Hmm, I have another issue of "Red Daughter of Krypton," but we didn't really look at it; and there's maybe more to this than getting a joke out of wanting a red outfit. From 2014, Supergirl #30, "Red Daughter of Krypton, Part 2: Red Remembrance" Written by Tony Bedard, pencils by Emanuela Lupacchino, Yıldıray Çınar, and Diógenes Neves, inks by Ray McCarthy and Marc Deering,

This storyline, crossing over with Red Lanterns, would run to at least Supergirl #33, and this wasn't even the start of it: filled with rage over the return of the Worldkillers--who may or may not have been from Krypton, and/or played a part in Krypton's destruction--Kara had taken the dip into the blood ocean on Ysmault, and came out a Red Lantern, ring and all. So far Guy Gardner hasn't had the opportunity to tell her, uh, that was permanent, and she wouldn't be able to remove the ring without dying. (It's probably worse than that; I don't think Reds could survive without a certain constant amount of rage, and if that tapped out it was over.) With fellow Reds Skallox (the one with the head like a goat skull) and Zilius Zox (the ball-shaped one! Both got way more characterization in their run than you'd expect.) Kara helps defend a planet from the Diasporans, who were natural-selection fanatics: they would assault planets to weed out the weak, in the hopes the survivors would be stronger. The Diasporan leader isn't disappointed with the setback, since Kara--and Kryptonians in general, but maybe mainly her--were inspiring to them; as they too had lost their homeworld but become incredibly strong because of it. (And, well, yellow suns and such. Why the Diasporans are so into this isn't clear yet.)

Skallox and Zilius Zox are impressed with Kara, even if she largely was just using her own powers instead of rage-vomit blood; but Guy was of course having a hard time with it. If Atrocitus was still alive--and you know he would be--the Reds would need the extra muscle; but he didn't like the idea of Kara full of rage, even if she was still super-angry and possibly unstable even by Guy's standards. We don't see it here, but I know there's a later issue where Superman gets involved, and is more than a little steamed at Guy: "Jordan was right about you." Damn, Supes, don't say anything that can't be taken back.

Also this issue, regular plotlines continue; as Blaze escapes from the prison called the Block. She turns a computer into something more hellish-looking, possibly because she doesn't like to type, to search for Supergirl and Silver Banshee...I swear though, I thought Supergirl had the red ring for like two issues! This ran for at least ten maybe, between the two titles. Read more!

Lobo's a monosyllabic knuckle-dragger, but probably still gets the best lines here?

I found this in the garage, while looking for one of the Legends of the Dead Earth annuals I thought I had (and I did! That's four bucks I'll keep in my pocket) but until I looked it up the other day, I would've sworn there was a Lobo annual in LotDE. There wasn't, but man, wouldn't that have been fun to write? 40 pages of Lobo going "aww, diddum widdle pwanlet blow up? What'cha gonna do, nancypants, cry 'bout it?" and then exaggerated stories about how he kicked the living crap out of everyone in the so-called Heroic Age, from Superman down to the Red Bee. It would end with him having a cheerful guffaw that annoying planet was long gone, then having a coughing fit; before it was time for his pills and bowel irrigation at the nursing home...Anyway, on to this comic: from 2010, Green Lantern #55, "The New Guardians, chapter three" Written by Geoff Johns, pencils by Doug Mahnke, inks by Christian Alamy, Tom Nguyen, Keith Champagne, and Doug Mahnke.

Most of these GL comics I got from the cheap bins, but two surprises right off the start: this looked like a multi-part story completely within the title. Usually, the first chapter was here, then over to Green Lantern Corps or a myriad of other books, but this was maybe setting up one. Also, it opens in Montana! Specifically in Grass Range, Montana: I'm not sure I've ever even been through there, but it also may not be drawn with any reference besides "outsides." The Crispus Allen Spectre investigates a dead cow, which warns him to "stay away!" in a Red Lantern bubble. Meanwhile, in New York City, we find Lobo throwing down with Hal and Atrocitus, already in progress, with a two-page spread that I hope Mahnke got some folding money for on the back end.

Hal and Carol are momentarily unsure who they should help on that one, but Hal gets a message from the White Lantern that Atrocitus has his mission. So, killjoy Hal muzzles Lobo's dog, then runs him over with his own bike. After going over the rules, which Hal admits he doesn't really follow either, Hal does get a good shot in with giant green brass knuckles--the big green boxing glove wasn't going to cut it there, I suppose. This issue moves fast, without a lot of transitions, as Sinestro is also there, and coldly throws the works at Lobo: a giant skeletal hand, what looks like metal tentacles, and some chainguns. A disgruntled Lobo wonders "what god ate a rainbow and threw it up across the universe," then Carol tries to contain him, which only works for a few seconds, and Lobo whispers to her what he really loves...which catches him a power-construct slap. Dex-Starr takes on Lobo's dog, who was not expecting red rage vomit hairballs; Lobo tells him to suck it up.

