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Red Lanterns
Red Lanterns, Volume 4: Blood Brothers
Enter Guy Gardner of the Red Lantern Corps!
Hal recruits Guy on an impossible mission - to spy on the Red Lantern Corp from within. But when the red ring takes hold of Guy again, it takes everything in him not to lose himself. And with the Red Lantern Corps still in shambles after the First Lantern's attack, they are completely unprepared for the ancient evil known as Relic.
Collects Red Lanterns #21-26 and Green Lantern Annual #2.
Hal recruits Guy on an impossible mission - to spy on the Red Lantern Corp from within. But when the red ring takes hold of Guy again, it takes everything in him not to lose himself. And with the Red Lantern Corps still in shambles after the First Lantern's attack, they are completely unprepared for the ancient evil known as Relic.
Collects Red Lanterns #21-26 and Green Lantern Annual #2.
176 pages, Paperback
First published June 3, 2014
11 people are currently reading
222 people want to read
About the author
Charles Soule
1,513 books1,683 followersCharles Soule is a #1 New York Times-bestselling novelist, comics author, screenwriter, musician, and lapsed attorney. He has written some of the most prominent stories of the last decade for Marvel, DC and Lucasfilm in addition to his own work, such as his comics Curse Words, Letter 44 and Undiscovered Country, and his original novels Light of the Jedi, The Endless Vessel, The Oracle Year and Anyone. He lives in New York.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews
June 9, 2017
So, I've been a pretty steady Red Lantern fan since volume one, Blood and Rage. And since then, it's been the one Lantern title that wasn't a disappointment on some level.
In this one (at Hal's insistence) Guy goes undercover as a Red. Jordan promises to pull him out (via the Blue Lanterns' healing factor) the moment he feels like he can't handle it, but Guy is still pretty reluctant.
And it turns out he was right to be...
Some spoilery stuff happens to the Blue Lanterns and makes it look like Hal lied to him.
Sooo...
In the beginning, the Red Lanterns were sort of a mindless group that had one setting: RAGE.
They killed everything in their path, seemingly felt nothing beyond anger, and spit some kind of acid-blood at anyone who tried to have a conversation with them.
But since they got their own title, an introspective side has been slowly emerging.
Perhaps even...a Moral Code for the Reds?
*GASP*
Don't worry, Soule hasn't turned them into Politically Correct Lanterns.
As evidenced by Guy referring to Zox as a testicle with teeth.
And in his defense?
That's pretty darn accurate description.
I don't want to give any real spoilers, but this one had a lot of humor, violence, and...more violence.
What's not to like?
I might have even given this one 5 stars, but it, unfortunately, gets sucked into the clusterfuck crossover story with Relic.
That storyline in its entirety can be seen in Lights Out...but I wouldn't recommend doing that to yourself.
If there's one Lantern title that I'd recommend to everyone, this is it.
Everything else is for the hardcore GL masochists like myself.
In this one (at Hal's insistence) Guy goes undercover as a Red. Jordan promises to pull him out (via the Blue Lanterns' healing factor) the moment he feels like he can't handle it, but Guy is still pretty reluctant.
And it turns out he was right to be...
Some spoilery stuff happens to the Blue Lanterns and makes it look like Hal lied to him.
Sooo...
In the beginning, the Red Lanterns were sort of a mindless group that had one setting: RAGE.
They killed everything in their path, seemingly felt nothing beyond anger, and spit some kind of acid-blood at anyone who tried to have a conversation with them.
But since they got their own title, an introspective side has been slowly emerging.
Perhaps even...a Moral Code for the Reds?
*GASP*
Don't worry, Soule hasn't turned them into Politically Correct Lanterns.
As evidenced by Guy referring to Zox as a testicle with teeth.
And in his defense?
That's pretty darn accurate description.
I don't want to give any real spoilers, but this one had a lot of humor, violence, and...more violence.
What's not to like?
I might have even given this one 5 stars, but it, unfortunately, gets sucked into the clusterfuck crossover story with Relic.
That storyline in its entirety can be seen in Lights Out...but I wouldn't recommend doing that to yourself.
If there's one Lantern title that I'd recommend to everyone, this is it.
Everything else is for the hardcore GL masochists like myself.
July 12, 2014
In his book Supergods, Grant Morrison talked about two kinds of superhero writer: the missionary and the anthropologist. The missionary goes in and says “you’re doing everything wrong” and rewrites everything, the character, the world, etc. – a good example would be David Goyer’s screenplay for the Man of Steel movie. The anthropologist studies and lives in the world before contributing something to it that’s fitting for the character and their world – a good example would be Morrison’s All-Star Superman, arguably the best Superman comic ever written.
I think there should be a third category that blends those two types together in one: a writer who goes in and changes up the characters and their world but in a way that’s in keeping with the spirit of the title – a good example of this is Charles Soule’s first Red Lanterns book, Blood Brothers.
