Blackest Night putting retailers in the black

WORD BALLOONS

DC Comics announced this week that it has sold out of “Blackest Night” No. 1, which kicked off the zombie-thriller superhero tale by Geoff Johns.

A second printing will be in stores Sept. 16, along with “Blackest Night” No. 3. “Blackest Night” No. 2 is in stores now. Local stores say the issue is moving well from their shelves as well.

“It’s our bestselling comic,” said Brian “Buck” Berlin of New World Comics in Oklahoma City. He said the black ring promo, which allowed stores to order a plastic “Black Lantern” ring with every issue, helped raise awareness of the series.

“We’ve ordered more of it than any other comic, and we’re still selling out of it,” said Eric Neal, an owner of Second Chance Books and Comics in Warr Acres.

The Black Lanterns are the villains of the series, the zombified versions of some of DC Comics’ greatest heroes, including Aquaman.

Neal said that fans are drawn to this series because it’s happening in the main DC Comics continuity, as opposed to in an alternate universe.

“This is actually in the DC Universe,” he said. “In the first issue, they killed off Hawkman and Hawkgirl, and they instantly became zombies.”