Red Lanterns/Futures End

This was the only Green Lantern book that I was both looking forward to, and dreading.  Green Lantern had Hal teaming up with Relic and getting attached to the Source Wall, for a reason that I cannot quite understand.  Knowing Hal, I'm rather surprised that he isn't flashing his buttocks.  Green Lantern Corps had John Stewart portrayed as going completely off the rails after the whole thing with Fatality,and going around flat out murdering people, till he gets "redeemed" by the Indigos...after he has killed Indigo.  Or something.  It too...was pretty dreadful.  I didn't even get Green Lantern: New Guardians, because although I love Kyle, I gave up on that one months ago.  Still can't make heads or tails out of it.

But I've been loving Charles Soule's take on Guy Gardner and the plucky bunch from the Red Lanterns.  Sadly, most of them were killed off, in the final battle against Atrocitus.  Oh, Zilius Zox, I miss you!  The only ones left were Rankorr and Bleez...with the exception of all of the newly minted ones created by Atrocitus.

In the newest issue, five years in the future, Guy is now a Blue Lantern.  He has cut his hair, shaved off the 'stache and beard, and looks pretty darned good in Blue.  But as Hopeful as he is, he is still recognizably Guy Gardner.  He is teamed up more or less with Bleez, going around and getting the last of the Red Rings.  Bleez doesn't want anyone else in the Universe to have to go what they went through.  She and Guy are getting along pretty well, all things considered, although she still can't quite figure out how it is that he is able to use his Hope powers without a Green Lantern around to boost the juice.

But there IS one other Red out there, and Bleez is really really pissed about it.  And lo and behold, it turns out to be none other than Rankorr, who has been driving stark raving bonkers by all of the Rings.  So naturally, they fight.  And Guy reveals that he's tried ALL of the rings...including Love, which he says was a weird couple of months.  Oh Guy.  But Hope was the one that kept him going through all of them. 

And he and Bleez fight Rankorr, and Bleez gets all of his Rings, and goes a little nuts herself, until Guy calms her down and ALL of the Red Rings are destroyed,and Bleez and Rankorr are reunited, and she's got her real wings back, and it ends...happily.

A Happy Ending, in September!  In a horrible horrible awful dreadful future!  I'm so elated, I  could practically cry!  And Guy of all people coming out ahead!  Mr. Soule, I could kiss you.