For those who don't know there are seven different Corps. The Green Lanterns who wield the power of Will. The Yellow Lanterns/Sinestro Corps, who wield the power of Fear. Blue Lanterns instituted by ex-Guardians Ganthet and Sayd, wield the power of Hope. The Indigo Tribe, wielders of Compassion. The Star Sapphires, who wield the power of Love. Agent Orange, who wields Avarice/Greed. And lastly the Red Lanterns, who wield the power of Rage.
The RL's origin begins with Atrocitus, the killer of the Lantern who transferred his ring to the first Human GL, Abin Sur. Atrocitus comes from the planet Ryut, a planet now entierly devoid of life after the wipout of sector 666, from the Guardians first attempt to police the galaxy, the Manhunters. From that point forward the only survivor promised revenge on the Guardians, more specifically the one who caused the malfunction in the Manhunters, Krona.
Atrocitus created the Red Lanterns when the Guardians authorized the other powers of the Emotional Spectrum to be wielded.
Once you have been selected for service in the Red Lantern Corp, your body is purged of all its normal blood, and replaced with a fire burning Napalm like blood instead that all the lanterns are constantly spewing from there mouths. You are also replaced with an unfathomable, insatiable and unlimited amount of Rage, turning your very vision red.
Ironically all the beings chosen for the RL Corps are scary looking monsters, with the exception of Dax Starr, a cat from earth chosen to wield the ring and is a pet to Atrocitus. He looks scary but cute at the same time.
Warning will be giving complete story overview of Red Lanterns issue 1, if you do not wish to spoil it for yourselves then get the issue, then come back and read my review!!!
The cover of Red Lanterns features Atrocitus, front and center, Bleez and Dax Starr and others. As well as their entity in the background.
Plot: We begin where Atrocitus left off after the War of the Green Lanterns, angry that the death of Krona happened by another hand.
Space Sector 666
On a ship of blue lizard looking aliens, torturing another alien for their amusement. They witness a cat floating in space (Dax Starr). They let it in, hoping to torture it and shave off its fur. When he attacks the aliens, with napalm blood and his vicious claws. The aliens jump Dax Starr at the same time attracting someone elses' attention. Atrocitus appears inquiring what they are doing to his cat. He then takes them all out.
We then are taken to a scene on earth, an old man being harassed by a thug. He puts up a fight but in the end the thug beats the man to death with a brick.
Space Sector 666 Ysmault (the prison planet that Atrocitus was kept on building his Rage)
He witnesses his Red Lanterns fighting amongst each other, needing an outlet for there blind less rage. Which they are so overflowing with, they cannot put sentences together Bleez stating when he asks them to stop fighting, "Fighting? Lanterns...Rage, We...GGNNN...Napalm Hearts...Can't...Stop..Gnnnn Think?" To which he states there not supposed to think just obey his orders. The lanterns all stalk off laughing.
Atrocitus walks to a secluded place, a place where he keeps Krona's body. And reminiscing how his revenge was stolen from him by Hal Jordan. He then uses some local fruit that hold blood to see a vision to show him what should fuel his Rage now that Krona was dead? The vision he sees is first of his family's destruction at the hand of the Manhunters.
We are then taken to a hospital on earth, a man walks in the room saying Grandad? A man already in the room responds that he has died. These two talk about how their Grandfather took care of them after there parents died. The two are brothers, one brother is very angry at the death of his grandfather the other boy, obviously an introvert as he focuses primarily on school and nothing else, stating he was late to get to his grandad because of an important thesis he had to turn in. This angers the other brother, causing him to punch the other, as the one who threw the punch walks off, were left with a scene of the other brother on the ground with a look of intense rage across his face. Atrocitus has seen this vision after his vision of his family. He then punches through Krona's chest, noticing a Guardian long dead still bleeds. And demands a vision telling him what he is to do. He sees visions of suffering and injustices, ones that must be brought to justice by means of vengeance and blood. But as he sees this, he realizes this is the purpose of his Corps, and then with the acting out of Bleez earlier he wonders if his Lanterns will obey and need him as their leader?
This is the end of issue 1.
So the Red Lanterns are an interesting character. They fight very violently, and cause much bloodshed and death. And yet they don't kill just anyone? They kill only those who have done extreme injustices to others. This would give them more of an Anti-Hero status as they do the one thing so easily that most heroes try never to do, kill.
Atrocitus himself is an interesting character, through a narrative during his vision of his planet being attacked by the Manhunters, he states that he wanted to be a therapist, he wanted to help people. He wasn't always a bad person.
And now he has nothing but Rage, and yet he uses it against criminals. But he kills with no thought of regret.
As he has dealt with Rage for such a long period of time he seems to be the only one who is not blinded by it.
But its interesting.
There have been rumors that there will actually be a human Red Lantern in issues to come, my theory just by the brothers that were shown, the one who was punched, John, will become the human Red Lantern.
Well we have to wait and see what the next issue brings.
Next up Superboy issue 1
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