Brightest Day #12

When Brightest Day stars Martian Manhunter, I'm pretty much guaranteed to enjoy it. This issue has J'onn finally get facing down that gross, murdering green Martian from early in this series. Her name is D'Kay, and c'mon, when that is your name, you kind of have to end up evil, don't you?

D'Kay was a scientist on Mars who tried to cure any Martian who wasn't tied in to the telepathic collective, the only problem was that if she didn't cure her patients, they died in the attempt. The Martian authorities locked her up, then died, and she sat around for years before being pulled to Earth by Dr. Erdell. Then she lost herself as a human for years. This is all a long explanation and set up to explain why J'onn isn't the last green Martian anymore. There are some great moments as the two interact where D'Kay wants J'onn to accept her and start a new life on Mars with her, but J'onn is furious at her for being so evil and unrepentant. It's sad, J'onn has dreamed of finding another green for so long, and when he does, she's a maniac out to manipulate him.

There are a few nice moments with Firestorm going up against Deathstorm and the remaining Black Lanterns. I'm mostly intrigued with the idea that Firestorm is going to bring in the JLA. While I'm enjoying the featured time with this book's main star, I still think I'd like to see this book be a bit more of a spine in the DCU.

The art is always inconsistent in this title, and it is again here. I loved the Martian Manhunter sequences, but the others aren't quite as sharp.

Good