Green Lantern #45

By Robert Venditti, Billy Tan, Mark Irwin & Alex Sinclar

Idle Hand continues the arc that centers on Hal Jordan on the run, a renegade hunted by both forces from within and outside the law. The chapter features the return of the antagonist known as the Black Hand in an electrifying fashion, as writer Robert Venditti, penciler Billy Tan and colourist Mark Irwin deliver a solid issue that sees the arc get off to a pretty solid start, giving some fresh life into the story even if the issue itself is largely a brawl between The Black Hand and Hal Jordan.

The Black Hand is an interesting antagonist, and Venditti writes him well as a character who’s already broken and isn’t in the best mindset. He’s one of those beings that does more harm than good in the universe and rejects peaceful talk in favour of conflict, wanting just one touch of Hal Jordan to defeat him. This issue seems to swing the Green Lantern around so that even he thinks that ridding the universe of the Black Hand would be a point in its favor, and allows us for a nice, action packed issue that explores the antagonist overall. The fight escalates throughout the issue and is made all the more tense by the high stakes at play here, because if Hal was even to be touched once, it would be game over. It’s safe to say that it’s not the best of days to be a renegade Green Lantern.

The artwork is pretty good from Billy Tan, Mark Irwin and Alex Sinclair and all three capture the creepy portrayal of the Black Hand well, mixing everything in with the bright fireworks display that’s comes every time Hal uses his ring. The characters are brought to life very well and you really get to feel what they’re going through, with the emotional displays between the two being put into practice very well on each page.

The issue moves along at a very quick pace and you’ll find yourself flicking through the pages of Green Lantern #45, as Venditti blends the action and humor with some decent character interaction to advance the plot of the current arc very well indeed. Both Billy Tan and Mark Irwin work together well to give this book a strong atmosphere which is just what it needs for a showdown between Hal Jordan and one of the more unconventional Green Lantern Rogues, and with everything working together very well, Green Lantern continues to be a go-to read for some excellent space opera drama.