Broken Frontier

Milligan dives into the Red Lantern Corps and gets to the heart of Atrocitus’s rage.

Atrocitus takes the lead in this new series focused on the popular Red Lantern Corps. There have been some fans raging about how they wanted to see a different colored Lantern team get their own book, but Milligan sets out to show them why the Reds get the spotlight. While the story fleshes out Atrocitus’s motivation and Benes’s art looks appropriately grisly, this first issue leaves the reader wanting.

Like Green Lantern #1, this title begins where War of the Green Lanterns left off. Atrocitus is conflicted because the reason for his boiling rage is gone, stolen from him when Hal Jordan killed the being responsible for the slaughter of his family and homeworld. There is now a change in him, and his once obedient followers sense his weakened rage power like sharks smelling blood in the water. The dicey dynamic fills the pages with uneasy tension, but when Atrocitus discovers his new purpose in life, the story seems to falter.

It is not much of a spoiler to say that he decides to become a rage-fueled force of vengeance for the universe. But therein lies the problem. He used to have a focused, personal reason to vomit up fiery blood on his enemies, but now he only has a vague sense of duty, and his new ambition does not seem likely to be embraced by the rest of his Corps. There may be a saving grace with the events unfolding around a rage-fueled man on Earth who is tormented by his family problems, but it is too soon to tell.

Benes creates plenty of bloody panels to satiate even the biggest gore fans, but also knows how to switch gears and show Atrocitus in a rare somber state. I do believe it is the first time Atrocitus has been shown with his toothy mouth shut. Eyring does a fine job of using different shades of red for various elements: blood, rage energy, Red Lantern uniforms, the dead planet Ysmault, and disgusting fever pod juice all look appropriately distinct from one another. Topped off with Hunter’s spot-on inks, this is one good looking issue.

While the story already has something to prove, there seems to be potential for an entertaining series that sets itself apart from the three other Green Lantern titles.