Publisher: DC Comics
Writer: Tony Bedard | Artists: Tyler Kirkham and Harvey Tolibao (pencils), Batt (inks) | Colorist: Nei Ruffino
Publication Date: November 23, 2011
The short: But for Red Lanterns, this would easily rank as the worst of DC’s current Lantern books.
The long:
Lord all mighty, but this is one hell of a wretched book. Like, I don’t even know what to say. Where do I start? It’s just not good, at all. The attempts at profundity fall flat (so very flat), the action is repetitive and needlessly drawn out (oh, my God, for real, how many issues do we need of these characters just fighting, constantly fighting), this is the least interesting Kyle I think I’ve ever read, and somebody needs to go over to the art team and remind them that Fatality looks like this. Why in the name of God she’s running around with blue eyes and a skin tone best described as “tanned,” I have no clue.
Perhaps this book’s greatest sin is its lack of an emotional core. Like so many other reboot titles, it’s dependent upon the reader’s familiarity with these characters, their preexisting histories, and their relationships with one another in order for it to make sense. I don’t want to keep banging this dang drum, but for heaven’s sake, if you’re going to reboot your universe, commit to it. Kyle tells us he’s got a long history with Ganthet, that Ganthet is an emotional pillar for him, but the only exchange we’ve seen between him and Ganthet in this series prior to this issue is the brief scene in the first issue when Ganthet gave him the ring. That’s it. That is the entirety of the history we are shown.
I just.
Why? Why? Why does this book exist? Why?
