Absolute Green Lantern #5 (2025)

Todd Rice, trapped under the rubble of his coffee shop, sees the vision of a ring of light in darkness. He hears a voice telling him to be with fear, that judgment is not in progress and an Abin Sur cannot be appointed. The voice tells him that he is an unknown within the Spectrum of Light, and continually repeats "Be with fear". Hector Hammond's workers dig Todd, the sole survivor of Evergreen, out of the ruins. Hammond tells Todd to tell him exactly what happened or he will withhold medical treatment from him if he doesn't. Todd tells Hammond that when the Green Lantern fell on Evergreen, Jo disappeared and Hal was unhurt. Hal threatened Abin Sur with his gun and demanded to know where Jo had gone. Abin Sur had replied that she had power without understanding and was an anomaly who would soon be hunted. He told Hal to be with fear and, filled with rage and grief, Hal shot him repeatedly until the gun was empty. The gold--painted bullets passed through Abin Sur's forcefields and filled his body with holes, black blood leaking out of them. Hal had assumed Abin Sur was dead, but when he approached Abin Sur sat up, revealing that he was still clinging to life. Abin grabbed the gun in Hal's hand as he began to melt into a viscous black fluid, yelling "The Black Hand!". Hal pulled away, his hand transformed into darkness and the gun dissolved into it. As Abin Sur melted away he told Hal that judgement was no longer in progress and an Abin Sur could not be appointed. He asked how far out was "the world that's coming" and warned Hal to be with fear, to fear the black hand and the black star. In the desert, Jo warns Hal to stand down but he continues to attack her. He yells at her that he thought she had died when he shot Abin Sur, so the Black Hand and everything that had happened to him was her fault. As he berates her he continues to grow and change, the exposed skin on his face turning grey and red eyes appearing down the left side of his face. He demands to know what happened to her and she replies "this", launching herself towards him while blazing with green light. Jo hits Hal in the shoulder and blasts through, dispersing the darkness around his right arm and temporarily changing his face back to normal. She tells him that when the Green Lantern fell she instinctively flew away, and by the time she realised what was happening she was lost in the desert with no way to get back. Jo tells Hal that she felt a pull towards him, but he retorts she was pulled towards the Black Hand. The darkness begins to reform around his upper body and his skin turns soldi black. The red voice in his head tells him everything is her fault and he screams at her that she is the anomaly, as he grows into a humongous form. Under the control of the Black Hand he yells at her to take off the ring. Jo remembers her ex-wife demanding the ring back when Jo left her and Jo defiantly replies "make me". Jo hits Hal with a huge blast of green energy, but this time the Black Hand resists it. Hal's entire upper body turns into a massive arm of boiling darkness with a huge red eye inside a gaping maw in the palm. It stretches out to grab her and she flees with the hand in hot pursuit. Back in Evergreen, Hammond is frustrated by his technicians' inability to get any readings of the inside of the Green Lantern or penetrate the hull. Suddenly, they detect activity to the southwest and through binoculars spot Hal and Jo heading their way. They intend to shoot the two of them down but Hammond orders them to pull back and let the two of them come, believing that they are the key to understanding the Green Lantern. As Jo approaches Evergreen the Green Lantern activates and rises up into the air, orienting itself vertically rather than horizontally as before. A tendril from the mouth grabs her by the ankle and manages to expand across her whole lower body, but she blows it apart with the green light and grabs the tendril. She sends her power into the darkness, lifting Hal off the ground and flies back towards Evergreen, dragging Hal behind her. She and flies them both into the centre of the Green Lantern and they find themselves floating in a black void alongside John Stewart, who is glowing with yellow light. He tells them both to be without fear, revealing that he was the voice they have been hearing.