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The Fall and Redemption of Hal Jordan
Day of Judgment
DAY OF JUDGMENT begins when Etrigan the Demon offers the fallen angel Azmodel freedom from captivity in Hell. If the fallen angel agrees to let the Demon rule Hell, Etrigan will give Azmodel access to the power to claim the ultimate the destruction of Heaven itself! And the power in question? That of the Spectre who, without a human host, is ripe for Azmodel's picking. As humankind faces the ultimate threat and people's long-lost loves and hates return to torment them amid demonic hellfire, DC's heroes split up to wage a war on three fronts. While Superman, Green Lantern and Zatanna lead a mission into Hell to reignite the underworld's fires, Batman and an army of DC's mystical heroes--Zatanna, the new Dr. Fate and others--try to protect the Earth from the Spectre, Etrigan, and the horde of demons and risen dead. But the ultimate hope lies in Heaven, where Wonder Woman, Supergirl and Zauriel lead another group of heroes in an attempt to persuade the Spectre's former human host, Jim Corrigan, to give up the rest he's earned and reunite with the Spectre. But when Corrigan refuses, another deceased hero must take up the challenge ... a hero whose ultimate decision will determine the fate of the Spectre and the DC Universe! Collects DAY OF JUDGMENT #1-5 and DAY OF JUDGMENT SECRET FILES.
Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1999
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122 people want to read
About the author
Geoff Johns
2,715 books2,405 followersGeoff 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews
September 22, 2022
This was quite fun to read like we have typical end of the day scenario when Asmodel takes over the Spectre and is causing havok on the world and thus you have all the heroes teaming up to stop it and then they have to find a new host for the Spectre and all hope lies in and how he basically fights against Asmodel and even Nero later on with the JL preventing outer world threads and will this hero be able to redeem the spectre and thus himself?
Its one of those stories whose historical significance can't be understated like Johns would ultimately go to write GL and the greatest comic run (yes I am biased) but this was his first time redeeming the character and bringing him back to the forefront of the dcu and it was awesome, great story wise and great plotting wise and also the art was so awesome!! I highly recommend it!
Its one of those stories whose historical significance can't be understated like Johns would ultimately go to write GL and the greatest comic run (yes I am biased) but this was his first time redeeming the character and bringing him back to the forefront of the dcu and it was awesome, great story wise and great plotting wise and also the art was so awesome!! I highly recommend it!
June 5, 2013
Reading something from early in a favorite writer's career can either be a way of discovering how far they've grown, or what their particular journey has really been all about. This graphic novel is from the latter group.
Geoff Johns has been writing comics since 1999, the very year Day of Judgment was originally published as one of those event books that redefine the landscape. Day of Judgment did exactly that, transitioning Hal Jordan into the role of the Spectre, DC's Spirit of Vengeance. Jordan had previously been Parallax, one of the greatest villains ever, and before that Green Lantern, one of the greatest heroes ever. Johns really made his name, though, in 2004, when he brought Jordan full circle in Green Lantern: Rebirth.
What you need to know is that I finally figured out the significance of artist Matt Smith's work. I didn't have the chance to read Day of Judgment in 1999. I didn't get a chance to read a single issue until earlier this year. These comics were hard to find, partly because they became less and less relevant. Jordan's time as the Spectre didn't turn out to be the solution everyone thought it might be in his redemptive arc, and it's been mostly forgotten. Johns went on to far greater acclaim in any number of projects, and this seemed like a forgettable entry indeed. When he undertook Infinite Crisis in 2005, Geoff revisited some of what he'd done in Day of Judgment. As part of Infinite Crisis, the Spectre underwent another crisis in a prelude called Day of Vengeance. It wasn't written by Johns and didn't involve Hal Jordan, but the echoes remained. Another team of mystic superheroes arose, with some of the same players that were featured in Day of Judgment.
Simply put, Day of Judgment is all about Geoff's obsession with the occult. The groundwork had been laid by Grant Morrison's JLA, which introduced the fallen angel Asmodel, whose attempt to become the host of the Spectre was the crisis in Day of Judgment. Mark Waid had introduced Neron a little earlier in Underworld Unleashed, and together, they were a scourge that forced the arcane corners of the DC landscape to the surface.
This is all a little weird, because Geoff is better known as the bright shiny vanguard of the traditional superhero mold.
But he shouldn't be. Smith evoked in his art not the event look common elsewhere, but Mike Mignola, creator of Hellboy (a world in which Smith has also dabbled). Mignola himself had worked on a DC event book years earlier, Cosmic Odyssey. Smith was perfect for Day of Judgment, which by the way also served as a theoretically new launching point for DC's own Hellboy, Blue Devil. Geoff would write a tiny corner of Blue Devil's world in his Teen Titans run, one of the key developments that deepened my interest in his career.
