“A face of metal and flesh shall speak of the secrets of the 52. Fear will rise. Willpower will gather. And a wave of light will unleash the truth behind the power of the ring.”

The Book of OA

Possibly the worst night in the history of the DC Universe has come to an end with the release of  BLACKEST NIGHT#8 . The dead had risen throughout the cosmos and it was up to not only Earth’s most powerful heroes, but the entirety of the universe to step up to save the day. Hero, villain, loved ones and enemies alike began to rise all over existence with one goal…To feed. The undead were craving the hearts of millions, but it wasn’t just any heart it had to be the hearts of people experiencing great emotion be it rage, avarice, fear, willpower, hope, compassion or love.  At the center of all of this chaos were the Guardians of the Universe and their Green Lantern Corps. The Guardians held the key and possessed the knowledge of this night, however, they had dismissed this so called prophecy of the “Blackest Night” a rumor, a tool to spread fear amongst their ranks. And to give into fear was an act that Guardian and Green Lanterns alike were forbidden to do.

Read more after the jump.

We are going to start off a bit different this time and speak about the art of BLACKEST NIGHT before we talk about the story because after all, we eat with our eyes first. If writer Geoff Johns’ story is the main course of this meal, artist Ivan Reis would be the sides and the garnish of BLACKEST NIGHT. The guy has drawn a who’s who list from both Marvel and DC Comics in the past and his art on BN is exquisite. Whether it were his covers or his action sequences, every piece was done with the utmost care. I think that Reis really shined in his multiple page spreads. There were several highly detailed spreads throughout the series, but my favorites had to have been in issues number 1 and 8. Issue 1 gave us a haunting scene where we see all of the fallen members of the Green Lantern Corps rise from the dead. It was so shocking to see decomposed GL’s with their mouths open craving our heroes hearts. Where as issue 8 has this beautiful four page shot of some of our dearly departed not so dearly departed anymore (I wont ruin any surprises!)  He truly brought light into this sea of darkness and even made the undead shine through.

Geoff Johns hits another one out of the park in his third major event to involve the Green Lantern Corps. It all started with GREEN LANTERN: REBIRTH which was the story of Hal Jordan’s resurrection and the beginning of the reformation of the Green Lantern Corps. The SINESTRO CORPS WAR showed us a war of light as we meet a corps guided by fear. The battle between the Green Lanterns and the Sinestro Corps makes many casualties on each side and speaks of the prophecy of the War of Light which tells of other corps of light forming. Johns had laid the foundation for a story that has been over 20 years in the making with a story written by Alan Moore in 1986 that first mentions the “Blackest Night” with these two amazing stories; and he was just getting started.

This series was without a doubt one of the best, if not the best, cross overs ever written for comics. We had pretty much every thing that we could want in a horror story from a main stream company involving main stream characters. The build was almost perfect and it seemed like every time you read an issue before the the main title started we got another layer. Geoff Johns’ imagination and foresight made this series THE series to buy in 2009 through 2010. What is  even more amazing is that I found myself buying every tie in comic that went along with the story. When you have a WEIRD WESTERN TALES #71 tie in with a major story built around a sci-fi comic book you know that you have something special. It’s very rare that a cross over has tie ins that are this good. Even the worst one was still better than most of the comics that came out that week. It’s hard to pick out the best part of this main event because there were so many best parts for me. I guess I’d have to say that what I like most about Geoff Johns in general is that he has great set up in his stories and even better follow through. He always leaves you with a taste of what’s to come in his books.

The universe is full of fallen warriors be they on the side of good or evil and BLACKEST NIGHT took us through the looking glass and showed us what great heroes are capable of. If you haven’t read anything from Geoff Johns than you have been missing out. If this review has peaked your interest in BN than start with GREEN LANTERN: REBIRTH and work your way up through the Green Lantern main title, you wont be disappointed. What is next for the Green Lantern Corps and the rest of the DC Universe? Check out our article on BRIGHTEST DAY and stay tuned for more information on the title.

Post comments below.

