The Red Lanterns New 52: Comic Thoughts

Growing up, I was definitely more Marvel then DC. Despite my love for Superman and Batman, I felt the Marvel characters were more interesting to read about week-to-week and the storylines resonated with me more. As a kid, X-Men drove me to think about themes like diversity and acceptance for the first time. As a teen, Spider-Man’s personal trials and struggles resonated with me and let’s be honest, who doesn’t enjoy a good “save the world” romp with the Avengers at any age? But ever since I read the New 52’s run of Aquaman, DC definitely has my firm attention these days.

I’ve been thoroughly enjoying many of these titles since they serve as great entry points for many DC characters. In particular, I’ve been really enjoying catching up on all of the great Green Lantern stories I missed and when I heard that there was a “Red Lantern Corps” with their own New 52 series, I looked into them and I was instantly hooked by the concept and style of the characters.

The Red Lantern Corps and their leader Atrocitus were first introduced to the Green Lantern lore in 2007 by creators Geoff Johns and Ethan Van Sciver. They were first mentioned in the aftermath of the Sinestro Corps War and would go on to become major players in the Blackest Night/Brightest Day story-arcs as well. Van Sciver described his thought process in creating the Red Lanterns:

"I was watching the 28 Days/Weeks Later movies. And I like the idea of getting some sort of virus and becoming rabid and having goo come out of your nose and eye sockets and your mouth. It would just make my day to happen to me. And it's a lot of fun to draw. So I thought, boy, if you put on this red ring, I think what would happen is that it would be like a case of the rabies. It would be like 28 Days Later, and you would start spitting out the red energy, instead of it being a controlled thing that you would exercise from your ring, it would be something uncontrollable, like rage is. It would come out of every orifice and would be a mess."

In this New 52 series, the focus is on Atrocitus and some other Red Lanterns (primarily Bleez and newcomer Jack Moore) as they strive to find purpose in the universe and reclaim their former selves from the all-consuming rage of the red rings. Atrocitus has a particularly interesting arc, as he struggles with his dwindling rage and what to do with himself now that the vengeance he’s been seeking for the brutal murder of his people has been denied to him. Atrocitus finds himself lost and his quest to find purpose again does pose an interesting scenario to the reader: what do you do with your feelings of rage and spite when the justice or vengeance you seek can no longer be exacted? Do you try to find purpose in those feelings, discard them or simply let them consume you?

Red Lanterns: Blood and Rage (Issues # 1-7) is a really enjoyable read, with great artwork and writing from Peter Milligan, Ed Benes and Rob Hunter. The book shows us multiple origin stories for the various Red Lanterns without feeling too cluttered or infringing on the main story. The Corps members have very tragic backstories, such as Bleez’s brutal torture and losing her wings, and Jack coming to terms with personal tragedy and his own repressed anger. I really enjoy how the creative team behind the title is able to make this group of mindless, blood-spewing berserkers feel engaging and sympathetic. It’s easy to judge the Red Lanterns at face value as mere villains, but Milligan’s writing brings much-needed nuance to the characters and it’s very easy to understand how their righteous anger allows them to succumb to the call of the red power rings.

Characters like the Red Lanterns show how the anti-hero is a great narrative concept for the superhero genre. It allows writers to explore the world, tropes and standards of superhero lore and pose questions to the audience about the very nature of what makes a hero in the first place. They can make people question the conflicting moralities of killing vs. sparing foes, justice vs. vengeance, selfishness vs. selflessness and even what “saving the world” really means. For every Captain America, there’s a Punisher and the vengeful Red Lanterns serve as a great counterpoint to the heroic Green Lanterns.

Also, one of their team members is a blood-thirsty cat named Dex-Starr that Geoff Johns has described as “the most malicious and sadistic of all the Red Lanterns”. So that’s something.

In conclusion, Red Lanterns: Blood and Rage is a great anti-hero comic book with interesting characters and gorgeous artwork. I’m really interested to acquire the next books in the series and see what happens with Atrocitus and the Corps in the future. What are your thoughts? Have you read the Red Lanterns? Have any comic recommendations? Let me know in the comments below!

More to come,
O.N.