Emotional Tethered Registered.
It's been a long time since I felt compelled to re-read an issue as soon as I finish it… I was at the gym on an elliptical while reading this and I think I was creating a scene because I was literally freaking out, throwing my arms up in the air, and talking to myself while reading this issue. It was just THAT GOOD.
The meat of it:
You should have read Green Lantern #48 before reading this. The seven Lantern Corps have finally united in an effort to neutralize the Black Lantern threat. Believing they can destroy the Black Lantern power battery by creating the White Light they teleport to to start their assault. The issue started off with a scene that fans have been anticipating for a while: all the lanterns repeating their respective oaths at the same time, charging up together in a moment of harmony and cooperation. After that shit starts getting REAL, yo.
So here are the SPOILERS followed by some questions:
The assault on the battery fails. In fact there's a distinctly opposite reaction. Black Hand claims that their energy from their combined rings is only making Nekron stronger. Following this we see a single black ring emerge from the power battery…
This ring zeros in on the skull which Black Hand is holding (Bruce Wayne's) and reanimates what we believe to be a Black Lantern Batman.
It's hard to speculate that Bruce's personality was actually downloaded because this lantern doesn't actually say anything.
Instead he vomits several black rings which force themselves upon a number of heroes who have escaped death and were resurrected. This includes Diana Prince, Superman, Green Arrow, Ice, Animal Man, Conner Kent, and Impulse. The Black Lantern Batman construct disperses at Nekron's command and the rings he vomited kill the heroes they attached themselves to and induct them as Black Lanterns… This issue ends with two rings attempting to induct Hal and Barry… It looks like Nekron kept his word on reclaiming those who had escaped death.
So my immediate question is would any of these heroes be authentic Black Lanterns? Nekron commanded all of them to "DIE" as soon as the rings attached themselves but he never ordered them to "RISE." Instead as soon as they died their costumes changed into Black Lantern uniforms and they were under Nekron's control.
Personally I don't believe they are dead or genuine Black Lanterns. I don't think these heroes were "downloaded" like the others. There has to be some sort of distinction and hopefully it will be clarified soon. If they are indeed dead I'm even more curious how Geoff Johns intends to bring them back.
Beyond that I'm also left scratching my head over the significance of the statement "Emotional Tether Registered." It was repeated by the black rings a few times and I wasn't sure how it worked. I keep thinking about the word "tethered." It's like an emotional response is achieved and in the process the heroes re-established a link with something that they used to have. Maybe it's a link with the "other side?" Because it was only being said around heroes who have died before… Food for thought.
Also, when the Hell does Jean Loring have the ability to stretch her arms like Elongated Man or the ability to shrink like the Atom? Did I miss something?
This was an incredible issue and easily the strongest to come out of the Blackest Night storyline. Nekron still looks lame to me with the exception of when he first manifested himself last issue… But I can get past it! Five out of five.
