A - Ardian Syaf
I - Vicente Cifuentes

C - Bill Sienkiewicz

Them walking dead lanterns are ripping and a killing all over Gotham city, and the police station is overrun, putting Commissioner Gordon and his crippled daughter Barbara in danger. With dead and post-heart-ripped cop corpses laying all about Deadman takes over Barbara “Batgirl/Oracle” Gordan and gets her and the commish’ to safety. Batman (Grayson) and Robin (Damian) bring out flamethrowers for a zombie char broil, and yet another Robin (Red Robin this time) shows up flying some kinda black blister jet. Then dead family members show up, freaking everyone out, so there’s a crash and we’re on the the next issue.

This comic is pretty much all action, and except for the continued error of having Deadman read minds, over all this is enjoyable.

And just because I’m sweet on ya, here’s a little links action for ya -

http://comics.ign.com/articles/102/1022298p1.html
http://www.mania.com/batman-blackest-night-2-review_article_117590.html
http://atthehallofjustice.blogspot.com/2009/09/blackest-night-batman-2.html

Who Burns Who

Part 1

W - Peter Tomasi

A - Ardian Syaf

There’s one big major continuity error - Deadman is able to read the minds of those he takes over here, and of course Deadman normally does not have that power. 

At one point Deadman takes over the new Robin, Bruce Waynes kid Damian. In this issue DM is able to read minds, and its sad he doesn’t take the chance to remark on the fact that Damians grandfather, Ra’s al Ghul, is the son of Deadmans arch villian, the Sensei. So yep, the current Robin, Damian Wayne, is the great grandson of The Sensei.

Anyhoo, while a decent read this comic is more build up than anything else. So we just get bat-talk information sharing, more zombies coming alive, and the bat signal is shining so we’re off to issue #2.

Batman Count - No Bruce Wayne means no real Batman, so I ain’t counting this one.

Here’s a nice page from this issue -

W - Geoff Johns

A - Ivan Reis

I - Oclair Albert

C - Ivan Reis
 

The Blackest Night event was a big deal that was published in 2009 & 2010, and Deadman had a role in it, plus he was pretty radically changed at the end of the series. And the Black Lantern Deadman even got an action figure!

The Blackest Night mini series ran 9 issues, with issue zero coming out on free comic book day, it was cover dated June 09. The last issue, #8, had a cover date of May 10. The plot is long and drawn out and if you really wanna know details about it goggle that puppy. My brief synopsis is this -

The big headed dudes that manage the Green Lanterns fucked up and now there blue lanterns, red lanterns, fruit stripe lanterns, hell , i dunno - a bunch more lanterns. The big baddy of lanterns are the black lanterns, and Nekron (what, that guy again?) is using some bad guy named the Black Hand and a dead Anti Monitor and a bunch of black lantern rings to raise up all sorts of dead DC characters, turning them into mean old zombies. But these zombie don’t eat brains, nope. They munch on emotions. And hearts. There’s a lotta hearts getting ripped out of chests in the Blackest Night series. Some gross shit there, friends.

 Deadman show up in these issues -

 Blackest Night #2

Blackest Night Batman #1-2-3

Green Lantern #49

Blackest Night #6

Phantom Stranger #42

Blackest Night #8

Except for the Batmans and the Phantom Stranger comics, Deadman is pretty much just making cameo appearances. here’s a page and a half from BLACKEST NIGHT #2 (Oct 09) where Deadman tries to stop his corpse from rising and joining the army of creepy walking dead DCers.

And here’s some of Deadmans buddies wondering WHASSUP?

A Night To Remember

W - Vinton Heuck

A - Dean Zachary

C - Gene Ha

 Deadman teams up with Wonder Woman in this 8 page slight (but enjoyable!) tale.

Bad guy magician Felix Faust is trying to raise some kinda elder god to get all powerful and shit, and he hired Cheetah to help him. Deadman stumbles across the devious plot and right when he attempts to stop the bad guys by possessing one of Fausts followers Wonder Woman shows up and thinking he’s a bad guy pops him one right on the chops! Whee-dog!

By the end of the straight to the point actionfest Deadman is temporarily solid and the horny ghost even gets a kiss from the amazon - that dirty old man! 

The art is wonderful & the story is fun - give it four tombstones out of five.

