Green Lantern #175
Writer/Editor: Len Wein
Art/Letters: Dave Gibbons
Colors: Anthony Tollin
Shark Bait!
Looking
at a newspaper with the headline "GL SAVES LA,"
Congressman Bloch is typically pissed. He feels he has the entire
world under his thumb... except in matters involving GL. He
recounts sending the Javelin to steal Ferris Aircraft's solar
engine, an effort thwarted by Hal (previous ish). It's no secret
that Bloch wants to wipe out Ferris, but a man named Smith from
Intercontinental Petroleum objects. But he doesn't understand
that the death of Bloch's father, Conrad, was caused by Carl
Ferris. Once, Carl and Conrad had been partners, but Carl stole
the air-cargo company, which drove him nuts. He eventually became
a physical monster after he failed to sabotage Ferris's plant.
When he tried to desroy Carol, he was destroyed. He made Jason
swear on his deathbed that he'd finish Ferris Aircraft for him,
and he intends to keep that vow. Smith offers that he should hold
off until his company can complete its business with Ferris, but
Jason will have none of it and ejects Smith from his office.
Jason may have worries, but he has an ace in the hole... the
knowledge that Hal and Green Lantern are one and the same!
Meanwhile, Hal himself is looking
at the same paper as Carol brings him coffee. But as he glances
through it, he notices the headline: "FLASH FREE ON HIS OWN
RECOGNIZANCE" and wonders why Carol didn't tell him about it.
She says since he's only been back for a couple days (he returned
to earth in #172), she just forgot to tell him amidst all the
excitement. He can't believe that one of his oldest and closest
friends could be accused of murder, and wonders how it could have
happened. Carol suggests that he go ask him. So he puts on his
costume, produces his battery, charges his ring as Carol watches
in awe, and heads off.
In a dark alley, a hobo is using
the very same newspaper to try to comfort himself from the cold.
Suddenly, The Shark comes along and feeds off his mind, leaving
the man unconscious.
Over in Central City (Flash's
hometown), a newsstand full of the same newspaper is nailed by a
prisma-goggle blast fron the Rainbow Raider. He hits the crowd
with a crimson anger beam, but Barry disarms them and creates a
vacuum to temporarily take away their air supply. Just as Barry
seems done for, a couple green stop signs sandwich the Raider,
and Hal is there capture him and send him to the police. Barry
tells Hal why he's on trial: The Reverse-Flash almost murdered
his fiancee, and he had to stop him any way he could. But he
broke his neck and killed him. Hal tells him that he'll be there
if he needs a character witness, and heads off.
Meanwhile, in a Ferris Aircraft
lab, Clay Kendall is looking at the same paper. He's still got
all kinds of faith in his Psi-Chair, so he sits down, and tries
to fly the airplane by sheer force of will, just as Hal had done
(GL #173). As he concentrates, he suddenly screams bloody murder!
He had touched another, monstrous mind, that of the Shark, and
says it's out there somewhere, looking for prey!
Back in L.A., The Shark sees the
picture of Hal on the same paper, but decides not to seek him out
since there is other food closer at hand. He shreds a fire
hydrant and rides the water off into the S.T.A.R. Labs office,
where a guard is promptly mind-devoured. He seeks out other prey.
But just then, Hal sees a SWAT team
headed to S.T.A.R. The captain explains the situation to Hal, and
he recognizes the maniac "dressed like some sort of human
shark" as The Shark. He tells the captain to hold his fire
for 10 minutes while he attempts to take the Shark on himself.
Just as the Shark is about to suck
the mind of another scientist, Hal shows up and tackles Shark
through a window and to the outside. As they go at it, Hal
notices that the Shark still has his invisible yellow force
field, so he clocks Shark with a handy stoplight. Shark creates
the illusion of fear in Hal's mind, and he actually yells out in
fear before he realizes what's going on. He remembers that sharks
are afraid of dolphins, so he makes one. As he tackles and
punches the Shark, a newspaper (yes, THAT one) blows over his
face. Hal, now unable to see what he's doing, gets HIS mind
sucked by the Shark.
The Shark rides water from the
sewer off into the sunset, as Hal lies there motionless...