Atrocitus discovers the Green Lanterns’ listening device hidden in one of the Reds and destroys it. Without a way to monitor them, Hal Jordan asks Guy Gardner to become a Red Lantern and be his new spy in the group, which he reluctantly agrees to. He and Atrocitus fight, Guy wins and takes Atrocitus’ ring while the defeated and near-dead Atrocitus is taken away by Dex-Starr. Only Guy actually likes being a Red Lantern more than he did being a Green and decides to stay that way.
As a Red Lantern, Guy starts making changes. He does away with the role of leader and makes the Reds an anarchic group of individuals; he gets them a ship as their headquarters rather than accept the barren wasteland of Ysmault, the Reds’ home planet, so they now have beds to sleep in and a bar to relax in; he changes their crap chant from the bad poetry it was ("With blood and rage of crimson red, Ripped from a corpse so freshly dead, Together with our hellish hate, We'll burn you all-that is your fate!") to the simple and effective “We’re Red – You’re Dead!”; he even manages to get the Green Lanterns to hand over policing duties of Sector 2814 (the sector of the universe that includes Earth) to them!
Soule’s changes to the Red Lanterns are all vast improvements over Geoff Johns’ original creations, which were sub-par, rushed and unimaginative, while still retaining the unmistakable essence of the Reds. Also, in having Guy embrace his dark side, he makes him a less annoying and more compelling character.
Most of the book is Soule re-arranging the Red Lanterns, with a side-story featuring Atrocitus and Dex-Starr looking for a red ring, followed by an uneven two-part story that sees the Reds destroying a kind of alien Hitler, so I can’t say the book is an amazing read but it’s more of a necessary one to first establish and then springboard from. Also included are the Green Lantern crossover issues where the various Corps fights the giant scientist called Relic who’s trying to stop the universe’s light from being depleted. If you read Green Lantern, Volume 4: Dark Days, you’ll have already read these issues.
I haven’t been interested in reading Red Lanterns since the first volume but picked up this fourth because of one thing: Charles Soule. And, while it’s not his best book, it’s a good start to making this difficult series appealing to a broader audience and there are parts that are quite good. So long as Soule’s writing, I’ll keep reading Red Lanterns and, after all the re-laid groundwork of the series, I’m curious to see where he’s taking the series next.
I think there should be a third category that blends those two types together in one: a writer who goes in and changes up the characters and their world but in a way that’s in keeping with the spirit of the title – a good example of this is Charles Soule’s first Red Lanterns book, Blood Brothers.
Atrocitus discovers the Green Lanterns’ listening device hidden in one of the Reds and destroys it. Without a way to monitor them, Hal Jordan asks Guy Gardner to become a Red Lantern and be his new spy in the group, which he reluctantly agrees to. He and Atrocitus fight, Guy wins and takes Atrocitus’ ring while the defeated and near-dead Atrocitus is taken away by Dex-Starr. Only Guy actually likes being a Red Lantern more than he did being a Green and decides to stay that way.
As a Red Lantern, Guy starts making changes. He does away with the role of leader and makes the Reds an anarchic group of individuals; he gets them a ship as their headquarters rather than accept the barren wasteland of Ysmault, the Reds’ home planet, so they now have beds to sleep in and a bar to relax in; he changes their crap chant from the bad poetry it was ("With blood and rage of crimson red, Ripped from a corpse so freshly dead, Together with our hellish hate, We'll burn you all-that is your fate!") to the simple and effective “We’re Red – You’re Dead!”; he even manages to get the Green Lanterns to hand over policing duties of Sector 2814 (the sector of the universe that includes Earth) to them!
Soule’s changes to the Red Lanterns are all vast improvements over Geoff Johns’ original creations, which were sub-par, rushed and unimaginative, while still retaining the unmistakable essence of the Reds. Also, in having Guy embrace his dark side, he makes him a less annoying and more compelling character.
Most of the book is Soule re-arranging the Red Lanterns, with a side-story featuring Atrocitus and Dex-Starr looking for a red ring, followed by an uneven two-part story that sees the Reds destroying a kind of alien Hitler, so I can’t say the book is an amazing read but it’s more of a necessary one to first establish and then springboard from. Also included are the Green Lantern crossover issues where the various Corps fights the giant scientist called Relic who’s trying to stop the universe’s light from being depleted. If you read Green Lantern, Volume 4: Dark Days, you’ll have already read these issues.
I haven’t been interested in reading Red Lanterns since the first volume but picked up this fourth because of one thing: Charles Soule. And, while it’s not his best book, it’s a good start to making this difficult series appealing to a broader audience and there are parts that are quite good. So long as Soule’s writing, I’ll keep reading Red Lanterns and, after all the re-laid groundwork of the series, I’m curious to see where he’s taking the series next.