Geoff does indeed write mostly the very traditional superhero. Yet he's always approaching it from directions that don't seem to obvious. He brought Hal Jordan back from the dead. He made zombies a part of Green Lantern mythos. His best Flash story other than Flashpoint, another event book known among fans as the story that saw Thomas Wayne become Batman and his son learn about it when time reset, featured Wally West in a Wonderful Life where no one knew what he was, including himself.
It can be said that Geoff is obsessed with tradition, and that's because he's obsessed with mythology, not any specific mythology, whatever's on-hand really. In the rare Vertigo story he published last year, he wrote about a man who collaborates with his dead brother, who happens to be a ghost.
Once you see it you see it everywhere, and that's what Day of Judgment does. If you're interested in Geoff's career at all, you need to read it. The continuity doesn't hold like it used to, even before it was more or less forgotten, even by Geoff and his colleagues when Infinite Crisis and Day of Vengeance came around. That's comics. The story itself is not the biggest event ever, and that's another thing that haunts its legacy. Yet it's back in print and it's essentially a Hal Jordan story, just as Zero Hour and The Final Night were before it (featuring the rise and fall of Parallax, respectively, as villain and hero). And it's essential Geoff Johns.
Geoff Johns has been writing comics since 1999, the very year Day of Judgment was originally published as one of those event books that redefine the landscape. Day of Judgment did exactly that, transitioning Hal Jordan into the role of the Spectre, DC's Spirit of Vengeance. Jordan had previously been Parallax, one of the greatest villains ever, and before that Green Lantern, one of the greatest heroes ever. Johns really made his name, though, in 2004, when he brought Jordan full circle in Green Lantern: Rebirth.
What you need to know is that I finally figured out the significance of artist Matt Smith's work. I didn't have the chance to read Day of Judgment in 1999. I didn't get a chance to read a single issue until earlier this year. These comics were hard to find, partly because they became less and less relevant. Jordan's time as the Spectre didn't turn out to be the solution everyone thought it might be in his redemptive arc, and it's been mostly forgotten. Johns went on to far greater acclaim in any number of projects, and this seemed like a forgettable entry indeed. When he undertook Infinite Crisis in 2005, Geoff revisited some of what he'd done in Day of Judgment. As part of Infinite Crisis, the Spectre underwent another crisis in a prelude called Day of Vengeance. It wasn't written by Johns and didn't involve Hal Jordan, but the echoes remained. Another team of mystic superheroes arose, with some of the same players that were featured in Day of Judgment.
Simply put, Day of Judgment is all about Geoff's obsession with the occult. The groundwork had been laid by Grant Morrison's JLA, which introduced the fallen angel Asmodel, whose attempt to become the host of the Spectre was the crisis in Day of Judgment. Mark Waid had introduced Neron a little earlier in Underworld Unleashed, and together, they were a scourge that forced the arcane corners of the DC landscape to the surface.
This is all a little weird, because Geoff is better known as the bright shiny vanguard of the traditional superhero mold.
But he shouldn't be. Smith evoked in his art not the event look common elsewhere, but Mike Mignola, creator of Hellboy (a world in which Smith has also dabbled). Mignola himself had worked on a DC event book years earlier, Cosmic Odyssey. Smith was perfect for Day of Judgment, which by the way also served as a theoretically new launching point for DC's own Hellboy, Blue Devil. Geoff would write a tiny corner of Blue Devil's world in his Teen Titans run, one of the key developments that deepened my interest in his career.
Geoff does indeed write mostly the very traditional superhero. Yet he's always approaching it from directions that don't seem to obvious. He brought Hal Jordan back from the dead. He made zombies a part of Green Lantern mythos. His best Flash story other than Flashpoint, another event book known among fans as the story that saw Thomas Wayne become Batman and his son learn about it when time reset, featured Wally West in a Wonderful Life where no one knew what he was, including himself.
It can be said that Geoff is obsessed with tradition, and that's because he's obsessed with mythology, not any specific mythology, whatever's on-hand really. In the rare Vertigo story he published last year, he wrote about a man who collaborates with his dead brother, who happens to be a ghost.
Once you see it you see it everywhere, and that's what Day of Judgment does. If you're interested in Geoff's career at all, you need to read it. The continuity doesn't hold like it used to, even before it was more or less forgotten, even by Geoff and his colleagues when Infinite Crisis and Day of Vengeance came around. That's comics. The story itself is not the biggest event ever, and that's another thing that haunts its legacy. Yet it's back in print and it's essentially a Hal Jordan story, just as Zero Hour and The Final Night were before it (featuring the rise and fall of Parallax, respectively, as villain and hero). And it's essential Geoff Johns.
