Brightest Day #17

The story of Brightest Day continues in issue #17, opening first with Firestorm and the expansion of the romantic relationship between Dove and Boston Brand. The remainder of the issue returned to Hawkman and Hawkgirl, and a major twist in their story.

The Good

The good news is that the Universe didn't explode like Firestorm had feared, and we see that he is alive and well- but has found himself in a completely different universe and that the darkness isn't darkness at all, but something much different.

Boston Brand is definitely growing on me as a character. I find it extremely interesting to read his interactions with other characters and join him as a reader on his journey of re-self discovery. He is learning all over again what it is like to be human, experiencing feelings and eating cheeseburgers.

The Bad

DC has been printing new covers that are extremely different from what we are used to seeing. This particular cover features Firestorm in action, with his logo behind him. Very tiny, on the top right hand corner of the cover, is the title of the book. Unless you have it in your hand, it's somewhat difficult to determine what comic it is. I don't know how I feel about these new covers.

The art in this issue is consistent with it's predecessors, and pretty good overall. The story in this issue, however, was rather disappointing. The pacing of the comic was relatively slow, and I was most disappointed with the scene between Hawkman and Hawkgirl. After having beaten Hath, and eliminating the curse that has haunted the couple for centuries, Hawkman and Hawkgirl must now fight off the Queen of Hawkworld and Chay-Ara's mother, Queen Shrike. Being that the story of these two characters have kept me interested in Brightest Day; there was something about this part of the issue that left me disappointed. The story seems to have built up and finally come to a climax- and then Queen Shrike obtains this new power. This series is beginning to feel (at least to me) like it is dragging on, and certain situations should have come to a resolution- particularly the events featuring Hawkman and Hawkgirl.
 

The Verdict

There was a point where I felt that this series was very exciting- but lately I have sort of felt let down. Believe it or not, I think you really can have too much action; and I think that can hinder the direction of the story.