All American Comics#3

At the World's Fair

Alana Scott enjoyed fewer things in life more than a good cup of coffee. Taking in the World's Fair in New York City, she nursed her cup slowly in the Condor Café as the people around her surged like a river. She had been invited to attend by of her college friends. Taking in the different architectural styles that were popping around the world had been a sort of a busman's holiday for her. This year would be different, given that the previous year there was talk of combining the two years, but she was happy to see the tradition continue.

She sat quietly as the people rushed about. She was about to order another cup when she spied a waitress step behind the waiter's station and pull a small pistol from her handbag. Leaping to her feet, Alana quickly put herself in front of the woman, gripping her wrist tight. "Are you sure you want to do that?"

The woman nearly cried, more so when a corpulent man sitting directly across from them stood up and left, the rest of his table following. "Damn you!" she hissed.

Alana slowly released her wrist, making sure to pocket the gun. "A derringer? You'd never escape, even if your bullet was fatal. Mind telling me what's going on?"

The woman seemingly deflated. "Alright, I'll talk."

One break excuse later, Alana and the woman, Irene Miller, were standing in a small alcove some distance away from the café. "Why?"

Irene exhaled loudly. "Does the name Murdock mean anything to you?"

"Not particularly?"

She shook her head. "Never mind then. That pig that left was Murdock. He framed my brother for murder."

"And you were going to what, scare him or kill him?"

"I don't know!" Irene almost spat. "I've tried everything else. Lawyers, appeals, the press, nothing works and the longer my brother rots in jail the less chance I have of getting him out. I thought if I could just scare that creep it might do something."

"Yeah, him killing you and claiming self-defense." Alana didn't mean to sound harsh but considering the innocents that could have been caught in the crossfire made her lose some sympathy. "Look, why don't you start at the beginning?"

"Ok…"

"My brother Danny and I were all that we had after our folks died. We needed money, so Danny started running with a tough crowd. He worked his way up from the neighborhood toughs to an actual racket, led by Georgie Murdock. He and Murdock got along great, but Danny decided to leave. We saved enough money to get us out of New York and go west. Murdock threw a party for Danny and on the way home, so they say, Danny wrecked his car and killed a judge. They found him passed out behind the wheel."

"And you think Murdock set the whole thing up?"

"Of course. Danny could hold his hooch. He told me he had one glass of that fancy stuff, the next thing he knows he's being handcuffed."

"Alright, assuming everything you said was on the level, this Murdock fellow could be trouble. Why don't you let me handle it?"

"You? What could you possibly do?" Irene looked at her like she'd grown a second head.

Alana smiled. "You'd be surprised."

The next day, the Green Lantern touched down outside Sing-Sing Prison. "If I went in as Alana, that might raise some questions, plus who knows if Murdock has the place watched. If I go in as the Green Lantern, that might rise even more questions…so I think something unorthodox is needed."

She concentrated on her ring. A shimmering cloud enveloped her. She then walked right through the walls of the prison and hovered over the yard like a ghost. She found Danny throwing a ball against the corner of a wall.

"Danny Miller?" She spoke as softly as she could.

Danny neared jumped out of his shoes. "Who said that?"

"Calm down. Your sister sent me. What do you know about Georgie Murdock?"

"Guy's a crumb and the reason I'm here. I think he set me up because I was leaving before his big score."

"And what was that?"

"I didn't get all the particulars, but he always said something about having an ace in the hole while he knocked off the World's Fair."

"Thank you. I'll keep in touch." She drifted over the wall and vanished. Danny glanced around. None of the other inmates or guards saw him chatting with the breeze.

"Better keep quiet about that or they'll put me in the box for sure…"

The Green Lantern had been floating over the fair, invisible to the naked eye. She found Murdock easily enough but for the life of her she couldn't figure out what he was doing. "All he does in take in the exhibits then grab lunch. Even that's never the same pattern. What is he looking for?"

This was an odd thing. She decided to come back that night, maybe a different perspective was needed?

Sneaking back in was no trouble, given that she was invisible and floating over the fairgrounds. "So, what could they possibly be after? The money would be counted and taken away at the end of the day, most of the exhibits would be too unique to fence. What could they be after?"

She heard the sound of glass breaking. It was faint, quiet enough to be ignored by the guards. She floated down the sound. "The Hall of Music?"

She stepped through the open door. The inside was black, but she saw a few tell-tale beams of light from some flashlights being waved around. She lifted her hand, flooding the room with an eerie green light. "Problems with the light, gentlemen?"

The crooks, all of them masked, dropped their sacks and lights. "A superhero? The boss said there ain't any around here!"

"Then your boss was wrong." She focused the overall glow into a series of large green fists with all of them crashing into the thugs. They were knocked out without issue.

The Green Lantern stepped outside and made a large green flare going up into the sky. "I'll slip away and let the guards handle this, but this hardly answers my questions."

The next day Alana had an answer, but it wasn't one she wanted. The gang had been arrested and charged, yet all of them made bail and were released within the hour. Plus the story had been buried in the back of the papers, when it had been mentioned at all. "Curious…"

Murdock wasn't a patient man. It had taken a phone call, which he had hated to do, to free his men. He marched down to the basement of the hotel he had been renting. The basement had been converted to a rough room. A young girl, huddle near a radio, listened intently to a soap opera.