Comic book fans have known for years that Wednesday is a sacred day. The day that our favorite titles break loose from the gates of heaven and rain down upon us. Every week there are ups and downs, highs and lows. It would be nice to get some direction in a sea of series that can easily over take any fan boy. I cannot say that my taste is better than anyone else, but I can tell you what I like.  I may even tell you what I don’t like. These are a few suggestions from this past Wednesday.

Check out these books after the jump. Cable, Invincible Iron Man, Blackest Night Wonder Woman, JSA Annual

Cable # 23

The story thus far:

Since the day that almost all of the mutant population lost their powers the remnants of the species has been struggling to survive. In some mutants eyes, the last chance for the race lies with the only mutant to be born since the decimation, Hope. Cable had been waiting for so many years for this child birth to take place and he promised to keep Hope alive against those who would harm her; namely X-Man Bishop. In Bishop’s future he believes that Hope is the reason that mutants get enslaved and the only way to prevent that is to kill her. Now Cable and Hope are jumping forward in time to stay alive and Bishop is hot on their tail.

The story line has been pretty much the same since it started; Keep Hope safe. There have been about four issues or so that have been boring, but as a whole it’s been a pretty fun ride. In the “present” time has been going by at a regular pace, but for Cable, Hope and Bishop it has been years. Last time that the X-Men had seen Hope she was a baby. Now, she looks to be anywhere between 15 to 17. The series is going to get even better as Cable and Hope are trying to get back to the “present”. After that little four issue dry spell Cable has been back to the action.

Must Read Scale 1 2 3 4 5

Invincible Iron Man # 23

The story thus far:

Tony Stark has gone from Avenger to the director of S.H.I.E.L.D, Director to the worlds most wanted man and now is in a vegetative state. It is up to Thor, Captain America and friends to help Tony piece his mind back together and become the Iron Avenger that the world needs once again.

It was funny that when the first Iron Man movie came out that most of the comic book community hated Tony Stark for his role in the Marvel event known as the Civil War. Since then, Marvel has been on damage control to put Tony back into the good graces of the comic book fan boys. The story has been so captivating since the after math of Secret Invasion. Invincible Iron Man is one of the few Marvel books that I can not wait for every month. It’s going to be tying into the Siege story that is going on at Marvel right now which is supposed to reunite Marvels “Big Three” Iron Man, Captain America and Thor. First, they have to put the pieces back together from Tony’s, self inflicted, shattered mind. You see, Tony kept all of the secret identities of all of the registered superheroes in his head(see the Civil War link) and didn’t want to run the risk of his enemies getting a hold of that list so he wiped his own mind. This is a great comic book to pick up right now if you want to get hyped for the Iron Man 2 film due out in May. Not because it has anything to do with the movie, but because it’s just good Iron Man stuff.

Must Read Scale 1 2 3 4 5

Blackest Night Wonder Woman # 3

The story thus far:

Spinning out of the major cross over from DC Comics Blackest Night black rings have descended upon the universe and are raising the dead in the name of Nekron. Unfortunately the heroes that have died and come back to life have been susceptible to the Black Lantern influence and have been taken over. Wonder Woman’s infinite capacity for love set her free from the Black Lantern ring and made it possible for a Violet ring of love to guide her.

Of all of the Blackest Night tie ins this one started out the worst. It’s only a three issue mini series, but the first issue didn’t do anything for me. Now, issues two and three were a different story. They were packed full of action and gave the readers some interesting things to contemplate about Wonder Woman and her supposed “true love”. As I stated I really wasn’t on board when the mini series started, but now it may be one of my favorite BN tie ins.

Must Read Scale 1 2 3 4 5

JSA Annual # 2

The story thus far:

The Justice Society of America is an institution. The JLA can teach you to fight, the Teen Titans teach you about family, but the JSA teaches you how to be a hero. The team is always taking on new recruits either because they are part of a legacy or because that recruit needs direction. Recently, the team had become, almost, too big to be one team. Because of different view points and beliefs it was decided to split the team in two. Though some of the veterans thought that  this was for best it has caused some tension between the two teams.

