Red Lanterns #1

Although I've been a Green Lantern fan for almost my entire life (aside from those dark days known as the Ron Marz years) I had no intention of picking up the first issue of Red Lanterns. Atrocitus and the Red Lanterns burst onto the scene in Final Crisis and (along with the other colors of the rainbow all given their own power rings) have been a big part of Green Lantern comics ever since.

Unlike the Green Lantern Corps, the Red Lanterns use their rage and anger to fuel their rings. Their leader, Atrocitus, blames the Guardians of the Universe for the destruction of his home sector of space. Now that Hal Jordan has killed Krona, the Guardian responsible for the massacre, the leader of an army bloodthirsty killers with hate-fueled wish rings finds himself at an impasse.

Over the last two-thirds of the comic writer Peter Milligan does a fairly good job going over the events surrounding the Red Lanterns and bringing new readers up to speed. It's the opening story, however, that made me pick this issue up.

The issue begins with a double splash page of Dex-Starr (the house cat turned Red Lantern) and his attack on a band of space pirates who get their jollies by torturing helpless creatures. Thank you artist Ed Benes for giving me my new wallpaper background.

Okay, I'll admit it's a little bit fan bait, but that doesn't mean it didn't work on me. The character is incredibly ridiculous but oh so much fun. I've said the only way to get me to read this title was to put Dex-Starr in it, and, for at least one issue, DC has given me what I asked for. (Now can I have Captain Carrot and His Amazing Zoo Crew back too?!)

Although the character disappears for the rest of this issue, the opening alone was enough to get me to pick it up, and the rest of the story and the foreshadowing of a possible uprising among the ranks of the Red Lanterns was enough to keep me interested with the remaining part of the story. Worth a look (especially for fans of Dex-Starr).

[DC, $2.99]