May 8, 2019
Damn the first half of this was amazing, the 2nd half is good.
Okay so Guy goes undercover to find out what the Red Lanterns are up to. It's easy enough as he dispatches the last boss with ease. Shows him who is boss and then decides to run the gang of 5 or 6 remaining red lanterns. It's actually fun to watch Guy lead them as a leader. Then got Lights Outs crossover coming in and messing up the flow and of course only get a piece so the last two issues feel like one shot type deals of Red Lanterns doing there thing.
The idea of having Guy as the leader of the Reds is great. He's been one before, he's fun as a leader, and can believe his change. I also think the pacing for first half is great. I wanted to know what happened every second. The ending does lead to some interesting things coming. The only negative really is the second half doesn't feel as tightly made and also the art can be wonky at times.
Overall, It's more like a 3.5 because of the event fuck up but still fun. A 4 out of 5.
Okay so Guy goes undercover to find out what the Red Lanterns are up to. It's easy enough as he dispatches the last boss with ease. Shows him who is boss and then decides to run the gang of 5 or 6 remaining red lanterns. It's actually fun to watch Guy lead them as a leader. Then got Lights Outs crossover coming in and messing up the flow and of course only get a piece so the last two issues feel like one shot type deals of Red Lanterns doing there thing.
The idea of having Guy as the leader of the Reds is great. He's been one before, he's fun as a leader, and can believe his change. I also think the pacing for first half is great. I wanted to know what happened every second. The ending does lead to some interesting things coming. The only negative really is the second half doesn't feel as tightly made and also the art can be wonky at times.
Overall, It's more like a 3.5 because of the event fuck up but still fun. A 4 out of 5.
February 6, 2018
Volume Four of Red Lanterns answers the question of how Guy Gardner, of GL fame, became a Red Lantern.
Hal Jordan decides he is going to send Guy Gardner to join the Red Lanterns to keep an eye on them. But Guy decides he's done being a Green and decides to truly become a Red Lantern. What follows is a fight with Atrocitus, whom Guy beats and banishes, that catapults him into a leadership position.
The rest of the story is Guy and the Red Lanterns fighting some space pirates, partnering with the GLC to fight against some guy named the Relic, and getting Earth assigned to the Red Lantern's zone of patrol.
Good artwork, an interesting and action filled plot and good characters with some dry humor thrown in. I am rather a fan of Dex-Starr (I mean it's a cat with a red ring-very cool!) and the amusing duo of Skallox and Zilius Zox. Those two rock and are very amusing. So hey way to go-a good DC comic. Good, fun story with interesting and funny characters. Good artwork too! So far the Red Lanterns was a good volume-look forwards to Volume 5.
Hal Jordan decides he is going to send Guy Gardner to join the Red Lanterns to keep an eye on them. But Guy decides he's done being a Green and decides to truly become a Red Lantern. What follows is a fight with Atrocitus, whom Guy beats and banishes, that catapults him into a leadership position.
The rest of the story is Guy and the Red Lanterns fighting some space pirates, partnering with the GLC to fight against some guy named the Relic, and getting Earth assigned to the Red Lantern's zone of patrol.
Good artwork, an interesting and action filled plot and good characters with some dry humor thrown in. I am rather a fan of Dex-Starr (I mean it's a cat with a red ring-very cool!) and the amusing duo of Skallox and Zilius Zox. Those two rock and are very amusing. So hey way to go-a good DC comic. Good, fun story with interesting and funny characters. Good artwork too! So far the Red Lanterns was a good volume-look forwards to Volume 5.
February 17, 2015
This was my second read for our "EVIL" Week Shallow Buddy read.
Okay maybe this bunch are more anti-hero then villain but let’s not pick nits.
First off Charles Soule deserves a medal of honor for making Guy Gardner a character I didn’t want to punch square in the taint like everything else he's in. Also gone is the endless Atrocitus monologues (blood magic, prophecy, inversions, rage, blah, blah, blah) so bonus points for that too. Really skip the first three volumes and jump on here and save yourself the anguish. My only complaint is that can we please just have I volume that doesn’t get yanked into another Green Lantern books tie-in?
In closing Charles Soule is the man seriously read any book with his name on the cover.
May 19, 2017
Much better than the earlier Red Lantern volumes. Uses Guy Gardner to great benefit for once. Always a fan of that clean New 52 art.
July 12, 2014
Guy Gardner. Best damned dickweed you'll ever meet in the DC universe (forget Geoff Johns' travesty of a Shazam - that's just bad writing, let alone a warped wreckage of a classic character). Guy seems to have mellowed a bit since the Giffen/DeMatteis days of the 80's though - no longer is he an asshole just to pick a fight. Now Guy actually seems to have a moral streak and a little respect for some of his fellow Green Lanterns. A little disconcerting, but I gotta admit it sure reads well here.
