Comic Book Review: Brightest Day #3

Brightest Day continues to chug along this week, in the fourth installment (issue number three) of this universe spanning story. Summery:

Right after being teleported to the Anti-Matter Universe, Boston Brand confronts one of the most powerful DCU villains, The Anti-Monitor himself. At that very moment, the white ring decides to very inconveniently withdraw whatever veil was concealing Boston, making him visible to the Anti-Monitor. The Anti-Monitor is not happy at being disturbed, and is about to attack, when suddenly, the ring tells Boston to fight. So Boston thrusts out his ring bearing fist, and a white collage of the resurrected heroes attacks the Anti-Monitor, hurting him. Boston thinks he's finally realized his purpose: To gather the resurrected heroes, and together defeat the Anti-Monitor. The ring tells him NO, and as he listens, the Anti-Monitor stands up, and prepares to attack himself, but Boston, with newfound confidence in the ring, readies a counter. The ring fails him though, and the Anti-Monitor sends him flying into dark nothingness. With the ring letting him fall, Boston promises to be more careful, and the ring replies OK, sending a white safety net to Boston's rescue.

In Pittsburgh, Ronnie Raymond wakes up inside the University hospital, confused, with Professor Stein sitting by his bed. Stein goes on to explain the lab exploded after Ray Palmer successfully separated the Firestorm Matrix, landing both members of Firestorm in the hospital. The Professor warns that Ronnie and Jason must be separated from no one, and in Jason's room, he's getting a similar speech from his father. Jason's father is telling his son that he needs to return home to Detroit together, but Jason refuses to go, saying that he must finish his studies. His father demands that he return home now, and Jason replies with a angry comment regarding the death of his mother. Furious, his father exits the room, telling his son to do whatever he wants. Ronnie is now getting his things together to leave, and as he does, he begins to question why Ray and Stein have not been giving details, as they warn about the danger of being Firestorm, yet they don't provide any reasons. Ronnie, now fully dressed, exits the door, and he begins to angrily rant about the treatment he's been receiving from Jason, all caused by the actions of Black Lantern Firestorm. Ronnie says that he got another chance, and he's not going to waste it, so he walks out the door, and sees Jason crying on his hospital bed. Ronnie walks outside mumbling to himself: "You Should've Told Them..." As the words linger, a scene of Black Lantern Firestorm killing Jason's girlfriend flashes in his mind, hinting that Ronnie was either in control, or that he kept all the memories. As tears form in his eyes, Jason's dad drives by, yelling at him to stay away from his son.

Aquaman and Mera are standing in the shallow depths of the North Atlantic, as Arthur is attempting to use his powers properly. When Arthur sends out the telepathic signal, a zombie Shamu whale appears, and grabs Aquaman to violently drag him under the sea. Arthur quickly defeats the whale, and begins to contemplate why his powers have been acting so strange. As Mera follows him under water, she suggests that he return to Atlantis, so maybe the Atlantean scientists can run some tests. Arthur firmly declines, saying that he will not return to the people that abandoned him. Mera agrees, and tells him that the only home she needs is Arthur himself, so she smiles and goes in for a hug, masking the look of uncertainty on her face.

In Pearl River, New York, The Martian Manhunter is examining bodies of the family that was brutally murdered by their mother/hidden white martian. He looks into the bodies, that have had the skin pulled, leaving only the sinewy muscle, yet, he finds a lead: A hair of the family dog. J'onn locates the dog at a rescue shelter, and he begins to scan the mind of the canine, revealing the ugly scene of the Martian killing the family. Shocked by what he sees, J'onn is determined to fix the Martian problem, but he first sets off to leave the dog with the lonely, elderly daughter of Professor Erdel, only after wiping the traumatic Martian experience from the dog's mind.

A page here seems oddly out of place: A plane flying over the Bermuda Triangle is losing it's tower communications. In Silver City, New Mexico, the White Lantern begins to blink, and lets a flash of light explodes. Back in the Bermuda Triangle, the airplane is struck by a white streak of lightening, destroying it completely.

In the Peruvian Jungle, the Hawks are making their way towards Hath-Set, who is using their dead bodies for an unknown purpose. As the Hawks finally find the point where Hath-Set was, a portal is opened, a portal made from the bodies of the former Hawks...

What I previously liked about the book has now become somewhat of a hinderance in my opinion. It seems like the stories aren't progressing far enough each issue, leaving us with only a little for knowledge of the surrounding mystery. That being said, the story is still very intriguing, I just wish we could get a little more info every issue.

In a recent interview though, Geoff Johns promised that some characters purposes will become more clear in issue 7, so let's all hope that Brightest Day continues to entertain, and also for more zombie sea creatures, because those are just cool.