April 26, 2018
My quest to read most of Hal Jordan's major adventures before the Geoff Johns omnibuses finally (and mercifully) ends with "Day of Judgment". So, first of all, this was pretty terrible. The artwork looks like it was drawn with marker by a first year art student.
It also suffers from what most DC events in the 90s suffered from: major bloat. For example, we are introduced to the Sentinels of Magic (basically the Justice League Dark). Among this team is a hero named Ragman. We get two panels of Ragman (he doesn't say anything, he just stands there), and then he isn't seen again until he shows up in the background of the end of the last issue (he is also in the "Secret Files" issue and gets to have a line or two there). My point is that they just stuffed these events full of as many heroes as they could, even if they had nothing to do with the story at all.
Next, one of the characters helping the heroes is an angel. Every time someone mentions a religious idea that doesn't fit with his world view, he has a shitty comment to make. Wonder Woman mentions Olympus? He shits on that. Mister Miracle mentions the New Gods? He shits on that. Its like, we get it dude, you're a whack job fundamentalist. Also, all of the other angels that we meet are total asshats.
Mixing real world religion with superhero comics also raises some serious questions and is rarely a good idea. First of all, Superman goes to hell to relight the fires of hell. Is Superman really ok with basically re-starting a massive torture chamber? Also, god doesn't help humanity at all (in fact, his angels try to trap the heroes in limbo). Does that mean that the heroes are morally better than god?
I wanted to give this volume 2 stars to be nice but as I wrote this I remembered how much I hated this book.
It also suffers from what most DC events in the 90s suffered from: major bloat. For example, we are introduced to the Sentinels of Magic (basically the Justice League Dark). Among this team is a hero named Ragman. We get two panels of Ragman (he doesn't say anything, he just stands there), and then he isn't seen again until he shows up in the background of the end of the last issue (he is also in the "Secret Files" issue and gets to have a line or two there). My point is that they just stuffed these events full of as many heroes as they could, even if they had nothing to do with the story at all.
Next, one of the characters helping the heroes is an angel. Every time someone mentions a religious idea that doesn't fit with his world view, he has a shitty comment to make. Wonder Woman mentions Olympus? He shits on that. Mister Miracle mentions the New Gods? He shits on that. Its like, we get it dude, you're a whack job fundamentalist. Also, all of the other angels that we meet are total asshats.
Mixing real world religion with superhero comics also raises some serious questions and is rarely a good idea. First of all, Superman goes to hell to relight the fires of hell. Is Superman really ok with basically re-starting a massive torture chamber? Also, god doesn't help humanity at all (in fact, his angels try to trap the heroes in limbo). Does that mean that the heroes are morally better than god?
I wanted to give this volume 2 stars to be nice but as I wrote this I remembered how much I hated this book.
June 12, 2016
I'm a sucker for any book with the Spectre, and this revisiting of him was nicely done. Still, the book veered a little close to overcrowded; I can handle Etrigan, the Enchantress, and eight Sentinels of Magic with no problem, and it's always nice to see some of the old Golden Agers showing up again, but when you add in the JLA you're hitting about one character per eight pages and it's getting cramped. Still, snappy and fun.
Etrigan's rhymes are kind of awful, though. I don't know, maybe I'm just having a bad day.
(And I have made a note to myself to check out more Sebastian Faust.)
Etrigan's rhymes are kind of awful, though. I don't know, maybe I'm just having a bad day.
(And I have made a note to myself to check out more Sebastian Faust.)
Read
May 24, 2019One of Geoff Johns’ first comics, Day of Judgment is best known for making Hal Jordan the Spectre, furthering his transformation towards inevitable rebirth. The story is very magic focused, reading like a supernatural version of Cosmic Odyssey: a world ending threat brings every hero out of the woodwork, only for them to separate off before reuniting to stop it all. Then again, I just described the plot of a million JLA stories. But it does have a similarly epic, heroes-out-of-their-element feel to Starlin and Mignola’s miniseries. The art by Hellboy alum Matt Smith probably strengthens the comparison.
Day of Jugdment falls short for a few reasons. One, it feels like the work of a beginning writer. The dialogue is clunky, and the story is so damn condensed. That’s because it’s only five issues long, which probably wasn’t Johns’ fault, but still makes for an overly convoluted read with pacing problems. Secondly, the story is beyond overstuffed with characters. It’s like Johns wanted to let everything out of his fanboy toolbox, no matter if it made sense for a character to even be there. The end result is a big, dumb crossover that's interchangeable with any other of DC's events.
