Questioning the Pull-List Pt. 4: The Charles Soule Factor

Now that it's been announced that Charles Soule signed an exclusive contract with Marvel, my comics subscription list has gotten a little more crowded.  The writer of DC's Swamp Thing, Red Lanterns and Superman/Wonder Woman (his run ends in October) has surely been busy with both work-for-hire and creator-owned properties.  With Letter 44 over at Oni Press and both She-Hulk and Inhuman at Marvel, he's also penning The Death of Wolverine, which releases tomorrow Wednesday, September 3.  At one point, Soule was writing as many as eight monthlys simultaneously including Thunderbolts.  Many readers of his stuff questioned whether he'd be able to sustain writing this many books or not and still produce quality work while maintaining a regular 9-5 as... wait for it... a lawyer.  Surely this was a feat only Jennifer Walters or Matt Murdock could pull off.  Sure enough, Soule proved that he could handle the juggling act.  His run on Swamp Thing has by far been my favorite Soule food.  Moreover, his stellar run on that book has in my opinion surpassed the already fantastic and critically-praised Scott Snyder run.  Soule has dared to bring diversity and courage in his vision for an expanded mythos.

However, all this brings me back to my pull-list again and what I will call "The Charles Soule Factor."  Many comic book readers have their favorite writers.  Whether it's Ed Brubaker, Gail Simone, Mark Waid or... Charles Soule, fans of excellent writers tend to pick up their books.  Art aside (as is the case many feel about She-Hulk), readers recognize that they are good storytellers.  This is the case for Soule and Swamp Thing.  It's also the case for a surprisingly good series that really caught my attention:  Red Lanterns.

I started reading it for the "Red Daughter of Krypton" story arc that he and Tony Bedard shared alongside Supergirl.  I really enjoyed that cross-over.  So I stayed on Red Lanterns because it was Charles Soule and because I wanted to learn more about these characters.  Rich character development and dialogue had me rooting for the likes of Zox and Skallox.  And there was Guy Gardner.  My Guy Gardner was always the post-Crisis Green Lantern of the Justice League International: self-assured, full of himself, but still lovable.  So who was this man dressed in red with mutton-chops?  I wanted to get to know this man, and Charles Soule re-introduced me to him.

So, I've been buying this one straight from the shelf at the full $2.99 price.  I was going to take a break from it because of the huge cross-over coming soon with the other Lantern books.  Since Charles Soule will only be writing Swamp Thing and Red Lanterns through March 2015, my eyes will be seeing "red" as well as green.

DC Comics (DCU: Green Lantern)

 Red Lanterns ($2.99, monthly)