Writer: Geoff Johns
Pencils: Shane Davis
Inks: Sandra Hope

Art: 8/10
Story: 6/10
Overall: 7/10

The Good

There is no doubt that action junkies will enjoy Final Crisis: Rage of the Red Lanterns #1. Johns lives up to his reputation as a writer who cannot resist butchering characters as often as possible.

As a general rule, I am completely sick and tired of the endless amount of death, gore and ultra-violence that has become mind numbingly ever-present in DC’s comic books. However, I did not mind it at all in Final Crisis: Rage of the Red Lanterns #1. This is a war story dealing with competing paramilitary police forces. It makes sense that in a universe spanning war story there would have plenty of violence and death.

I dig how Johns is handling the complex relationship between Hal and Sinestro. I know that the theme of mentor, friend and enemy that Sinestro has played in Hal’s life may not be the most original theme, but Johns has done a fine job with it and it makes for an interesting read. I do think that before the Blackest Night is over that Hal might be forced to realize how he and Sinestro are more alike than he would want to admit.

Johns proceeds to tease the reader with several little twists in the plotlines that we have been getting over in Green Lantern. Clearly the scarred Guardian has her own agenda. And I am wondering of she is working with Sinestro or if she is simply playing every single side against each other in an attempt to demolish all of the different colored Corps. It also appears that Johns has several surprises in store for the reader when it comes to the chase for the various colored power sources.

This was a dynamic looking issue with the best artwork being reserved for the action scenes.

The Bad

Many readers may not dig the dark somber nature of this issue and the graphic violence and killing.

I found the Red Lanterns to be simply way too over the top. The constant blood puking and how the Red Lanterns all manage to synchronize it with their teammates was too much. And the fact that the Red Lanterns can evidently burn people to death with their blood puke just made it that much more silly. I do not know if Johns was trying to be campy with the Red Lanterns, but if he wanted me to take the Red Lanterns seriously and not chuckle at them then he failed.

Another problem with this issue is that it had nothing at all even remotely to do with Final Crisis. I have no idea why DC even bothered to call this a Final Crisis tie-in issue. This issue simply read like the newest issue of Green Lantern. It might have been wiser for DC to delay this issue until the end of Final Crisis and then bill this issue as a Blackest Night prelude instead.

Once again, DC seems determined to flood the reader with a myriad of “big events.” It would have been a smarter move for DC to let one big event end before cranking up the hype machine for the next big event. I swear, readers are going to end up getting “big event” fatigue at the rate that Marvel and DC are going.

Overall:

Final Crisis: Rage of the Red Lanterns #1 was a solid advertisement for the upcoming Blackest Night event. Johns made this issue as new reader friendly as possible and presented enough interesting mysteries to drum up interest in the Blackest Night event.

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