Written by Geoff Johns and Peter J. Tomasi
Art by Ivan Reis, Pat Gleason, Adrian Syaf, Scott Clark, and Joe Prado
Covers by David Finch, Ivan Reis, and Oclair Albert

As Brightest Day enters its second month, we’re still not sure how the many different subplots fit in with one another, but at least Johns and Tomasi are keeping us entertained as we try to figure it all out. The storyline involving Boston Brand’s Quantum Leapish quest to find the truth behind the White Lantern seems to be the one that will ultimately link all the myriad plots together by series end. This does not mean we know what any of that has to do with the other subplots going on in the book, however. It’s a good thing this is a biweekly series, because if we had to wait a whole month for all these storylines to continue, readers would either go insane or just stop caring, which would be a shame because, vague as the book is right now, it’s still pretty interesting.

Brightest Day #3 begins with ”Not-Quite-Deadman” facing off against the Anti-Monitor. After Brand somehow gains the upper hand on the villian by using his White Lantern ring, the story frustratingly shifts to a hospital in Pittsburgh, in which Professor Stein tells Ronnie Raymond to stay away from Jason Rusch in order to prevent fusing back into Firestorm and causing another explosion. In his brief appearance in the story, Raymond gives us clues that he may know more about his Black Lantern persona’s actions during Blackest Night than he previously let on. Meanwhile, Mera comforts Aquaman and vows to help him understand why he is suddenly able to reanimate dead sea life, the Martian Manhunter begins to investigate the brutal murders from the previous issue, and Hawkman and Hawkgirl make a grisly discovery that confirms their fears about what Hath-Set has in store for them.

Again, the choppy transition between storylines still doesn’t make for a completely satisfying read, but Johns and Tomasi are dropping enough bread crumbs to keep me coming back for more. So far, the tie-in issues have been more entertaining to me than the main Brightest Day book, mostly because they haven’t been as opaque, but I am starting to gain more interest in even the subplots that I didn’t give half a crap about when the book started. As it is, however, I still give this issue 3.5 out of 5 Pet Interrogations.