DC, via its blog the Source, seems to have rounded up a lot of likely candidates for Black Lantern membership…
Click here for a really, really big version.
Jeez, that’s foreboding. Perhaps we’ll see more, once Green Lantern #43 hits stores July 8th. As The Source states, the issue will feature the birth of the first Black Lantern.
A baby shower will follow.
June 17th, 2009 at 11:03 am
Wow, imagine all the Black Lanterns can do with JONATHAN KENT at their disposal! “This retired farmer with high cholesterol is the final piece of the puzzle!”
June 17th, 2009 at 11:13 am
Yeah, but on one hand, can you imagine anyone else, with perhaps the exception of Lois Lane, that Superman would have more trouble destroying (because that’s what he will have to do–destroy) than his own father?
On the other hand, if the Black Lantern have any remnants of their old personalities, can you think of anyone who could do a better job of rallying them against Black Hand than the man who gave Superman his moral compass?
June 17th, 2009 at 12:17 pm
I thought it was known for a long time that the primary way the BL’s will attack and damage the heroes and other Lanterns is emotionally, not really physically.
Throwing a planet at Superman might sting a bit and knock him dizzy for a second, but bringing his dead father back as a soulless weapon against the living will CRIPPLE him.
….and count me surprised that they actually killed Jean Loring off when she/Eclipso crashed into the ocean near Paradise Island during COUNTDOWN. I figured she escaped and Eclipso abandoned her off-panel. Wow.
June 17th, 2009 at 12:30 pm
The three that I’m most curious about: Ralph, Sue and Boston Brand.
All three have been shown with very active afterlives. All three have body-hopping powers.
-J
June 17th, 2009 at 12:38 pm
Finally going to see what Black Hand’s been up to since “No Fear”. I loved what Geoff did with the character and Blackest Night is going to close the GL trilogy that started in Rebirth.
Sinestro Corps War was epic, but Aquaman is in TBN so I’m looking forward to the return of the king, even if it’s a zombie version, it’ll be much better than the Final Crisis cameo, cringe.
June 17th, 2009 at 12:43 pm
Wasn’t it suggested at the end of the last Blue Beetle series that Ted Kord isn’t really dead?
June 17th, 2009 at 12:50 pm
I thought the Golden Age Superman was going to be one. And you can cross off Bruce Wayne. He’s not dead anymore, is he now??
June 17th, 2009 at 1:04 pm
Ronnie Raymond and Jenny-Lynn Hayden both dispersed into energy (and Jenny-Lynn was way out in space!) when they died. Ergo, no bodies to re-animate.
Let’s see how they handle that….
June 17th, 2009 at 1:18 pm
^ I know what you mean. I was thinking the same thing when they showed Ronnie. He didn’t have a body when he died! He exploded into energy! LOL! WTF. This will still be an aweseome storyline.
June 17th, 2009 at 1:19 pm
Also the original Question suprised me as well. Not to mention Al Pratt and some of the All-Stars.
June 17th, 2009 at 1:22 pm
Are the Black Lanterns like Deadites in that only dismemberment can destroy them, or are they more like Romero zombies and only require a shot to the brain?
June 17th, 2009 at 1:42 pm
Very interesting, especially Boston Brand (Deadman), who we wouldn’t necessarily think of as “dead”.
Howabout – the Spectre? The current one or – Jim Corrigan? Either way, this could be used to put Jim back in the driver’s seat, which would be nice, IMHO.
June 17th, 2009 at 1:46 pm
Cool. I only follow DC fleetingly, and I probably shouldn’t admit it, but I’ve completely avoided the whole Lantern craze (time and money)…but this looks really cool. Color me intrigued.
June 17th, 2009 at 2:05 pm
“Wasn’t it suggested at the end of the last Blue Beetle series that Ted Kord isn’t really dead?”
Booster Gold actually. And yes, according to that series, and Geoff Johns (who’s also writing Blackest Night), Ted’s not dead ….
June 17th, 2009 at 2:11 pm
Dammit. So much for waiting for the trade version; I may have to get this.
June 17th, 2009 at 2:12 pm
Nick, I’m doubting a shot to the brain is an effective weapon against them since both Bruce Wayne and ted Kord have little or no grey matter left, and they’re both suggested as potential Black Lanterns.
June 17th, 2009 at 2:14 pm
Kent – It’ll be interesting to see how Ted’s scenario plays out. Dan Jurgens has said repeatedly that he, Jeff and Geoff had a specific plan for Ted that has yet to come to fruition.
June 17th, 2009 at 2:16 pm
I believe that the rings will animate the physical aspect of the bodies without the original spirit. If Nekron is the being behind the rings, he wouldn’t want the risk of noble spirits turning on him again.