What was such a strong series has become a train wreck. The main title has become JSA and JSA All Stars. The JSA is mostly comprised of the veterans and the All Stars are a few vets and many of the newbies. The JSA main title is and ok book while the All Stars story line is bogus. The two books clashed in the JSA Annual #2 and had them fighting each other as well as some villains. It was sad to see such a tight knit group fall apart and distrust one another so quickly. The first twenty or so issue were written by Geoff Johns (Green Lantern, Blackest Night) and they were amazing. They really showed how together the JSA was. Now, with a new writer and a split  up of the team the magic of the book is just gone. I recommend reading the JSA relaunch from issue number one, but beware when Johns leaves the title. Steer clear of the the All Stars book at all costs.

Must Read Scale 1 2 3 4 5

Thank you for looking at our suggestions for this week. Please comment on our selections and let us know what you would like to see. If you have any stories that you would like us to touch on, let us know.

Big news today for Green Lantern fans. With Blackest Night rolling along epically, we are all aware that we still have Brightest Day to look forward to. Earlier today DC Comics announced that this series will start right after the wrap up of Blackest Night. I was hoping to be able to catch my breath after the major crossover ends in issue #8 due out March, but it seems as if DC has other plans.

See the image after the jump.

On the DC Universe Blog Executive Editor Dan DiDio announced that Brightest Day will be a biweekly series that will debut in April with an issue #0 and will be written by Geoff Johns and Peter Tomasi.  The series will be 26 issues total and will have covers drawn by new signed exclusive artist David Finch. This is so exciting that I am almost shaking while writing this. If you have not been reading Green Lantern then you are sorely missing out. I am going to map it out for you now nice and easy. Buy and read Green Lantern: Rebirth- Amazon.com. If you like it pick up the ongoing series of both Green Lantern and Green Lantern Corps. If you’re a fan of sci-fi adventure than this is the series for you. Geoff Johns does an amazing job of making the stories interesting and easy to follow while the artists pack them with even better action. Don’t be out of the loop when Brightest Day hits shelves this April.

Excited about Brightest Day? Me Too.

Hello Fanboyz! Welcome to our new Sweet Swag column. In this section we will showcase hot items in pop culture whether they be old or new. Anything that we come across be it prop replicas, posters, statues, shirts, busts etc. Also, if we can find a good sale price on the item we will post a link and price for eager hunters.

See the swag after the jump.

DC Direct has crafted a beautiful replica set to compliment the story of Blackest Night. Back in November we reported about DC Comics giving away free promo rings of each corps in the BN story tie ins and they were great. They were plastic, detailed and a great incentive for fans. The JLA Trophy Room ring set is for those fans that want to take their love of all thing Green Lantern up a serious notch. All of the rings are cast in metal and very durable. They come with a detailed stand that holds each ring securely with gentle rubber. A glass dome covers the rings and all of the symbols light up with a gorgeous “warm up” effect at the touch of a button. However, these rings are only meant for display and probably shouldn’t be worn in public because you may scratch them and will surely be ridiculed. Unfortunately, I have not found any being offered for less that the suggested retail price of $250.00. It’s expensive, but like I said it’s only for the big GL fans.

Are there any Swag items that you would like us to look into? Let us know below.

See this weeks COW after the jump.

Greg Horn gives us a great cat fight with the cover for the Blackest Night tie in Wonder Woman. Maybe the term “cat fight” doesn’t hold up against theses lionesses of the DC Universe. I always enjoy a cover that can showcase powerful women, but I think that Horn sells these two a bit short. Wonder Woman is from a society of warriors and if she has you by the throat she will be throwing a massive punch, not looking like she is going to scratch you. At least Mera has her trident in hand and not a clump of Wonder Woman’s hair. I do like Nekron’s hand above the two like a puppet master.

Like our COW this week? Let us know.

See this weeks COW’s after the jump.

It has been a little while since we have had more than one cover in our COW column, but the Blackest Night delivers.

This cover is a throw back to Ethan Van Sciver’s Flash Rebirth #1. Artist Scott Kolins does an amazing job in this cover with just a few colors. What I love about it is all of the lightning. It actually looks better to me than the cover it’s honoring. With how great Blackest Night is doing we should see even more great covers coming from that pool.