I like some scenes here, particularly the stuff with Faust. And I do find it interesting that DC would never publish a story like this today that’s so overtly theological. Still, this one is for diehards only.
Day of Jugdment falls short for a few reasons. One, it feels like the work of a beginning writer. The dialogue is clunky, and the story is so damn condensed. That’s because it’s only five issues long, which probably wasn’t Johns’ fault, but still makes for an overly convoluted read with pacing problems. Secondly, the story is beyond overstuffed with characters. It’s like Johns wanted to let everything out of his fanboy toolbox, no matter if it made sense for a character to even be there. The end result is a big, dumb crossover that's interchangeable with any other of DC's events.
I like some scenes here, particularly the stuff with Faust. And I do find it interesting that DC would never publish a story like this today that’s so overtly theological. Still, this one is for diehards only.
November 4, 2018
Decidedly mediocre, but it held my attention.
To be completely honest, the second the synopsis mentioned Raven I absolutely had to read this no matter what, despite the lackluster reviews. I was disappointed that she was only in for the brief time that she was, but I'll take any little bit of her I can get. I also enjoyed getting to know Alan Scott (aka the first Green Lantern) a little bit better as I hadn't really read anything with him in a prominent role before. Also nice to see how Hal . I don't think I'd ever explicitly seen that happen, I just knew that it did.
Anyways, the writing was definitely meh, but it held my attention and featured a roll call of characters, so there's bound to be someone in here for you. Just... Don't expect too much. At all.
To be completely honest, the second the synopsis mentioned Raven I absolutely had to read this no matter what, despite the lackluster reviews. I was disappointed that she was only in for the brief time that she was, but I'll take any little bit of her I can get. I also enjoyed getting to know Alan Scott (aka the first Green Lantern) a little bit better as I hadn't really read anything with him in a prominent role before. Also nice to see how Hal . I don't think I'd ever explicitly seen that happen, I just knew that it did.
Anyways, the writing was definitely meh, but it held my attention and featured a roll call of characters, so there's bound to be someone in here for you. Just... Don't expect too much. At all.
February 10, 2018
Prometía mucha acción pero se quedó en eso. Al final es sólo el principio del proyecto de Geoff Johns para revivir a Hal Jordan.
August 17, 2013
One of Geoff Johns' earliest works, this tells the story of what happens when the Spectre is left alone after the Spirit of Jim Corrigan is at peace, leaving the Spectre with no host.
More so, this is about a demon who tries to take control of the Spectre, and all the heroes who try to stop him, including the JLA, JSA, and the first appearance of the Sentinels of Magic, a group including most of the supernatural/occult figures in the DCUniverse (Zatanna, Faust, Dr. Occult, Enchantress, Phantom Stranger, Madame Xanadu, Deadman, Ragman, Raven, and the returning Blue Devil, also including Dr. Fate and Alan Scott Green Lantern (referred to here as Sentinel by most).
These are actually quite interesting characters, and when you split them up and throw in JSA/LA characters like Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern (Kyle), Jay Garrick, Captain Marvel, Firestorm, the Atom, Mister Miracle, Supergirl, and more, you've got a LOT of people, but if you can deal with lots, you get a little bit from every one of them. It's also fun to see the Demon Etrigan here as more of a troublemaker, which Batman calls him on, since he usually fights for the good...
This also features trips by various thrown together groups to Heaven AND Hell...all over the place, really highlights the major trouble at hand, but 14 yrs later, this book did not really stand the tests as a classic, since I only found it at the library and didn't hear much about it before.
However, it should be, since it features the return of one character who Johns would return to glory with a lot of great work...and he'll be in yet another form that we've seen him before.
An interesting story for sure, worth a read, and makes me more interested in certain other characters...
More so, this is about a demon who tries to take control of the Spectre, and all the heroes who try to stop him, including the JLA, JSA, and the first appearance of the Sentinels of Magic, a group including most of the supernatural/occult figures in the DCUniverse (Zatanna, Faust, Dr. Occult, Enchantress, Phantom Stranger, Madame Xanadu, Deadman, Ragman, Raven, and the returning Blue Devil, also including Dr. Fate and Alan Scott Green Lantern (referred to here as Sentinel by most).
These are actually quite interesting characters, and when you split them up and throw in JSA/LA characters like Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern (Kyle), Jay Garrick, Captain Marvel, Firestorm, the Atom, Mister Miracle, Supergirl, and more, you've got a LOT of people, but if you can deal with lots, you get a little bit from every one of them. It's also fun to see the Demon Etrigan here as more of a troublemaker, which Batman calls him on, since he usually fights for the good...
