Friday, October 31, 2008

Final Crisis: Rage of the Red Lanterns #1 (One Shot)

You would think that comic fans would be suffering burnout after so many years of Mega-Events in comics.

It seems that every month there's another big series from one or more comics company, and the next series after that is always just over the horizon.

That would be fine if the series being promoted ended up living up to its hype. But all too often, it falls short - way short. Infinite Crisis and Civil War are the two best examples that leap to mind of stories that wanted to be Earth-shaking, nothing-will-ever-be-the-same-again events, but at the end the reader could hear the comic tones of a trombone playing "wah-wah-waaaah." (If you get my drift.)

The jury's still out on the two Mega-Events rolling along right now - Secret Invasion and Final Crisis - and in the wake of the latter, here comes Geoff Johns to show 'em how it's done.

Johns wrote the best big event in recent years - the Sinestro War. It was a story that kept you guessing, sitting on the edge of your seat, it had consequences, and it set up some big changes in the universe-spanning saga of the Green Lanterns.

It set up a galactic battle between numerous different Lantern factions, each set off by a different primary color, and each representing a different emotion. It's a terrific concept and the battle promises to be.. well, big.

Which brings us to Final Crisis: Rage of the Red Lanterns, as we learn about the origins of the Red Lanterns, the terrible source of their power and the disgusting way their power manifests itself.

Which is to say, this comic may be a bit too harsh for young readers - there's death and destruction aplenty, as the pieces are moved into place for the Darkest Night story, which is the next Mega-Event from DC.

Thankfully, it's shaping up to be a story that'll be worth buying into. And that's what a Mega-Event should be!

Grade: A-

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