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Green Lantern, Vol. 2: The Revenge of Black Hand by Doug Mahnke, Geoff Johns, Ethan Van Sciver
mcacev's review against another edition
5.0
It's what you would do.
Que crying for an hour.
Volume 2 of Green Lantern is another 2 part story. The first 4 issues focus on Hal and Sinestro's trip to Nok, the home planet of the Indigo Tribe who were introduced during the last series as the purple corp of compassion, while the last 2 issues focus on Black Hand and his return as a villain.
I'm not sure why this volume is called Revenge of Black Hand, since he doesn't actually do anything until the end of the story; it would be more fitting to call it something pertaining to the Indigo Tribe because they are the true stars of this volume.
This is an excellent volume. I absolutely loved the Indigo Tribe story-line; we learn more about Sinestro's past, about the creation of the Indigo Tribe and about Abin Sur (the best underdeveloped character ever). The relationships in Sinestro's past are so interesting that I always love an opportunity to learn more about them, and this is no exception. There were 2 moments that made me really emotional; one is towards the end, when back on Korugar, Sinestro takes Hal back to his underground base. Hal sees the wedding portrait of Arin and Sinestro, and as he comments on it, Sinestro destroys it. Another is the quote at the beginning, which Sinestro gives Hal in response to Hal asking him if he is really about to fight an entire tribe of murderers and sadists with an empty ring.
The origin of the Indigo Tribe is fascinating and well thought out. I liked that it tied directly into Abin Sur's past, that Natomo was a really good friend of Abin's and the irony of having a tribe of compassion who can cycle through the emotional spectrum be entirely comprised of people who can't experience any compassion or emotions. I also like the cruel irony of the process of being 'converted' into the tribe involving torture and physical violence, as well as the tribe functioning more or less like a collective. They are really fascinating, and probably my favorite of the spectrum, save perhaps the Star Sapphires.
The relationship between Hal and Sinestro continues to be delightful. I loved their banter in this, how they are slowly returning to the dynamic they had before Sinestro betrayed the Green Lanterns. They care about each others so much, and yet neither one is willing to admit it, so they mask it with ridiculous posturing and sniping. I also for some reason appreciate how much Sinestro dislikes Carol, and I elect to believe that it's because he feels threatened by her (though again, Johns doesn't really do her justice in this either, so it's not clear).
Black Hand is an awesomely morbid villain. I liked him a lot during Blackest Night, but here he is even more over the top and crazy. I laughed a lot at the revelation in the Book of the Dead. I'm not sure if it was intentionally written to be funny, but the line HAL JORDAN IS THE GREATEST BLACK LANTERN is hilarious.
If I do have a complaint, it's the same as the previous issue. I love Johns' writing but he continues to sideline and kill of female characters to further the story of his male ones. However I can't blame him too much, because Arin Sur had died long before he took over Green Lantern duties, and I honestly don't know if Abin's daughter is his invention or was part of the canon before he took over. Either way, sidelining Carol is still annoying, but I'd rather have her not present than used simply as a soundboard for Hal.
Looking forward to continue with the series!
Que crying for an hour.
Volume 2 of Green Lantern is another 2 part story. The first 4 issues focus on Hal and Sinestro's trip to Nok, the home planet of the Indigo Tribe who were introduced during the last series as the purple corp of compassion, while the last 2 issues focus on Black Hand and his return as a villain.
I'm not sure why this volume is called Revenge of Black Hand, since he doesn't actually do anything until the end of the story; it would be more fitting to call it something pertaining to the Indigo Tribe because they are the true stars of this volume.
This is an excellent volume. I absolutely loved the Indigo Tribe story-line; we learn more about Sinestro's past, about the creation of the Indigo Tribe and about Abin Sur (the best underdeveloped character ever). The relationships in Sinestro's past are so interesting that I always love an opportunity to learn more about them, and this is no exception. There were 2 moments that made me really emotional; one is towards the end, when back on Korugar, Sinestro takes Hal back to his underground base. Hal sees the wedding portrait of Arin and Sinestro, and as he comments on it, Sinestro destroys it. Another is the quote at the beginning, which Sinestro gives Hal in response to Hal asking him if he is really about to fight an entire tribe of murderers and sadists with an empty ring.
The origin of the Indigo Tribe is fascinating and well thought out. I liked that it tied directly into Abin Sur's past, that Natomo was a really good friend of Abin's and the irony of having a tribe of compassion who can cycle through the emotional spectrum be entirely comprised of people who can't experience any compassion or emotions. I also like the cruel irony of the process of being 'converted' into the tribe involving torture and physical violence, as well as the tribe functioning more or less like a collective. They are really fascinating, and probably my favorite of the spectrum, save perhaps the Star Sapphires.
The relationship between Hal and Sinestro continues to be delightful. I loved their banter in this, how they are slowly returning to the dynamic they had before Sinestro betrayed the Green Lanterns. They care about each others so much, and yet neither one is willing to admit it, so they mask it with ridiculous posturing and sniping. I also for some reason appreciate how much Sinestro dislikes Carol, and I elect to believe that it's because he feels threatened by her (though again, Johns doesn't really do her justice in this either, so it's not clear).