Finally, since the bigger mission with the power ring entities had priority, Hal reluctantly tells Lobo if he wanted Atrocitus, he would have to go through all of them. Lobo scoffs, "yeah, I'm the one with screwed-up priorities," but still leaves; and Hal isn't quite sure why. Sinestro suggests, Lobo was afraid of Hal, that he still had a little Parallax in him. But, the real reason is, the one who set the bounty on Atrocitus was...Atrocitus himself! Not because he hated himself, as we'd see later in Red Lanterns, but because he needed the others to work with him. Job done, Lobo ponders his payment: a red power ring, 'cause if you can't beat 'em...

Also this issue, and possibly more of a draw than Lobo at the time: the secret origin of Dex-Starr! "Dex-Starr" Written by Geoff Johns, art by Shawn Davis, with special thanks to Jamie Grant. It's a tear-jerker, as little kitty Dexter is adopted by a lonely woman, who is later killed in a home invasion. He's then given the boot from his home by the cops, under the guise of not contaminating the crime scene, then grabbed by some punks who put him in a bag and throw him off a bridge; making him a veritable beacon of rage, perfect for a Red Lantern ring. We don't see him murder the punks, but that's gotta be a given. The story ends with Dex-Starr sleeping cuddled against what I think was his owner's skull, as he promises to find and kill her murderer. "I good kitty." I don't know if Dex-Starr ever did, though; because comics: he's been sucked into other things, and if he did find the killer, would it be like Batman finding Joe Chill? Would he have a reason to keep hating? (Probably because they weren't fully codified until later, Dex-Starr doesn't seem to follow the same rules as other Reds; but that could be just because he's a cat and always has a certain baseline of hate running in the background.)

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"The End" Week: Justice League Odyssey #25!

We saw an issue of this some time back, although without looking I couldn't have told you what crossover this series sprung from, or into what crossover it returned. Ashes to ashes, funk to funky...wait, that's not right. From 2020, Justice League Odyssey #25, "Last Stand" Written by Dan Abnett, art by Will Conrad.

Anyway, I think I liked the idea of this and the lineup maybe more than the actual execution, but part of that is probably just the nature of the crossover mill, and that probably at least three of these characters were needed elsewhere. This issue finds the space-based JL team of Starfire, Azrael, Cyborg, and Green Lantern Jessica Cruz; with series regular Dex-Starr and Orion, and Starfire's sister Blackfire, and doomed timeline versions of Cyborg and Jessica; all in a final battle to keep Darkseid from rewriting the timeline. If that seems a little esoteric or out of character for him, it probably was, but he wasn't at the top of his game...until afterwards. His plan gets stopped, doomed Cyborg and Jessica sacrifice themselves, and the team separates to warn the universe of Darkseid's new rise. Oddly, although he mentions it later, we don't see Azrael return to earth in the end: he joins Dex-Starr and Orion, to prepare for war...starting on Thanagar? Orion says it's a planet of warriors, but didn't he shoot the hell out of the planet in Cosmic Odyssey?

I'll look later, but I think I have the next appearance for Jessica, where she gets traded to the Yellow Lanterns, presumably for a draft pick in the next round. Cyborg and Starfire return to earth, and get immediately redesigned, for Death Metal. Fun... Read more!

In the old Star Trek episode, "The Devil in the Dark," there's a scene where Dr. McCoy yells at a crewmember, to beam down the thermal concrete like he asked, "...and never mind what I want it for. I just want it! Now move!" And that seems to be how I'm buying action figures lately, since I don't usually buy a lot of McFarlane figures, but I wanted Atrocitus. Because, that's why! Although, Build-a-Figures or "Collect to Build" rarely come with accessories, so he didn't have a Red Lantern or his beloved pet, Dex-Starr! But there may be more rage-inducing elements in this issue: from 2013, Red Lanterns #18, "The Decision" Written by Peter Milligan, art by Miguel Sepulveda.

I had to re-read Tales of the Green Lantern Corps Annual #2 before this post, since like so much DC continuity, this spins-off a throwaway line in an Alan Moore story. Billions of years ago, space sector 666 was destroyed by the Manhunters, as part of a ploy of the renegade Guardian Krona to show maybe robot space-cops wasn't such a great idea. There were only five survivors, beings that would eventually become the demonic Five Inversions, and one of them was Atrocitus, formerly Atros of Ryutt. He had seen his wife and daughter murdered before his eyes, which would set him on a path of vengeance spanning millennia...but what if it didn't have to be that way? This was part of yet another Green Lantern-title crossover, "Wrath of the First Lantern," featuring the return of the nigh-omnipotent Volthoom. (A name that might ring a bell if you know your Crime Syndicate!)

