Attack of the Grey Lantern
is a Green Lantern fanfiction by Sullivan2319 on ao3.
When a mysterious new Lantern starts killing members of the various Lantern Corps, Hal Jordan, John Stewart, and Guy Gardner investigate.
This fic contains examples of:
- Aborted Arc: Tora’s powers are mentioned early on, but she never uses them again. Her only role later on is a guide and a love interest for Guy.
- Apologetic Attacker: Hal apologizes to Black Lantern Guy when they dump him in a river to stop him from chasing them down and killing them.
- Bond Villain Stupidity: The Grey Lantern has several chances to kill the Green Lanterns. He has the power, and they come face-to-face several times, but he always leaves before killing them. He says it’s because he wants them to see him destroy everything they care about first.
- Broad Strokes: The Phantom Ring, Amon Sur, Tora Olafsdotter, the White Lantern, Black Lanterns, and the Land of the Unliving are from various runs and eras of the Green Lantern comics, some dating all the way back to the Silver Age.
- Chain Pain: Hal has his shoulder thrown out when the Grey Lantern wraps a chain around it and yanks it.
- Chekhov's Gunman:
- Sinestro mentions Abin Sur’s son very early on, but it’s glossed over, and disguised as a way to just get under Hal’s skin. But Amon Sur actually becomes very important later. And this conversation helps Hal understand his motives and figure out how to defeat him.
- Hal’s decision to talk the Grey Lantern down instead of attacking him is the same thing Batman told him to do in the beginning of the story.
- Contrived Coincidence: Guy randomly wants to visit Tora and the Romanifolket when they’re out of ideas. Hal happens to ask in front of Tora if there’s a way to bring people back to life, and she happens to know about a legendary White Lantern who can do just that. Who happens to be right there on Earth.
- Dramatic Irony: The readers know full well that Carol is still alive, when Hal thinks she’s dead.
- Dream Intro: The story opens with Hal dreaming of the event that got him kicked off the Justice League.
- Grave Robbing: The Grey Lantern digs up Abin Sur’s body to turn him into a ring.
- Hated Hometown: Hal hates Earth, because it reminds him of a time in his life when he felt like an insignificant failure, before he received his Green Lantern ring. According to him, his life didn’t come together until he left.
- I Work Alone: Hal isn't against working with John and Guy, but he doesn’t want to involve any more people. He firmly believes they can defeat him without help, and he doesn’t want to endanger anyone else. Carol also believes it’s because he’s hurt about getting kicked off the Justice League, and because he’s afraid of losing people since his dad died.
- I'm Dying, Please Take My MacGuffin: Before dying, John gives Hal the Phantom Ring.
- Informed Flaw: Guy mentions having a temper, but we don’t really see it, and it doesn’t cause any major problems for the characters.
- It's All My Fault: How Carol feels when Guy is turned into a Black Lantern, since she’s the one who suggested speaking to Nekron
- The Leader: Each Corps has one. John Stewart is the Green Lanterns’ leader.
- Mythology Gag: A few to the Green Lantern mythos and DC Comics
- The plane they build is named the DC-52, after the New 52 comics.
- Carol says “I know. Me, too,” which she says in a couple of different Green Lantern runs.
- Parting-Words Regret: Hal fights with both Carol and Flash, and this is the last interaction he has with them before they die (Carol isn’t really dead, but he thinks she is.)
- The Power of Love: Carol’s ring is powered by love, and it’s powerful enough to resist Larfleeze’s absorption power.
- Precision F-Strike: The normally jovial Flash says, “We fucking care about you!” when arguing with Hal.
- Screw the Rules, I'm Doing What's Right!: Hal has this attitude about a lot of things, especially in the Toyman flashback in the beginning.
- Shout-Out:
- The title is a reference to the Mansun album of the same name.
- Guy mentions Fifty Shades of Grey.
- Shut Up, Hannibal!: A non-climactic example. Sinestro taunts Hal when the Green Lanterns arrive on Qward, bringing up Hal’s father’s death and insinuating Hal is glad Abin Sur is dead because it allowed Hal to escape his meaningless life on Earth. Hal and Carol aren’t having it.
- Talking the Monster to Death: The big climax of the story is a monologue from Hal, telling Amon Sur he’s better than this and he doesn’t need to live up to his father’s legacy. It stalls the villain and gives Hal the White Lantern power needed to defeat him.
- Touch of Death: Nekron kills Guy just by touching him.
- Unexpected Successor: Hal Jordan to Abin Sur. No one expected a human to get his legendary ring. Sinestro and Amon Sur were especially displeased with this decision.
