Godhead Act 1 continues this week in the pages of Red Lanterns #35, the fifth chapter in the ongoing epic. New Gods Malhedron, Kor, Rad and Dia show up in the Persian Gulf, ruining Red Lantern Guy Gardner’s attempt at a little R’n R. Green Lantern Simon Baz shows up to assist a bit as the New Gods quest to confiscate rings from any wielder.
Positives
Writer Charles Soule’s run on Red Lanterns has been praised since he took over the title with issue 21, and it’s easy to see why. He dedicates a good chunk of the story getting inside Guy’s head, seeing what makes him tick. He’s got a bit of a death wish, it seems, from the recent loss of teammates, the fault of which he attributes to himself. There’s also the temptation to sell his red ring for a cool Billion to a dictator who wishes to be granted super powers. Despite this, we see Guy do the right thing and go about stopping the tyrant before he becomes anymore powerful.
My favorite aspect, though, is seeing Guy and Ice still a couple after all these decades. So many relationships were erased with the advent of the New 52 reboot, but it’s great to see what is perhaps one of the lesser known but equally important ones make the cut. Can’t not mention the art, of course, by J. Calafiore. He’s no slouch, by any means, and provides wonderful pencils, inks and layouts. He and colorist Gabe Eltaeb make for a good team.
Negatives
As much as I praise the side story the book has, it suffers the same issue that Green Lantern Corps #35 did, which was a lack of furthering the larger picture that is the line-wide crossover. It’s not a huge thing, as the book reads fine on it’s own, but you must wonder how invested some of the creative teams are in participating in these sorts of events. It must be a tough balancing act to keep your book consistent with itself but also lend to these events when necessary. I’m not a regular reader of the title, so I’m looking for as much connective tissue as possible. Perhaps long-time readers will have less of an issue with this.
Verdict
By no means a weak book, Red Lanterns #35 is a great read, but fails to feel like much of a part of the Godhead crossover. Perhaps next week’s issue of Sinestro shall satisfy my thirst for more New Gods vs. Lanterns action.
