COMIC BOOK REVIEW - Red Lanterns: Blood And Rage

By The Masked Medic

I have to say, the Green Lantern Lore is possibly one of my favourites. The idea that there are entire police forces for one segment of emotion makes for such interesting reading, and the Red Lanterns are just one of such groups. Armed with the power of rage, they wage war on those who have escaped justice.

The novel starts with Atrocitus, the leader of the Red Lanterns, attempting to reconnect with his mission. In order to fully achieve this, he enhances the intelligence of one of his Red Lanterns; Bleez. This allows her to think for herself rather than be a mindless rage machine, and in doing so she questions if Atrocitus is the right person to lead them. As Atrocitus deals with this on Ysmault, the home of the Red Lanterns, on Earth, Jack Moore, a student whose grandfather and brother are murdered, gives in to his inner rage and becomes a Red Lantern.

Overall, the story arc wasn’t huge, however, I think in terms of development it was great. We get a real feel for Atrocitus and what makes him such a powerhouse. We also get the backstories of both Bleez and Jack Moore, both characters we feel for in different ways.

The artwork was fairly good and the covers were also quite decent. I think the one I chose above just encompassed all the Red Lanterns which I liked. Overall, I thought this was a really good start to a series and I can’t wait to see where it goes from here.

Favourite Panel:

It was interesting to see how some Red Lanterns want true justice, others simply want revenge.

Favourite Character:

The way that Bleez was able to start a potential coup against Atrocitus, even when she was in a mindless rage was very impressive.

Rating:

• Story Arc: ★★★½

• Character Development: ★★★

• Artwork: ★★★½

• Enjoyability: ★★★

• Re-readability: ★★★

Level: Beginner