Review: Red Lanterns Vol. 2- Death of the Red Lanterns

Quick Summary

Pros: The action is still as explosive and fun as before. The characters are still interesting and many of them receive some great character development. The additional character development makes the main narrative more compelling.

Cons: The pacing is off in some places and makes portions of the narrative confusing. The volume is heavy on exposition, to the point where it gets annoying. The crossover with Stormwatch is lackluster.

Overall: The second entry in the Red Lanterns series is good but not quite as good as the first. It hits many of the same high points, like fun action, an interesting narrative, and a ton of great characters. However, it also gets more bogged down with some generic writing problems. Readers who enjoyed the last volume will, likely, enjoy this one as well but might not like it quite as much.

Story

Red Lanterns Vol. 2: Death of the Red Lanterns, by Peter Milligan, maintains many of the positives this series started with but is not quite as strong as its predecessor. It still has the exciting action and compelling narrative that was seen in the first one. It also still contains some wonderfully appealing characters, who actually get even more appealing as they develop in this volume. However, problems with pacing are more noticeable, exposition feels heavy-handed, and the Stormwatch crossover is lackluster. The comic is still worthwhile but, after a very promising first volume, does not quite live up to its own lofty expectations.

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The bulk of Death of the Red Lanterns retains most of the positives this series had the last volume. The action is still as over-the-top as one would expect from a book about aliens fueled by rage.

In addition, the comic’s characters remain strong. As Atrocitus loses control over his Red Lanterns, his desperation and despair allow readers to see him in a new light. A similar situation occurs with Bleez, as readers have an even longer chance to see how her torturous past has developed her into the person she is today. Meanwhile, Jack Moore’s journey has evolved in a way that allows him to become a main character of his own.

All of this character development has the added benefit of making the narrative even more interesting. I felt more compelled to see how Atrocitus and Bleez approach the future now that I know more about their past. Plus, Jack Moore’s unique position as an intelligent Red Lantern with the ability to create constructs opens up an interesting mystery.

However, Death of the Red Lanterns also has its fair share of problems, with pacing as the most significant one. The volume opens with the comic’s main villain infecting the Red Lantern Central Power Battery and then, just a few pages later, the entire Corps begins to fall apart, with the villain easily escaping. A similar way, Guy Gardner’s role in this book sees him jump back and forth between Earth and Ysmault in an entirely illogical fashion. The problems here were pronounced enough that I had to go back and reread sections to make sure I hadn’t misread or misunderstood a portion of the narrative, which hurts the read as a whole.

Another problem comes from the heavy amounts of exposition that fill this collection. The volume starts with dialogue and narration that essentially recap what happened in the previous volume, which is pretty standard for a series like this. However, the crossover with Stormwatch inserts additional exposition to allow Stormwatch readers to understand what is going on in the Red Lanterns issues and even more to allow Red Lanterns readers to understand what is going on in the Stormwatch issue. Then, once the crossover is finished, exposition is inserted to remind readers about the narrative that existed before the crossover took place. None of these would be a problem on their own but back to back to back they make for a labored read.

It also doesn’t help that the Stormwatch crossover is pretty lackluster overall. It feels more like a distraction rather than a significant addition to the Red Lanterns narrative.

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Art

On their own, each of the chapters in Death of the Red Lanterns looks nice. The opening volume opens with a chapter from Andres Guinaldo and Jorge Jimenez, who both produce detailed work that captures the over-the-top nature of this comic’s action. The following chapter, from Tomas Giorello, is slightly less appealing but captures a similar style. Then, the rest of the volume features art from Miguel Sepulveda. These final chapters are much darker and more sinister, in a way that works well in a book about aliens fueled by rage.

However, the shift in style from the book’s first half to its second is so jarring that it is hard to get over. The second half of the book is dramatically darker and grittier than the first. Both styles suit this series but seeing them juxtaposed immediately after one another is a bit much. Plus, there are characters that look radically different in different chapters, which is weird to see in one volume. Overall, this volume’s visuals still look alright but are slightly marred by the dramatic shift in visual styles.

Continuity

Red Lanterns Vol. 2: Death of the Red Lanterns continues the story started in Red Lanterns Vol. 1: Blood and Rage (Review).

The story here continues in Red Lanterns Vol. 3: The Second Prophecy (Review).

This volume also references other comic books, detailed below:

• A battle against Invictus is mentioned. This battle took place across Green Lantern: New Guardians #5-7, collected in Green Lantern: New Guardians Vol. 1: The Ring Bearer (Review), and across Green Lantern: New Guardians #11-12, collected in Green Lantern: New Guardians Vol. 2: Beyond Hope (Review).
• Guy Gardner’s history as a Red Lantern is a plot point from Green Lantern Corps Vol 2 #43, collected in Blackest Night: Green Lantern Corps.
• This volume contains a crossover with the Stormwatch series, specifically Stormwatch #9. The events of Stormwatch #1-6, collected in Stormwatch Vol. 1: The Dark Side (Review), and Stormwatch #7-8, collected in Stormwatch Vol. 2: Enemies of Earth (Review).