This also features trips by various thrown together groups to Heaven AND Hell...all over the place, really highlights the major trouble at hand, but 14 yrs later, this book did not really stand the tests as a classic, since I only found it at the library and didn't hear much about it before.
However, it should be, since it features the return of one character who Johns would return to glory with a lot of great work...and he'll be in yet another form that we've seen him before.
An interesting story for sure, worth a read, and makes me more interested in certain other characters...
June 17, 2020
A very well-meaning mess of a comic. This is Geoff Johns' first crossover event for DC Comics, something he became much better at over time. This one, unfortunately, is very sloppy, and not helped by Matt Smith's chaotic layouts and murky pencils.
The story is this: Asmodel, a fallen angel, is magically given the ability to control The Spectre, the DC Universe's embodiment of the wrath of God. He instantly goes power mad and tries to, I don't know, destroy the world? Conquer it for himself? I don't really know what he wants, he just goes crazy and tries to kill everything. Then, every hero on the planet shows up and tries to stop him by doing like five seemingly unrelated plans, none of which are given a real reason to be attempted. It's just like a bunch of characters know exactly what to do when a warmongering fallen angel takes over the spirit of the wrath of God. Is this in a superhero playbook somewhere?
Anyway, it's a classic case of a story that's trying to do too much. In five short issues, Johns attempts to cram every character in DC Comics history into a story that would've been best suited to center only on the "Sentinels of Magic" (who are basically the modern-day Justice League Dark). As such, no plot thread gets the time it needs to really shine and justify its existence. There are so many characters that none of them get a chance to stand out, and they all shout dialogue like "Have at you!" and "I won't stand for this!" A cavalcade of events happens at lightning speed with little build or payoff, and honestly half the time it's very hard to tell why anyone is doing anything.
A large part of this problem is Smith's artwork. I found myself frequently squinting at the pages, re-scanning them trying to determine what was going on. I was frequently unable to determine what I was looking at, which is honestly a pretty big deal in a comic book.
On the other hand, this comic is relatively momentous in the grand scheme of Johns' work. He establishes some important elements of Hal Jordan's character in here, which will go on to later factor into his beloved Green Lantern run. So, if you're interested in that, that's a good reason to read this. Otherwise, though, I'd say this one is an easy skip.
The story is this: Asmodel, a fallen angel, is magically given the ability to control The Spectre, the DC Universe's embodiment of the wrath of God. He instantly goes power mad and tries to, I don't know, destroy the world? Conquer it for himself? I don't really know what he wants, he just goes crazy and tries to kill everything. Then, every hero on the planet shows up and tries to stop him by doing like five seemingly unrelated plans, none of which are given a real reason to be attempted. It's just like a bunch of characters know exactly what to do when a warmongering fallen angel takes over the spirit of the wrath of God. Is this in a superhero playbook somewhere?
Anyway, it's a classic case of a story that's trying to do too much. In five short issues, Johns attempts to cram every character in DC Comics history into a story that would've been best suited to center only on the "Sentinels of Magic" (who are basically the modern-day Justice League Dark). As such, no plot thread gets the time it needs to really shine and justify its existence. There are so many characters that none of them get a chance to stand out, and they all shout dialogue like "Have at you!" and "I won't stand for this!" A cavalcade of events happens at lightning speed with little build or payoff, and honestly half the time it's very hard to tell why anyone is doing anything.
A large part of this problem is Smith's artwork. I found myself frequently squinting at the pages, re-scanning them trying to determine what was going on. I was frequently unable to determine what I was looking at, which is honestly a pretty big deal in a comic book.
On the other hand, this comic is relatively momentous in the grand scheme of Johns' work. He establishes some important elements of Hal Jordan's character in here, which will go on to later factor into his beloved Green Lantern run. So, if you're interested in that, that's a good reason to read this. Otherwise, though, I'd say this one is an easy skip.
March 10, 2023
The best phrase to accurately represent this story is "short and sweet". It is a quick five-issue read, but a good one all the same. DC has always done at least one thing very well, and that is their stories and heroes involved in the supernatural. The Spectre was previously a criminally underused character, and here Johns peels back the curtain on the mysterious spirit in a way we weren't already familiar. With character appearances by Etrigan, Faust, The Mysterious Stranger, Deadman, and many others, Day of Judgment brings some of the best otherworldly powers and crusaders to the center-stage. Fans of Alan Scott - also known as the Sentinel and original golden age Green Lantern - will feel well fed here as he remains one of the main heroes navigating this catastrophe. And of course the shining, salient climax of this story is the return of Hal Jordan, and the beginning of his time as the new Spectre. Johns is naturally able to pump out a short tale that neither feels rushed nor contrived, and is paced surprisingly well for its length. Matt Smith's illustrations lend themselves very well to the theme and atmosphere of the story, and more observant readers will catch a few subtle references he carefully placed in a few panels. A great way to kill a few hours and a necessary read for Hal Jordan fans, Day of Judgment is definitely one to look out for.
