Latest news with #BlackHand
Geek Dad
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Geek Dad
Review – Absolute Green Lantern #3: Hunger in the Dark
Absolute Green Lantern #3 cover, via DC Comics. Ray: Al Ewing has turned Green Lantern into a full-fledged horror story, and like every horror story, it has some classic inspirations. Fans of Stephen King will obviously see the influence from Under the Dome here, as the mysterious alien judge Alan Scott has created a green energy field over part of the city – trapping Jo Mullein, Hal Jordan, John Stewart – and John's friend Todd Rice, who enters the story this issue. While the story jumps back and forth in time, we see more this issue of the earlier segment, as the crew tries to figure out the strange new world they find themselves trapped in. It's John who takes the lead here, with his strategic mind discovering that the field reacts a certain way to metal – or anything it perceives as metal – and starts trying to break it down. But this attracts Abin Sur's attention, and the inscrutable alien proceeds to cast his judgement over John. Lockdown. Via DC Comics. We know from the earlier issues that the power will wind up vested with two of these characters – Jo with the Green Lantern ring, and Hal with the Black Hand. What we didn't know until now is that those powers are diametrically opposed, with the Black Hand trying to consume the green automatically – and anyone it's attached to. This is the first take on Green Lantern that portrays these powers not as superpowers, but as something terrifying and bizarre, that would be beyond the average person's ability to comprehend. Al Ewing has worked a lot with cosmic powers before, and his books are often deeply haunting, but part of the credit here goes to the great Jahnoy Lindsay. Their art is deeply unsettling in places, creating a sense of just how powerful these elements are. This is the most mysterious of the Absolute line so far, and it has me incredibly intrigued by what comes next. To find reviews of all the DC issues, visit DC This Week. GeekDad received this comic for review purposes. Liked it? Take a second to support GeekDad and GeekMom on Patreon!
Geek Dad
07-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Geek Dad
Review – Absolute Green Lantern #2: Black and Green
Absolute Green Lantern #2 cover, via DC Comics. Ray: It's no surprise that a big sci-fi guy like Al Ewing would absolutely knock it out of the park on this title, but I feel like coming in, this was the Absolute book we knew the least about. The first issue didn't give away all its secrets either, with a non-linear plot that showed us the story from the perspective of Jo Mullein and Hal Jordan as a mysterious alien being named Abin Sur came to town. But this Abin Sur wasn't a kindly space policeman – he was a mysterious alien spectre who dropped a massive lantern-shaped ship on the city and proceeded to unleash unpredictable powers. In the aftermath, Jo became Earth's first Green Lantern – and Hal was infected by the dark forces of the Black Hand. As Jo tries to reason with her friend, whose new powers killed a large number of policemen when they confronted him, it's clear Hal inherited a lot more than some spooky shadow powers from the alien entity. Rude awakening. Via DC Comics. The timeline becomes a little clearer this month, as we see the immediate aftermath of Abin Sur's arrival. With a sector of the city essentially fenced off due to the mysterious dome, it falls to Sheriff Guy Gardner – Jo's estranged friend – to try to keep the peace. He's the first to make contact with the alien, and his better instincts shine through and lead him to try to open a line of communication. Not that it helps him, as the alien begins dealing out inscrutable 'judgements', seeking evidence of the emotional spectrum in people and quickly dispensing with them if he can't. This is a terrifying issue, because similar to the great Absolute Martian Manhunter, it's an amazing depiction of a truly alien intelligence and how it would interact with an 'inferior' species. Between this visit from beyond and Hal's increasingly unstable behavior, the tension in this title is through the roof. Another phenomenal entry from the Absolute Universe so far. To find reviews of all the DC issues, visit DC This Week. GeekDad received this comic for review purposes. Liked it? Take a second to support GeekDad and GeekMom on Patreon!
