The premise of the series is simple enough. 12 formerly dead heroes and villians were returned to life at the end of Blackest Night. Brightest Day along with it's companion series Generation Lost have followed the adventures of these 12 heroes and villians. While Generation Lost has been the stronger of the two series in my opinion, both series have done an exceptional job in developing characters that have not received enough attention in the DCU in quite some time.
Firestorm has had a chance to shine as well as putting a new twist on the character with the integration of Jason Rusch and Ronnie Raymond. Hawk and Dove have made an interesting addition to the birds, and Osiris while not integrating with the Titans in the same fashion as Hawk and Dove with the birds but his quest to revive his sister has been nothing short of fascinating. Hawkman and Hawkgirl's quest to end there cycle of death and rebirth had an end unexpected ending but the quest had some great twists and turns. The Reverse Flash and Digger Harkness seem to be setting the pieces in place for the upcoming Flashpoint series. Jade as the daughter of Alan Scott and the former lover of Kyle Rainer has been extremely interesting popping up in JSA as well as the Green Lantern Corps. Martian Manhunter has been the most conflicted of the group. Initially happy that there may be another Martian on earth Jonn later discovers that she is a twisted and sadistic killer prepared to manipulate Jonn to get what she wants. Aquaman, has been a character that I've always liked but in many instances has been perceived as being very silly. In this story his history and especially the relationship with his wife Mera have been nothing short of fascinating. Mera who was perhaps one of the most interesting characters of Blackest Night continues to be fascinating and I would bet that many folks would still be willing to pick up a Mera series especially with some of the famial relationships that are explored in this series. Finally Deadman, the only character that retained a white ring from Blackest Night has been an interesting exploration. Becoming Aliveman now that he is once more alive, he has been an interesting character exploration including meeting his grandfather. With the latest revelations about the nature of the white lantern, the story possibilities that could develop out of these final 3 issues should be nothing short of fascinating.
As is the case so many times, the villains in this group have been more interesting than the heroes at times and no one has been more interesting than one Max Lord. Justice League International which Lord helped to create was the book that converted me as a boy from a Marvel comics fan to a DC fan. From the start his motives were always questionable, and the revelation of his origin in the latest issue of Justice League Generation Lost (Issue 20) raises more questions than answers. His relationship with his mother due largely in part to the death of his father certainly fills in the gaps in some of his motivations and state of mind but still leaves enough unsaid to leave me wanting more. I certainly hope that there are more opportunities to explore the relationship between Max and Booster Gold, but taking into account the endings of the last few issues of both Brightest Day and Generation Lost I'm not taking anything for granted.
With only 5 combined issues of the two series left there probably isn't much chance of a mass critical redemption of this series, but for this has been an unqualified hit and I'm looking forward to much more from all of these heroes and villains.
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