So let's talk about Charles Soule. He's a recently-knighted golden child of the industry, writing books for both of the big two and toying with creator owned as well. He's a frigging machine, carrying an active law practice as well as writing something like six ongoings at once.
I came into this book (my first of Soule, but not my last) with high expectations and worried that he'd already be showing signs of fatigue (like other overworked creators we've seen - looking at all of you, my favourites).
Happy to report that Soule gives this kind of book a shot in the arm that it needs, making it not only fun and funny, but he made the cosmic superheroes readable for a crusty bastard like me. (Marvel of 2007, take note.) I was thinking to myself how easy this was to read, and I've *never* thought that for the damned Lantern comics.
Guy goes on an undercover mission to suss out the Reds threat for Hal (new Lanterns overlord) and veers from the almost-decent guy Guy to a tough Guy I can really get behind (if only to make sure he doesn't take a swing at me first). Not an action-movie balls-of-steel brick wall, but a dude who knows what's needed and takes his balls out as a calculated risk.
I know very few people like this. Most friends are slightly broken or as cooperative as we can get, and the ones who display aggressive tendencies tend to get shunned or sent falsified party invitations. So it's a weird power fantasy to live through Guy as my bro-in-arms, almost like a construct of my own (if only I had real rage in me, instead of just road rage and a raging...well, let's move on).
What's even additionally impressive to me is how this book's issues seem to tie in naturally to what must be a crazy crossover tale across all the GL books, and how easily I followed the storyline and didn't want to kill them for ruining story momentum. That tied together well enough that I'm ever-so-slightly tempted to pick up some non-Johns GL and see what's been going on elsewhere (at least as far as the Kyle Rayner is a groovy saviour storyline goes).
Will I continue to read this? Hell yes. Soule wrote some good empathetic characters, some funny lines and some interesting tensions. That's what I like. That, and vile disgusting boundary pushing. Can't win em all.
So let's talk about Charles Soule. He's a recently-knighted golden child of the industry, writing books for both of the big two and toying with creator owned as well. He's a frigging machine, carrying an active law practice as well as writing something like six ongoings at once.
I came into this book (my first of Soule, but not my last) with high expectations and worried that he'd already be showing signs of fatigue (like other overworked creators we've seen - looking at all of you, my favourites).
Happy to report that Soule gives this kind of book a shot in the arm that it needs, making it not only fun and funny, but he made the cosmic superheroes readable for a crusty bastard like me. (Marvel of 2007, take note.) I was thinking to myself how easy this was to read, and I've *never* thought that for the damned Lantern comics.
Guy goes on an undercover mission to suss out the Reds threat for Hal (new Lanterns overlord) and veers from the almost-decent guy Guy to a tough Guy I can really get behind (if only to make sure he doesn't take a swing at me first). Not an action-movie balls-of-steel brick wall, but a dude who knows what's needed and takes his balls out as a calculated risk.
I know very few people like this. Most friends are slightly broken or as cooperative as we can get, and the ones who display aggressive tendencies tend to get shunned or sent falsified party invitations. So it's a weird power fantasy to live through Guy as my bro-in-arms, almost like a construct of my own (if only I had real rage in me, instead of just road rage and a raging...well, let's move on).
What's even additionally impressive to me is how this book's issues seem to tie in naturally to what must be a crazy crossover tale across all the GL books, and how easily I followed the storyline and didn't want to kill them for ruining story momentum. That tied together well enough that I'm ever-so-slightly tempted to pick up some non-Johns GL and see what's been going on elsewhere (at least as far as the Kyle Rayner is a groovy saviour storyline goes).
Will I continue to read this? Hell yes. Soule wrote some good empathetic characters, some funny lines and some interesting tensions. That's what I like. That, and vile disgusting boundary pushing. Can't win em all.
January 22, 2017
Wasnt as good as the others. Atrocitus wasnt the focal point.
December 28, 2014
All aboard the Soule train!
Red Lanterns Vol 4: Blood Brothers marks the first arc that has Charles Soule (Swamp Thing, Superman/Wonder Woman, She-Hulk, everything else you know and love) as writer. Soule didn’t come alone either, bringing everyone’s favorite second-tier angry Green Lantern, Guy Gardner. While I understand that Guy has been elsewhere in the New 52, but the last time I saw him was the cancelled too soon Justice League International, so it’s been awhile.
For those unaware, Red Lanterns are the ones who have red rings and tend to be extremely angry. Entering issue #21, the leader of the Red Lantern is the ever “lovable” Atrocitus. The Green Lanterns remain weary of the Red Lanterns. Hal Jordan (now running the Green Lantern Corps) approaches Guy Gardner about going undercover as a Red Lantern to spy for Hal. Clearly, this is going to end well. It doesn’t help that if you take off a red ring, you die, so its not exactly joining your run-of-the-mill social club. It also doesn’t help that the red ring can change a person.