June 17th, 2009 at 2:23 pm
Black Lantern Manchester Black?
A shame DC insisted Vertigo be completely removed from the DCU. Just imagine John Constantine’s nears and dears as Black Lanterns. Black Lantern Alec Holland! Black Lantern Brotherhood of Dada!
June 17th, 2009 at 2:46 pm
Maybe this has been suggested, but…
All of the rings operate on belief of some sort.
Maybe it’s not so important that the character in question is actually dead, but that people *believe* they’re dead.
That would explain why Bruce Wayne could be included… or Ted Kord… and leaves the door open in the future for the revelation that one or more characters isn’t really dead.
It’s a crazy thought, but had to toss it out there.
-J
June 17th, 2009 at 2:56 pm
What a minute. Did I hear Black Glove/Black Lantern whispering Bruce’s name? How is that possible if Bruce is alive somewhere in the past.
We need some explanation, as soon as yesterday!
June 17th, 2009 at 3:22 pm
The baby shower comes BEFORE the birth
June 17th, 2009 at 4:07 pm
Booster Gold actually. And yes, according to that series, and Geoff Johns (who’s also writing Blackest Night), Ted’s not dead ….
Well.. that’s what they seemingly left open the door for. BUT..they also kept it as a shadow figure ( who hasn’t reappeared to anyone since) so DC could easily say, “no..we want to keep him dead and the shadow figure was a red herring” Which Johns is good at just check out all the red herrings he did for Nightwing and Flamebird before they were revealed
June 17th, 2009 at 4:32 pm
Remember that all of the lanterns powers are based on Emotion. Perhaps what’s being animated is NOT the actual person but the emotional residue of their death. Or more importantly the emotional resonance of the loved ones who cared for them. To kill them they may have to “kill’ their love for their loved one.
Remember that “Death” is not an emotion like Hope or Fear, but Despair is.
June 17th, 2009 at 5:12 pm
I was going to say something similar. It’s probably more that their spirit is zombified and given form than it having to do with the status of their bodies. After all, besides the ones mentioned, some of them would probably be so old that they’d have decomposed by now (especially Boston Brand or the Flying Graysons).
And yes, I know Black Hand is shown at a graveyard. That might be more symbolic than anything. It’s not like all of those mentioned would be buried in the same place.
June 17th, 2009 at 5:40 pm
There is a Booster Gold corpse from during 52. Remember his ruse using his own corpse from the future, they even had a funeral. Can that corpse be resurrected while it’s past self is alive at the same time? How could that work? I wonder what Booster would say if faced with his own reanimated future corpse?
June 17th, 2009 at 5:58 pm
Maybe they can have everyone on Krypton be Black Lanterns! They can call the book about the zombie Kryptonians “World of Old Krypton”.
June 17th, 2009 at 6:48 pm
This actually screws some theories up as I figured Max & Vic faked their own deaths.
Also spoils the fact that Ted survived after the Booster Gold arc.
June 17th, 2009 at 6:48 pm
or Ted didn’t survive, rather.
June 17th, 2009 at 8:06 pm
Make Jonah Hex and Sgt Rock Black Lanterns and I’ll buy it.
June 17th, 2009 at 8:30 pm
Batman Says:
June 17th, 2009 at 5:12 pm
“I was going to say something similar. It’s probably more that their spirit is zombified and given form than it having to do with the status of their bodies.”
Hmm, it does sound plausible. We will see how this series develop.
Also I believe this series will “out event” all other events, so far. I mean it will continue to 2010.
June 17th, 2009 at 8:32 pm
I still think the MOST obvious character to be a Black Lantern is ABIN SUR!
June 17th, 2009 at 9:07 pm
I cannot believe no one has figured out who the ultimate Black Lantern is going to be. Now this is just speculation but, who is the only individual that made Hal Jordan the man he is right now… Martin Jordan, his father.
June 17th, 2009 at 9:16 pm
@Spike – Current BOOSTER GOLD writer Dan Jurgens says here – http://comicrelated.com/news/279/booster-gold-15 – “[Rex Hunter], however, is the same shadowy intruder we saw in the museum at the end of Booster Gold #12, page 21.” So that thread HAS been revisited–just not in the way that most fans expected or wanted.
@Superfriend – His body’s in the crypt at Oa, right? So he’ll be brought back in issue that sees Ch’p, Katma, Tomar, etc. It’s already been solicited that the Black Lanterns will be raiding the GL crypt.