FYI - I am once again reviewing this out of publication order - there’s some real changes that happen during the Blackest Night story line, and this seems to happen before Blackest Night. 

http://theroadsofautumndusk.blogspot.com/2010/12/comic-review-dc-universe-halloween.html

Deadman has popped up twice in DC’s animated shows.

 
In the “Justice League Unlimited” episode “Dead Reckoning” (first broadcast Feb 2006 on the Cartoon Network) Gorilla Grodd steals a magic doohickey from Nanda Parbat and Deadman has to get the JLAs help to get it back. Grodds big plan is to turn everyone into monkeys, so you know this is a keeper. 

There was a Euro only Deadman action figure made based on the JLU design.



Here’s Superman before & after a Deadman Possession -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GbqyAtbj3Ug

Then in the “Batman: The Brave and the Bold” episode “Dawn of the Deadman!” (first broadcast Jan 2009) Boston helps Bats stop the Gentleman Ghost, plus we get Green Arrow and Speedy too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bICt-b_VQwo

Both of these are well done and are out on DVD.

http://www.comicbookbin.com/DC_Universe_Holiday_Special_009.html

W - Dave Bullock & Vinton Heuck

http://bullockartworks.blogspot.com/2009/07/wednesday-comics-deadman.html

Here’s a few pages from #4 (Dec 08) with Deadman and Jason Blood -

Here’s 3 pages from REIGN IN HELL #7 (Mar 09), don’t ask me what’s going on, Rama Kushna has meatloaf on her face and she’s pissed, maybe?

I’ve started reading this series like 3-4 times and I always get lost and I give up. Much thanks to the Seattle Public Library for having the trade paperback for me to scan - yay libraries! 

But yeah, I have no idea what’s going on here, but I scanned some various pages with Deadman and Rama Kushna doing stuff from REIGN IN HELL #8 (Apr 09) anyway.

Enjoy! Or send me hate mail, what ever floats yer boat……

This shit came out just a few years ago, google it if ya wanna know more. What, you need me to do EVERYTHING?

Wings and Arrows

Part 2

 W - Mark Waid
A - Scott Kolins 
C - Scott Kolins

Green Arrow had a brilliant idea after all - by sticking Deadman with an arrow and throwing him off a cliff in the last issue this allowed Deadman to return to his ghost state, and go find help. Heading to the batcave, he enlists Nightwings aid since Bats was out and about. Just for the hell of it they grab Hawkman too and the 3 heros head back to Nanda Parbat, free both the captured Green Arrow and Rama Kushna and save the day - yippie!

One continuity error - Deadman tells Nightwing he knew his parents and Dick Grayson acts surprised - Nightwing doesn’t even remember his own Year One story from just a few years ago. What you smoking, Dick?

Except for me being picky over that small detail, this two parter (2 party-er dude!)  is enjoyable. 

The Ghost Killers of Nanda Parbat

Part 1

W - Mark Waid

A - Scott Kolins 

C - Scott Kolins

 So Rama Kushna is trapped by an evil guy at Nanda Parbat and Deadman needs help…..

But wait!

Nanda Parbat was destroyed back in the 1st Deadman miniseries in the 1980’s?!?! How could Deadman be hanging out in a mystic city that was blown apart?

Lets just let it ride for now - I’ll do a whole post on this continuity fuck up in a bit.

But in the mean time - yeah, in the DC world circa now Nanda Parbat is back. It’s been used recently in major Batman story lines, in the ‘52’ company wide event and in Blackest Night, just to name a few examples.

Oh Deadman, what a tangled continuity web you exist in!

So yeah, this demon priest captured Rama Kushna and has warped her powers so he is able to send out demons from Nanda Parbat that are similar to Deadman, except the bodies they possess get burned out and the poor fucks get killed. Deadman enlists Green Arrows aid and GA gets all aggro, almost getting himself killed. Deadman takes control of him and borrowing a plane from Bruce Wayne flies Green Arrow to Nanda Parbat in the Himalayas.

By the end of the comic and solid at the gates of Nanda Parbat GA shoots DM with an arrow and Deadman gets thrown off a cliff! Holy Crap!

If I ignore the glaring continuity issues I’ll say this is a damn fine comic.

On to part two!

 
Here’s a link -

http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=user_review&id=188