Meanwhile (at the legion of red lake doom), the Red Lanterns seek out new members to replenish their depleted numbers. It’s quickly apparent that Atrocitus runs the Red Lanterns and that it’s not exactly a democracy. Although it’s not like the Red Lanterns consider each other friends, which also becomes quickly apparent. Darwinism at it’s finest in the Red Lantern Corps. Guy pays the Lanterns a social visit and ends up fighting Atrocitus, eventually defeating him. It’s no more Mr. nice Guy (see what I did there?) as he gets to become the leader of self-serving angry psychopaths.
Guy Gardner finds himself the leader of an interesting group of individuals. Rankorr, Zilius Zox, Bleez, Skallox, and Ratchet make for some great supporting characters. It’s interesting watch Guy Gardner lead such a vastly different team from his days in Justice League International and watching his actions as a Red Lantern. One of the most interesting dynamics of Blood Brothers is wondering whether the red ring is changing Guy or was the type of person he’s becoming as a red lantern simply there all along. Of course, in the background remains Atrocitus plotting his revenge against Guy.
Guy’s enemy list is a continually growing one, also having to deal with Relic, an individual who destroyed the Blue Lanterns.
Red Lanterns under Soule is a comic firing on all cylinders. The story is fresh, has a number of interesting dynamics, and also has some great art. I can’t say enough good things about the art, especially the covers for this comic. I collect over 30+ comics a month and Red Lanterns always is able to find itself within my top five consistently. There’s been a couple times where it’s been my favorite book of the month. Whether you like lanterns and the history surrounding it or not, pick up this volume. Volume 4 of Red Lanterns is the beginning of a comic that stands out from the others in the New 52 because of how wonderfully different it is.
Red Lanterns Vol 4: Blood Brothers marks the first arc that has Charles Soule (Swamp Thing, Superman/Wonder Woman, She-Hulk, everything else you know and love) as writer. Soule didn’t come alone either, bringing everyone’s favorite second-tier angry Green Lantern, Guy Gardner. While I understand that Guy has been elsewhere in the New 52, but the last time I saw him was the cancelled too soon Justice League International, so it’s been awhile.
For those unaware, Red Lanterns are the ones who have red rings and tend to be extremely angry. Entering issue #21, the leader of the Red Lantern is the ever “lovable” Atrocitus. The Green Lanterns remain weary of the Red Lanterns. Hal Jordan (now running the Green Lantern Corps) approaches Guy Gardner about going undercover as a Red Lantern to spy for Hal. Clearly, this is going to end well. It doesn’t help that if you take off a red ring, you die, so its not exactly joining your run-of-the-mill social club. It also doesn’t help that the red ring can change a person.
Meanwhile (at the legion of red lake doom), the Red Lanterns seek out new members to replenish their depleted numbers. It’s quickly apparent that Atrocitus runs the Red Lanterns and that it’s not exactly a democracy. Although it’s not like the Red Lanterns consider each other friends, which also becomes quickly apparent. Darwinism at it’s finest in the Red Lantern Corps. Guy pays the Lanterns a social visit and ends up fighting Atrocitus, eventually defeating him. It’s no more Mr. nice Guy (see what I did there?) as he gets to become the leader of self-serving angry psychopaths.
Guy Gardner finds himself the leader of an interesting group of individuals. Rankorr, Zilius Zox, Bleez, Skallox, and Ratchet make for some great supporting characters. It’s interesting watch Guy Gardner lead such a vastly different team from his days in Justice League International and watching his actions as a Red Lantern. One of the most interesting dynamics of Blood Brothers is wondering whether the red ring is changing Guy or was the type of person he’s becoming as a red lantern simply there all along. Of course, in the background remains Atrocitus plotting his revenge against Guy.
Guy’s enemy list is a continually growing one, also having to deal with Relic, an individual who destroyed the Blue Lanterns.
Red Lanterns under Soule is a comic firing on all cylinders. The story is fresh, has a number of interesting dynamics, and also has some great art. I can’t say enough good things about the art, especially the covers for this comic. I collect over 30+ comics a month and Red Lanterns always is able to find itself within my top five consistently. There’s been a couple times where it’s been my favorite book of the month. Whether you like lanterns and the history surrounding it or not, pick up this volume. Volume 4 of Red Lanterns is the beginning of a comic that stands out from the others in the New 52 because of how wonderfully different it is.
March 26, 2024
Charles Soule is taking this already hit series in a great new direction. What I really loved the most about this book is that Guy Gardner is really growing as a character in the Green Lantern mythos. I am glad that this mythos has not lost its steam even though Warner Bros. made that not so good Green Lantern movie. What makes all the Green Lantern books so interesting is that it is really a space opera in the vein of Star Wars about groups of space cops who have the task of maintaining peace and balance in the galaxy. Our lanterns of earth generally have the same powers but different personalities so to keep us interested the writers at DC Comics has begun to give our earth Lanterns different responsibilities and a few changes in their powers. Kyle Rayner the artist is now the explorer and white ring wielder, Hal Jordan has left earth to run the Green Lantern Corps., Jon Stewart is now training the new recruits and searching for new bases of operations, and now Guy Gardner has become a spy and Red Lantern Corps.
