Stormwatch #9.1
All right, Peter Milligan and Miguel Sepulveda on Stormwatch, that's what I like! Yeah! Ok so... oh wait. Right. This is Red Lanterns. I was confused for a second there because I saw Stormwatch with Stormwatch's regular artist and new writer. I kid, I kid.
No wait, I take that back. This issue mostly felt more like an issue of Stormwatch than one of Red Lanterns. Part of it really was the art. Sepulveda's a WEIRD choice for Red Lanterns. An amazing one for Stormwatch (sad to see him go) but odd for Red Lanterns. His debris fetish shines brightly here, and effectively. But his portrayal of Atrocitus is wildly inconsistent, and the extremely stylized style isn't the right style for this series.
And sure, the monologue came mostly from Atrocitus and Rankorr, but the developments hardly meant anything for the Red Lanterns. Stormwatch got FAR more out of this storyline than the Red Lanterns did. Honestly it feels like Milligan crossed these series over just because he could. This added NOTHING to the Red Lanterns storyline. It was an awkward detour.
And while Stormwatch got more out of it, I'm baffled that they needed it. I still find it far too hard to believe that Stormwatch would have had no idea about the Emotional Spectrum. They only know of Green Lanterns. If Johns' Green Lantern run is supposed to be in continuity; how could an organization CENTURIES old have missed THE SINESTRO CORPS WAR? OR BLACKEST NIGHT? OR BRIGHTEST DAY? SERIOUSLY! That's complete and utter bull crap right there.
Ok, ok, there's still definitely some good stuff here. Rankorr doesn't get much spotlight, but in what he does he really starts to come around as the beginning of the rebirth phase of Red Lanterns' Phoenix rebirth. He's the fire of life to Abysmus' fire of death. He really starts to show it, and it's interesting to not that the most rational Red Lanterns are the strongest.
But actually, despite me raving a lot about how Rankorr's been the best part of this series lately in terms of who he is, what he represents for the corps, and his story stuff recently; this issue was great for it's detour from him. I'm probably biased because we got to see more of DEX-STARR FINALLY! I love that cat.
In Conclusion: 3.5/5
What we got was pretty good, but this felt far too much like an issue of Stormwatch. From the wrongly stylized art, to the complete lack of any purpose for the titular characters.... Milligan should've made this an issue of Stormwatch. It does more for them than it does the Red Lanterns. Though what it does for Stormwatch, Stormwatch should've have needed done. I just don't buy them having no knowledge of any lanterns besides Green. Nuh uh. No way. No way in five thousand frozen hells. Filled with flying pigs.
