Flash Comics #2

The Flash

An girl is shot on stage at a theater with a silenced gun. She's the third girl to be shot recently, and they have all had an acquaintance in common: a Lord Donelin of Ireland. This is explained to Joan, who goes to investigate, and the Flash overhears and follows.

At Lord Donelin's home, Donelin speaks with an associate, Goll. Goll's plan, it turns out, is to terrorize the entertainment industry, then buy them all out very cheaply--eventually to own the whole world's entertainment industry. Flash gets hold of their plans, and stops several shootings, then returns to Donelin's home, where a trap has been laid--many guns, all rigged to fire when flash enters. He dodges the many bullets, then pursues Goll and Donelin. Joan has gone after them, too, and unwittingly leads Flash to them, leading to their capture.

Unless you're excited by the thought of the Flash being so very fast, this story has little to hold your attention.

The Hawk-Man

An "unseen force" causes and earthquake, and the Hawkman plucks Shiera from the ensuing madness. He wonders aloud what could have caused the earthquake and Shiera declares that it was a man named Alexander. He asks how she knows, but she chides him, saying that he'd promised not to seek trouble again, if they got married. He replies that they are only engaged--not yet married--and that he must do something about this. Shiera relents, explaining that a scientist calling himself Alexander the Great has invented a machine that increases an objects weight a thousandfold, and is holding all the seaboard cities hostage. How does Shiera know this? The man has invited both her and Carter to dinner!

When they arrive, Alexander tells them that it is only Carter, Hawkman, that he needs fear. Shiera reveals that "of course" she has told Alexander all about Carter, since "it's courteous to warn our enemies". Alexander does not intend to fight them. He knows (he says) that the Hawk will not fight if he knows he cannot win, so he endeavours to convince Carter that he, Alexander, would win in any confrontation. He demonstrates his weight gun, and offers Carter a million dollars if he will remain on friendly terms, and not interfere.

Carter leaves Alexander's home, but soon stops and secretly returns to test the gun's effect on the ninth-metal. It has no effect, so Hawkman determines that he will fight Alexander. That night, he goes to Alexander's home and stops him from causing another earthquake by throwing a net of ninth-metal over his device. Alexander will not give up, though, and shoots Hawkman, then drags him under the ray of another weight-increasing machine, intending that he'll be unable to move, and so starve. Fortunately, Shiera rescues him, and he is able to defeat Alexander. He destroys one of the weight-guns, and keeps the other for his collection.

This story isn't too great, but it's nice to see Carter and Alexander, who know they will surely be enemies, interacting politely over dinner. Watching the villain try peacefully to convince the hero not to fight is amusing--reminds me of Luthor's contest with Superman in Superman #4.