Greg Horn is one of the best there is in the biz at doing covers. It is strange that this is his first to grace our COW section. This one really speaks for itself on why we picked it. His zombie version of Maxwell Lord is probably the most scary undead that I have seen in the massive collection of Blackest Night crossovers. While his Wonder Woman is still very beautiful in the cluches of a corpse.

Like our cover choices? Let us know below.

DC Comics is doing a great promotion for Blackest Night fans. If retailers bought a certain amount of certain comic books they qualified for a bag of promo rings representing each different Corps of Light from the Green Lantern universe. I though that this was an awesome idea and eagerly awaited my rings. As it turns out, many fans were not aware of said promotion and had lots of questions as to which rings came out with which story. For those that don’t know here is a list of issues that correspond with each ring. Enjoy!

Doom Patrol # 4 Yellow

Booster Gold # 26 Orange

R.E.B.E.L.S #10 Indigo

Adventure Comics #4 Blue

Outsiders #24 Violet

Justice League of America #39 Red

Blackest Night #5 Green

Now, the rings are just plastic and nothing fancy, but are a very cool way to promote there series. A lot of these titles are some that are not very popular so it helps DC to give the retailers some incentive to buy. Most comic shops are saying that if you buy the corresponding comic book that you get the ring for free. However, there are some jerk shop owners that are charging up to $20.00 a piece for each ring. If that is a shop that you frequent than I suggest that you change retailers. All of these rings will be out by the end of November and should be either free or relatively inexpensive. If you are looking for a Black ring you may have to try ebay as those came out a few months ago for retailers to hand out. What you do with your rings is your own business, but me I plan to wear all eight (Black included) and punch my friend Andy square in the face… Just kidding.

Let us know what you plan to do with your rings below.

With the war of light coming to a head the mysterious Indigo Lanterns have remained elusive. There has been very little seen from this tribe or what they can do. In the hope of shedding some light on this particular group’s ways we, at Fanboyz.net, waited until this secretive corps revealed more that just a color of emotion to us.  This corps is still wrapped in secrecy but learn what we know after the jump.

The Indigo Tribe, Compassion, and Indigo Light

There is so little known about the Indigo Tribe so please, bear with us. We know that their tribe has many members. There are races that I am not familiar with in the DC Universe. Their leader is named Indigo. The indigo light in the emotional spectrum is for compassion. On top of possessing a power ring the corps members also wield a staff that seems to absorb and redirect emotional energy. We have not seen them use the ring, but when Indigo came across a mortally wounded Green Lantern she puts her hand on his chest, taps into the “will” of his ring, and then suffocates him with his own power in a mercy killing. When the Sinestro Corps memeber that this fallen GL was fighting shows up and sees this he fires on her. Indigo’s staff absorbs the yellow energy, registers it as fear, then creates a fear construct which sends him running. So, at this point the Indigo Tribe can tap into or redirect other lights in the spectrum. Something else that was interesting was that when Indigo approached the GL she was speaking a language that his ring could not decipher. GL rings can do pretty much anything and are programmed with every known language, but he could not understand her.

The Oath

As of this time there has not been any oath established.

There are so many players in the road to Blackest Night and not all of them are playing by the same rules. The Indigo Tribe seems to wield much power, but their idea of compassion may be a bit questionable. Where this corps lands may turn the tide to which ever they side with. Is compassion only felt by the side of good? We will just have to wait and find out.

Check out our other bios on Green Lantern, Sinestro Corps, Red Lanterns, Blue Lanterns, Star Sapphires, and Orange Lanterns.

One of the strangest lights in the emotional spectrum is also one of the most common. People love and hate. Hope for and fear the future. But when people only do things for themselves, this can be the most dangerous thing of all. In today’s bio we discuss  Agent Orange, orange light, the Orange Lanterns and Avarice.

