Brightest Day, Vol. 2

Brightest Day: Collected Editions

by Geoff Johns

Comics hottest writer Geoff Johns (BLACKEST NIGHT, GREEN LANTERN, THE FLASH) joins with Peter J. Tomasi (GREEN LANTERN CORPS) to continue the biggest event in comics as BRIGHTEST DAY burns back the BLACKEST NIGHT. They are joined by artists Ivan Reis, Patrick Gleason and Ardian Syaf on the follow-up to the best selling comics event of 2009.

Once dead, twelve heroes and villains were resurrected by a white light expelled deep within the center of the earth. Now, Aquaman, Martian Manhunter, Firestorm, Hawkman, Hawkgirl, Deadman, Jade, Osiris, Hawk, Captain Boomerang and Zoom must discover the mysterious reason behind their return and uncover the secret that binds them all.

In this second volume, find out whether Deadman is truly destined to wield the White Lantern and who the new Aqualad is. Plus, Firestorm’s duelling alter egos take a bizarre journey, while Martian Manhunter returns to Mars to learn about the strange creature that's stalking him.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Dc Comics, Comic Book, Graphic Novels Comics, Superheroes, Fiction

240 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 10, 2011

About the author

Geoff Johns originally hails from Detroit, Michigan. He attended Michigan State University, where he earned a degree in Media Arts and Film. He moved to Los Angeles in the late 1990s in search of work within the film industry. Through perseverance, Geoff ended up as the assistant to Richard Donner, working on Conspiracy Theory and Lethal Weapon 4. During that time, he also began his comics career writing Stars and S.T.R.I.P.E. and JSA (co-written with David S. Goyer) for DC Comics. He worked with Richard Donner for four years, leaving the company to pursue writing full-time.

His first comics assignments led to a critically acclaimed five-year run on the The Flash. Since then, he has quickly become one of the most popular and prolific comics writers today, working on such titles including a highly successful re-imagining of Green Lantern, Action Comics (co-written with Richard Donner), Teen Titans, Justice Society of America, Infinite Crisis and the experimental breakout hit series 52 for DC with Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka and Mark Waid. Geoff received the Wizard Fan Award for Breakout Talent of 2002 and Writer of the Year for 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2008 as well as the CBG Writer of the Year 2003 thru 2005, 2007 and CBG Best Comic Book Series for JSA 2001 thru 2005. Geoff also developed BLADE: THE SERIES with David S. Goyer, as well as penned the acclaimed “Legion” episode of SMALLVILLE. He also served as staff writer for the fourth season of ROBOT CHICKEN.

Geoff recently became a New York Times Bestselling author with the graphic novel Superman: Brainiac with art by Gary Frank.

Reviews

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

2025
So hey, this was better than I remember!
I never finished the last part of Brightest Day, so this re-read is part of the journey to remedy that. Lucky for me, I'd forgotten the whole thing, so this was basically a brand-new story for me and my Swiss cheese brain. <--to be fair, it's been like 14 years!
Anyway. This was a good middle volume, and I'm looking forward to seeing how Johns wraps it all up.



2011
I'm really impressed with this! I was afraid that Blackest Night (and all of its tie-ins) had pretty much bled all of the good stories out of the Green Lanterns. Quite honestly, by the end of it, I was getting a little restless.
So, it makes me extremely happy to say that (in my opinion) Brightest Day is the perfect name for this arc.



The story centers on Deadman...who is not so dead anymore. It's his job to find the new protector of the White Lantern, but can he get past his selfishness and do the job right?
All of the resurrected heroes (and villains) are slated to play a part in this, but with the confusing visions being sent by the mysterious White Lantern, no one is quite sure what anything means.



Almost every character that is featured in this volume had some cool side story going on that kept me on the edge of my seat (through this volume and volume 1)! I'm not sure if these are actual spoilers, but I'm going to play it safe for those of you who care.
In this volume, Martian Manhunter discovers that he may not the only Green Martian out there. Unfortunately, finding out that he is not alone is not what he had hoped it would be.
While Hawkman and Hawkgirl try to kill Hath-Set and end his curse forever, they learn that he may not be their greatest enemy after all.



Aquaman, still reeling from the revelation that Mera was originally sent by her people to kill him, discovers that she has kept yet another secret from him. Enter the new Aqualad.
Jason (still grieving over Gehenna's death) is now forced into a partnership, as Firestorm, with the person he blames for killing his girlfriend...Ronnie. Haunted by his guilt, Ronnie is squandering his second chance by becoming a confrontational drunk. When they bond with the matrix together, it becomes clear that something has gone terribly wrong. They are not alone in Firestorm, and this new voice (while not friendly) is familiar. Worse, if they can't learn to get along, it may mean the end of everything.

