Review: Green Lantern Volume 2 - The Revenge of Black Hand

When Sinestro is abruptly kidnapped by the Indigo Tribe, Hal Jordan must venture off to the planet Nok in order to rescue his new partner. He soon discovers what they have in store for Sinestro, along with what their true purpose was when they were founded by Hal’s predecessor Abin Sur.

Then, Black Hand makes a play for total dominance of Earth. The only thing that stands in his way is Hal Jordan.

Green Lantern Volume 2: The Revenge of Black Hand collects issues 7-12 of Green Lantern, written by Geoff Johns and illustrated by Doug Mahnke.

The Revenge of Black Hand is a well-written exploration of the origins of the Indigo Tribe, as well as the continued development of the villainous Black Hand. Writer Geoff Johns deftly handles these tasks by treating readers to complex themes and excellent character work. His strength with dialogue and character interaction is evident in this collection, particularly since it’s so tightly focused on such a small cast. There’s tremendous depth to Hal, which is to be expected, but Johns also ensures that the reader is rooting for Sinestro. While he may have been a villain for several decades, the recent turn towards depicting him as an antihero is absolutely riveting.

In many ways, the origins of the Indigo Tribe are merely a confirmation of what has previously been hinted at. They were formed by Abin Sur to combat the Guardians of Oa, after he discovered a prophecy detailing the Guardians’ eventual betrayal of the Green Lantern Corps. He sought out the universe’s most dangerous criminals to fill the ranks of this new Corps, giving them rings that would force them to confront their past misdeeds. When they’re removed, we’re initially led to believe they revert back to what they were. However, Johns reveals a potential effectiveness to the Indigo Tribe’s rings. Iroque is shown to have been deeply affected by her past decisions and embodies the compassion that the Indigo Tribe is powered by, which proves she’s perhaps one of the most dynamic and layered characters to have come out of The Blackest Night saga.

The second half of this volume details Black Hand’s escape from Nok and his subsequent attempt to take over the Earth (again). In this arc, we get a lot of great imagery and the unlikely bond between Hal and Sinestro tightening. Though not as engaging as the preceding arc involving the Indigo Tribe, it’s still a worthwhile read nonetheless. It is important to note that it also functions as a prelude to Rise of the Third Army.  This leads to the abrupt (and largely undesired) removal of Hal and Sinestro from the title.

As can be expected, Green Lantern Volume 2: The Revenge of Black Hand is a satisfying read from start to finish. Very few writers create such engaging stories for the Green Lantern mythos as Johns, and it certainly helps that he has such a talented artist as Doug Mahnke on hand to bring everything to life. It’s dynamic, funny, action-packed and has a great deal of depth.

RATING: B+