This is "A Wall Between Us," where I spotlight notable examples of comic books breaking the fourth wall. What I'm looking at here is mostly examples from characters other than She-Hulk, Deadpool, Ambush Bug, etc. You know, the kind of stuff that is a bit more of a surprise to the reader. If you have any suggestions, drop me a line at brianc@cbr.com!

Reader Matthew O. suggested this one. I've written about Black Hand in the past, but his distinctive fourth wall-breaking is still a fascinating wrinkle to the character that I'll spotlight here.

The villain Black Hand became a major part of the Green Lantern mythos under writer Geoff Johns, as Black Hand was a key component of the smash hit "Blackest Night." Johns created a new origin for the character. However, in his original origin, he was essentially Bill Finger, co-creator of Batman (as well as the original Green Lantern)!

People have long known that Black Hand’s real name was a reference to Finger (Black Hand’s real name was William Hand…get it, William Hand…Bill Finger…), but the connection goes deeper than that, as he really is “What if Bill Finger was a super-villain?”

Finger, you see, was a well-known idea man. He would always carry around “gimmick books,” little notebooks that he would jot down interesting ideas. When he later went to write a story, he would consult his notebooks for ideas he could use for the story. He was famous among creators for his gimmick books.

Well, check out Black Hand’s introduction, in 1964’s "Green Lantern" #29, by John Broome, Gil Kane and Sid Greene, where we learn Black Hand's set-up, as BLACK HAND HIMSELF TELLS IT TO US!!!

Julius Schwartz confirmed the connection at a San Diego Comic Con panel with John Broome (moderated by Mark Evanier) in 1998, stating:

I’ll tell you who Black Hand really was! Black Hand was Bill Finger, who created Batman. Literally created him – and the Green Lantern. Bill Finger would always carry around a notebook and make notes, and Black Hand is really Bill Finger.

It's worth noting that someone (Broome? Kane? Greene? It's someone drawing, so it SHOULD be Kane or Greene, but comics sort of played fast and loose with stuff like that back then, so it could be Broome. I have no idea what any of them looked like back then) breaks the fourth wall even before Black Hand does, as one of the creators first introduces us to Black Hand in Green Lantern #29...

Black Hand kept this approach up over time.

Page 2: [valnet-url-page page=2 paginated=0 text='See how he took his wares to the pages of the Flash...']

In Flash #258 (by Cary Bates, Irv Novick and Frank McLaughlin), the issue opens with the old Green Lantern villain, Black Hand, talking directly to the readers about how he caused the Flash's death...

So Black Hand decides to leave Coast City because he is sick of dealing with Green Lantern. He sets up shop in Central City.

He shows up disguised as Green Lantern and shakes the Flash's hand and then attacks him. First off, check out how clever this sequence is...the Flash is literally running ON the laser blasts that Black Hand was shooting at him from up in the sky!!!

I have no idea if that even remotely makes any sense, but it looked pretty darn cool, right?

Okay, the Flash survived the attack, but then we learn Black Hand's TRUE plan...

Clever gimmick! And at the end of the issue, it appears as though Black Hand has succeeded in killing the Flash after having him chase after Black Hand throughout Central City...

Read here to find out how Flash got out of this jam (it's hilariously bizarre)!

For the most part, though, future writers dropped the metafictional aspect of Black Hand. Grant Morrison introduced a new character named Black Death who was a riff on the original Black Hand, via the gimmick book approach, but not the fourth wall stuff.

Okay, I KNOW that you folks have some other good suggestions for A Wall Between Us, so drop me a line at brianc@cbr.com!