Guy Gardner has always a hothead. Charles has now added more depth to the character. Guy Gardner doesn't turn to the dark side and just surrender whole hardly to the Red ring's power. He has become a man who is at war with himself. The Red Lantern books have always been about rage and anger and what happens when we let it control us. Charles Soule uses Guy's dark humor to take this story in a odd but a really exciting direction. My only gripe with the book is the Relic story arc. I am not a fan the new villain Relic. I am going to read the arc just to keep up with all the Lantern series. This is a great book for those curious about the Red Lanterns to jump into and it is a great addition to the ever so popular Green Lantern books. I would have given this volume five stars but Relic ruin that chance, LOL.
Guy Gardner has always a hothead. Charles has now added more depth to the character. Guy Gardner doesn't turn to the dark side and just surrender whole hardly to the Red ring's power. He has become a man who is at war with himself. The Red Lantern books have always been about rage and anger and what happens when we let it control us. Charles Soule uses Guy's dark humor to take this story in a odd but a really exciting direction. My only gripe with the book is the Relic story arc. I am not a fan the new villain Relic. I am going to read the arc just to keep up with all the Lantern series. This is a great book for those curious about the Red Lanterns to jump into and it is a great addition to the ever so popular Green Lantern books. I would have given this volume five stars but Relic ruin that chance, LOL.
September 4, 2016
A tone change and a leader change made it bearable.
This book needed focus and it somewhat got it.
World: The art is fine, it was a bit too scratchy for my taste, however I did enjoy it. The world building is also okay with the pieces that they introduced he. There is the constant creation of an evil person which they need to hunt which they defeat, but yeah it was pretty standard fare. What I did like in the world building was the 'Lights Out' stuff that was fun.
Story: Other than the 'Lights Out' story and placing Guy in the team the rest of the story was pretty boring. Still trying to find a point in the series the Reds have been lost and it shows in the actual story. Atrocious running around to find a ring was a stupid story and actually a waste of a tale as the huge giant thing could have been an interesting story and a debate on the merits of his actions but that was not to be. I'm already forgetting the story cause it was just so inconsequential.
Characters: Guy being there is interesting and offers up a lighter tone to the book, the idea of rage being led by him is fun and if we keep this fun vibe I think the book can somewhat work. Now we just need more development with the team. The villain this arc other than Relic was stupid and just a pointless no name Hitler type and it was zzz.
Aight and still directionless, I'm hoping the tone change can fix this.
Onward to the next book!
This book needed focus and it somewhat got it.
World: The art is fine, it was a bit too scratchy for my taste, however I did enjoy it. The world building is also okay with the pieces that they introduced he. There is the constant creation of an evil person which they need to hunt which they defeat, but yeah it was pretty standard fare. What I did like in the world building was the 'Lights Out' stuff that was fun.
Story: Other than the 'Lights Out' story and placing Guy in the team the rest of the story was pretty boring. Still trying to find a point in the series the Reds have been lost and it shows in the actual story. Atrocious running around to find a ring was a stupid story and actually a waste of a tale as the huge giant thing could have been an interesting story and a debate on the merits of his actions but that was not to be. I'm already forgetting the story cause it was just so inconsequential.
Characters: Guy being there is interesting and offers up a lighter tone to the book, the idea of rage being led by him is fun and if we keep this fun vibe I think the book can somewhat work. Now we just need more development with the team. The villain this arc other than Relic was stupid and just a pointless no name Hitler type and it was zzz.
Aight and still directionless, I'm hoping the tone change can fix this.
Onward to the next book!
June 30, 2014
Charles Soule pumps some new blood into Red Lanterns in this fourth collection of the series. Guy Gardner helms the ship as Atrocitus makes his exit, trading Milligan's dramatic, operatic tone for a more character driven, humor tinged plot. The Reds become a sort of rag-tag crew of angry space cops, with small numbers and a newly acquired sector from the GLs. Every character gets meaningful screen time, with even bench-warmers like Zillius Zox getting some excellent growth.
Atrocitus and Dex-Starr float around in space, fueling a goofy subplot as they try and find a new red ring for Atrocitus to wear. Guy goes undercover for Hal, then finds himself enjoying the red side of the spectrum a little much. Things culminate in a political coup, and a surprisingly effective sacrifice from on of the RLs. Soule has found the best way to write this crew, and I hope he stays on for a long time. Vitti's art is also fantastic, helping to make absolutely every page a treat.
