Wrath of the First Lantern Reading Guide

Overview:

Wrath of the First Lantern is a 2013 DC Comics crossover event that unfolds across the on-going Green Lantern titles. Geoff Johns’s story, with key artwork from Doug Mahnke, follows the climactic events after the Rise of the Third Army arc. The arc runs primarily through Green Lantern, Green Lantern Corps, Green Lantern: New Guardians, and Red Lanterns, focusing on the Green Lantern Corps and their struggles with a cosmic-level threat.

The story’s main adversary is the First Lantern, a primordial being tied to the early history of the Guardians of the Universe. His power to manipulate reality and feed off emotional energy makes him a formidable foe for the Green Lanterns. Hal Jordan, Sinestro, and other prominent Lanterns, including members of the Red and Blue Lantern Corps, find themselves battling for their lives and the fabric of the universe itself.

Fans were generally positive about the artwork, particularly Mahnke’s detailed visuals, though some found the story itself lacking in depth compared to earlier Lantern arcs. Critically, it received mixed reviews, with some feeling that it didn’t quite live up to the heights of previous Green Lantern sagas orchestrated by Johns.

Best Way To Read:

• Wrath of the First Lantern
  • Collects: Green Lantern vol. 5 #17–20, Green Lantern Corps vol. 3 #17–20, Green Lantern: New Guardians #17–20, Red Lanterns #17–20

For crossover and significant events, I typically only read the main story the first time I encounter it. Trying to read all of the tie-ins with the story tends to make them increasingly convoluted and are not crucial to the main narrative. However, I think they are important to read, as many series-shifting plotlines can happen.

For the tie-in issues, I only read them as they come up in the reading guide that I am working through. This can become problematic because the tie-in issues are not always included in collected editions of the event. So you may need to hunt for them.

Reading Order:

References:

• Wikipedia
• Comic Book Herald
• Comic Book Reading Orders

Feature Image from Green Lantern #18 cover art by Alex Sinclair and Gary Frank