SPOILER WARNING: This article contains major spoilers for "Green Lantern" #46, on sale now.
While "Green Lantern" relaunched in 2011 with DC Comics' Chief Creative Officer Geoff Johns at the helm, Robert Venditti has been writing the series for more than two years at this point. The majority of his run has featured a renegade Hal Jordan off-Earth, battling cosmic characters ranging from Relic to the New Gods. December's "Green Lantern" #47 changes all that when Hal returns home to Coast City to face off against a reimagined version of Sonar.
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Originally introduced by industry legends John Broome and Gil Kane in 1962's "Green Lantern" #14, Venditti told CBR News that while Sonar's powers are still sound-based, they've been updated to make his sonic gifts more relevant for today's political climate. The writer also discussed this week's "Green Lantern" #46 and the ultimate Source Wall showdown between Hal, Relic and Black Hand drawn by regular "Green Lantern" artists Billy Tan and Mark Irwin. With new characters Virgo and Trapper joining Hal on his return to Earth, Venditti also discussed Hal Jordan's inability to walk away from a fight... or a friend.
CBR News: "Green Lantern" #46 features the final showdown between Hal Jordan and Black Hand that's been brewing for most, if not all, of your run and was only heightened when Black Hand came in contact with the Source Wall. While Black Hand is hardly an innocent bystander, for me he almost became a tragic figure in this arc because he never truly understands what happened to him. Should we feel sorry for him?
Robert Venditti: I think you hit it exactly right. As creepy and as scary as Black Hand is, he's also sympathetic in a lot of ways in this arc. He's confused. He doesn't know what's happening to him. There is still that creepy factor and that horror aspect to him but he is sympathetic. And I think those are the best kinds of villains. They can be bad and terrible and horrifying but if you can still sympathize with them, understand where they're coming from or even feel bad for them on some level, that's what makes the character -- and the overall story -- stronger.
Now literally and figuratively at one with the Source Wall, is this the last we've seen of Black Hand?
For the immediate future, yes. There is definitely a bowtie on that plotline, which dealt both with the Source Wall and Black Hand. We won't be seeing him again in the near future but I'm not going to say that we'll never see him again. [Laughs]
And what about Relic? It's not exactly "the enemy of my enemy is my friend" but Hal and Relic basically joined forces -- as Hal says, "...two guys walking in the same direction for a change" -- to stop Black Hand and, with the help of Darlene, Virgo and Trapper, actually succeeded. Will this alliance/mutual understanding continue or will Relic return to his place as a threat to Earth and the rest of the DC Universe in Hal's view?
I think it depends on the circumstances. Relic is a very clinical individual. He's very scientific. He's able to separate emotion from the task at hand, which is what we found in the storyline with Black Hand. Relic knows the Source Wall, maybe better than anyone. He knows how much of a threat it is if something were to happen to the Source Wall so if it means he has to work with Hal Jordan to stop it, he'll do it. Does that mean they are always going to be friends? I would say, "No." But he is the kind of individual that it doesn't even have to be "the enemy of my enemy is my friend" as much as it is, "This is what the data is telling me and this is what I have to do to make it stop." That's the way he looks at things. He makes an interesting counterpoint for Hal. He's so clinical and rational as opposed to Hal, who is an emotional and very spontaneous character. And that's probably what makes him most enjoyable to write.
Hal actually says to Relic, "There's a crack in the Source Wall. You know how dangerous it'll become if it isn't fixed. End of the universe, and all that." Let's get into the science of the DCU. What would actually happen if the Source Wall wasn't fixed?
[Laughs] Wow. I definitely have some thoughts there but I don't know that I have a definitive answer. You're talking about such an anchor piece of not just its cosmic mythology but all of the DCU. The Source Wall is an amazing concept and it's an amazing visual. It's something that a lot of writers have dealt with and many, many more will continue to deal with so I don't know if I want to be the one to say if the Source Wall were to deteriorate, this is what would happen. What I will say is that for our characters, Hal and specifically Relic, who saw the Source Wall from his universe crumble and that was the end of his universe -- he believes that if the Source Wall crumbles here, the universe will cease to exist. That's what he believes would happen and that's why he's motivated to assist in Hal in putting Black Hand -- and the power that Black Hand has taken from the Source Wall -- back where it goes.