Volthoom toys with Atrocitus, wondering where his "critical moment" was. And, just to see what would happen, he offers to show him "an alternate life-path," It's a Wonderful Life-style: what if the Manhunters hadn't destroyed his world? Would Atros have lived a happy and peaceful life? Not according to Volthoom, anyway: in his version, Atros becomes a tyrant, conquering his world, even murdering his wife in a show trial. Atrocitus argues he never hit his wife, Volthoom says in that life you did: someone with the potential to become Atrocitus was never going to be "a regular man." But, at the peak of power, his son avenges his mother, gunning down Atros. Volthoom suggests he may want to reconsider hating the Manhunters: "They saved you from yourself."

Still, Volthoom offers Atrocitus the chance to change things, to stop the massacre of his planet...even if it would mean death at the hands of his son. Atrocitus declines, which leaves Volthoom free to get the Macguffin he wanted, which would make him controller of all reality. Atrocitus then makes a call to all Red Lanterns: he had discovered the individual responsible for the destruction of his homeworld...Atrocitus! He could have stopped it, and didn't; and orders all Red Lanterns to execute him, immediately...!

I only read a few issues of this fresh off the racks, but Milligan takes what should probably the dumbest thing ever, and makes some interesting choices: how long can rage keep you going? What will you be if you let go? Some bastards probably should die, but who should make that choice? Atrocitus does seem to occasionally consider the deeper issues, then get rolled back to being the basic bad guy since his name is "Atrocitus." We don't see Dex-Starr this issue, either: he would be softened a bit later in Justice League Odyssey, because he's a cat and everyone loves them, even though he really was a hatey little monster. Read more!

A horse couldn't get me to buy them, I don't know if Atrocitus could either.

Would you believe I had something else scheduled, then had to revise, so we're getting a comic we saw the next issue for already, but it actually ties into something from this week anyway? From 2013, Red Lanterns #23, "The Butcher's Bill" Written by Charles Soule, art by Alessandro Vitti and Jim Caliafiore.

Atrocitus is floating naked in space, but had thought he should be dead anyway, since Guy Gardner had taken his ring and stopped his heart. Only his loyal pet Dex-Starr saved him: the cat had tasted fellow Red Rankorr's blood, which gave it the ability to make ring constructs. Atrocitus momentarily considers taking Dex-Starr's ring, but instead opts to find another one and then get to some revenge on Guy. Meanwhile, on scenic Ysmault, Guy is making himself at home, or trying to: they have a spiffy new spaceship, even if the other Reds think they don't need it. Guy either thinks the ship is cool, or he's trying to instill a sense of home in them already. Zilius Zox, the ball-shaped one, still had some affinity for engineering, and was taking to the repairs. He was also real impressed how Guy killed Atrocitus; but Guy wasn't even if he hadn't: using his green ring to contact Hal, he wants out. While Guy hadn't killed Atrocitus, he had killed a pirate as part of his cover, and now didn't think the Reds were a real threat anyway. Hal promises to get him out, but I don't think that was coming...

While he had previously sent out some rings, instead of finding one Atrocitus instead finds the avatar of the red energy, the Butcher, captured on an alien planet. He frees it by taking it into himself, which gives him not only a new red ring, but shoulder pads, and a bull horns and tail! Actually, they look more like goat horns, but okay. I also don't know if every issue of Red Lanterns had a good "Rrrraaargghgh!" in there, but it feels like they should've. And Guy's ring goes out in the middle of a plantive message from Hal, that the Blue Lanterns had been destroyed, and something called 'Relic' was taking all the light. That seems like the least of Guy's problems, as Bleez had heard that conversation...

McFarlane announced an Atrocitus Collect-to-Build figure I think Thursday: buy Kyle Rayner, Deathstorm, and Blackest Night Superman and Batman, build a crabby Red Lantern! (Thanks Preternia!) No Dex-Starr, but I have the DCUC one of him. Still, I've bought a couple McFarlane DC figures and not loved them: last one was Apokolips Lex Luthor with an angry chair. I didn't spring for the Dark Knight Returns figures with the build-a-horse, largely because I'd seen it didn't scale close enough for proper six-inch figures. Atrocitus would be big, but he would be a big monstery thing anyway, but it'd be about a hundred bucks. Enh... Read more!