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Red Lanterns #3
Kyle from Kansas (12/04/2011)

Comic Book REviews Red Lantern #3Red Lantern #3 gets right back into the swing of things where #1 left off. The three ball juggling act of origin storyline, Earth storyline, and current happenings within the Red Lantern Corps continues in this book. We know from issue #2 that Atrocitus has decided he can’t guide the Red Lanterns alone siting concerns that he would go beyond avenging injustices into personal rage. This issue picks up with Bleez regaining her higher thinking powers and confronting the people who wronged her. I really like seeing these origin stories of the individual characters. The opportunity is given for new readers like myself to jump on from the beginning of the characters story. This also works really well with the continuing storyline on earth. I can only assume that one of these characters will be inducted to the Red Lantern Corps which will be a great way to experience that part of the Red Lanterns.

Mixed in with all this is the current mission which is Atrocitus giving Bleez new information about the event that caused her such rage she became a Red Lantern in the first place. By going back to her home world and enacting revenge on the guilty we get to see how well the dynamic between Bleez and Atrocitus works. They seem to have a great way of balancing each other when one loses sight of the larger goal and I think these competing personalities create an interesting interpersonal dynamic amongst all the bloodshed.

To be honest after the second issue I wasn’t looking forward to this series as much as I had. This issue really turned me and got me invested in the characters and what their futures hold. The books continue to look really great and I think that helps. This book also includes a minor cameo from Dex-Starr which always brings a smile to my face. We still haven’t gotten a sense of what the long-term story arc is for this series, but as a stand alone book this holds up well.

Final Grade: A-


Your Comments:
No harm, no foul, Kyle. ;^)

Given the developments of the New Guardians/ Brightest Day/ War of the Green Lanterns storyline that preceeded Red Lanterns, Atrocitus's whole raision d'etre was effectively cock-blocked (is that okay to write here?) by Hal Jordan's slaying of Krona at the climax of the War... storyline. He could've nearly gone into arrest like Mera did in Blackest Night #8. However, it seems that in this line, they're making him, specifically, and his Red Lantern Corps generally, into some sort of cosmic revenge squad/ justice-dealer/ one-man judge/jury/executioner.

Who knows? Maybe we'll see more unbridled RAGE in the upcoming issues, after we get past the next round of origin stories for Zillus Zox, Ratchet, and Skallox.

Posted by: MEsch on 12/7/2011 10:04:59 AM
@MEsch - I intended to write citing, but missed in it editing. Sorry for the Typo.

@rtc2i - I completely agree with what your saying. I think Shakespearean tragedy is an interesting way to look at it. I'm hoping for primal fury going forward. I also wish after 1/4 year worth of books we'd have an idea where it was going.

Posted by: Kyle on 12/6/2011 6:13:12 PM
I partially agree with this review. My number one problem with the previous issues has been the tendency to make Atrocitus too much of a philosophical thinker that muses on his own Shakespearean tragedy. There has been a severe lack of the primal fury that made the Red Lanterns appealing upon arrival.

Posted by: rtc2i on 12/5/2011 11:54:10 AM
The word is "citing", as in "citation", not "siting".

Good review, otherwise.

Posted by: MEsch on 12/5/2011 10:29:39 AM