Green Lantern: Rage of the Red Lanterns

Well, I did find something interesting while I was scouring my local library for comics to review. Despite making quite a few comments about how Japansese comics are better than American comics, I actually enjoy reading Green Lantern books quite a bit. The real key to enjoying American comics is not to look at them as a whole, which is a convulted mess, but to look at the individual story arcs as separate and unique.

Now then, we have a book from the Blackest Night story arc, which was being advertised quite frequently at comicon. This is the beginning of that arc, which appears to revolve around factions of lantern corps waging war. It goes beyond the green light of the lanterns and the fearsome yellow of Sinestro, and includes the raging red and the blue light of hope. I think it adds an interesting element to the DC universe, and gives the Green Lanterns some new allies and enemies.

This book starts with the Guardians creating a team known as the “Alpha Lanterns,” in order to work as internal affairs within the Green Lantern corps. The first trial they are to investigate is the case of Liara, a Lantern who executed a Sinestro corps member who was bragging about becoming a martyr for his cause (really, I think she might have done the corps a favor.) Sinestro who is currently being imprisoned by the Green Lanterns, is enjoying watching people squabble about the current issues, while prophesizing about a bigger threat.

A bit later, on the way to Sinestro’s execution, the Green Lanterns are ambushed by a squad from the Sinestro corps. Unfortunately, another faction appears in this battle, intent on killing both the Green Lanterns and the Sinestro corps. These guys are hardcore. The red rings they possess cause their organs to stop working and producing blood, and causes them to spit napalm while they try to kill enemies and drink their blood. They manage to take both corps by surprise, which allows for ANOTHER lantern corps, the blue lanterns to show up and save the green lanterns skins. This corps is run by an ex-guardian of the Green Lantern corps, and is generally a bunch of space hippies who spread hope throughout the universe. Their main representative, Saint Walker, attempt to convince Hal Jordan to join with them.

Hal refuses, and instead attempts to get back to executing Sinestro, who has been captured by the red lanterns. Interestingly, the red lanterns seem to want Hal to join them too…

Overall, this is a pretty interesting arc, where a lot of stuff happens, and builds up for more stuff to happen. I will probably look into more of this blackest night stuff if I manage to get my hands on it.

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