With Hal Jordan having spent very few moments on Earth in recent years some of his supporting cast have had few reason to be seen in the DC Universe. Once Hal Jordan’s closest friend, Tom Kamalku hasn’t seen panel time since 2012’s Green Lantern: New Guardians #0 and Jillian “Cowgirl” Pearlman, a one time love interest for Hal, got the minorest of cameos in Blackest Night #1 back in 2009. This week both character resurfaced, playing minor roles in Batman The Merciless #1. The one shot, part of DC’s “Metal” event, introduces the backstory of one of the Dark Multiverse versions of Batman, this version being one powered by the helmet of Ares.
Tom and Jillian are joined by Cassius Payne, one of the Clayface family of villains, onboard a new vehicle from Ferris Air which is on a mission to drop the Valhalla bomb on these new threats from the Dark Multiverse. They don’t get a lot of panel time, but it’s nice to see former Green Lantern family writer and editor Peter Tomasi shining at least a quick light on both of these characters and letting us know they are both still among the living.