Black Hand

BLACK HAND

Real Name: William Hand

Class: Human technology-user

Occupation: Professional criminal, owner of Girls 18

Group Affiliation: Black Lantern Corps

Known Relatives: David Hand (brother), Joseph Hand (brother), Peter Hand (brother)

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: Coast City

First Appearance: Green Lantern II #29 (June, 1964)

Powers: Black Hand spent years compiling a book that contained the solution to any possible problem a criminal could run into, and his photographic memory enabled him to recall every piece of information in it. Black Hand was a poor fighter, usually relying on his power-rod, a weapon of his own invention. The power-rod absorbed radiation and focused it into energy blasts. It worked at top efficiently when absorbing the radiation of a Green Lantern's power ring. After Black hand's right hand was reconstructed by the Gremlins he caused anything living he came near to wither and die, and the process was accelerated by thoughing his target.

History: William Hand's grew up in a wealthy and respected family, but for some reason he grew to hate all his kin and their prestige. He became a criminal and later a supervillain in order to disgrace the family name. He made his debut in Coast City with a series of robberies using clichés as a theme, but was defeated by Green Lantern II. He returned a few times over the years to make life difficult for his family and Green Lantern.

(Justice League America #28) - Black Hand developed a fear of superheroes, and began seeing a therapist. He hung up his tights and opened up Girls 18, an adult movie theatre. He freaked out when Guy Gardner took Ice out for a date at Girls 18, he assumed that Gardner was looking for a fight, so he once again donned his costume and attacked Gardner. After getting pounded for a little while Black Hand decided to go back into retirement.

(Flash II #183) - Black Hand attended one of the Network’s sales of black-market merchandise.

(Green Lantern: Rebirth #1) - Black Hand realized that instead of powering his weapon with a GL ring he should simply claim a ring for himself. He located one in Green Arrow’s home, broke in and tried to steal it. Green Arrow and Mia incapacitated him, at which point the Spectre appeared and passed judgment on Black Hand. He turned Black Hand’s right hand to coal, and it quickly crumbled,, leaving him in a state of shock.

(Green Lantern IV #5, 6) - Black Hand learned that Green Lantern was no longer the Spectre, but had returned to the land of the living. He took a flight to Coast City to extract his revenge. He relaxed by reading death notices in the paper, and when the person next to him tried to strike up a conversation he waved his arm-stump at him. Gremlins, aliens that lived to take things apart and put them back together again, kidnapped Black Hand, and gave him a new hand. Now any life that came near his hand died, and Black hand was quite pleased. He walked through a hospital, painfully killing everyone in his path, and admiring his new hand. The Gremlins planned on selling Black hand and their other experiments hector Hammond and the Shark as weapons in an intergalactic war, but needed Green Lantern out of the way so they sicced Hand on him. Hand eagerly battled Lantern, telling him he deserved to die for cheating death as well as being a sadist for taking Black Hand’s hand. Hand fealt a true connection to death and opined that black was the far end of the emotional spectrum, far stronger than the willpower of green, and warned that his power would lead to the Blackest Night. Green Lantern overcame the nihilistic Black hand, severing his new hand and burying him before apprehending the gremlins.

Comments: Created by Gil Kane and John Broome.

Black Hand received a profile in Who’s Who: The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe #2.

Black Hand had a cameo in Green Lantern IV #4 and R.E.B.E.L.S. #10.