Basement X

Like the others this will be another recap for all 3 issues.

Issue #1:

*Note, this takes place halfway through Issue #4 of Blackest Night (presumably) and just prior to issue #5.

We open with Diana tracing a trail of dead, left for her by none other than Maxwell Lord. As she follows him through Washington, D.C. she recalls all of her encounters with Death. From her mother, to Bruce, to killing Max, and her own death, she talks about how she does not embrace it as much as she recognizes it's necessity and is forced to live with it. She knowns of the lantern's emotional needs, so she ensures to keep herself from feeling anything other than Love.

As she heads for Max, she is headed to Arlington Cemetary, where Max sits upon the top of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, with two guards still standing there. As he sees her colored in Love, she flies right up, and in a glorious one page spread, slices the head of Max off with an axe stating he never understood her since she wants him enraged.

He begins taunting her, asking why she attacked so suddenly, and as she prepares to crush his severed head, he reminds her she still has other duties. We see his body atop the tomb, pointing a gun at the back of the heads of the two soldiers. She races to deflect the bullets, and we see her colored with Love and the soldiers in Will. As she takes the gun and cuts his body in half, she demands their release, and while he mocks her love she claims that life is more than seven simple colors.

He finally lets them go, and they fall forward, she asks them to rush off to save themselves, as they hear rings rushes in from the sky, but they remind her of their sacred oath, and agree to stand beside her. As she carries Max off, the rings rush in and begin rising up the Unknown Soldier, and every other body in the cemetary. Horrified by what she's seen, but knowing the truth, Diana attacks them. Max has decided to play up on her Love for the honored dead to anger her, but she still only feels Love. As they hold her down, he prepares to take her heart but she breaks free kicks his head around, breaking his neck once again. She flies up and goes to save the honor guards, who are being attacked by the Unknown Soldier.

She gets a call from Barry asking her to join them in Coast City, and she agrees to get there as soon as possible. With Max, the Unknown, and hundreds of others circling around them, Diana recalls they need light to stop them. She grabs her lasso, tosses it around herself and the two guards in a large circle and it catches fire, where Diana tells Max that Love is Light.

All of the Black Lanterns burn to ash, and Diana flies off wishing the Honor Guard luck as other military personel rush in to aid them, and we see her colored in love and the guard in will as Max begins regrowing.


Overall the issue was good as a one off Wonder Woman tie in, and going back to the deal of those rising in Washington, D.C. With Diana now heading towards Coast City, we know she'll become a Black Lantern, which is what the Next Issue refers to. I love Rucka's Wonder Woman and Nicola Scott's art was clear and a great portrayal of Diana. I'm really eager to see how this one turns out with the Black Lantern Wonder Woman coming up after the fallout of BN #5.

So 'Bert, you're picking up all these tie-ins to BL, and it seems they are more or less enjoyable but are they necessary to understand the main story in the BL?

Not at all really. For the most part, Johns seems to have at least made effort to mentioning the important parts in the main title, like Dove somehow destroying the Black Lanterns, but I think that with this particular set of minis, we'll possibly see a change. We might get to see more of the 'how regular 'alive' heroes act when turned to Black Lanterns'. Like when Diana and Barry both (pressumably) become BLs, what do they do? Who do they target? How do they get overcome it? I think these minis might flesh that out a bit, but I wouldnt' say any of them are mandatory. But again, until this set of 3 finishes (JSA to be launched yet), who's to say?

Issue #2:

*Note, this issue takes place after Blackest Night #5, and halfway through the events of Blackest Night #6, from the moment Mera takes on the Black Lantern Wonder Woman.

We open with Black Lantern Wonder Woman preparing to square off against Mera, and see BL Donna Troy attacking Cyborg and Starfire, and BL Ice taking on Fire. And we get an idea on what the BLs that are still 'alive' are going through, as Diana struggles to fight what her body is doing, as if possessed. Mera is colored Red as she and Diana take each other on, as Diana increases her rage by reminding her that everyone she's ever loved or ruled is dead, and she's no longer a true Queen.

She fights Mera down, drawing blood, and we see her colored with Fear and Rage now, and as she moves in for the kill, Mera calls water up to attack Diana, who is championing Mera in her mind. As Mera calls out she will not lie down and die for Diana, or anyonetossing her back and forth with water before stabbing her through the chest with her Trident. Thinking she's killed her, she steps back, but Diana rises up, pulls the Trident out, heals and rushes toward Mera.

She stabs her sholder, pinning her to a pillar, and reaches out to pull out Mera's heart, telling Mera it doesn't matter because "her heart was broken anyway." Mera yells at her that she was her friend and spits on her, and WW pulls back.. seemingly gaining control of her body, until she finally flies off.