Black Hand is an awesomely morbid villain. I liked him a lot during Blackest Night, but here he is even more over the top and crazy. I laughed a lot at the revelation in the Book of the Dead. I'm not sure if it was intentionally written to be funny, but the line HAL JORDAN IS THE GREATEST BLACK LANTERN is hilarious.
If I do have a complaint, it's the same as the previous issue. I love Johns' writing but he continues to sideline and kill of female characters to further the story of his male ones. However I can't blame him too much, because Arin Sur had died long before he took over Green Lantern duties, and I honestly don't know if Abin's daughter is his invention or was part of the canon before he took over. Either way, sidelining Carol is still annoying, but I'd rather have her not present than used simply as a soundboard for Hal.
Looking forward to continue with the series!
letstalkaboutbooksbaybee's review against another edition
2.0
This makes me not want to continue on with this series.
carochacord's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
paschott's review against another edition
3.0
Green Lantern Volume 2: Revenge of the Black Hand by Geoff Johns is part of the “New 52” series of comics by DC. This actually picks up issues 7-12 of Green Lantern and Green Lantern Annual #1 from the “New 52” series. This series was DC’s reboot of their universe, starting some characters over, introducing new ones, changing existing characters, and trying to introduce new readers to the series without having to follow all of the back-stories and changes from the prior storylines. With that said, there are still some things that carry over from the old series – in this case the idea of the Black Lanterns, Blue Lanterns, and other color Lantern corps.
This volume picks up with Sinestro (a long-time villain, sometimes hero, in the G.L. universe) visiting Hal Jordan (probably the most famous Green Lantern) at his home to enlist Jordan on a quest to prevent the Guardians from eliminating the Green Lanterns. Sinestro uses his usual methods (fear) to get Jordan’s attention, but eventually Jordan agrees to travel with him.
We are introduced to the “Indigo Lanterns”, whose main attribute seems to be “compassion”. They were apparently formed partly to stop a great evil from conquering the universe, the Guardians who are behind the Green Lantern Corps. Sinestro is taken over by the Indigo tribe and only released when Hal Jordan promises that there’s a way for him to find redemption without the Indigo tribe. The tribe also releases and calls a man who will be a Black Lantern, bringing death and destruction.
There are quite a few scenes that follow, leading to the Guardians releasing the first Lantern and starting their “final descent into madness”. Of course, that’s leading to the next issues of Green Lantern and the related titles by DC. If you want to see where the story is leading and how it ends, I’d recommend following the series through DC Comics.
My thoughts: If you’re a fan of the Green Lantern series and have followed the storyline in the “New 52” universe, you’ve probably already read the comics that make this book. If not, I’d have to recommend at least reading issues 1-6 before tackling this. As a long-time Green Lantern fan, I’ll admit to being a little lost just picking this up and starting from here. I know enough of the backstory to not be completely lost, but not enough to avoid that completely. I don’t think this will be a problem for the main target audience, but definitely know the story before reading this volume. I’m also not a huge fan of the “Black Lantern” storyline overall so this wouldn’t be counted as among my favorite GL stories.
Disclaimer: I was provided with a preview copy of this book by the publisher with no expectations on their part. I was not compensated in any way for this review. The opinions expressed are my own.
This volume picks up with Sinestro (a long-time villain, sometimes hero, in the G.L. universe) visiting Hal Jordan (probably the most famous Green Lantern) at his home to enlist Jordan on a quest to prevent the Guardians from eliminating the Green Lanterns. Sinestro uses his usual methods (fear) to get Jordan’s attention, but eventually Jordan agrees to travel with him.
We are introduced to the “Indigo Lanterns”, whose main attribute seems to be “compassion”. They were apparently formed partly to stop a great evil from conquering the universe, the Guardians who are behind the Green Lantern Corps. Sinestro is taken over by the Indigo tribe and only released when Hal Jordan promises that there’s a way for him to find redemption without the Indigo tribe. The tribe also releases and calls a man who will be a Black Lantern, bringing death and destruction.
There are quite a few scenes that follow, leading to the Guardians releasing the first Lantern and starting their “final descent into madness”. Of course, that’s leading to the next issues of Green Lantern and the related titles by DC. If you want to see where the story is leading and how it ends, I’d recommend following the series through DC Comics.
My thoughts: If you’re a fan of the Green Lantern series and have followed the storyline in the “New 52” universe, you’ve probably already read the comics that make this book. If not, I’d have to recommend at least reading issues 1-6 before tackling this. As a long-time Green Lantern fan, I’ll admit to being a little lost just picking this up and starting from here. I know enough of the backstory to not be completely lost, but not enough to avoid that completely. I don’t think this will be a problem for the main target audience, but definitely know the story before reading this volume. I’m also not a huge fan of the “Black Lantern” storyline overall so this wouldn’t be counted as among my favorite GL stories.
Disclaimer: I was provided with a preview copy of this book by the publisher with no expectations on their part. I was not compensated in any way for this review. The opinions expressed are my own.
letstalkaboutbooksbaybee's review against another edition
2.0
This makes me not want to continue on with this series.
timelord's review against another edition
4.0
Wow the guardians are so terrible. I want to believe they've been corrupted by some outside force. I miss ganthet.
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