January 11, 2021
My last stop in the late '90s DC events and crossovers for the moment, this is a fairly typical arc of its time. There's a threat to Earth from another plane - in this case, the Spectre has become unmoored from host Jim Corrigan and is attached to the far more wrathful renegade King-Angel Asmodel (a name that made me giggle every time). The magic-based story, one that leads to the creation of the Sentinels of Magic, is a quick read. While I never really gelled with Matthew Dow Smith's art style, there's two main reasons why this remains an interesting part of DC history. First and foremost, it's the point in which Hal Jordan and the Spectre first become entwined, and it become an important follow-up to Final Night in his redemption story. Speaking of which, it's also an earlier example of Geoff Johns' DC work, including threads he would pick up five years later with the terrific Green Lantern: Rebirth. The legendary run that follows speaks for itself.
NB: Read as part of my DC Crisis and Beyond Journey: #16
NB: Read as part of my DC Crisis and Beyond Journey: #16
April 17, 2022
Day of Judgment is a decent read, the kinda story that is enjoyable when you know all the characters backstories and get to see them interact. DC has some really great magical characters that get the spotlight here, and its nice for the DC trinity to be in supporting roles as none of them can take the lead with what's going on. Turning Superman into salt is a nice scene. Seeing fallen heroes in heaven and purgatory had some nice nods at old tales.The return of Hal Jordan is given some real weight. Etrigan's twist is great. The Spectre as a concept always feels pretty big. It just sort of felt rushed. The heroes assemble so fast that its hard to feel like the villains can win, which is key in these big crossovers. The villain also doesn't seem to have a really great plan. But its a decent read, and one of the few stories that discusses DC's captial g God, The Presence, in detail.
January 7, 2023
Otro macroevento mierder con todos los superhéroes reunidos, para enfrentarse a LA GRAN AMENAZA cósmica del año. En este caso es una amenaza mística con lo que la trama se centra en los personajes «magically oriented» del Universo DC, que son los que menos me gustan. Mucho crossover, unas cuantas muertes y resurrecciones para que al final todo quede como estaba antes del evento y el difunto y amortizado Hal Jordan tome el lugar del Espectro para no andar desperdiciando un pilar de la mitología DC. Los dibujos de Matt Smith son como si alguno de mis hijos hubiese repasado unos bocetos de Mignola (pero con la mano escayolada y durante un terremoto). Es mejor que te lo cuenten a leerlo. Es mejor que no te lo cuenten, incluso.
May 30, 2020
It's been a bumpy ride following Hal Jordan's epic of fall and redemption. Day of Judgement was surely less compelling than The Final Night, the previous episode in Hal's struggle as a villain/hero, but it was not without its interesting moments, specially involving the mystic characters used here. I wouldn't recommend it unless you're interested in Geoff Johns' earlier works or Hal Jordan's personal saga.
June 27, 2019
3.5/5 ⭐
One of John's early works for DC, and if your a fan of his work I think you'd enjoy this one too.
This was the first step in his work with Hal Jordan and his Green Lantern run, which to me is his best work. And for that reason I think I enjoyed this more than if I never read that run. Based on the magical and supernatural side of the DC universe, again another side I enjoy from DC.
This was an enjoyable read, but in no way groundbreaking. To me this in an essential read if your wanting to get the full scope of his GL run.
Story is ok. Art is ok. It's all ok.
Still fun though!
One of John's early works for DC, and if your a fan of his work I think you'd enjoy this one too.
This was the first step in his work with Hal Jordan and his Green Lantern run, which to me is his best work. And for that reason I think I enjoyed this more than if I never read that run. Based on the magical and supernatural side of the DC universe, again another side I enjoy from DC.
This was an enjoyable read, but in no way groundbreaking. To me this in an essential read if your wanting to get the full scope of his GL run.
Story is ok. Art is ok. It's all ok.
Still fun though!
January 28, 2023
This was a fairly quick read as Johns' story moves rapidly. Matt Smith is up to his usual quaity as the illustrator providing the graphic backdrop for Johns' story of a battle between heaven and hell that is played out on the earth as the heroes join forces to defend the world from a superntural assault. In order to ensure the survivl of humanity some of them have to enter the forbidden realms of heaven and purgatory while some journey to hell and others strive to contain the Spirit of Vengeance combined with the spirit of a fallen angel.