June 17th, 2009 at 11:05 pm
If Vic Sage becomes a Black Lantern, I will remove all DC books from my pull list…even the Vertigo, Wildstorm, etc. books. They haven’t respected that character since Denny O’Neill wrote him.
The Dibnys and Boston Brand? Sure, let’s make Casper the Friendly Ghost a Black Lantern while we’re at it!
And Jonathan Kent? Really?
June 17th, 2009 at 11:37 pm
What a stupid fanboyish concept!
June 18th, 2009 at 2:18 am
…And those are just the guys they killed off *this week*…
June 18th, 2009 at 6:46 am
What is with you people talking about Bruce Wayne being alive in the past? That is like saying Abraham Lincoln is alive in the past. Regardless of whether the body in Final Crisis was Bruce’s, if he was transported 1000 years into the past then most likely he died 950 years in the past and his rotting, decomposed body is somewhere. Use some common sense.
June 18th, 2009 at 6:49 am
The truth is that DC has only been killing off characters just so they can be Black Lanterns. They’ve been secretly planning the whole thing for 15 years.
June 18th, 2009 at 8:17 am
Back Lantern Gwen Stacy! (Oh, wait…)
June 18th, 2009 at 9:40 am
lol…I agree….how are they gonna Black Lantern bodies that are dispersed energy?
Now we are starting to creep into the hokey-ness that I was hoping Blackest Night would avoid if it was self-contained and not an ‘company wide event’
I trust Johns but this is pushing it….ex: the train wreck the Gog story turned into mid-run and Flash: ReBirth….
June 18th, 2009 at 12:41 pm
With Bruce listed among the dead it suggests that Black Hand is naming the people he believes are dead. So there’s still a chance though I’m curious to see if things changed. And to see how closely the Blue Beetle writer worked with the Booster Gold writers because of the Black Beetle “Joshua” reveal.
Russ: Are you sure that Jurgens wasn’t referring to the museum where Michelle and Michael were in #12 (written by Chuck Dixon) that the time dagger tied into? The shadowy figure in Kord CO. was in 1,000,000 and not in a museum but Teds’ “Beetle cave.”
June 18th, 2009 at 2:46 pm
Re: Firestorm
When Ronnie and Professor Stein joined together, weren’t both their bodies thrown into limbo while the Firestorm body was created. If that body was destroyed wouldn’t Ronnie’s be ejected from limbo back into standard reality?
June 18th, 2009 at 3:13 pm
I, for one, am shocked that so many people can totally wrap their brains around the concept of zombified heroes but their suspension of disbelief drops to nothing at the idea of energy dispersed heroes coming back. :p
While Bruce Wayne may be alive in ancient history, there was a corpse. So Bruce Wayne is dead and alive simultaneously, as two separate beings.
June 18th, 2009 at 5:21 pm
i believe that black hand tries to reanimate bruce wayne but does not have success, or brings back whomever that corpse belongs to. black lantern batman would be pretty cool though, batman leading a black lantern corps would give the dc heroes a hell of alot of trouble.
June 18th, 2009 at 8:54 pm
You and I both know the Batman corpse belongs to the Lump. It is the one, true Spanner In The Works. The Lump has everything Bruce was (DNA, memory, a plan, plus it(he) isn’t Bruce. What’s best about Batman can be offered up without reserve (unto death) without sacrificing the ‘real’ Bruce. I’m OK with that. ‘Cause Bruce always has a plan.
If that happens and the thought I said it early on bums you out, forget you heard it here first.
June 18th, 2009 at 9:39 pm
Still… That two page spread is chilling.
June 18th, 2009 at 10:08 pm
1) What rhiggatwat Says: “…batman leading a black lantern corps would give the dc heroes a hell of alot of trouble.
Of course, Batman knew everyone’s secrets.
2) What Cæu Zokul Says: “…Cause Bruce always has a plan.”
He never leave without plans, never.
June 18th, 2009 at 10:10 pm
What Kevin Huxford Says: “While Bruce Wayne may be alive in ancient history, there was a corpse. So Bruce Wayne is dead and alive simultaneously, as two separate beings.”
Not possible, it doesn’t fit the Law of Time Paradox except for Dr. Doom and his past and future alter egos.
June 18th, 2009 at 10:43 pm
I’m with the whole Black Lantern thing and all, but I hope Johns doesn’t decide to use it as a device to bring back certain characters on a permanent basis.
June 19th, 2009 at 7:56 am
“Not possible, it doesn’t fit the Law of Time Paradox except for Dr. Doom and his past and future alter egos.”
What if he’s on another Earth in another universe? Batman could be dead on Earth-1 and alive on Earth-48, couldn’t he??
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