Just in case you haven't heard, "Blackest Night" is going on in the DC Universe right about now, and it hits the "Green Lantern Corps" title square in the face. This issue has a little bit of everything a Green Lantern fan might want -- space battles, weird creepy aliens, Kilowog kicking butt, Kyle Rayner showing he's no pushover, Guy Gardner getting mad, heck, this issue even has more Black Lanterns than I felt like counting.

The fact that Tomasi, Gleason, and crew are able to jam so much into an issue of a title that crosses over with the big event book of the year from DC speaks volumes to just how talented this group of comic creators is. Their talents shine through here, with Gleason's artwork delivering creepiness, action, and even gore as prescribed by Tomasi. The root of the Black Lanterns' powers is the emotional spectrum, and Tomasi makes that rather clear here, having the bad guys play upon the fears, hopes, and desires of the good guys. Unlike recent issues of the "Green Lantern" books, this issue focuses quite clearly on the division of good and evil. It's the Green Lanterns versus the Black Lanterns without a bunch of other colors flying through.

This focus makes the story feel more intense than any issue of "GLC" in recent memory, especially as Kilowog, Arisia, Soranik, Kyle, and Guy are all faced with calamities that they realize might be too much for them to handle. There is a moment with Kilowog that caused me to gasp, and I found myself eager for the next issue so I can learn of the resolution. This book, for me, has always been the Green Lantern book, but this issue cements that opinion for me. There is a vast amount of intense action occurring here, but the creative team producing this book step up to the challenge and deliver yet another great read. If the uber-creepy Gleason "Children of the Corps" cover doesn't compel you to take a look inside this book, trust me when I say Gleason's interior artwork is still powered by awesome. I'm glad Gleason has this assignment, as I cannot imagine any other artist delivering a book so completely every month.

Astonishingly, this issue doesn't feel like "yet another issue of 'Blackest Night.'" It feels fresh, and organic, despite the decomposing organic nature of many of the stars in this issue. True, this is yet another issue of the story of "Blackest Night," but this one enhances the main thrust happening in the "Blackest Night" title.