Broken Frontier

With the estimated best-selling comic in April being Brightest Day #0, DC has released the second (or is it third) installment in its latest bi-monthly series.  Coming on the heels of the mega event Blackest Night, Brightest Day is a gamble for DC not just in the lengthy commitment they're asking from fans, but also for readers who feel disappointed by its predecessor and are weary with event fatigue. 

Still, this book has yet to disappoint. Perhaps it is the combined strengths of two seasoned writers with Peter Tomasi drawing on his years as an editor and Geoff Johns relying on his expertise in plotting big-concept driven stories.  Regardless, Brightest Day #2 definitely ups the ante for ongoing readers and should convince those on the sidelines to come onboard for the full ride.

Opening with an eight-page expose on Firestorm, Johns and Tomasi display  a humor not revealed in the prior issues, which serves not only to humanize the character but allows newcomers to connect more with the Ronnie-Jason duo.  It's not clear what is happening with the Firestorm matrix or what threat it poses to its hosts.   But, the interaction between Ronnie and Jason, along with the sequence with Professor Stein and the Atom, is beautifully paced and captured brilliantly by the artistic team.  Although issue #2 had established drama with the introduction of Black Manta and intrigue with the horrific zombie fish Aquaman calls on for assistance, #3 firmly establishes that Brightest Day isn't just jovial or light and happy comics.

Moving from Firestorm, Johns and Tomasi introduce a new, unnamed female character who's own hatred of Martian Manhunter plays out in ways to rival Manta's own reactions to learning of Aquaman's rebirth.  The mystery deepens as well as the authors juxtapose Martian Manhunter's own detective quest to learn more about Dr. Saul Erdel and the unknown woman he saw in a vision on Mars against the Hawks' discovery of Hath-Set as the body snatcher.  Although the vignette approach remains as multiple stories are juggled, introduced, and then shelved, the transitions here between these stories and the characters are much more seamless than in prior issues.  If none of these shorter offerings convince readers of this series' potential, then the last splash-page should definitely do the trick as Deadman comes face-to-face with an insurmountable danger.

Much like the mysteries surrounding writer contributions on 52, if Brightest Day has one flaw it is the inability to give credit where credit is due to the multiple artists involved and the shared-authorship.  Then again, that is also its strength because instead of being obsessed with determining who writes what or who draws which character, the various components come together in a collaborative synthesis not seen since 52. 

While the "Brightest Day" sticker on other books may be questionable as to their relevance to the main title, Johns and Tomasi clearly illustrate that this new series is more than a marketing device by DC, a freebie ring, or another colored light show extravaganza.