Short Story
This story doesn’t end in the way that you might have wanted it to end.
Long Story
Batman Incorporated doesn’t only stay within it’s own series, however it branches out with the rest of the DC Universe. As we all know (or should know), Boston Brand is one of twelve heroes/villains that have come back from the events of Blackest Night #8. The only one who is an official member of the White Lantern corps is, Boston Brand. Through many adventures, Boston has been roaming around with a White Lantern ring and getting the feeling of being alive again. Boston has been traveling with Birds of Prey members, Hawk (Hank Hall) and Dove (Dawn Granger) through most of his adventures. With issue 13 of Brightest Day Boston realizes that Bruce Wayne is back and “thinks” the ring has just been waiting for Bruce Wayne to return from being lost in time.
Now that Bruce is operating in Gotham City (preferably for a short time period), Boston Brand might actually get the White lantern ring off of his finger. I like how Geoff Johns’ incorporated Deadman’s face as a mask for Boston. Boston goes from Gotham rooftop-to-rooftop as he looks for the original Batman. He runs into trouble with Mr. Freeze, easily taking down all of Freeze’s henchmen. Just when Boston is about to be frozen, Batman saves the day. As Boston begins to explain why and what he is here for the White lantern ring flies off of Boston’s finger and onto Bruce’s.
The story was written nicely. While I do wish Batman was the chosen one (which I still think he is or at least a key player), he turns out to just be another person that can use the ring. It turns out that through all of these adventures that Boston has gone through he still hasn’t found anything to be entirely rid of the ring. So in conclusion, if anyone should be a White Lantern Boston Brand should be. That and the ring told Boston that he should start living his life.
Geoff Johns and Peter J. Tomasi make a great team. They’ve done a good job with the story overall, and I think if anyone should continue to write this series until some unknown end of an issue Geoff and Peter should. I like how they build to a certain climax and then they surprise the reader by proving them right or by pulling the rug from under their feet.
Ivan Reis is an excellent artist. He did great work on the Blackest Night series, and is doing a better job on Brightest Day. What I notice a lot in his artwork is that he likes to draw splash pages a lot. He has been doing this in every issue of Blackest Night (#1-8) and also Brightest Day.
In the end Boston Brand is still on his search for the chosen one, but he’s got a partner that is going to help him. Dove has joined his mission as his girlfriend, and together they just might find this “chosen one” for the ring. Overall this is a great must-have story for readers who’ve browsed at any of Geoff Johns’ Blackest Night.
Story - 6.4
Art - 7.8
Writing - 5.5
Batman Not Being The Chosen One - 1.0
Overall - 5.2