July 30, 2019
A nice little DC event book. Some real interesting character interactions, and a good use of the numerous magic characters in the DC universe. Matt Smith does a great job of capturing the hell on Earth look, and Johns just gets these characters especially in this era. Wish this team would have done a Faust on-going series. Wasn’t expecting much because no one really seems to talk about this book, but was delightfully surprised.
February 14, 2020
Early Geoff Johns story arc. Having fun with superheroes, demons and occult characters was a way for Johns to shoe DC what he could do. The story had some lapses but was fun overall. The artwork was disappointing in the area of facial recognition; the artist had a good sense of form and composition - what was evident was hid inability ti draw faithful and realistic faces. That may work in manga but not in this type of storyline.
April 4, 2019
Johns writes a decent tale here, marred ONLY by his apparent inability to do so without killing off a character that will probably have to feature in future stories and adventures - in this case, one that already HAS.
Grr.
Geoffy, BABY, when will you learn that comics are NOT novels, they're fairy tales? You kill the GIANT, not the Hobbit.
Grr.
Geoffy, BABY, when will you learn that comics are NOT novels, they're fairy tales? You kill the GIANT, not the Hobbit.
December 9, 2017
Not the best crisis crossover I've ever read, but entertaining. The dialogue is cheesy at time, especially in the early parts, and the characterizations are generally pretty shallow, but the interesting twists and ideas help make up for it. (B)
December 29, 2017
Really good
I love how this book features DC's magical characters front and center. Just like in Crisis on Infinite Earths and Zero Hour, all of existence is in danger and our heroes must split up into 3 teams. More deaths, more resurrections, more DC high adventure.
I love how this book features DC's magical characters front and center. Just like in Crisis on Infinite Earths and Zero Hour, all of existence is in danger and our heroes must split up into 3 teams. More deaths, more resurrections, more DC high adventure.
February 13, 2019
"I want them to remember the hero i was. The hero i can still be. I want them to see me in my brightest light. Not as Hal Jordan, Parallax... But as Hal Jordan, GREEN LANTERN."
January 4, 2021
Not Johns' best work.
November 20, 2022
A really solid dc magical event.
October 3, 2016
Reprints Day of Judgment #1-5 and Day of Judgment: Secret Files and Origins #1 (November 1999). Jim Corrigan has been freed from the Spectre and now the Spectre has no host. When the Demon summons the Spectre and joins him with the fallen angel Asmodel, the new Spectre lays his vengeance on Earth. With Earth threatened, the heroes and magic wielders of the world must join forces in an effort to stop the Spectre…and that means travelling to Heaven and Hell to do it!
Written by Geoff Johns and illustrated by Matt Smith, Day of Judgment was a DC mini-series. The five issue limited series is collected along with the one-shot Day of Judgment: Secret Files and Origins.
Geoff Johns has become a force in comics at DC and Day of Judgment was an early foray into comic writing for the company. The series also linked up Geoff Johns with Hal Jordan (aka the Green Lantern) and that teaming later helped cement Johns as one of DC’s top writers.
Day of Judgment really is essentially a redemption for Hal Jordan. The character went mad in his own series, became Parallax and almost destroyed the universe in Zero Hour, and then sacrificed himself to save the universe in The Final Night. This series helps right all the wrongs presented to the character and set him back on the track to become Green Lantern.
The art for the series is also fun. Matt Smith has a style that is both traditional with a bit of a Kirby-esque comic book to them and also has some of Mike Mignola’s style. The art is rather simplistic on the surface, but I like what he is doing in bringing a classic comic feel to the series.
The series itself is so-so. It doesn’t always make sense (I still don’t really get the Demon’s motives) and the five issues feel like they have fillers in them. The Sentinels of Magic “team” really didn’t go anywhere and making Hal Jordan the Spectre was a mistake…which thankfully was reversed in Green Lantern: Rebirth.
Day of Judgment has its benefits, but it also falls flat in spots. I don’t know that I can recommend it to someone who hasn’t read much of the surrounding comics since it isn’t the best jump on title. As both DC and Marvel have progressed more and more “event comics” like Day of Judgment have gotten bigger and bigger, but I like that Day of Judgment was a rather small comic with some big effects on the DC Universe.
Written by Geoff Johns and illustrated by Matt Smith, Day of Judgment was a DC mini-series. The five issue limited series is collected along with the one-shot Day of Judgment: Secret Files and Origins.
