Welcome back to another edition of Demanded Characters. This week we focus on part of the Green Lantern universe that is new to most people. While the Green Lanterns have been around forever in the DCU, and even the yellow rings are not new to readers, one color that is very mysterious in this universe is red. Are Red Lanterns too new to be called DC Universe Classics?
Last week most of the people agree that while nostalgia wants an 80’s John, most want the modern look to one of our Earth Lanterns.
One of the latest additions to the Green Lantern mythos are the Red Lanterns. While the Green Lanterns are powered by willpower and the Sinestro Corps are driven by fear, the Red Lanterns are fueled by hate and anger. This is one the rawest emotions in the spectrum and is really a stunning design for this new threat in the DCU. Are they too new to be part of the DCUC?
Right now there are only two named members of this new Corps. Other than being part of the next Green Lantern crossover event, and the last 2 story arcs; nothing is really known about this new addition to the Lantern universe. The two main characters we know that are part of the Red Lanterns are Artocitus, and the former Green Lantern Laira. This has been the year of learning about these two characters. The former bent on getting revenge, and the latter feeling betrayed by the Corps she put her trust and life into. It seems that in the latest story arc Artocitus has been around since the Green Lanterns added a human to the Corps, Hal Jordan. Artocitus also has ties to the villain the Black Hand in some way but is not yet clear. On the other hand, Laira did not start out as an enemy, but was turned to the dark side of the color war. She was unable to control her rage after the Corps war and was kicked out of the Corps by the Alpha Lanterns, the new group with in the Green Lanterns. Her exile led to her being sought out by those red rings. Both would make great additions to any line but let’s weigh the reasons for including them.
This group is new to the DCU but that is not something that can deter Mattel from making them in plastic form. They have proven on more than one occasion that newer characters or costumes can be part of this DC classics line. While some would argue that the word “classic” in the title of the line is the definition, most would agree that it does not mean all characters have to be either in their classic look or classic defined by time. Batman Beyond, Artemis, the new Robin costume and even the Sinestro Corps uniform variant are all examples of new characters in the new line. The Sinestro example from my hunting experiences have been more available then the classic look. I think that there is room for these new characters in the DCUC line. And if the new corps stick around as long as some of the other Green Lantern villains then I think they should be represented in this line. I think a Toys r Us two-pack or a Matty collector exclusive would even make those saying that these are too new part of the line ok with the new choices.
We have not seen a Star Sapphire, any of the Guardians, or Kyle but are we going to get to characters only introduced in the last year to the DCU? It does not seem too classic to me. I could think of a number of other charters that are more deserving than these characters. After the Sinestro Corps war many Lanterns, Green and Yellow, died; so why would Mattel make figures of character that, while may be important, now will have no real life in the DCU? While I understand the need to keep some current or hot characters in the line, I think that this group is still too new to take up spots that could be filled by highly sought after characters. I mean really, how long do we have to wait until we see Martian Manhunter?
So guys, do you think the Red lanterns are too new? Or should they be part of this line in some way?
Some images courtesy of Comic Vine
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