Comics / Comic Reviews / DC Comics

Red Lanterns # 1

By Koppy McFad
September 18, 2011 - 04:00

The rage-filled counterparts of the Green Lanterns ponder their purpose in life.

The leader of the Red Lanterns, Atrocitus starts to question the mission of revenge that his team has embarked upon. He sees his follow Red Lanterns mindlessly thrashing about and wonders what they are becoming. Meanwhile, on Earth, two human brothers are fighting over getting revenge for their dead grandfather, raising the prospect that one of them is going to join the ranks of the Red Lanterns.

The book helps set the stage for a deeper, more involved story. The Red Lanterns had been depicted as mad berserkers with hardly any personality who simply went after the Green Lanterns and the Sinestro Corps. But now, it seems like they will be doing more than inflicting brutal vengeance on people. Clearly this book will contain more than just mindless violence.

But it seems disappointing to see that the book is already going to be anchored to Earth-- as can be seen with the introduction of the two brothers. The war between the various Lantern colours is almost ignored in this story. Shouldn't the Red Lanterns be going after the Sinestro Corps.-- (who have apparently conquered an entire space sector?) One of the main advantages of this book was that it was part of the whole universal conflict between the different colours of the spectrum. It would be foolish to change its focus to a small stage like Earth. The writer, Milligan is known to be imaginative and unconventional but he can be also be didactic and slow-moving. It will be interesting to see what he does with this group of characters.

The art is surprisingly good. Benes is known mainly for his depiction of sexy women but he shows great versatility here. He showcases the deeper emotions in his characters and not just their shapely bodies. If he keeps this up, he could easily become one of the hottest names in comics.

 

Rating: 8 /10

Last Updated: August 31, 2023 - 08:12