Recommended.

[Bradley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Deadman's quest continues as planned, but the white ring is still being pretty mysterious. It's more of the same of Vol 1, with some higher stakes for Aquaman, Firestorm, Martian Manhunter, and Hawkman & Hawkgirl, all of whom are trying to figure out why they're corrupted and trying to tie up the loose ends of their lives.

It's okay. I think I like Firestorm's story best, with Aquaman coming in a close second. JJ has some pretty interesting minfuqry going on. The hawklovers probably has the weirdest story that required me to get off my butt and look up their gold and silver ages and try to reconcile the shit out of them on the fly, and I did it, but wth I'm still not overly impressed.

I like the idea that Firestorm can potentially stop or restart the freaking universe. It kinda puts things in perspective. :)

So here's for the White Hats and the Black Hats out there... it's all Tao, dude. :)

[Malum · Rating 3 out of 5]

The further adventures of DC's B roster (and Aquaman. I consider him an A lister). This is an ok event, but it's not that much more than ok. There are just too many storylines and, 16 issues in, they have yet to really link any of them together.

[Subham · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was another good one!

It picks with Shiera and Carter on Mars and meeting the foemrs mother aka Queen Shirke and her plans for Hawkworld and we get to see her origins and its a good twist with the villain and I loved it!

Then the story of Boston brand and there was this great story of his life story and realization and whatever is going on and I loved that and then the sequel to "Whatever happened to the man of tomorrow" and its a perfect life combo in Martian Manhunter story where he is trapped in a dream by this woman named "D'kay" and it was so good and you can see his new mission and growth in the character and I loved it!

Plus the ongoing story with Aquaman and Aqualad and how he is connected to Xebel and all which was great too and continues the story plus pages with Firestorm and such a massive cliffhanger!

Its an amazing story and Johns and Tomasi continue to flesh out the characters and their motive and continue the mystery of why are they alive and slowly bringing all the plot points together in a profound manner and the art is okay for the most part and compliments the story well and the bright use of colors is a testament to the title of the story. Its a great continuation of the story for sure.

[Oscar · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty good but a bit confusing.

[Arturo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Deadman meets up with Batman, thats Bruce Wayne who has just returned from the "dead", to see how he fares with the white ring. A great Deadman origin included.
5/5

Martian Manhunter heads to the forest in Star City and meets up with Green Arrow, then heads over to Mars for more craziness.
4/5

Aqualad and Black Manta story.
3.5/5

Firestorm vs Black Lanterns.
2.5/5

Hawkman and Hawkgirl in Hawkworld vs Hath-Set and the queen of the Manhawks. War heads to Zamoran with the Star Sapphires.
3/5

And the art gets even better.

[Starlight Kid · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just not good for an event at all.

[Gavin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Continuing from Volume 1, we follow the heroes on their paths to achieve whatever it is that the White Lantern wants them to do.
Hawkman and Hawkgirl face Hath-Set, the man who cursed them thousands of years ago; Aquaman faces off against Black Manta and Siren (sister of Mera) and in the process, finds a new partner/sidekick in the battle from an unlikely source; J'onn J'onnz faces off against the only other living Green Martian, who has been hidden from him since his arrival on Earth; Firestorm faces off against Deathstorm (The Black Lantern Firestorm).
Deadman continues to act as the point through which the White Ring directs events, and alongside him are Hawk and Dove.
At one point, he finds that the ring is looking for the Champion of Earth, and he thinks he knows who it is, and seeks him out.

This is a great job of building up the intensity of the story and really getting us involved with the characters, who are all so well written and interesting, it's a joy to read.

The conclusion should be something...!

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's always Brightest before the dusk, I guess? Jokes aside, I loved how Johns weaves the stories of the "returned" supers together, particularly the appearance of my man Kaldur'ahm (does this appearance predate Young Justice? I honestly have no idea of who created this version of Aqualad, etc.)



The Martian Manhunter-centric issue was probably the best of a good bunch, could be read as a standalone and still make more-or-less sense even without reading the rest of the arc.

[Quentin Wallace · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series is taking the B Roster of the DCU and showing just how cool they are. Aquaman, Hawkman, Martian Manhunter, Deadman, and many others are all showcased in their own individual stories, but they are linked together by the white lantern and the fact these are all resurrected heroes. I think my favorite storyline is Aquaman but all of the stories are interesting and the art is top notch. This is really an underrated series.

