Written by James Robinson
Art by Mark Bagley; Rob Hunter; Scott Hanna; Marlo Alouiza; Pete Pantazis; & John J. Hill
Cover Art by Mark Bagley; Rob Hunter; & Pete Pantazis
SUMMARY:
Entitled “By My Black Hand, the Dead Will Rise!: Reunion, Part Two,” DC Comics released this Blackest Night tie-in for February 2010. Inside the Hall of Justice, Red Tornado lays bloodied and dissembled; Zatanna has vanished; and Plastic Man has melted into rubbery goo. It’s down to Doctor Light II (Kimiyo Hoshi), Gypsy, and Vixen (hampered by a metallic cast on her shattered leg) to face off vs. three Black Lanterns: Steel, Vibe, and the nefarious first Doctor Light. Insights into Steel’s horrific origin and glimpses of the League’s past are revealed.
Vixen defiantly holds her team together in battle, as the Black Lanterns’ pure evil/misogyny grind their victims’ vulnerable emotions to pulp. Zatanna Zatara’s off-screen battle against her father’s Black Lantern ends. Ultimately, the true Dr. Light and Gypsy may be the League’s last hope.
REVIEW:
The issue’s best elements are: 1. Kudos for stellar continuity re: the League’s mid-80’s Detroit incarnation, as five Detroit Leaguers are present: Vixen, Zatanna, Gypsy, Steel, & Vibe; and 2. The visual quality, i.e. the cover image, is high-caliber.
Still, aside from the violent showdown content, the flip side is disturbingly grim. While fans will grasp the Black Lanterns are ‘programmed’ to verbally torture their victims, the misogynistic dialogue writer James Robinson scripts here is nothing short of sickening. Beyond DC Comics crassly opting not to bother with a parental advisory, it’s really a triumph of sleaze exploiting 80’s nostalgia for Justice League Detroit.
Subsequently depicting the female Leaguers at the end as being utterly demoralized and/or unconscious is a cheap way of justifying the vile matter by which it is accomplished. Speaking of cheap, there’s another misogynistic bone to pick. DC Comics had previously established that Kimiyo Hoshi’s uniform survives intact from even her most intense energy busts. Yet, Robinson’s script has Hoshi’s costume gradually shredded until she is rendered totally nude for no logical reason — other than evidently reiterating how her predecessor’s incessant abuse strips away her dignity and thereby further enraging Hoshi into retaliation. Why this creative squad deemed a ‘strip-tease’ necessary is anyone’s guess, short of another ugly surprise in Robinson’s plotting.
Could Robinson have suppressed his worst impulses and still delivered a satisfying Blackest Night tale? When on his game, he’s a definitely gifted pro, so had DC mandated it, then, surely, yes. In fairness, Robinson wasn’t the only DC writer grossly overplaying adult sci-fi/horror themes in a kid-friendly title. Blackest Night’s edict, most likely for cheap shock value, too often gave DC’s creative talent a free pass to peddle some of the nastiest garbage in the company’s history. This issue is obviously no exception, though Green Lantern # 43 (Black Hand’s origin/recruitment into The Black Lantern Ciorps) is even more reprehensible.
ADDITIONAL CONTENT:
Senior VP/Executive Editor Dan DiDio includes a “DC Nation” column.
BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 2 Stars
