Red Lanterns #40 (DC)

writer: Landry Q. Walker

artist: J. Calafiore

At times in this final issue, Landry Walker seems to be taking some serious digs at his predecessor, Charles Soule.  Pretty bold, Mr. Walker.

The funny thing is, he still comes to the same conclusion.  The only way to extricate Guy Gardner from being a Red Lantern is with hope.  In Red Lanterns: Futures End, Soule envisioned Guy as becoming a Blue Lantern.  Walker has Guy spend this issue talking with his sister, who thinks Guy's attitude about what Atrocitus tried to do to Earth, and Guy's belief that he alone can or needs to make things right, is complete nonsense.  She calls him on it numerous times.

Like I said, Walker suggesting perhaps in a very subtle way that, at the very least, some of the ways Green Lantern comics in general have been written over the years might not be very, well, subtle.

He also spends pages on end allowing J. Calafiore to draw big blazing images of angry, angry Guy trying very hard to make things right, stooped in anguish the likes of which, well, only Atrocitus had previously exhibited, early in the series when everyone wondered what the whole point of a Red Lanterns comic could possibly be.  Why wonder about the torment of monsters?  Walker's concluding thought is that rage isn't the be-all some people can make it out to be.

Which, again, is him basically refuting the whole concept.  I don't know whether to congratulate Walker or offer condolence.

Once again I have to say how much I admire Calafiore's remaining with the series, a point of continuity that's incredibly rare when another creator has suddenly departed.  It's more common for both headlining acts to vacate the premises, and for the new artist to fail miserably in helping smooth the transition.  Walker gets away with as much as he does in part because Calafiore creates the illusion of continuity.  If you didn't know someone else was writing, you wouldn't notice.  This is a testament to the writer, the artist, and probably the editor, too.