This issue is a clinic on how to pull off an event comic. It has a massive scope yet doesn't alienate the characters. It builds tension immaculately. It wastes no time in disrupting the status quo. It even manages to make character deaths not feel cheap, even though those same dead characters come back just moments later. This is the perfect setup for the event and features some of the best character writing and most gorgeous art of the week. We are only one issue in and already Blackest Night is worth the wait and has exceeded the immense amount of hype that surrounded it. This is sick brilliance and I cannot wait to see where they go from here. Read Full Review

Slow start for anyone following the buildup to this event, but kicks it into high gear about halfway through and never slows down. Lots of new Black Lanterns to mull over and tonnes of new information to speculate on. Not a flawless issue, as it has its faults, but was damn entertaining and a great way to kick off this event. Read Full Review

And it’s got creepy-ass intergalactic super-zombies, which is really freakin’ awesome. I give this issue an A and I’m dying for the next one. Read Full Review

The series is off to a very strong start. It's big, it's bold, and it promises to change the face of DC. Oh, and you get a free Black Lantern Corps ring when you buy the comic. Hard to pass that up! Read Full Review

While I am selfishly a little disappointed I cannot deny the hard work and accessibility of this issue. Johns made sure that unlike Final Crisis, Blackest Night is completely new reader friendly. Anyone can start reading this and will not feel completely lost. If you have yet to read Green Lantern #43 I implore to pick that issue up. Like this issue it is totally accessible and really gets into the head of Black Hand who is one of the main villains in this story. This event is going to be huge and possibly change the landscape for the DC Universe for a very long time. Welcome to the end of all that is. Beware the darkness for the dead have arrived to feast on your heart and soul. Read Full Review

Charles Webb: I mentioned in my review for Green Lantern #43 about how absolutely metal that issue was. Apparently, Geoff Johns can get even more metal, more violent, and even further out into the shallow waters of the emotional spectrum. Just when I think Johns has crossed the line of emotional manipulation and super violence for which he's known, he gives us the heart-ripping opening salvo of Blackest Night in the middle of a worldwide day of mourning for the super-powered dead. Read Full Review

Blackest Night won'tdisappoint. There is a ton going on here and it sets the tone for a riveting and exciting event. More questions are raised than resolved and I can't help wonder what Bruce Wayne's pivotal role in this series will be. I am also extremely curious who the force behind the Black Lanterns are and I really hope it's not the overused and predictable Anti-Monitor. Let the tie-ins begin as this event looks to be awesome. Read Full Review

All in all, it's hard to find fault with Blackest Night #1 itself. Most of my problems stem from being too bombarded with pre-release information, and all that eventually melts away in favor of the actual joy of reading. The Sinestro Corps War Special left a slightly bigger impression on me in the end, but there's something else worth noting. That storyline hit its high mark with the opening installment. With Blackest Night #1, I feel Johns and company are only scratching the surface with this issue. This event has nowhere to go but up from here, and that's quite a rosy thought to last me through the rest of the year. Read Full Review

I like what DC has got going so far and Geoff Johns continues to prove why he's the best in the business right now. You don't have to be a GL fan to really enjoy this storyline. It's great fun and I highly recommend it. Read Full Review

Blackest Night had a lot of enthusiasm and anticipation going into it and the first issue delivers well. It wasn't a book that knocks you for a loop but it also wasn't a chaotic mess of storylines and plots that left you wondering what the hell you were reading (yes, I'm glaring at you, Final Crisis). As the first entry into the series, it feels much more like an event book of old that wants to spend the right amount of time building the overall idea, seeding it elsewhere, and then starting to ramp up here. With strong artwork overall, good pacing and a lot of character to cover, it hits pretty much every mark right and makes it as accessible as it can be considering the scope of it. Event books of the last few years have turned me away quickly and easily but this one has me wanting to see more of where it's going to go and how the spinoffs will play out as well. Read Full Review

Johns has been writing that the colors of the various lantern-wielding forces throughout the DC Universe represent different emotions, and he definitely drives that notion home here, especially in the final scene in the issue. However, the real focus of this issue is the emotions associated with the various colored lanterns, but on the emotions that the characters experience as they relive their grief. Johns brings so many of these larger-than-life, god-like characters down to earth by focusing on their feelings rather than on their superhuman feats. It's incredibly effective, not only when it comes to setting the stage for the larger story but in getting the audience to relate to and sympathize with the unsuspecting protagonists. Read Full Review

This is a grim first issue, but its grimness is in the service of a story that is about the role of death in the DCU. Perhaps Johns will explore the consequences of hero and villain deaths in some meaningful way, or perhaps this is the beginning of nothing more than a summer blockbuster full of horrific bad guys and noble heroes. Either way, this first issue boldly establishes that this will be a story to remember. It's excessive, but it needs to be to seem like it matters. And its excesses are part of its charm. Read Full Review

The promotional Black Lantern ring that came with this issue, depending on your location and availability. Even my status as store back-issue monkey didn't guarantee me one, but manager Jim still had some left when I picked up my comics, and I got the freebie with my issue. I'm old enough to remember when they gave away Green Lantern rings and Eclipso diamonds back in the day, but this piece is MUCH superior. First, it's natural circumference is such that it fits comfortably on even my chunky-style hands, and I can wear it without discomfort (meaning no "plastic pinch") on the middle finger where such power trinkets belong. Most of all, it's a tough little piece of plastic, unlikely to break immediately like so many comic premiums. Overall, the experience of this issue was a pleasant one, taking me on a decently handled horror thrill-ride and giving me another unique piece to keep in my collection of esoteric junk. Blackest Night #1 (andit's accompanyingcollectible Blac Read Full Review

Blackest Night #1 was a better than average read, but it suffered from some serious defects. Having said that, I do think that Blackest Night #1 has mass appeal. I do believe that your average comic book reader will enjoy this story. Johns is not delivering a story that requires the reader to put forth much effort. Blackest Night #1 offers the same easily consumable fun that your typical zombie movie or death porn horror movie possesses. If you like movies where characters are randomly killed in bloody fashion and if you like zombie flicks then I strongly suggest that you give Blackest Night #1 a try. You will not be disappointed. Read Full Review

Speaking of art, Reis work is wonderful as usual. The heroes look good, the heroines are beautiful, and the zombies are nastily gross. Alberts inks and Sinclairs colors mesh well with Reis pencils. From an artistic standpoint, Blackest Night #1 is phenomenal. From these artists though, nothing less is expected. Read Full Review

Chris Murman: I agree, but in this genre we see that the more things change, the more they stay the same. The only thing I can add in summary is the words of Metallica: Read Full Review

Of course, some version of both characters will undoubtedly be reborn at some point following Blackest Night. After all, resurrection has been one of their powers ever since they first debuted nearly 60 years ago in Flash Comics #1. Read Full Review

In fact, this entire book is probably best enjoyed by those readers who are already big fans of the characters and concepts established by Johnss previous Green Lantern stories, and who are interested in tracking down all of the tie-in stories and auxiliary titles to get the full picture of the story of Blackest Night. For me, though, dipping my toe in the story by way of the core miniseries hasnt convinced me that exploring the event further is going to be worth the time and the not-inconsiderable expense that buying all of those other collections would demand. Read Full Review

Great first issue, poor Hawks