*GREEN LANTERN #20 is required reading for this issue*
The Good
Once again, RED LANTERNS is a series which thrives on its spectacular visuals. The dialogue may feel slightly unnatural at times and the plot might not reel you in, but it's a reading experience that's sure to please your eyes. Will Conrad and Rain Beredo do outstanding work with the angry ring wielders and make the Five Inversions look especially great. Atrocitus appears particularly fearsome at times and Conrad's work reminds me of Mike Deodato Jr's... and that's absolutely a good thing.
As for the story... well, Peter Milligan's last chapter is all about giving Atrocitus closure and Rankorr does a bit of soul searching. The leader of the Red Lantern's has the moment he's been waiting for, and while it looks stellar and does move the character forward, I can't help but feel as though it wasn't as gripping as it should have been. Rankorr's encounter, on the other hand, was slightly more engaging and was definitely a fitting way for Milligan to wrap up his time with the character.
The Bad
With so many grand events going on in the world of Lanterns today (the primary one costing a hefty $7.99, too), this issue just doesn't live up to the massive scope its peers have created. NEW GUARDIANS does a great job wrapping up the aftermath of 'Wrath of the First Lantern' with its key character (Kyle Rayner), but this book instead aims to deliver on a moment we've all been waiting for, and unfortunately, it comes off somewhat rushed and is bogged down by the other events going on in the book. It almost feels like this is Rankorr's story and Atrocitus is the one with the side plot. I feel like that's cheating Atrocitus and, just like many others out there, he's the primary reason many of us are reading this title.
According to DC's page, this issue has a back up story , however, my digital copy from ComiXology has no such thing (unless they're just talking about the generic Channel 52 thing we get in every issue?). I was really hoping Milligan would so something to tease the book's future, but instead that moment is in GREEN LANTERN #20, and sadly, that single page had me more excited for the Red Lanterns' path than this entire issue did.
The Verdict
Peter Milligan's final issue basically feels like he wanted to leave a clean slate for upcoming series writer Charles Soule. New character created in the series aside (Rankorr), I have a strong feeling you could go into issue #21 without having read a single issue of Milligan's run, and odds are it'll serve as a great jumping on point. If you're super passionate about Atrocitus, then yes, you should read this just to have all of the facts on the character. But for everyone else who has felt letdown with this series, I'd say you can definitely skip on this and then give the new creative team an honest chance. If I could give half stars, this would be a 2.5. But, seeing as I can't, I think the solid art warrants a boost to 3.
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