[Tawfek]

3,5

[Tomás Sendarrubias García · Rating 3 out of 5]

Continúa El Día Más Brillante, y con él, la búsqueda del nuevo protector de la Tierra por parte de Deadman, como "paladín" de la vida y portador del Anillo Blanco, aunque en este tramo, contará con la ayuda de Dawn Granger, o sea, Paloma, la parte femenina y pacífica del dueto formado por Halcón y Paloma. Pero mientras Deadman y Paloma son lanzados de un lado a otro por la enigmática fuerza de la Vida del Anillo Blanco, la serie sigue contando las historias de los regresados, centrándose en aquellos que conforman la trama principal. Así, vamos a tener a Aquaman buscando al nuevo Aqualad y descubriendo mientras los planes de Xebel para acabar con su vida; a J'onn J'onnz cruzando su camino con Green Arrow dentro del bosque que la Batería de Poder Blanco creó en las ruinas de Star City para luego enfrentarse en Marte con otra marciana verde, una tal D'kay D'rizz o algo así; y tanto Ronnie Raymond como Jason Rusch tienen que hacer frente al regreso de uno de los personajes más crueles de La Noche Más Oscura, el temido Deathstorm.

Y la verdad es que no hay mucho más que decir, ya que aunque en estos cómics la historia va avanzando, no dejan de ser más pinceladas de la gran historia que es El Día Más Brillante, que sigue contando con los guiones de Geoff Johns y Peter Tomasi y lápices de Ivan Reis, Fernando Pasarin o Ardian Syaf, así que en ese sentido, todo más que correcto. Veremos que pasa en el último tomo.

[Katherine (Kat) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3/5 Stars

Individual Issues Rated Below -

Brightest Day #8: 3/5 Stars
Brightest Day #9: 2/5 Stars
Brightest Day #10: 3.5/5 Stars
Brightest Day #11: 2/5 Stars
Brightest Day #12: 3.5/5 Stars
Brightest Day #13: 2.5/5 Stars
Brightest Day #14: 2.5/5 Stars
Brightest Day #15: 3/5 Stars
Brightest Day #16: 3/5 Stars

[Wing Kee · Rating 2 out of 5]

Still super draggy.

I thought that with the set-up of the last 7 issues we were going to finally get to some action and forward motion with the story. Yes that's true, but only slightly.

World: As I said before I like Reis' art, it's wonderful, but not mind-blowing, it's up there but not quite say a Darwyn Cooke or a Jock. The world building here is strong as per Johns, but it is fragmented and choppy due to the need of juggling multiple storylines. I really like the Martian stuff and I really also liked the Deadman stuff, but it's also filled with world building that I don't like such as Hawkworld. It's good but also meh.

Story: It's still very fractured and choppy due to the fact that there are simply too many storylines that at this moment do not connect together yet. I know eventually they will meet up and battle Deathstorm but at this moment, everyone doing their own thing and with no joining up in sight, it's getting old. I'm not saying that each story is not interesting, I'm really enjoying the Aquaman story but the rest are simply, draggy and boring to me. I can't stand the Hawks arc and the Deadman arc is simply stalled. These 16 issues so far have been less than stellar, it's a textbook case of too many and too much means nothing.

Characters: There are some great character moments and development here, especially with Boston Brand. His arc was great and for me it was fun because I've never thought of Deadman like this before. I also really enjoy the Arthur/Mera relationship and the revelations that's going on there, it's lasting and has consequence. The rest of the relationships are boring for me. I don't care about the Hawks and Ronnie is still annoying to me.

I didn't hate it so that's something, but it was fairly a chore to read, I'm going to be glad when this is over and I can return to our scheduled awesomness what it the Green Lantern universe.

Onward to the next book!

[TJ Shelby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay this is the middle story of the 3 part Brightest Day collection. However, that doesn't diminish the story-telling abilities of Geoff Johns and Peter Tomasi. Don't want to give too much away but if you read Volume 1, this picks up right where it left off and does not disappoint. Can't wait for the concluding volume.

[Peter · Rating 2 out of 5]

The second part of the brightest day comic event. And the story gets a bit better then in the first volume. this comes close to a three star book, but just falls short, but it is definitly beter than a 2 star book. The story enfolds, some backstory gets fleshed out, and some motivations become clearer.

If book 3 has a worthwhile finale, than I might upgrade the score for this.

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this story arc. Really looking forward to reading the final book after finishing this.

