Pulled to Hal Jordan like a compass needle pointing north, Jo Mullein finds her friend consumed by The Black Hand. Despite his best efforts to stave off the hunger, Hal leaves nothing but death in his wake. With its twisted fingers now pointing the blame for all that has transpired in Evergreen on Jo, The Black Hand has but one question:
“So what happened to you, Jo?”
DC Comics
SPOILERS AHEAD for Absolute Green Lantern #5!
Offering more questions than answers, Absolute Green Lantern #5 is water-cooler comics at its finest. More akin to Lost than traditional superhero storytelling, Al Ewing’s journey into cosmic horror is a must-read for any fan of the medium. Using carefully worded dialogue and a subversion of our expectations, Ewing crafts an intriguing tale that demands multiple readings. Additionally, Jahnoy Lindsay’s artwork elevates the narrative with horror-inspired visuals and character designs. The creator’s work is a true feast for the eyes as each subsequent retread reveals new details surrounding the narrative.
One of the things that I love most about this medium is its ability to drive conversation and make you think. I love it when the mystery surrounding a book sparks more conversations and theories about its solution. These discussions make books feel more like a cultural movement for everyone to get involved in. Al Ewing does an excellent job of striking a balance between answering questions while raising more for the audience to digest. What makes this book such an engaging read is that these new questions arise from the answers given by the author.
Opening with a visual that evokes memories of The Ring, Absolute Green Lantern #5 reveals that Todd Rice is still alive following the Lantern’s crash onto Evergreen. The Green Lantern compels Rice to be with fear because “Judgment is not in progress. An Abin Sur cannot be appointed. You are an unknown within the Spectrum of Light.” One of the things that struck me as odd during this opening was the phrasing “An Abin Sur.” This implies that there is more than one Abin Sur, which is a departure from what we traditionally know from Green Lantern lore.
With this phrasing, Ewing implies that Abin Sur is more of a title than someone’s name. Specifically, it appears that this name refers to a Green Lantern who dispenses judgment regarding someone’s placement on the Spectrum of Light. Unfortunately, the ambiguous nature of the Lantern’s dialogue leaves much of this up to interpretation. However, what happens next lends some credence to this line of thought.
“Fear the Black Hand.”
DC Comics
Rescued from the rubble by Hector Hammond and his crew, Todd Rice recounts what happened after Jo Mullein stole the Green Lantern’s power. Fueled by rage, Hal began questioning the weakened Abin Sur at gunpoint. Despite the Green Lantern’s attempt to explain Jo’s current predicament, Hal Jordan, unsatisfied with the answers, murders the alien.
Melting into a puddle of black sludge, Abin Sur grasps the gun in Hal’s hand, proclaiming, “Judgment, Hal Jordan! The Black Hand!” Jordan’s hand then merges with the gun and black sludge, finally revealing the character’s transformation into the Black Hand. In this moment, it appears that Sur is placing final judgment on Hal. In a moment pulled straight out of a horror movie, Abin Sur “curses” Jordan. From this moment forward, the Black Hand will consume him as he has consumed the life of another. Sur issues one final cryptic warning, “Fear the Black Hand. And F-fear… the Black Star…”
Al Ewing does an excellent job of paying homage to Hal Jordan’s origin while also subverting our expectations. If the Green Lantern’s duty is judgment, then Abin Sur has passed on this duty to Hal Jordan, much like his origin in the main DC Universe. However, this is contingent on our understanding of Sur’s phrasing, “Judgment, Hal Jordan! The Black Hand!” In this moment, is Abin Sur stating that the Black Hand is judgment? Or is the character saying that his judgment on Hal is to give him the Black Hand? Moreover, does the visual of Sur turning into Black Sludge as he curses Hal suggest that both interpretations are correct?
I love how Ewing’s dialogue is ambiguous and provides extra questions to mull over before more answers are revealed in the next issue. The answers to these questions leave me excited to dive into the next issue. Additionally, Ewing’s use of dialogue for Abin Sur does an excellent job of painting the broad strokes of what is going on with Jo without delving into the specifics. This does a fantastic job of maintaining the series’ intrigue.
Sur’s words speak of grandiose ideas that we can’t fully comprehend yet. The Green Lantern states that she is an anomaly because she has power without understanding. Moreover, anomalies cannot exist in the spectrum of light, and as a result, she will be hunted. The writer’s work does an excellent job of giving us a sense of what is going on, but much like Jo, we don’t have the understanding. Ewing’s answer leads us to the next question: Who will be hunting Jo? Will it be Hal Jordan? Or is it Hector Hammond? I am completely here for a comic that makes me think and theorize as I desperately wait for the next issue.
“Be with fear, Hal Jordan.”
DC Comics
Absolute Green Lantern #5 continues with a battle between Jo Mullein’s Green Lantern and Hal Jordan’s Black Hand. Jahnoy Lindsay’s horror-inspired visuals do an excellent job of conveying the action as Jo blasts through Hal with the ring’s power. One of the things that I love most about this series is Lindsay’s design for Black Hand. Not only does it evoke a reminder of Resident Evil, but it also serves as a reminder of the hold this curse has on Hal Jordan. I love how, as the Black Hand has gotten stronger, the fingers have grown tighter around Jordan’s neck and head. It’s an amazing visual reminder of what’s going on inside Hal.
I love how the ring on Hal’s suit is black, whereas the Lantern’s ring is white when within the battery. It does a great job of illustrating how these two forces are at opposite ends of the spectrum. Additionally, it does an excellent job of visually demonstrating why Hal’s power would want to consume Jo’s light. Is it possible that these two rings represent two sides of the same coin? As both powers originated from Abin Sur, is it possible that one would want to consume the other so that they are reunited? It is these types of questions that have me chomping at the bit to read the next issue.
More akin to Lost than traditional superhero storytelling, Absolute Green Lantern #5 is water-cooler comics at its finest. Al Ewing’s journey into cosmic horror offers more questions than answers. Using carefully worded dialogue and a subversion of our expectations, Ewing crafts an intriguing tale that is a must-read, and must-reread, for any fan of the medium. Additionally, Jahnoy Lindsay’s artwork elevates the narrative with horror-inspired visuals and character designs. The creator’s work is a true feast for the eyes as each subsequent read provides new details surrounding the narrative.
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