There currently is a new Green Lantern in the pages of the comic. Simon Baz is providing a great and fun ride as we watch this unlikely candidate attempt to understand and use the power of a Green Lantern ring. What many may not have really thought about is what this means for Hal Jordan. We know Baz will go on to become a member of Steve Trevor and Amanda Waller's JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA team when the new title launches in February. While Baz figures out how to use his power ring, Hal is missing.
Hal and Sinestro have been taken off the board and have found themselves in a strange in between place. Their power rings reported that they were dead. It could be because Hal's ring was created by Sinestro's but there appeared to be a glitch when it reported them as being deceased. Why would this be reason to believe Hal will become a Black Lantern?
== TEASER ==We have seen many prophecies from the book, especially during this run in the New 52. The book doesn't lie. It has shown Sinestro as a member of the Indigo Tribe as well as both Sinestro and Hal dying. The most recent message in the book appeared when Black Hand was reading it.
"Hal Jordan will become the greatest Black Lantern."
As Hal and Sinestro were pulled away, a giant hand with a Black Lantern ring was seen.
When the proclamation about Hal first appeared in issue #12, not much was made about it. Hal Jordan can't be a Black Lantern. He's a Green Lantern. You also have to be dead to be a Black Lantern. Since Hal no longer has a green power ring, technically he isn't a Green Lantern anymore. And it also appears that he is dead.
Because of the prophecy, Hal has to become a Black Lantern (again). The question will be, what will that mean for him? Without Nekron to guide the Black Lanterns and with Black Hand locked away by the Guardians, Hal won't be the typical zombified Lantern we saw during Blackest Night. He's also not really fully dead so it may be possible for him to still have a trace of his humanity locked away somewhere.
Blackest Night may have dragged on a tiny bit. It was more so all the various tie-in titles that made the entire event feel a little overwhelming. The idea of the Black Lanterns is an interesting one. For Hal Jordan to become the "greatest" Black Lantern…it's almost unbelievable. We know it likely won't last. Hal can't remain a Black Lantern. Then again, look at how long he was possessed by Parallax or even the time he spent as the Spectre.
With Baz in place as a new Green Lantern for Earth, we'll need to see his character develop. If Hal returns to being a Green Lantern too soon, that could leave Baz with less time to fully develop.
Do we want Hal Jordan to remain a Black Lantern? Of course not. This could make a great plot device. When Hal was last on Earth, he was ready to make a commitment to Carol Ferris. He was whisked away with Sinestro by the Indigo Tribe and it's been one thing after another until the moment he supposedly died.
Sometimes shaking things up can be good. Seeing Hal forced to be a Black Lantern allows us to see Hal in a different situation as well as the chance to explore the nature of the Black Lanterns further. If this does happen, it can't just be with Hal being a Black Lantern for an issue or two. He is destined to be the "greatest Black Lantern." That means he needs to do something worthy of that prophecy. It's possible he could do something amazing that would be result in that notion but chances are, he'll have to work at it for a bit. Or does being the greatest Black Lantern mean he'll have to do really horrible things?
You can hear the Hal Jordan fans screaming in outrage already. Let it be said that Hal is my favorite Green Lantern. Yet I welcome the possibility of seeing Hal explore the facets of being a Black Lantern. An opportunity like this may not happen often, nor should it. Geoff Johns has set this up and it's not something that should be ignored. Could this be the way he returns to the land of the living, even if it means he has to be a dead Black Lantern?