry tells them that right now, THEY are Superman and Wonder Woman, and they have a nice little moment. I'm loving the heck out of Mera, that's for sure, and I really REALLY hope that she sticks around when this is all over and done with. Barry even throws in a little bit about how they need to act more like Hal, which ordinarily would be TERRIBLE advice, but in this particular case, I suppose it is ok.

So Barry takes off again, and Mera asks Ray that if she is Wonder Woman, and Ray is Superman, who does that make Barry? And Ray replies..."The Flash". SO cool.

They may not have Hal, John, Guy or Kyle, but they make do with the next best thing and go find Alan Scott, who is fighting Black Lanterns along with the rest of the Justice Society, the League and the Titans. Alan may not be in the Corps, but bless his heart, he's still got Willpower and Light, and he pours it on.

There is also an impromptu meeting of all the atoms, from Ray, to Al Pratt, who is now a Black Lantern, and Damage. No New atom though. Oh, and Jean Loring shows up to rain on Ray's parade. Jean is one of the few people who were probably scarier when they were alive.

Meanwhile, in Coast City, Black Hand is having a fine old time, as he summons the being behind all of this...no less than Nekron. Barry can feel something amiss, possibly because of his recent dealings with being the Black Racer and dead himself, so he takes off for Coast City too. He's just in time to see Nekron demand that the dead of Coast City...Rise.

Well crappity crap crap!

There is so much to see, in all of the panels, who are all the Black Lanterns, and how it all ties together. I Am Loving This Book.