Without further word, Murdock strolled over and yanked the radio's cord free from the wall. "Your old man was uppity. No more shows for a week."

"When can I go home?" her voice was frail as the rest of her.

"What, you don't like the fair?" Murdock leered. "Well don't worry. A few more days and the fair will be over, then you're free to go."

He marched back upstairs, past the cowering manager. He tossed the radio on the desk before heading back to his room. "Busy, busy, busy." He muttered as he stepped inside his suite.

"Boss, Judge Wake called again."

"And I'm sure he wants to know how his darling daughter is doing, no doubt."

"Yeah, how'd you know?"

"Because I'm the boss smart guy." It had been a pretty good idea to kidnap the judge's daughter. With her, hanging judge Homer Wake was the biggest pushover on the bench. "We keep her until after the fair, then get rid of them both."

It had taken some doing, but the Green Lantern arrived at the home of Judge Homer Wake. She knocked on his back door. She heard the shuffling of footsteps before the back porch light came on. "Who's there?" She also heard the unmistakable sound of a shotgun being cocked.

"A friend."

The door opened and the older man peered at her. "I don't have any friends who run around in fancy capes and masks."

"I'll be the exception. May I come in?"

"So this Murdock kidnapped your daughter?"

"Yes, and blast him! There's nothing I can do. If I went to the police he'd know within the hour."

"Surely you could call someone? The federal authorities?"

"Hoover's bullyboys? Those twits I'd trust to pick up his dry-cleaning and not much else."

"Then I'll do it. I know where Murdock is going to be tomorrow."

Wake looked at her. "Why not?"

The Green Lantern was back at the fair the next day. She spotted the judge enter the park and make his way towards an exhibit on telephones. She floated over to the booth where he entered and picked up the receiver on a 'video-phone'.

The screen before him flickered and she saw a young girl sitting in a dark room. "Daddy!"

The judge almost cried. She ignored what they were saying and studied where she was broadcasting. "There has to be another screen in order for that to work. Cables, wiring, etc., so she must be close. Where could they have another one of those set up?"

She glanced around and she caught sight of the Perisphere. The giant sphere stood out in all its glory. "And I think I know where!"

The Green Lantern easily floated inside the sphere. Much to her shock, the inside was hollow, with levels at the lower section. In the center was a massive map of the fairgrounds. "Wow, never did a chance to check this place out. Not too many hiding places…"

She saw a part of the lower level sectioned off. She turned solid and checked the door. A young girl was handcuffed to a cot. At her alarmed face, the Green Lantern put a finger to her lips. "I'm here to help." She whispered.

She pointed her ring at the cuffs, easily crushing the iron links with glowing green scissors. "Now, get under there and don't come out until you see me. Understand?" the girl nodded.

She stepped out just as a group of men entered the sphere via a hole in the floor map.

"Hey, it's that nut that busted our boys!" one of the men drew a gun. Murdock stepped back.

"Handle her." He fled to the steps and rushed to the upper level.

The gang drew all their weapons and fired. A green wall caught all the bullets before a massive green hand backhanded them across the room. A giant shovel scooped them all up and dumped them together near the exit, their weapons turned to metallic pulp.

"Now for the boss!"

Murdock closed the hatch behind him and readied himself. A shimmering green light poured out of the cracks in the hatch before it buckled and popped off, a massive green boot vanishing as the Green Lantern stepped out. "Give it up Murdock, you got no place to go!"

"Alright, alright, you got me." He tossed his coat at her. It didn't hold her for long, but it didn't need to; he had a baseball bat in his hands and was on her in seconds.

"Think you're pretty smart?" He sung the club into her side. "I know my turf! When a green bozo starts flying around, I start asking questions!" He swung again, hitting her kneecap and dropping her to the floor. "Wood! Don't know why, don't care, but this little slugger is going to paint you red baby!"

He was so focused, he failed to see her putting her hands down on the metal sphere or the green light racing through the cracks. He readied the bat when the metal under his feet shone a bright green. "What?"

The metal buckled and shook. Murdock stumbled off the plate and fell screaming off the side. "No!" Green Lantern limped to her feet, but she heard him hit before she could get a clear shot. A panicked crowd started to gather.

"Time to leave, I think."

The Green Lantern drifted down through the ceiling and found the girl, still hiding. She sucked through her teeth she when put both feet on the ground. With a thought, a bright green cast covered her leg. "I told you I'd come back. Come on, your father is waiting."

It took a little doing, but Danny Miller was freed. Murdock managed to live long enough to confess to everything. Alana watched the news with some interest. "Nice to have a happy ending once and a while." She settled back in seat as the train rolled away from the station. "Nice to visit to New York, but I think I'll stick with Gotham for the time being."

The end

Based on "At the World's Fair" which was first published in All-American Comics I#3 (September 1940) with credits to Bill Finger (script) and Martin Nodell (pencils/inks/letters)

All American Mail

From Wolvmbm

Great update to the series and a wonderful first meeting and team-up between the two heroines. Great to have Superwoman to assist the new Green Lantern on this case. All together a fantastic take on the original tale. Keep up the wonderful work on this terrific series.

Thanks to Darci for the proofreading.

Next time, "the Insurance Racket"

Upcoming tales

Sensation Comics#17-America's Guardian Angel!

Detective Comics#16-The Case of the Cat

Action Comics#16-Superwoman Meets the Ultra-Humanite!