Solicitation : The official prologue to BLACKEST NIGHT starts here as the first Black Lantern is born! Black Hand has been an enemy of Hal Jordan since Hal’s early days as a Green Lantern. But even Black Hand is unaware of the true power he holds that will connect him to the Blackest Night! Discover this villain’s connection to death and the Black Lantern Corps!
Written by Geoff Johns Art By Doug Manhke and Christian Alamy
Synopsis : We kick off being told that the events take place before Blackest Night #0 (Issue 0 shipped 2 Months before Green Lantern 43). Scar (who is the Guardian who was attacked by The Anti-Monitor in The Sinestro Corps War) says that while no one is supposed to live forever, she has as one of The Guardians Of The Universe. She mentions how before starting The Green Lantern Corps, they had The Manhunters who were their police force. They were replaced after a "Programming Error" caused them to destroy an entire Space Sector Of Life (Sector 666). She talks about how emotions together will end up causing The Blackest Night, where a Darkness with no Life will take over. She knows what this darkness is. She Worships it. The Darkness tells her to take part in the birth of the First Black Lantern.
Black Hand is in a grave which has skeletons. Umm, Yeah get used to it. He enjoys death in a necrophiliac way. He hears death calling his name.He has been hearing death speak to him for a long time. We are shown glimpses of his childhood and his affliction towards the dead. His father ran a mortuary. We are shown a horrific memory where he kills his brothers dog and stuffs him. He is interested in his fathers work and tells him before hand where he wished to be buried.
When his parents thought he needed help, he created a facade to hide all his desires and started saying things psychologists wanted to hear to pass him off as normal. Though he was different his family loved him, as did he. We cut back to a moment from Secret Origins where Atrotcious breaks in and tries to take the darkness that lies within him. Hal & Sinestro take Atro down, whereas the voice asks him to run (He takes Atro's device with him). He blasts a hole inside the graveyard and stays.
We get some old references to Star Sapphire's initial appearances. Black Hand creates his costume and goes after Hal. He is taken down all too easily and considered a joke and overpowered by various Green Lanterns. He remembers how Parallax destroyed the corps. We go back to Rebirth where The Hal-Spectre took Black Hand's hand, which was later put back by Evil Star and her starlings. William starts to see all the dead around him. "Tula, Al Pratt , Digger Harkness , Ted Kord ,Dee Tyler , Roy Lincoln , Ralph Dibny , Jean Loring, Sue Dibny , Ronnie Raymond , Maxwell Lord , Ryan Kendall , Roger Hayden , Vic Sage , Arthur Light , J'onn J'onzz , Boston Brand , Tara Markov , Wesley Woods , Jenny-Lynn Hayden , Arthur Curry , Jonathon Kent , Bruce Wayne".
Black Hand also sees all those that have been resurrected "Clark Kent, Diana Prince, Oliver Queen, Kilowog, Hal Jordan, Tora Clapsdotter, Conner Kent, Bart Allen, Barry Allen", the dark voice says he wants them all. Will is walking in a grave and he destroys an Easter Egg (The Symbol Of Life ? Scary foreshadowing....., he is at The Hand Mortuary and home.
The family discuss about Billy and say it must be the cops looking for a free dinner this Easter in the excuse of checking whether he was home. His brothers consider him gone.A Brother opens the door and Billy destroys him, he walks in and kills the second. His mother looks at him and he kills her nonchalantly. His father pleads and asks "Why ?". Because This is What I Do. You know what he does.
The Voice tells him that he isn't done and there is one more.He commits suicide.
Not your everyday comic.
He falls down with his brains splattered. Scar comes in and says that "This pleases him." and spits out A Black Lantern ring which goes into William's hand as he is appointed as The embodiment and The Lord's herald (He is an avatar like Ion, Parallax and The Predator). We end with Black Hand promising to extinguish the light.
Review : Wow, this is quite to my surprise a very strong opening. The Art by Doug, who starts his art duties on Green Lantern is top notch and very good. H really does well with all the dark and otherworldy stuff. Scar looks terrific and Black Hand is just wow. Lots Of Spread Layout and One Page splashes which makes it dynamic and beautiful to watch.
Geoff delivers a top-notch issue as he shows us how well he writes the bad guy. He has put in quite a few retcons in too (How could Scar live forever ? Ganthet was the only Guardian after Emerald Twilight.) Also shouldn't Superman have been named Kal-El ? Wonder Woman should be Princess Diana . Well, I guess those are acceptable. This issue also gives us a clue of something I will elaborate on later. Recommended issue. Its a very good Villain One-Piece
Story : 9.3
Art : 9.2
The First Black Lantern
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