Atrocitus and Dex-Starr float around in space, fueling a goofy subplot as they try and find a new red ring for Atrocitus to wear. Guy goes undercover for Hal, then finds himself enjoying the red side of the spectrum a little much. Things culminate in a political coup, and a surprisingly effective sacrifice from on of the RLs. Soule has found the best way to write this crew, and I hope he stays on for a long time. Vitti's art is also fantastic, helping to make absolutely every page a treat.
July 18, 2014
Infinitely better than everything that came before it, the introduction of Charles Soule and Guy Gardner to this title causes the Red Lanterns to suddenly become three dimensional characters instead of the rage filled, whiny caricatures that they had been for so long before. Now I actually give a damn about these characters, and even Atrocitus moaning away in the background doesn't sour the experience. The artwork is visceral and well suited to the subject matter from both Alessandro Vitti and fill-in artist Jim Calafiore, so now Red Lanterns is back where it should be in the Green Lantern hierarchy - fighting for top position, instead of languishing at the bottom.
February 1, 2015
I only read up to volume 4 because I had already bought them all. This series just doesn't get better for me. There's quite a bit of repeat from the GL saga in these books and what wasn't repeat just wasn't interesting to me.
Might be good for readers looking for more backstory on the Red Lanterns and more of their story during the war.
Might be good for readers looking for more backstory on the Red Lanterns and more of their story during the war.
July 23, 2015
If it doesn't exactly humanize the Reds, at least it makes them more relate-able then they have been in previous volumes.
July 25, 2024
Atrocitus needs more Reds to order around. He wants Rankorr's ability to create constructs, but the latter refuses to share it. Before they can duke it out, Guy Gardner shows up to join the Reds. He was sent by Hal Jordan in order to have a man on the inside for the Greens. Atrocitus rejects Guy, so the two fight it out. Guy takes Atrocitus' rign and uses his already considerable inner rage to turn into a Red Lantern.
November 19, 2022
These books (the current Lantern books) are still an absolute editorial mess. This book collects a decent story cut in half by the terrible Lights Out crossover. Such a clumsy display. The base storyline, Guy going undercover in the Red Lantern Corps, is solid. The execution is a little wonky. Guy is actually a great candidate for the Reds but how he interacts with them comes off as somewhat corny. The thing this volume had going for it was that it actually had character development with these Red Lantern characters for nearly the first time. I'm interested in where these characters go given their new status quo. The art by Alessandro Vitti was solid throughout. Overall, certainly not an epic but it entertained in a summer movie type of way.
July 17, 2023
**REREAD**
We're red, and you're dead! In the wake of the large GL initiative push ending, every book was retooled. The one that made out the best was Red Lanterns. Soule and Vitti came in and got messy, as they took ole Guy Gardner, had him tap into that anger, and have a hostile takeover of the reds. After that strong start, it follows him retooling the small corps into a way forward, as the few aliens actually have names and personalities. Atrocious does begin planning in the background, setting up the next vol. Putting Guy in the this corps always felt so obvious, and I'm happy someone competent did so.
The only strike against this vol is it has to tie into that lame and disrespectful Lights Out crossover that threw the Johns era lore out the window.
We're red, and you're dead! In the wake of the large GL initiative push ending, every book was retooled. The one that made out the best was Red Lanterns. Soule and Vitti came in and got messy, as they took ole Guy Gardner, had him tap into that anger, and have a hostile takeover of the reds. After that strong start, it follows him retooling the small corps into a way forward, as the few aliens actually have names and personalities. Atrocious does begin planning in the background, setting up the next vol. Putting Guy in the this corps always felt so obvious, and I'm happy someone competent did so.
The only strike against this vol is it has to tie into that lame and disrespectful Lights Out crossover that threw the Johns era lore out the window.
May 19, 2025
This doesn't really hang together as a volume because of the constraints of tying into the Green Lantern Relic storyline from the other books in the line. The premise for Relic is really interesting, but you only get a cursory bit of it here before you cut over to Green Lantern Annual 2 to see the conclusion of the story. I recall Green Lantern New Guardians having a more complete treatment of the story, so that's probably the move.
Even if it doesn't fully work as a volume, there's some good stuff here from the ongoing series threads. Guy Gardner might be annoying, but he does a decent job of shaking things up in the Red Lantern Corp. Meanwhile, Atrocitus and Dex-Starr strike out on their own. I'll always appreciate more Dex-Starr content. There should be more housecat Lanterns.
Even if it doesn't fully work as a volume, there's some good stuff here from the ongoing series threads. Guy Gardner might be annoying, but he does a decent job of shaking things up in the Red Lantern Corp. Meanwhile, Atrocitus and Dex-Starr strike out on their own. I'll always appreciate more Dex-Starr content. There should be more housecat Lanterns.
