Things have gotten a little crazy for Hal Jordan over the past few months, he's on the run after stealing Krona's gauntlets and now he's found a new threat in Black Hand, who can turn anything he touches into the Source Wall. In GREEN LANTERN #43, artist Ethan Van Sciver returns to take on these characters again, and he, along with writer Robert Venditti, answered a few of our questions about what's going on in the series.
COMIC VINE:Robert, We've talked recently about Black Hand being the most dangerous he's ever been right now. As of this upcoming issue, is the danger within this character because of malicious intent or because he just doesn't understand what's happening to him?
ROBERT VENDITTI: More the latter, which I think is an interesting way to look at the character. Nobody is happy about the type of threat Black Hand has become, least of all himself.
CV: Has Black Hand become emotionally unstable and is that part of the overall danger he brings?
VENDITTI: He has always seemed a little emotionally unstable to me. I mean, he likes to hang out with dead stuff. That's a little off. And I don't think he gets any more stable, the more times he dies and it doesn't stick. His recent predicament is making him even worse, though, and that's a big part of why he's so dangerous. He has become enormously powerful--far more so than even he understands--and he just can't stop messing with things. Not a good combination.
CV: Relic has been popping up here and there, but with less malicious intent. How big a part will he play in this story and can he be considered more friend than foe?
VENDITTI: I don't know that I'd call him "friend" or "foe". Relic is a highly intelligent, extremely analytical being. "Friend" or "foe" isn't really relevant to him. He's too rational for that. His concerns are always more scientific. If someone is behaving in line with his current theories, good. If not, they have to be stopped. As with all the characters, though, there are larger, long-term plans for him.
CV: Aside from Black Hand and Relic, can you tease anything else in this story that may be bleeding over from "Godhead?"
VENDITTI: We're definitely pulling on some threads from Godhead, but the nice thing--at least this is the intent--is that even if you didn't read Godhead, you still understand everything that's going on. You understand that Black Hand used to be able to raise beings from the dead, and now he's turning them to stone. And he's REALLY upset by that. So there's payoff here if you're a longtime reader of the series, but nothing that alienates you if you aren't. As for other threads from Godhead, there are definitely more that we could pull on. Probably more than most people realize. Some will get pulled on in Green Lantern, and others are out there for other books to make use of, if they like.
CV: Ethan, what was is like coming back to work on GREEN LANTERN and more importantly, to take on Black Hand again?
ETHAN VAN SCIVER: A bit like coming home and finding the furniture all rearranged! I certainly love GREEN LANTERN like nothing else, and was intrigued to see where Robert was moving this epic space drama. Black Hand is always fun to draw. His leprous complexion and baleful expressions are fun to draw and to look at. One of GL's greatest foes. It's definitely a new book with new ideas, and I am happy to pitch in and help out!
CV: Hal has gone through a lot of changes, even since you worked with him on Godhead, what were your first thoughts when you saw the new design of the character?
VAN SCIVER: I thought he'd become Spectre again!! I was terrified! But my fears were relieved. This is Hal Jordan as a space pirate. He's let his hair grow out and he's in disguise. There are a lot of possibilities here.
CV: Is Hal going to be stay space-based, or will his solo series bring him back to Earth any time soon?
VENDITTI: Hal will be returning to Earth for an important story arc very soon. It's not a step away from the main narrative, but something that arises out of the current plot lines. His reasons for returning to Coast City are much different that what happens when he arrives, though. It's a huge story with huge implications, and it's all part of a much larger plan.
Thanks to Robert Venditti and Ethan Van Sciver for answering our questions and make sure to check out GREEN LANTERN #43 when it hits comic shops on Wednesday, August 5.