Asia Times
12-04-2025
- Politics
- Asia Times
Estonia cribbing Ukraine's script for provoking Russia
On June 28, 1914, Gavrilo Princeps, a Bosnian-Serb radical, shot and killed Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg. Princeps did not act alone. He was one of at least six principals in an organization called Young Bosnia, and his group and others were seeking independence from the Austro-Hungarian empire. He also received help from a secret organization, the Black Hand, that provided training and weapons, including bombs and pistols. The assassination of the Austrian Archduke, the immediate successor to emperor Franz Joseph I, was a provocation that a month later caused the so-called July crisis that culminated in a July 23 ultimatum to Serbia. By then, Germany had pledged support for Austria, and Russia and France would mobilize in support of Serbian nationalism. World War I could have been avoided, but it was not. The perpetrators of the crime in Bosnia were tried, some jailed (because they were too young for execution, including Princeps) and others executed. The Austrians vastly overestimated their military capabilities. For them, at the end of the war, the Austro-Hungarian empire would cease to exist. Franc Ferdinand and Sophie in the car where they would be murdered. The archduke and his wife are seated in the back of the vehicle. Image: IWM Are we in a similar situation today? There have been countless provocations by Ukraine and some of its supporters, including Joe Biden, who authorized long-range ATACMS strikes deep inside Russia, some aimed at Russia's early warning radars and nuclear bomber bases. Not to be outdone, the Ukrainians on May 3, 2023, launched drone attacks on the Kremlin, targeting Russian President Vladimir Putin's office. Such attacks are inconceivable without technical help from NATO, especially as long-range drones need satellites for communications and targeting. The White House has denied allegations it was involved recently in attacks. At the same time, Ukraine and its supporters have promoted and carried out a cultural war against Russia. One of the top provocateurs is Estonia. Estonia is the most northern of the Baltic states. It fronts on the Baltic Sea where its capital city, Tallinn, is located. Estonia's town of Narva is just next to the border with Russia. About half of Narva's population is Russian. Estonia has a population of 1.37 million, based on data from 2023. Between 20-25% of Estonia's population are Russians, depending on how the count is made. For a number of years, Estonia has been waging a cultural war against Russia while at the same time utterly depending on NATO for its security. The Estonian army has only 7,700 active duty personnel, of which 3,500 are conscripts. It has a reserve force that is significantly larger, but it does not have the equipment to support its reserves, so it is largely a paper force. Estonia has no air force to speak of, only two Czech-made (Aero Vodochody) L-39 trainers and two small M-28 Polish transports. One of two Estonian L-39s. Image: Supplied by author One would think that Estonia would not want to create trouble for itself, but it seems that the reverse is true, largely deriving from the Estonian belief that NATO is there to back it up and that Russia would not attack a NATO state. Provocations are not something new for the Estonians, whose hate for Russians borders on the extreme. By practically denying citizenship to their Russian inhabitants to attacking the Russian Orthodox Church in Estonia through legislation, Estonia has made it clear it will do whatever it can to humiliate its own Russian population and Russia itself. Bronze soldier of Tallinn relocated after 2024 Victory Day Celebrations. Photo: Author supplied. In April 2007, the Estonians decided to move the monument there known as the Bronze Soldier of Tallinn. That monument also was the site of a number of graves of Soviet Russian soldiers who were killed fighting against the Nazis. The graves were dug up, their families in Russia notified they could collect the remains or they would be relocated in the Tallinn military cemetery along with the monument. Now, in 2025, we have another round of monument-busting, as the Estonians are tearing down Russian war memorials once again. This includes defiling Russian graves in the Tallinn military cemetery and damaging and destroying war memorials. Employees of the Estonian Military Museum have destroyed monuments in honor of Soviet sailors, soldiers and officers who liberated the republic from Nazi invaders at the Tallinn Military Cemetery. Photo: Author supplied. If there is one single unifying principle these days in Russia it is the great importance given to Russia's decisive role in the defeat of Nazi armies in World War II. Each year, on May 9, Russia holds its annual Victory Day celebration, which focuses on a show of military power. It is followed by a more somber but clearly important citizen's march known as the Immortal Regiment. In this march, families proudly carry posters and photos of family members who perished in the Great Patriotic War (Russia's terminology for World War II.) Estonia's show of contempt for Russia's World War II victory, along with its spotty, some would say, compromised behavior supporting the Nazis, is increasingly irksome to the Russians. One can add attempts to keep Russians living in Estonia from achieving citizenship or even voting in elections. Estonia has now stepped that up by adding new legislation to make it even more difficult for Russian residents to be treated equally. Estonia is also trying to block out any relationship between Russian Orthodox Churches in Estonia to the Moscow Patriarchate. It is not surprising that Estonia's actions parallel and were perhaps inspired by Ukraine, which is doing the same thing. The Immortal Regiment March in Moscow. Picture: Author supplied. The Estonian action against the Moscow-led church would create revulsion and horror elsewhere if, for example, European or American Catholics were not allowed to communicate with the Pope in Rome. Among the pro-war advocates in Europe, Estonia is at the forefront. Its former Prime Minister, Kaja Kallas, is now the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. She is now a major voice in promoting a massive European defense expansion and sending troops to Ukraine. Of the six nations who have apparently pledged to send troops to Ukraine, Estonia is leading the list even though it does not have anyone to send. The trouble with provocations is that they can cause wars. The hysteria now apparent in official channels in parts of Europe (for example, France, UK, Germany and Estonia) reflects huge anxiety that Ukraine will not survive the Russian onslaught. Instead of helping US President Donald Trump find a peaceful solution to the conflict, the French and British, in particular, have done their best to undermine his efforts. While some of this can be explained as a bailout for Europe's economic issues by substituting military production for civilian manufacturing, deficit spending of this kind will never be enough to salvage Europe's economic and industrial problems. Meanwhile, small countries such as Estonia can cause big problems and an escalation leading to conflict in Europe. Stephen Bryen is a special correspondent to Asia Times and former US deputy undersecretary of defense for policy. This article, which originally appeared on his Substack newsletter Weapons and Strategy, is republished with permission.
