Broken Frontier

Instead of the standard single issue review, we've decided to approach Geoff Johns and Peter Tomasi's Brightest Day a little different this week.  Since the series is largely written for the eventual hardcover or collected trade paperback audience as opposed to stand-alone, individual stories, we're hoping to produce more cohesive reviews that address Brightest Day's bi-weekly format and provide a critique of the book's evolving narratives with a monthly summary.

For the month of September 2010, Johns and Tomasi focused their attention on all things aquatic, Martian, or atomic.  With Brightest Day #9, the writers flesh out, albeit briefly, Aqualad.  It's revealed that despite earlier fears of swimming, Jackson possesses some ability at controlling water.  The most intriguing and original aspect though of this introduction is Aqualad's potential connections to Black Manta as well as Mera's people.  By the conclusion of issue #9, all parties—Aquaman, Mera's sister Siren, and Black Manta are all involved in seeking out the boy.  The mysterious origins surrounding Aqualad's powers are also delivered in Brightest Day #10 as Johns and Tomasi utilize a personal moment between Jackson and his father.  The authors do a great job here of increasing the tension and drama as Manta and Siren descend on the two only to be stopped by the arrival and intercession of Aquaman.  In part because Johns and Tomasi have abandoned the resurrection theme and focused instead on a more central sub-topic connecting these characters, the Aquaman storyline has a strength and vitality that should increase reader interest.

Unfortunately, the same cannot be said of the other story arcs in Brightest Day #9 and #10.  In terms of the Martian Manhunter sequence, some readers may be let down by what appears to be primarily a "bridging" storyline between the revelations of previous issues and what Johns and Tomasi have planned for the future.  Taking a backseat to the action-driven and fight-heavy aspects of Green Arrow defending his forest from J'onn, the story of the Manhunter's quest to learn more about the other Martian on Earth is derailed by this stop in Star City and for audiences this will surely be disappointing.  Although not an official crossover to the separate Green Arrow Brightest Day storyline, the story here feels mainly like a promotional vehicle for this sister publication.

Much like the Martian Manhunter story, the focus on Firestorm in Brightest Day #10 appears to be moving backward instead of forward.  Really the only holdover from the Blackest Night era, the Firestorm sequence has yet to find its comfort zone.  The mystery of Jason and Ronnie's fusing is complicated here rather than clarified, and the absence of creating important connections between the reader and these dual-Firestorms renders it questionable in the narrative Johns and Tomasi are building.  In fact, some audiences may wonder if episodes such as this should have been relegated to a mini-series rather than Brightest Day proper or if Johns and Tomasi are simply building a foundation for separate, ongoing books once Brightest Day concludes.  Not even the reveal at the end of issue #10 can do much to resuscitate the Firestorm arc.

For readers wanting more of Deadman or the Hawks, this month will largely disappoint as Johns and Tomasi turn their attention to Aquaman, J'onn, and Firestorm.  Of these, the Aquaman story has the greatest potential for September 2010.