Geoff Johns has become a force in comics at DC and Day of Judgment was an early foray into comic writing for the company. The series also linked up Geoff Johns with Hal Jordan (aka the Green Lantern) and that teaming later helped cement Johns as one of DC’s top writers.
Day of Judgment really is essentially a redemption for Hal Jordan. The character went mad in his own series, became Parallax and almost destroyed the universe in Zero Hour, and then sacrificed himself to save the universe in The Final Night. This series helps right all the wrongs presented to the character and set him back on the track to become Green Lantern.
The art for the series is also fun. Matt Smith has a style that is both traditional with a bit of a Kirby-esque comic book to them and also has some of Mike Mignola’s style. The art is rather simplistic on the surface, but I like what he is doing in bringing a classic comic feel to the series.
The series itself is so-so. It doesn’t always make sense (I still don’t really get the Demon’s motives) and the five issues feel like they have fillers in them. The Sentinels of Magic “team” really didn’t go anywhere and making Hal Jordan the Spectre was a mistake…which thankfully was reversed in Green Lantern: Rebirth.
Day of Judgment has its benefits, but it also falls flat in spots. I don’t know that I can recommend it to someone who hasn’t read much of the surrounding comics since it isn’t the best jump on title. As both DC and Marvel have progressed more and more “event comics” like Day of Judgment have gotten bigger and bigger, but I like that Day of Judgment was a rather small comic with some big effects on the DC Universe.
September 16, 2018
I wanted to love this. It has a ridiculous number of my favorite DC characters-from Madame Xanadu and Zatanna to the Phantom Stranger, Blue Devil, and Ragman-as well as a somewhat intriguing story. So why can't I shower this with praise? The biggest reason is the art. While Matt Smith's visuals might have worked for something like Hellboy, here they come off as clunky, amorphous, and just plain bad. There is no consistent characterization of characters and they are often indistinguishable without their speech bubbles; Xanadu should not be wearing different colored and shaped outfits from one second to the next. While Geoff Johns' writing is good it fails to fully tie together all of the different threads in the work. All in all I'm glad to visit my beloved characters one again but this was not the supernatural thriller I was looking for.
February 27, 2014
I LOVE everything I've read by Geoff Johns. Until now. I didn't hate this book, but for a major event in the DC world, I was shocked at how many characters I'd never heard of that were central players(I really only got into comics about a year ago, so I don't have the precious knowledge). I think I'm annoyed because this gave me homework.
As to the story, it was interesting: stop a rogue angel possessing the powerful spirit of vengeance from letting Hell overtake the world. Everything in here was kind of web, but I'm attributing that to not being familiar with so many people. My only real beef was that the art irritated me. I can appreciate stylized, simplistic art, but I didn't feel like it meshed well with this story. An interesting read, though, and I'll have to go back and re-read it once I'm more acquainted with the main players.
As to the story, it was interesting: stop a rogue angel possessing the powerful spirit of vengeance from letting Hell overtake the world. Everything in here was kind of web, but I'm attributing that to not being familiar with so many people. My only real beef was that the art irritated me. I can appreciate stylized, simplistic art, but I didn't feel like it meshed well with this story. An interesting read, though, and I'll have to go back and re-read it once I'm more acquainted with the main players.
February 22, 2017
While it's nice to read the story of how Hal Jordan went from disgraced hero to God's Spirit of Vengeance, this tale jumps around too much, leaving the reader unsure what exactly occurred, and why they care. Read for completeness of the story of Hal Jordan, but not if you're looking for a great graphic novel.
Update: Seemed better on a second reading, though it still feels too fast-moving, with too many questions left hanging. It should also be kept in mind that I forgot that I had read this, which does say things about the story.
Update: Seemed better on a second reading, though it still feels too fast-moving, with too many questions left hanging. It should also be kept in mind that I forgot that I had read this, which does say things about the story.
October 6, 2016
While an ambitious effort, Geoff Johns brings back Hal Jordan in a over-stuffed, convoluted way. While the plot is interesting and the creation of would later become Justice League Dark, the actual adventure was too "by the numbers". The old, a few members from each group team-up and head their separate ways bit. Added to that the very strange motivation of Etrigan and the sub-par Mignola-esque art by Matt Smith you have a very uneven book. Overall, not one of Johns better efforts but still worth reading.
May 11, 2013
This event book should be a recipe for everything I love, considering it's got all of my favourite magical characters involved in it, but it falls flat on numerous counts. The story goes in circles for five issues before coming to a rather bland conclusion which doesn't have any lasting impact other than the return of Hal Jordan, and the artwork is inconsistent and ill-formed. Luckily, Geoff Johns has come a long way in his writing since this book.
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