Atrocitus

Red Lanterns #2 – DC’s New 52

Red Lantern 2Ok, I was wrong. There, I said it, take it all in and spit it back out at me. I said the comic was on a short leash and believe it or not the next issue kicked ass. I was hoping for some explanation and they gave it to me. Atrocitus has total control over his Red Lanterns “those wild and unthinking creatures” and in fact seems to have the ability to raise and lower consciousness at will. The lower the consciousness the less intelligent the being is which means they blindly follow him and do his bidding. As he so eloquently put it as he is talking to a dead guardian named Krona “Therefore I have decided, Krona. It is a risk, I know…but I will increase the consciousness of one of my Red Lanterns. I will bring one of them to be almost my equal. Now, the only question that remains…” Which one will he choose? I do not really know the characters, but now I know a little more about them and why they are the way they are. Each one of his Red Lanterns showcased such blind and extreme rage that it summoned his attention and therefore they were worthy of becoming.

Really love the back story of the little girl on the planet who had her brothers killed by some alien race and her rage was so intense that it got the attention of Atrocitus from across the Galaxy. Then the little girl is so afraid of him that he starts to wonder if Rage just begets more Rage which then just continues the cycle. For a comic, I think it was a very deep internal conversation with himself. So it appears I am a fan…of the story, the character, his interaction with others and obviously the artwork. Ed Benes is awesome, I know I said it in the first review, but it really is great. The detail, the proportionate nature of the characters and the rage in their faces.
Come on…look  at this and tell me it isn’t awesome. Small image KronaSo now I am eating my words and until something happens to change my mind, I am giving it 4.5 stars out of 5. It just isn’t as good as Detective Comics or some of the others but it is very good and I will continue to get this comic. Thoughts?

Red Lanterns #1 – DC New 52

Red Lanterns #1I had no idea there were so many different Lantern colors out there. I’ve heard of Green Lantern and the many characters that have been the Green Lantern, but only until recently had I found out there were Red and Yellow and Blue and Black and White Lanterns. I assume they all came about recently with the whole Blackest Night storyline. I went to Wikipedia, I assume the information there is correct, and found out that a red lantern battery was created from the sheer anger and hatred by an alien named Atrocitus. I am sure I’m missing something but I hope this new series goes in to more detail. Within this story there was a brief pseudo origin where it details one of the Guardians named Krona who went mad and his android manhunters killed everyone but 5 people from Sector 666 which is where Atrocitus is from. Again, I’m sure there is more to the story but whatever.

Long story short, I am putting this comic on a short leash. The artwork is AWESOME. The front cover is detailed and violent and proportionate which is a relief. Note the musculature and facial features. What is cool about this is the fact the artwork is consistent throughout the comic. The same artist who penciled the cover did the rest of the comic too. The story…well all I can say is I am giving it three issues. After that, I am moving on and filing this away as a non collectible. I really hope the next two issues delve a little deeper and give me more of a background seeing that every one of these new 52 are supposed to be a reboot, a redo, a restart with origins and back story. I may be mildly impatient but this story isn’t good enough now to keep my interest for much longer. I mean come on, what is up with the cat? And what is the red bubbles or foam that is coming out of all of their mouths? Is it blood? I give it 2.5 stars out of 5.  Check it out and see for yourself, who knows, maybe I am off and this book is really great.