Rating: *** 1/2*

The Blackest Night: Batman mini-series ends here and it’s very good.  The dead have been rising thoughout the DC Universe and in this series we saw the parents of Dick Grayson and Tim Drake rise to face off against their sons.  In our last issue we saw Batman, Robin, Red Robin, and Deadman rescue Jim and Barbabra Gordon from the threat of the Black Lanterns at Gotham Central.  The Black Lantern Graysons and Drakes strike and we begin our story with that showdown.

Batman and Red Robin decide to face off against their parents themselves and tell Robin to get the Gordons to safety.  Robin begrudgingly agrees and it is here that writer Peter Tomasi finally writes the character of Damian Wayne more along the lines of the way he’s supposed to be portrayed.  Deadman decides the boys need more help and heads off to recruit Jason Blood aka Etrigan.  Blood is unwilling to assist, but Deadman jumps into his body and possess him in order to bring out the demon Etrigan.

The Black Lanterns start to play tricks on Batman and Red Robin.  Tim’s father Jack is shown in the same apartment he was living in during his death.  The scene is playing out exactly as it happened complete with Captain Boomerang as a Black Lantern.  In a powerful scene Tim is able to “save” his father from getting murdered again by Captain Boomerang and Tim starts to beat the hell out of him.  He’s feeling a rage - an emotion which the Black Lanterns feed off of.

Dick is reliving his childhood with his parents under the big top.  He feels as if they are almost real as they go through the motions of some of their trapeze acts.  Dick is unable to “save” his parents as they once again fall to their deaths.  There waiting is a Black Lantern Tony Zucco.  Like Tim, Dick attacks the murderer of his parents and starts to glow with rage.  Just like zombies out of some horror movie, the Black Lanterns turn on Dick and Tim as they now have enough emotion for them to feed on. 

With all seeming lost, Etrigan/Deadman shows up to help out complete with him quoting Kurt Russell from Tombstone where he says “I’m coming—and hell’s coming with me!”  Love that movie!  Tim and Dick are out of fuel with their blow torches and they’re defenseless.  Dick calls for back-up from Robin as a Mr. Freeze cold gun is flown in on a Bat-Glider.  Dick freezes both him and Tim.  Their bodies begin to shut down due to the cold and their emotions calm down.  The Black Lanterns having nothing to feed on, fly off.  Deadman rescues them and the three of them promise to use their knowledge from the fight to pass it on to others and defeat the Black Lanterns.  We end there.

Great story by Tomasi and again Ardian Syaf’s artwork was top notch.  Not a perfect series, but very enjoyable.  Hopefully with all of these individual mini-series that deal with various DC characters fighting Black Lanterns on their own, we’ll then see them join up for the big fight in the main Blackest Night mini-series.  So pick this up.  I highly recommend it.