November 26, 2019
Czerwoni... Latarnie pod wodzą Atrocitusa i wiernego kociego towarzysza Dex-Starra nie miały lekko, gdyż od śmierci z rąk ponurego, ale skutecznego dowódcy było naprawdę łatwo. W czwartym tomie serii następuje małe trzęsienie ziemi, bo na horyzoncie pojawia się Guy Gardner, który na polecenie Jordana miał szpiegować Czerwone Latarnie, de facto stając się jedną z nich. Szkopuł w tym, że bardzo trudno jest przestać być Czerwonym i oczyszczenia mogą dokonać te Niebieskie Latarnie. Jeżeli czytaliście event o nazwie Lights Out, to wiecie że Niebiescy przestaną istnieć i wyjście z sytuacji może się okazać niemożliwe, tylko czy to przeszkadza byłemu Zielonemu?
October 18, 2021
The Red Lantern series started off strong under Peter Milligan and then devolved into shittiness. But now that Charles Soule took over the book after the end of the Geoff Johns era, things get infinitely better! Hal Jordan orders Guy Gardner to go undercover with the Red Lanterns and keep an eye on them, and that great decision breathes so much life into the title and the characters than I ever thought was possible! Every Red Lantern is now interesting to read with true personalities and the inclusion of Guy Gardner makes any story better!
Who would’ve thought this series could be so much fun!
Who would’ve thought this series could be so much fun!
March 5, 2024
Having Guy in here for the majority was a turn off for me. 2 stars says it's ok. That's what this is. It wasn't great or bad, the art was good but not great. I guess the humor was better, but that says something about the quality of this one. Like most of the new 52 comics I enjoyed it, however it still leaves much to be desired. In some ways I felt as if the writers themselves thought that this comic was basically a "filler" or joke, (spoils ahead) until they *spoilers* get their leader back.
January 5, 2023
The Red Lanterns are definitely a different animal than the others. They look crazy and brutal, they don't make constructs with their rings (except for Rankorr) and they kill people all the time. So it's a nice "break" from the other 2 or 3 Lantern titles. The cast of characters is also smaller so you get to know each one a bit more as they try to maneuver to gain more power. Decent stuff.
October 23, 2024
No esperfecto el lore y la logia dr los lanterns en los new 52 y eso se quedara asi, pero el cambio de autor en este comic es lo mejor que ha pasado, amo a los red lanterns y como forman una familia disfuncional, y Guy rs tremendo como lider
May 10, 2017
Soule does a good job of firing up the Red Lanterns by throwing Guy Gardner into the thick of it. Some good world-building and plot-setup for the future of his run.
May 12, 2017
Guy Gardner w szeregach czerwonych latarni udowadnia, że bycie wkurzonym nie musi być nudne. Dotychczasowi bohaterowie zyskują nowego wymiaru i uczestniczą w Lights Out.
October 23, 2024
It's fine.
Guy is fairly interesting here.
I really despise Rankorr.
Bleez is underutilised.
Dex star and Atrocitus' journey is pretty interesting.
Guy is fairly interesting here.
I really despise Rankorr.
Bleez is underutilised.
Dex star and Atrocitus' journey is pretty interesting.
September 8, 2025
Wonderful premise and execution, but it loses its way a bit amid the crossovers. (Ain’t that just the way of most New 52 books?)
February 15, 2017
Soule takes over for Milligan, and it's almost seamless. Guy Gardner taking control of the Reds was fun, even if it laid Atrocitus a bit too low. Though, Dex-Starr telling him to stop whining was great.
Yet again, it crosses over with a Green Lantern event, and it goes off track for a bit, even if the Reds got more respect this time, and what happens after is interesting.
Art was pretty good too. Not as strong as the previous volumes, but good.
And Zilius Zox is even more fun.
Yet again, it crosses over with a Green Lantern event, and it goes off track for a bit, even if the Reds got more respect this time, and what happens after is interesting.
Art was pretty good too. Not as strong as the previous volumes, but good.
And Zilius Zox is even more fun.
August 20, 2014
After the massive crossover that was volume 3, Blood Brothers brings the scope down a bit, and basically gives up on its original cast, adding Guy Gardner back to the Red Lantern team. It's a good decision. Gardner going all out is a fun thing to see, and giving him the powers of the Red Lantern while also giving him conscious control (thank you Ysmault), leads to him commandeering the few red lanterns that still exist and doing something productive with them. Part of that ends up as another crossover, but it's more interesting when they're on their own. Unfortunately, none of the other Reds is given much chance to let their personality shine, (although ZZ Blob has some fun moments), as Guy sucks up all the personality. Still, those sections are fun, and the interstitials with the disgraced Atrocitus and Dex-Starr are interesting too. All in all, not a bad addition to the series, and a good direction for it to move. Too often it spent its issues foundering in what to do with the anti-heroes; having some guidance beyond 'Rage' is a nice step forward.
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