Red Lanterns #33 Review

Old friends.

Guy meets up with a former colleague while betrayal and desperation hang in the Ysmalt air.

Vitti falters on this issue, as most of his faces are horribly drawn (the human ones are the worst casualties) and his artwork isn’t consistent.

Soule though redeems the issue and some, as he captures the humor amid the tenuous atmosphere perfectly, making sure that no character is done disservice.

SPOILERS FOLLOW……………

Guy meets up with John Stewart in a bar in Sector 1818 and through their initial talk is frosty (Guy says he thought to call Hal first while John calls anger an useless emotion), they are soon…fighting side by side thanks to Guy trying to awake some anger in John (especially after what happened in Green Lantern Corps #33).

But John refuses to get involved in the fight against Atrocitus and Guy leaves without having achieved anything.

Back on Ysmalt, Bleez tries in vain to get the Judge to help Rankorr while Skallox and Zox continue to search for Atrocitus.

Skallox isn’t convinced of Gardner yet, especially after he sent their main player Kara away and soon, taking leave himself. As Zox leaves, Skallox gets a ping on his planet about Red Lantern activity.

Bleez attempts to give her blood to the crazy Rankorr, but a timely intervention by Zox saves her from getting killed by the human Lantern’s constructs.

Skallox though has left for Styge Prime, his home, where he finds Atrocitus has set up base camp. He is quickly captured but spared by the Red Lantern (who is decked in the clothes of a priest).

Learning that Atrocitus killed the people on Styge who tortured him, he begs for redemption and reveals everything to Atrocitus – Guy’s fears, his allies etc etc.

Atrocitus reveals the next stage of his plan – send as many Red rings from the new Blood Lake he has created.

Ruh oh!

SPOILERS END………….

Guy is in deep straits but Soule manages to keep the atmosphere’s brevity and balance the grim and normalcy.

Vitti isn’t at his best here but Soule rises over the art to give a great prologue to the final battle of the Red Lanterns ahead.

So, I give it 9.0 out of 10.

+Great character moments

+Excellent humor

+Nice character work

-Artwork is passable