She's fighting the ring in her mind, and tries pulling it off but can't. She attempts to cut the hand it's on off with her axe, but cannot, finally giving in to the ring it seems. Just then, Wonder Girl lands, attempting to help talk Diana out of it. When Donna appears, taunting Cassie about how she's nothing like Dianan or Donna because she's not an Amazon. Colored with fear, Diana lunges from behind, and rips Cassie's heart out. Diana, mortified by what she's done in her mind, cannot believe what's happening. And as Donna ask's who's next, Diana cuts her in half with her axe.

Then she continues slicing Donna apart, and Diana continues crying out in her mind. Until her mother arrives, in full battle armor, to stop Diana. The fight is short, as Diana manages to land her axe directly into her mother's chest. She prepares to severe her head with her own shield, and Diana claims that all she loes is gone, and there's nothing left. Just then, a batarang clips her forehead.

Batman is before her, and demands that she stop. Now. She rushes at him, grabbing his throat, but Diana knows this isn't real because Bruce is dead. And as the two hold each other by the throat, remember Bruce is dead, she comes back to herself, and the two embrace and kiss as the Black Lantern visage fades away, and bright Violet light appears before her.

Suddenly, though she still has a Black Ring, Diana is being called to both the BL Corps and the VL Corps. Just then, the goddess Aphrodite appears to her, saying love is a color for all creation, and is Diana's color. She can't accept it though due to what she's done, and Aphrodite tells her she did nothing.

It was all an illusion. A place the goddess made so Diana's possession could run free and she wouldn't harm anyone, and so she could fight it to accept the Violet Light. She finally accepts, and Diana Prince of Earth is Welcomed to the Star Sapphires.

End Issue.


Really really good issue when you read it first through, because I nearly lost my head when I thought Cassie had died. We just got Conner and Bart back, and to have lost her I would have flipped. Finding out it was all fake was a huge relief, but a great way to show what it was like for an 'alive' Black Lantern, and someone accepting a new power.

Issue #3:

*Note, this issue takes place immediately after the last, after Blackest Night #6, and most likely during the events of Green Lantern #50 before Hal joins with Parallax, when the Deputies are working with the New Guardians to hold off Black Lanterns in Coast City.

We open with Wonder Woman in awe of the power she now has, as Carol comes to inform her of the situation. They discuss the power of love, and how Diana is weilding a different version of it than Carol, as Diana's is for everything in creation and Carol's is unrequited love.

But immediately they're back to business, and they start encasing BLs in Violet Cocoons. Until BL Max Lord realizes Diana is back. He tosses a noose around her but she instead flings him across to the front of her and then encases him and shatters the casing. Carol tells her they need a Green light to destroy him, and rushes to get Hal.

Newly joined Red Lantern Mera and Atrocitus are nearby, and Mera sees Diana, and fills with Rage and rushes towards Diana. She tries holding her off, but can't cope with the brutality Mera is using. She takes to the air but Mera follows, stabbing her in the leg with the trident. Diana comments that her own pain is physical, but Mera's runs much deeper, as she kicks her to the ground.

Her ring is searching through Mera's heart and mind to find love and reason, and Diana learns that her rage is "fed by inconceivable pain, hidden behind years of lies" as she lunges down to protect Mera from BLs. She puts a dome around the two to try to reason with Mera and Carol contacts her telling her that it's too dangerous.

Mera attacks her, and Diana realizes it's more than just Rage controlling her, but hatred as well, and since her Ring can't solve the issue, she resorts to the Lasso. When it wrapps around Mera, images flood between the two.

Mera's colored in red, where we see her accepting the crown, somewhat begrudingly, fighting Black Manta, losing her son and Arthur and kissing Aquaman.

Diana's in Violet, gladly accepting her crown, losing her friends and battles, being beaten in combat, and an intense moment shared between her and Bruce.

Diana reacts in shock, learning that Mera's heart isn't empty, but something far worse. Carol tells her that they're all planning to regroup to take on Nekron.

Diana then asks Mera "He never Knew?" and Mera responds "After everything, what Could I say?"

We don't get an explaination on the who or what, but it seems that Mera may never have loved Arthur in the first place. It ends with Diana promising that it won't be too late for Mera so long as they survive, and Hal says they will, as he and the other New Guardians and Deputies arrive to regroup and take on Nekron (which makes me think this battle lasts through the Parallax/Spectre ordeal and right into Blackest Night #7).

End Issue.


Not bad, and good to continue on the fight between Diana and Mera but I really want to know the secret Mera has. There's definitely some bad blood between here and Aquaman, and I think that'll come out in Brightest Day.