There’s only one thing in the universe more awesome than zombies. Zombies with power rings.

This year’s big event from DC Comics is the Blackest Night miniseries and its tie-ins. Yes, I know it’s easy to get burned out on big events when they occur far too often and so often fail to live up to the hype. I’m pleased to report that the first issue of Blackest Night lives up to the hype and then some.

There were seven known Lantern Corps: four positive ones­-Green, Violet, Blue, and Indigo­-and three negative ones­-Yellow, Red, and Orange. Now the eighth stands revealed, the deadly and evil Black Lantern Corps, composed of reanimated corpses whose power rings cry out for flesh as they seek their hosts. Most of the Black Lanterns are deceased superheroes, now wholly corrupted by the power of the Black Lantern Corps.

Geoff Johns has consistently been one of the best writers working in superhero comics the past few years, and this miniseries will only enhance that reputation. This is one of those stories where one simply can’t turn the pages fast enough to find out what happens next. The shocking conclusion to this first issue hits like a two by four to the side of the head, leaving one stunned but eager to read the next installment.

The art by penciller Ivan Reis and inker Oclair Albert appropriately captures the tone and nuances of Johns’ writing, visualizing everything from a big celebration to two characters talking to hordes of the undead with equal skill. From the intimate to the epic, the art is suited to the material.

Blackest Night #1 is a winner, and hopefully the miniseries as a whole will be every bit as good. It’s not going to redefine comics as we know them, but it’s a cracking good read.

Zombies with power rings. You know you want to read it.