Warning! Spoilers for Infinite Frontier #2 below.
Roy Harper is back in the DC Universe, as the recently revived hero has acquired new powers and a Black Lantern ring - but everything might not be as it appears. In the latest issue of Infinite Frontier, Harper tries to figure out why he's been chosen by the ring and quickly discovers that nefarious forces are at play when it comes to his new life.
Following the events of Death Metal, a number of heroes and villains were brought back to life in the Infinite Frontier era at DC Comics. Among them included Jade and Arsenal, with the latter returning with all-new powers. After being tracked by the multiversal bounty hunter X-Tract, Harper - who was previously Green Arrow's powerless sidekick - punched them with a giant black energy blast, revealing he's taken on the powers of a Black Lantern. However, Black Lanterns are usually reanimated from the dead by their ring, while Harper seems to be very much alive.
In Infinite Frontier #2 by Joshua Williamson, Paul Pelletier, Jesus Merino, Xermanico, Norm Rapmund, Romulo Fajardo Jr., and Tom Napolitano, Roy is still searching for answers about his Black Lantern Ring. He wonders why he's alive and how the ring still works on him. After activating the ring and practicing his abilities on constructed targets, Roy attempts to talk to the Black Lantern Ring, which shows him Barry Allen captured by Psycho Pirate while also revealing that his daughter Lian is still alive. Unfortunately, when he asks the ring to show him where she is, "Darkseid Is." is spoken and he's transformed into a monster.
Roy transforms into a more undead-looking figure one might expect him to look like with the Black Lantern Ring. A voice (assumably Darkseid) calls for him to "come to me, my Black Lantern." Harper's Black Lantern logo transforms into Darkseid's Omega symbol, and he immediately flies into space.
Roy is channeling the powers of the Black Lantern Ring, but he appears to be much more than a reanimated corpse with special powers. Darkseid seems to have some hold over him. He gets an Omega symbol, much like Psycho Pirate, suggesting Darkseid is somehow responsible for his new form. Is the DC Comics supervillain assembling an army with heroes and villains the Multiverse has forgotten about? Did Darkseid gain additional powers have murdering The Quintessence? Whatever the villain's plan is, Roy Harper is now much more than a Black Lantern, as something more significant is afoot in the Omniverse than previously believed. Infinite Frontier #2 is in comic book stores now.