DC’s Absolute Universe has no problem shaking things up in major ways, but Absolute Green Lantern #1 might have just made one of the biggest changes yet to an iconic character, and that character is the fabled ring-slinger Hal Jordan. Absolute Green Lantern takes the mainline universe status quo and turns it on its head, especially in regards to Jordan, and while he may wield immense power, it isn’t the type of power he ever wanted, and it’s not the power everyone else was expecting. Big spoilers are incoming for Absolute Green Lantern #1, so if you haven’t read the issue yet you’ve been warned.
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Jordan has already been affected by something when the issue begins. Jordan is walking on the side of the road when he is approached by a police officer who asks where he is headed to in this awful heat. Jordan looks incredibly tense and nervous already, but when the officer notices his left hand hasn’t left his jacket pocket, the situation becomes volatile. Jordan eventually reveals his hand and it’s completely black and powered by some unknown energy, and the resulting power surge instantly kills the officer, leaving only his badge on the ground.
We then learn through a flashback that Jordan, Jo Mullein, and John Stewart all witnessed the shocking appearance of an unknown object in the middle of the town, and they head out of a diner to investigate after a biker collides with the object and is instantly killed.
The object, which appears as a massive Green Lantern symbol, is investigated by Stewart, Mullein, and Jordan, but it’s Jordan who touches the walls of this unknown object first. Soon after he starts to hear a voice in his head as he also sees visions of a black symbol. This looks to be the same entity that has taken over his hand and part of his arm with this destructive power, and it gets worse as time goes on.
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We then move back to the present as Jordan walks into a diner after his confrontation with the officer on the road. After a news report reveals what happened in the nearby town, Jordan reveals that he was there and that it was all his fault. The customers and staff start to get uneasy the more he talks, and someone notices his hand in his jacket again, leading to another confrontation.
Jordan reveals that it takes everything he has to keep the power at bay, and it reacts to danger. After one of the patrons attempts to pull his arm away, Jordan loses control once again, killing and almost absorbing the man who attacked him. One of the workers shoots Jordan and he is almost relieved, but the force that powers him removes the bullet and heals him completely, so he’s not going anywhere.
Jordan then takes out the entire diner, losing control once again. Jordan has become an Absolute version of Black Hand, and he is a walking deathtrap that will only get worse as he makes his way through the town. The issue’s last page teases a confrontation between Jo and Hal, and Jo is also sporting new powers, though she is radiating green energy and can already be seen with a Green lantern symbol. It looks like we have our first showdown, and while I didn’t have Hal vs the World on my bingo card, it has made the wait for next month’s issue even longer.
What did you think of the changes to Hal Jordan and Absolute Green Lantern #1 overall? Let us know in the comments, and you can talk all things comics and DC with me on Bluesky @knightofoa!
