"The End" Week: Red Lanterns #40!

I've written a few of these posts just this week, and it seems to be a DC-heavy year, and I've been a little down on Hal Jordan. I don't necessarily mind him, but I don't think he has to be front and center in every GL-thing across the board. Then again, when he's not they get cancelled, I guess? From 2015, Red Lanterns #40, "Hope" Written by Landry Q. Walker, art by J. Calafiore.

Red Lanterns was the book for the rage-powered corps, which had the potential to be one-dimensional villains, dumb as hell; but sometimes posed interesting questions, like how long should you stay mad? How long can you stay mad? Is pissed off and vomiting rage-blood any way to live? Atrocitus--who was probably the closest to a one-dimensional villain--and angry kitty Dex-Starr were probably the best known Reds, but about two years into the run Guy Gardner got a red ring during the "Lights Out" crossover, and would remain the lead for the rest of the series. (Supergirl would also get a red ring around #28, but wouldn't stick around long.)

In the aftermath of Atrocitus attacking earth, Guy makes a startling confession: that he was colorblind, could barely tell them apart. Come on, that's a big revelation to bury in the last issue! Guy has coffee with his sister Gloria and his nephew, but was pretty burned out: he had been absorbing red rage energy, from those infected by Atrocitus, although I kinda feel like there mighta been some rage on earth already. Since he didn't think he was going to be able to hold it back much longer, Guy transports them to a lifepod he had set up in orbit, as the Red Lantern logo flashes over the surface of the earth, almost a warning to the rest of space. Gloria calls him back from space, pissed, arguing that trying to absorb the whole planet's rage wasn't working, so he was going to have to try something else. Like helping.

Guy releases all that rage skyward, but it's tainted blue, the color of hope, because of his humanity. The red ring is seemingly inert, and afterwards Guy returns to his more traditional clean-shaven look, although not quite his JLI-days bowlcut. He may not have had a ring right that second, but it doubtless wouldn't be long; although it would probably have to wait until after the Convergence crossover. 

I don't know if there are Red Lanterns in current DC continuity--probably Dex-Starr, he's a fan-favorite, and maybe the only Red I have an action figure of! There was a DC Direct figure of Guy as a Red (eBay link that will probably go bad) but I think his red-construct chainsaw accessory may have been fragile, the uniform's paint didn't seem very crisp, and the head sculpt was from before he went with a more biker-look, longer hair and mustache. Don't break the bank, then.