Warning: contains spoilers Dark Green Lantern #1!Solomon Grundy, A.D response to Hulkfinally unlocked its terrifying and divine potential. For nearly 80 years, Solomon Grundy walked the DC Universe, being reborn after each death. Grundy has been a thorn in the side of Batman and Green Lantern alike. In Dark Green Lantern #1, a variant of Solomon Grundy appears, which gives a horrible touch to his powers and tricks.
Dark Green Lantern #1 was written by Tate Brombal and drawn by Werther Dell’ Edera. Set on Earth-9, home of DC’s Tangent heroes, the book’s opening pages tell how a great darkness attacked their world. The heroes of Earth-9 fell to evil, leading to an invasion of monsters, including a new version of Solomon Grundy. This shocking variant has the ability to reanimate corpses, using them as soldiers. Grundy’s zombies spread the infection. These zombies can also talk and, disturbingly, often repeat their last words.
Solomon Grundy gives the Hulk an even more supernatural touch
The DC Universe has seen many versions of Solomon Grundy
No matter what Earth he is on, Solomon Grundy is a terrible opponent. Created by famous science fiction author Alfred Bester, Grundy was once a normal human being. Left for dead in Slaughter Swamp outside of Gotham City, he was revived decades later. As a result of the resurrection process, Grundy retains no memories of his past life and embarks on a murder spree. It was later revealed in James Robinson and Tony Harris’ star man that when Grundy dies, he is reborn with a new personality. In Star man, Grundy was childish, but turned evil after being killed.
Robinson and Harris’s innovation allowed future creators to run wild with Solomon Grundy, leading to a variety of representations. In Brad Meltzer and Ed Benes’ opening arc Justice League of Americaa more intelligent and scheming Solomon Grundy masterminded Red Tornado’s kidnapping. Grundy planned to use the android’s technology in a bid for immortality. This plan failed and Grundy returned to a brutal and violent form. In recent years, some creators have “softened” Solomon Grundy, turning him into a misunderstood antihero. Other creators have linked its origin to Swamp Things’ Parliament of Trees.
DC’s Solomon Grundy is the most terrifying version of them all
This Solomon Grundy tortures his victims with a “living death”
These varied interpretations of Solomon Grundy collide in the pages of Green Lantern Dark #1. The Grundy Brombal and Dell’Edera released in Tangent Earth are reminiscent of the slow, clumsy zombie that terrorized Green Lantern in the Golden Age. This Grundy variant only displays a rudimentary form of intelligence, but it is not necessary here. The issue also does not focus on Grundy’s origin, making it unclear whether he has any connection to Swamp Thing or other Earth elementals, but his powers are certainly supernatural in nature.
Earth-9’s Grundy strips people of their humanity, a feat that surpasses his Earth-0 counterpart.
And it’s these powers that make this variant of Solomon Grundy more than just DC’s answer to Hulk. The Grundy of Earth-9 turns his victims into flesh-eating zombies, who then become subservient to his will. Grundy keeps his victims trapped in a state of living death, with their minds fixated on their last moments of life. Earth-9’s Grundy strips people of their humanity, a feat that surpasses his Earth-0 counterpart. Hopefully this Solomon Grundy variant never makes it to the larger market CC multiverse, or else the consequences could be dire.
Dark Green Lantern #1 is on sale now from DC Comics!