Black Hand By Hervé St.Louis Jul 1, 2005 - 10:19:00 AM

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Black Hand is William Hand, a Silver Age Green Lantern villain that built a power rod that could absorb residual Green Lantern energy. A master of clichés, Black Hand’s powers were upgraded after Hal Jordan as the Spectre burned his hand. Now, he no longer needs his power rod to absorb Green Lantern energy.Black Hand started in Green Lantern Volume 2 # 29, published in June 1964.

Likeness

Ethan Van Sciver updated Black Hand’s look for the Green Lantern Rebirth comic book. Gone are the gaudy Silver Age looks. His face has even changed. The only remaining design icon is his face mask.

Sculpt

This is a great sculpt. Black Hand’s face has veins popping out. So do his arms. Although his suit is the usual modern leather clad semi-realistic type, it looks great with all the folds on each side. But most interesting, is Black Hand’s gaze. It’s direct and dangerous. The inside of his cape has a subtle leather texture. Black Hand resembles someone who is protecting his land, ready to shoot anyone who walks over it.

Paint

Black Hand has a great paint job. The main feature is the gradient effect on his right arm, going from black at the fist to grey at the biceps. The paint covers sufficiently the base colour underneath the figure. The stripes on Black Hand’s left glove have finish. The silver paint is thin and will fade quickly if the one rubs and handles the figure often. There were paint scratches and spots on the figure’s eyes and cheek.

Scale

Black Hand fits well with all of the new Green Lantern Wave with which he came. The scale of these figures is back to the Silver Age standard. Next to the modern JLA figures, Black Hand looks puny. However, he looks fine next to Guy Gardner and the first Kyle Rayner action figure. Next to the contemporary Teen Titans, Black Hand looks well too. Because of his scale, he also fits with the Silver Age Crime Syndicate.

Stability

Black Hand is very stable. His soles are flat and his weight well distributed on both legs. For added security, use the customized Green Lantern action figure stand he came with. Unlike the others, it’s painted with a black Green Lantern logo.

Articulation

Black Hand has eleven articulations at the neck, the shoulders, the elbows, the wrists, the hips and the knees. His head has a ball joint that’s quite flexible. It gives him weird looking gazes when posed. The shoulders’ ball joints are very mobile. In fact, all of Black Hand’s articulations are easy to play with and solid. I really wish that all action figures were as easy to handle.

Plastic

Black Hand’s plastic is solid and not the type that bends. His cape is made of rubber. The cape is glued on the collar. Bolts hold Black Hand’s elbows and knees in place. They stick the shoulders, the head and the legs inside the figure’s torso. The torso itself, is a single piece. The hands are plucked inside the forearms.

Packaging

All Green Lantern action figures in this wave came on a cardboard with a bubble pack. The card is styled with similarly to the Green Lantern Rebirth mini-series. Images of other figures in this wave with short bios are available on the card’s back.

Cost

Black Hand costs the same as other DC Direct action figures. However, DC Direct does not suggest any prices. Retailers ordering cases of figures get greater discounts from Diamond Comics, the exclusive distributor. Prices may range anywhere from $12 to $25 in the US and Canada.

Availability

DC Direct sells Black Hand and other DC Direct action figures through Diamond Comic. DC Direct bases its initial orders on pre-orders sent by retailers six months in advance. Unless a series of toys is popular, they rarely get re-offered again by DC Direct. Often Diamond Comics and DC Direct have more stock originally ordered by retailers on hand. Black Hand is probably the least popular of the entire Green Lantern wave. So many should be available for order.

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