Following the completion of this adventure, it looks like Virgo and Trapper are sticking around with Hal for the foreseeable future. What does transitioning "Green Lantern" from a solo series to a team book allow for creatively, and was the transition always in the plans for your run or did it come about organically?
It's a little bit of both. The thing about monthly comics that is really fun and challenging is that you are always able to adapt and adjust storylines based on the needs of any given moment. It is definitely organic but the team and dynamics have developed the way that I wanted them to develop. I wanted this kind of accidental crew. Hal started out on this endeavor wanting to be on his own but through no fault of his own, he ended up with these guys on his ship with him and now he has a crew. And he has to look out for them. And that was part of the upside for him. He didn't have to look out for anybody anymore. He could just go and be on his own. Now he has these people around him and I think that just speaks to his nature. He's not going to turn his back on people. He's not going to leave anybody hanging.
And to answer your question, yes, they are going to stick around. They are going to continue to develop. We'll see some things happen to them while Hal's on Earth in the next arc. They're going to run into some things that'll all come together, actually several plotlines will all come together that have been building since "Green Lantern" #41, in "Green Lantern" #50.
"Green Lantern" #46 ends in Modora and we see Bito Wladon -- a supervillain from Hal's past that we have yet to see in the New 52. Will this Bito also become Sonar? Actually, I know the answer because I read it in the solicitations for the next issue. [Laughs]
Yeah, it's him. Sonar is a classic DC villain. His history with Hal Jordan goes back a long way. I find him very topical. He's really relevant to a lot of things happening in the world today. He's definitely a character that I wanted to work with for a while. There are aspects of him in terms of his power set, which is still sound-based, that are different than they were previously and I think it's going to surprise some readers. What you have now is a guy from an Eastern bloc region that is no longer its own country. Bito believes it should be its own country. And he has a group of followers that believe the same thing that he does. And now he basically has a nation's terrorist movement based around that political goal. And I think that is something that is relevant in today's world.
It is a reimagining of him. It's going to be a huge challenge for Hal because Hal is used to fighting Relic or the New Gods or Black Hand -- these are all things he can see and hit in the face with a construct. This is going to be an adversary that's operating in the shadows and staying hidden. He's attacking soft targets and Hal has to go and hunt him down. It's going to be a hard conflict for him and we're going to see how that plays out. And it will all come to a head in "Green Lantern" #50 with another cosmic storyline that's going to be operating in the background of "Green Lantern" #48 and #49. Then we're going to get a big event in "Green Lantern" #50 that's going to take Hal in a new direction, starting in "Green Lantern" #51.
You mentioned that Sonar's power set has been updated, having previously invented a 'nucleo-sonic bomb' as his weapon of choice. What can you share about the new Sonar in terms of his mastery of sound?
Not too much. It's kind of a big surprise. You'll find out in "Green Lantern" #47 exactly what it is but I can tell you that it is still a sound-based power. But it's used in way that's different from before. In a lot of ways, it's scarier. And harder to deal with. And it fits in well with his political views and the statement that he's trying to make regarding global politics and where his people should fit in the grand scale of things.
The final panel also reveals that Bito is heading to Coast City, the home of Hal Jordan. Hal has been away from Earth for some time. Can you talk about his homecoming and what he will return to in Coast City?
The last time we saw Hal on Earth was "Green Lantern" #29. He left Simon Baz in charge of his family because he wasn't going to be able to patrol Sector 2814 anymore. Now that the Green Lantern Corps are gone and Hal has dealt with the situation of Black Hand and the Source Wall, he wants to go check on his family and make sure everything is alright.
It is going to be a homecoming for him. And he's there to check on them because he's concerned about their safety. And Sonar's target is Coast City, which is known as 'The City Without Fear,' making it a bold target for someone like him. We'll see those two things come together but as far as Hal being back on Earth, I love writing Hal with his family. I love writing those moments with Hal. I think it really, really grounds him. And let's us see a different side of him than just fighting aliens. It's a storyline that I've been wanting to do for quite a while, it was just a matter of finding the right space to fit it in. And now with Simon Baz gone, and his family unprotected, this felt like the right time.
"Green Lantern" #46 by Robert Venditti, Billy Tan & Mark Irwin is available now.