[Snow Wolf · Rating 3 out of 5]

All I have to say is about the ending of the book, and that is 'oops'.

[Nico · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

Well damn, I guess the universe is gone then.

[Russell Pearce of Sector 2814 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just add solid as to the first volume. Please see my review of that for more details but this one starts up ratchet up the stakes for all characters involved.

[Brandt · Rating 4 out of 5]

In my review for the first volume of Brightest Day I remarked on how I found it difficult for a writing team to use effectively b-list superheroes who have historically not been able to maintain their own titles and use them to form a cohesive narrative. Add into it the fact that the impetus for the series is basically a Green Lantern based "event" and you have a recipe for potential storytelling disaster. And yet, when it comes to Brightest Day, writers Geoff Johns and Peter Tomasi somehow make it work.

Make no bones about it--I'm as confused having read this volume (which contains issues 9 through 16) as I was after reading the first eight issues. The different subplots have yet to come together, but given that I enjoyed the ride on Geoff Johns Green Lantern and Blackest Night for the most part, I am willing to give him and Tomasi a pass here, although I feel they have a hell of a mountain to climb in the final eight issues that will comprise Volume Three. Trust me, if the final volume falls short, you're going to hear about it from me.

I think what I've enjoyed about Brightest Day to this point is that you can tell that Johns and Tomasi are fans of the characters that have brought into this narrative, especially Deadman, the Hawks and Firestorm. Given where we are left off at the end of this volume, Johns and Tomasi are setting the bar for the eventual conclusion of Brightest Day very high. Let's hope they clear it.

[Elder Magalhães Campi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Li este volume na sequência do Vol. 1, e isso fez toda a diferença: a história flui muito melhor quando você já está com tudo fresco na cabeça. O ritmo aqui é muito parecido com o do primeiro volume — bem constante, envolvente e com aquele clima de “evento grande” sem perder o foco nos personagens.

O que eu mais gostei foi justamente como as tramas paralelas têm suas peculiaridades e ainda assim se conectam numa ideia maior. As partes que mais me prenderam foram as do Aquaman, Deadman e Hawkman, cada um com seu drama e seu peso dentro do que está acontecendo.

E a ideia geral do Anel Branco é muito interessante, principalmente depois de ter lido A Noite Mais Densa (Blackest Night) — dá aquela sensação de continuidade bem construída, como se você estivesse vendo o universo DC se reorganizar depois do caos.

[Jasna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I generally am enjoying this exploration into the less famous DC heroes... except Firestorm. That whole thing i just don't care about. It is too weird for me and gives me this "you've the power to destroy and re-create the universe... because this scientist was f***ing around too much" eye roll. Maybe not tragic enough for me or warrants any of my compassion, ha. My heart goes out most to J'onn J'onzz. Though, admittedly, his illusions sometimes confused me with what was really going on--maybe that was the point, but I found it mildly annoying as a reader.

[Lilli W. · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5. I can’t believe I wrote Deadstorm instead of Deathstorm in my update… in my defense it was like 10:00pm…
I liked this volume, but not as much as the first one. My favorite stories are Boston’s, Firestorm’s, Aqualad’s, and J’onn’s. I’m not a huge fan of Hawkman and Hawkgirl’s though. Seeing Kaldur’ahm’s origin is awesome! Love Boston’s jacket! I think his relationship with Dove is cute, but needs more fleshing out. It was cool seeing Mikaal.

[Paul Allard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Slightly confusing for me as I haven't read the first Volume of this comic collection series. The White Lantern manipulates Deadman, Dove, Hawkman, Aquaman etc.. to bring about certain events. It's quite confusing (in my particular case) but the story-telling is effective and full of action and the characters are important and developed. It's entertaining enough and often beautifully illustrated.

[Eric Burton · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's stronger than volume 1, as this really gets into the interesting parts of the many different heroes' stories. The meat and potatoes, if you will. The artwork is great, and Aquaman and Martian Manhunter still have the standout stories.

[Karl Muller · Rating 3 out of 5]

Continuing this arc for characters that most of the public may have heard of, but doesn't really know much about. Some good storylines (Hawkgirl's backstory, Deadman & Batman), but I'm still not sure how this all will tie together to a cohesive story. Perfectly fine and readable.

[Mohammad Aboomar · Rating 2 out of 5]

More of the same. The white ring sure too talkative for a ring!

[Edward Davies · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was pretty interesting, though disjointed at times. It was interesting focussing on those heroes who have returned from the dead and I look forward to the conclusion.

[M.i. · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was decent