Blackest Night was one of my first major events reading DC Comics. I was a diehard fan of Green Lantern and the idea of the Black rings and new Corps was something that got me excited to see what would happen. It was a big deal bringing back long-dead characters and delivering some major ones into various Lantern Corps. It was also about hope in many ways. Tales from the Dark Multiverse: Blackest Night #1 takes that ionic story and delivers a much bleaker take.
Writer Tim Seeley delivers an interesting story that expands upon events and has Sinestro keeping the power of the White Lantern to himself. It’s his selfishness that causes the heroes to lose and Nekron’s undead army to spread. With just a few heroes left, things don’t look good.
Seeley does a solid job of delivering a story that isn’t just a twist on something we’ve seen but instead expands upon it. Where he takes it has ups and downs and an ending I didn’t see coming. He mixes hope and despair and leaves us an ending that feels very Planet of the Apes.
The art by Kyle Hotz is where I think the comic lacks. There’s something about the style that doesn’t click for me. Dexter Vines, Walden Wong, and Danny Miki provide ink. David Baron and Allen Passalqua provide color. Tom Napolitano handles the lettering. While some might like the visual style of the comic, it’s just not my cup of tea. At times what’s presented is too much and not clear. At its heart, this is a zombie tale and you need to mix scares with gore and this doesn’t deliver that because at times it’s hard to tell what’s going on. Add in familiar characters who look like boardwalk caricatures of themselves and the final result just doesn’t work.
Tales from the Dark Multiverse: Blackest Night #1 is the weakest of the line of comics released so far. It’s not bad in any way but it also has enough flaws and yawns the comic is a bit forgettable. There was a lot of potential here and while there’s some original concepts the final result is a bit of a letdown.
It does its best to not fall into the zombie tropes but the comic could have used more of it. There’s also some good in Sinestro’s failures. But add in Lobo, Dove, and Mister Miracle and you’ve got a comic that’s not quite sure what it wants to be.
Story: Tim Seeley Art: Kyle Hotz
Ink: Dexter Vines, Walden Wong, Danny Miki
Color: David Baron, Allen Passalqua Letterer: Tom Napolitano
Story: 7.0 Art: 6.0 Overall: 6.75 Recommendation: Read
DC Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review
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