Red Lanterns #29

By Charles Soule, Alessandro Vitti and Gabe Eltaeb

Red Lanterns #29 is the second Red Lanterns issue that features Supergirl as the Reds latest recruit, and whilst some are understandably not happy with this decision, Charles Soule is proving them wrong – creating a wonderfully fun and entertaining read that just proves why Red Lanterns is the best book from DC’s Green Lantern line right now, and ironically, there’s not a single Green Lantern in sight. But this issue is not without its cameos – and the main guest star of Red Lanterns #29, is the Man of Steel himself – Superman.

Realising the that the Reds can’t handle a Kryptonian Teenager; Soule takes Kara back to Earth for a meeting with Superman. However, Clark isn’t particularly impressed with Guy’s leadership skills – if he has any at all, and the issue takes a break from developing the Atrocitus storyline to shift some attention directly onto Kara and her development as a Red Lantern – which Soule handles very well. There’s an opening scene where Kara consistently finds her rage getting the better of her – doing actions that she instantly regrets seconds later, and it’s good to see that she doesn’t master the power of the Red Lantern Ring easily. There’s going to be a steep learning curve for her – and she’s going to end up right in the thick of things judging by the cliffhanger at the end of this issue, which presumably sets things back on track for the main plotline.

Alessandro Vitti’s artwork is pretty good, however there were a few panels that didn’t quite work – the confrontation between Superman and Supergirl felt odd and out of place, but that was my only real grip with the artwork in this issue. For the most part, Vitti’s panels are a hit – and Gabe Eltaeb’s colours really add to the book.

Red Lanterns is rapidly proving itself to be a really good book that’s among the Top 5 of DC’s titles right now – and can be highly recommended, with a plot that has been executed well, and the character development has also been utilised pretty good indeed. How long Kara will remain a Red Lantern remains to be seen – but Soule is doing a very good job of this so far, and whilst this issue is more about the characters than the action – which is good for a change as the Red Lanterns have been involved in so many epic, action-ridden crossovers lately – it’ll be interesting to see where things go from here.