Brightest Day #1

Following up the lackluster #0 issue, Johns has picked up the pace and laid fine groundwork for what looks like it will be a worthwhile and intriguing story arc.  Despite the lack of Maxwell Lord in this issue, as well as a handful of new questions that need answers, there is a breath of anticipation and excitement that I now feel going into further issues. 
 
As happened with issue #0, Boston Brand is still being transported between "The Twelve", witnessing events that are occurring for each of them.  Some are shocking, such as the events of Aquaman and Mera fighting against a band of sea dogs that are apparently trying to sell children off for slavery/prostitution/something.  The power that Aquaman exhibits scares he and Mera greatly.  Meanwhile, Martian Manhunter is seen doing everything he can to rebuild Mars...and even alluding that he will bring life back to it.  Hawkman and Hawkgirl find themselves following a beacon towards a link to their past that leaves them stunned. 
 
The biggest story impacts in this issue were Ronnie Raymond (former Firestorm), who must face Jason (current Firestorm) after killing his girlfriend, but it leads to Ronnie and Jason melding together and looking for a way to separate.  Meanwhile, watching Hank Hall lay waste to bad guys while Dove tries to understand it all leads to some interesting "philosophical" ideals coming out of Hall's mouth, bringing up a layer of vigilante sentiment to the actions of superheroes.  While most won't find those as impacting because of the relatively low-key nature of the characters in the DCU, the potential for future storytelling with these characters held with me long after... 
 
...until I saw the last page. 
 
There was a small piece in the book with no explanation that I couldn't figure out for the life of me what was going on.  It seemed so random and quite a bit out of place.  Who was this man murdering people after hearing that Aquaman was alive?  Upon the reveal of the final page, I was left stunned that I hadn't seen it coming.  As soon as I thought back to issue #0 and how Aquaman and Mera interacted with each other, then saw the reveal of this character, it became clear that some s$^* is going to go down! 
 
Overall, the book was good and it flowed great.  The stories didn't feel forced, and everything seemed to be a part of the other.  There's an interconnectivity between the idea of coming back but not knowing what your place is that resonated with me, and Johns writes it perfectly in every character he's resurrected here.  Major events and story arcs should ALWAYS start out this strong.