Comic Info
Comic Name: Red Lanterns
Publisher: DC Comics
Writer: Peter Milligan
Artist: Ed Benes
# of Issues: 7
Release Date: 2012
Red Lanterns #2
Reprints Red Lanterns #1-7 (November 2011-May 2012). Atrocitus leads one of the meanest group of fighters in the galaxy. Consumed by rage, the Red Lanterns use their rage as their power for destruction. When Atrocitus finds himself losing his rage, he questions what is happening to him. As another Red Lantern named Bleez works to undermine him, a new Red Lantern has appeared on Earth that could change everything about the Red Lanterns forever.
Written by Peter Milligan, Red Lanterns Volume 1: Blood and Rage was part of DC’s big New 52 relaunch following Flashpoint. The series features art by Ed Benes.
Red Lanterns is tricky. The early issues had me not liking the series. In general, I like Peter Milligan’s writing, but he’s either usually dead-on or miss. I though he was miss on this volume, but it appears (also along with Justice League Dark) that there is more middle ground to Milligan than I previously believed. I felt the series improved in the last three issues with the introduction of the human Red Lantern Jack and the downplaying of Atrocitus.
Red Lanterns #6
I’ve noticed a trend recently in comics to jump all over the place in time, but provide little direction. This happens a lot in the earlier issues of this series. I wasn’t sure if I was reading a flashback when Atrocitus spends his time speaking to the body of Krona or if it was happening currently since other aspects of the story seemed to be happening at the same time. As someone who wasn’t a super-regular reader of Green Lanterns, it also would have been good to have more background on the Red Lanterns earlier on in the series since I was unclear on their powers and some of the power basics (aka the Blood Ocean aspect).
Red Lantern has some potential, but I don’t know if it can (or should) survive. It feels like this should be a limited series instead of a complete series and that the market is already flooded with Lantern titles (despite the failure of the movie). I do like that the Red Lanterns are unapologetic about their actions and that in contrast to the Green Lanterns does provide some fun to the series. Red Lanterns 1: Blood and Rage is followed by Red Lanterns 2: Death of the Red Lanterns.
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