Moby Dick: Back from the Deep #2

The citizens of White Sands Beach are still reeling from the recent attack of a ferocious whale that left several dead, including a boy named Alex Gardener. While the city's leaders debate over how to handle this beast, Katherine Barley, the disgraced mayor's daughter, looks for answers. What is this creature? Why did it attack?

And who is the mysterious man named Ishmael?