Agent Orange (Larfleeze)

Eons ago Larfleeze was part of a guild of thieves. This band of criminals put together a scheme to plunder the planet Maltus which is where the Guardians are originally from. They steal a number of priceless artifacts among them was a yellow box and a map. One of which is said to be worth an entire star system. The Guardians strike back and send their Manhunters after them. The surviving members discover the map which leads them to the Vega System. There they find a temple and in this temple there is an orange power battery. It begins to “speak” to them and they all begin to fight over it. Two of the remaining four members are killed right away leaving only Larfleeze and Blooch. The Guardians arrive and try to intervene and one of the immortals is consumed by the light. Fearing the orange light the Guardians make a deal with the two survivors. In exchange for the yellow box they would not interfere with the orange light, but only one of them could keep it and that the power could not leave the Vega System. Larfleeze and Blooch agree and fight to the death. Larfleeze was the victor and became the sole owner of the light.

Orange Lanterns, Orange Light and Avarice

The main function of the orange light is to consume. Greed can not be shared so when Larfleeze kills someone an orange image rises from their corpse. He literally makes a copy of them and they become part of his Orange Lantern (OL) corps. Larfleeze being the only wielder of the light makes him very powerful. His power can kill immortals. The orange part of emotions is Avarice or Greed. Anyone in the proximity to the power battery is susceptible to becoming overcome with greed. The orange rings can absorb constructs made by Green Lanterns, Sinestro Corps and even the energy that the Guardians produce. However, it seems that it can not consume blue or violet light. One huge draw back is that Larfleeze must eat and eat. He is never full. When he tries to take a blue power ring its asks him what he hopes for, and in that moment he feel no more hunger and is momentarily sane. This does not last though, and now he wants the blue power to add to his own.

Oath

As of right now the Orange Lantern oath has not been unveiled. However, writer Geoff Johns has said that it is his favorite oath.

The lone Orange Lantern has proven to be a relentless and powerful foe. His power is only matched by is greed. Agent Orange could be a huge player in the war of light, but take heart kiddies Earth men have a great will and where there’s a will there’s a way.

Check out our other bios on Green Lanterns, Sinestro Corps, Red Lanterns, Blue Lanterns and Star Sapphires.

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Ah love. It’s a wonderful thing. “Love conquers all” they say, but is that true in the DC universe? On one of the far ends of the emotional spectrum is Violet. This color signifies love in the spectrum. With love, almost always, comes conflict (Sorry ladies) and with conflict can sometimes come war. In the Blackest Night it is unsure where the violets light stands, but have no fear where there is love there may be hope. Learn about the Star Sapphires, the violet light and the Zamarons after the jump.

The Zamarons

These are a race of women that splintered from the Guardians of the universe. They did not believe, as the Guardians, that they could only protect the universe if they were void of emotion. Instead they chose to embrace love. They choose a planet that had strange clusters of violet crystals. These crystals infect people with love more or less. After many experiments to control the crystals the Zamarons take a page from the Guardians play book and make a ring and power battery to control them. They call there corps the Star Sapphires.

Star Sapphires

In this corps it seems that only women are capable of great love.  Whenever love is in danger they are there to protect it. Sapphires can tether themselves to an area in a sector where love needs help. They can also tether themselves to the person that is putting love in jeopardy. It seems that if it is a woman causing the danger they are dealt with on the Zamaron home world and rehabilitated into becoming a Star Sapphire. They do not help men in the same way. It has yet to be seen, but I believe they deal with men in a far more strict capacity. It has been shown that if a Sapphire and a GL fall in love their joint power causes a chrysalis effect over the entire sector freezing all life forms in that moment and protecting them with love. Obviously no one wants that. Some members have revealed the ability to show others their true loves. Teleportation is also an ability they have. Because the violet light is on the far end of the spectrum the bearers of this light can be more influenced by the power than other corps.

The Oath

For hearts long lost and full of fright,
For those alone in blackest night,
Accept our ring and join our fight,
Love conquers all–
With violet light!

Some of the Sapphires are a bit over the top. We have seen a few that seemed to be in complete control of their abilities and really helped out some of the GL’s.  We don’t know where they stand in the war of light at this point, but in the great words of Lennon and McCartney “All you need is love”.

Check out our other bios on Green Lanterns, Sinestro Corps, Red Lanterns, and Blue Lanterns. We are just getting started in you education of the Blackest Night, so check back for more bio on Orange, Indigo and Black.

Post comments below.