Final Crisis: Rage of the Red Lanterns #1
Published in October 2008, this one-shot is the staging ground for Geoff Johns's entire emotional-spectrum mythology, introducing the Red Lantern Corps as a fully operational galactic force and delivering the full debut of Saint Walker, the first Blue Lantern — two pillars that the subsequent 'Blackest Night' event could not have stood without. The issue also marks the first appearances of Bleez, Dex-Starr, Vice, Skallox, Zilius Zox, Fury-6, Haggor, Ratchet, and Veon, making it one of the densest single-issue debut packages in Green Lantern history. That a house cat named Dex-Starr — conceived as an in-joke by artist Shane Davis — became one of the most discussed Red Lantern characters in the years that followed speaks to how well Johns calibrated tone and pathos in this compressed prologue. As the direct bridge between 'Sinestro Corps War' and 'Blackest Night,' it crystallized the idea that the Green Lantern universe was no longer a two-faction story but a war of seven emotional colors.
"Prologue: Blood Feud" kicks off Final Crisis: Rage of the Red Lanterns #1 with a thunderous clash of wills, as Atrocitus—now a Red Lantern—leads his bloodthirsty followers in a daring raid to snatch Sinestro from the Guardians’ custody. Written by Geoff Johns and illustrated by Shane Davis, with inks by Sandra Hope and colors by Nei Ruffino, this pivotal issue sets the stage for a brutal reckoning, all captured in a striking cover by Shane Davis and Sandra Hope.
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Writer Geoff Johns crafted the issue as a deliberate prologue to 'Blackest Night,' slotting the story's in-universe events between Final Crisis #1 and Final Crisis #2 to thread it through DC's 2008 line-wide event without disrupting its own narrative momentum. Penciller Shane Davis drew Dex-Starr originally as a throwaway visual gag in the Red Lantern army spread; Johns insisted on giving the cat additional panels and named him after Davis's own pet Dexter — a creative accident that grew into a recurring supporting character with his own origin issue years later in Green Lantern #55. The book shipped on October 29, 2008, with a cover date of December 2008, and was edited by Adam Schlagman and Eddie Berganza, with inks by Oclair Albert (with additional color work by Nei Ruffino and Sandra Hope on covers); it received at least two additional print runs, indicating unexpectedly strong retailer demand.
Trivia · 8 facts
- First full appearance of Saint Walker (Bro'Dee Walker), the inaugural member of the Blue Lantern Corps — created by Geoff Johns and Ethan Van Sciver, with a prior cameo in Green Lantern vol. 4 #25.
- First appearance of Dex-Starr, the Red Lantern house cat from Earth — conceived as a visual joke by penciller Shane Davis and named after his real cat Dexter; Johns insisted he be given expanded panel time.
- First appearances of Bleez, Vice, Skallox, Zilius Zox, Fury-6, Haggor, Ratchet, and Veon — the core supporting cast of the Red Lantern Corps for years to come.
- Written by Geoff Johns with art by Shane Davis (pencils), Oclair Albert (inks), and letters by Rob Leigh; edited by Adam Schlagman and Eddie Berganza.
- Published as a one-shot (not a limited series) with a cover date of December 2008 and an on-sale date of October 29, 2008; the story is subtitled 'Rage of the Red Lanterns, Prologue: Blood Feud.'
- The issue serves as the official prologue to 'The Blackest Night' and is set in continuity between Final Crisis #1 and Final Crisis #2; the story continues in Green Lantern vol. 4 #36.
- Collected in Green Lantern: Rage of the Red Lanterns (trade paperback, first released September 2009; reprinted September 2010) alongside Green Lantern vol. 4 #26–28 and #36–38, and again in the Green Lantern by Geoff Johns Omnibus Vol. 2 (2015) and Green Lantern by Geoff Johns Vol. 4 (2021).
- Received at least two additional print runs (Second and Third Printings) as well as a variant 'sliver cover' edition, per Grand Comics Database records.
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Reprints
Reprinted in Green Lantern: Rage of the Red Lanterns #[nn] (2009), Green Lantern: Rage of the Red Lanterns #[nn] (2010), Green Lantern de Geoff Johns #3 (2012), Green Lantern by Geoff Johns Omnibus #2 (2015), DC Comics Graphic Novel Collection Premiumband #2 (2017), Green Lantern by Geoff Johns #4 (2021)
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