Marvel Mystery Comics #57
Death Rides the Rails!
The Human Torch and Toro are called to the scene of a fiery train wreck in Colorado by the FBI. Investigating the wreck they find that it was caused by a bomb. The bomb was planted by a Nazi spy named the Jackal and his minions who seek to terrorize Americans by blowing up trains. As the Human Torch and Toro begin their investigation to find the men responsible, the Jackal and his men prep to plant a bomb on a Washington bound train in New York City.
After days of searching, the Torch and Toro come across a Nazi spy attempting to switch a rail key to make the California express crash. The two heroes stop the Nazi saboteur and bring him to the hospital where he informs them that the Jackal's hideout is located within a mine in Newark. As the Torch and Toro rush off to capture the spies, the Washington bound train crashes on its route. While at the Jackal's secret base, they hear the reports about the Washington Express crash but no reports about the California train. The Jackal tells his men not to worry that soon they will jam up every American rail line in the country by pulling a master switch that hey have rigged in their hideout.
When they hear a radio announcement that the Torch and Toro are closing in on their hideout, the Jackal orders his men to prepare for the flaming duos arrival. As the Torch and Toro melt their way through the rock into the tunnel, the Jackal and his men rig a fake switch and flood the tunnel with water. When the two heroes burn their way through into the mine, the water douses their flames and they are quickly knocked out. While the two heroes are placed into a room filled with explosives that would cause a fatal explosion if they flamed on, the Jackal and his men continue their wave of sabotage. Soon a train bound for Chicago from Salt Lake City crashes when one of the spies switches the lunch pale of the engineer with drugged food.
As the Jackal and his men plot to crash another train carrying important military brass, the Torch manages to ventilate their room by breaking a hole allowing them to safely flame on from a distance from the explosives to break free. After knocking out the Jackal's men in the secret hideout, the Torch and Toro race off to the Washington bound train carrying the important military officials and capture the Jackal, foiling his plot.
Recurring Characters
Human Torch, Toro, Nazis
Cold Wave For Conquest!
A sudden and powerful cold snap has hit London causing the death of many from cold, as coal supplies being to run out and supply ships cannot break the ice to get to port. In London are the Sub-Mariner and Betty Dean who decide to stay for the night at the Ye Olde Inn. Inside, they find that the inn is not heated against the cold either. Namor finds the increasing cold peculiar and decides to place a call to the Weather Bureau. However, they have no answers that they can give him either.
While Namor's guard is down he is suddenly attacked by a pair of Nazi spies who attempt to kill him. Namor manages to fight them off and after beating them he notices that some of the spies had made off with Betty in the commotion. Following after their getaway car, Namor witnesses as they turn on Shore Drive and strips off his clothes and dives into the water that runs adjacent from the road to get to the docks ahead of the car.
There he spots a Nazi U-Boat, which he sinks quickly. Arriving at the dock, Namor spots the spies as they are forcing Betty into another U-Boat that has surfaced. Namor dives out of the water attacking the spies. However, Namor is forced to stand down when one of the spies threatens Betty with a knife. Surrendering, Namor accompanies the Nazis aboard their ship. While Namor is brought to the commanding officer of this Nazi operation, British military intelligence receives disturbing reports that the Nazis are gathering an invasion force in France to invade England once the Channel freezes solid.
Below the Channel, Namor witnesses as the U-Boat enters a massive refrigerating unit that is causing the Channel to freeze. Brought before the commanding officer of this mission, Namor is placed in shackles and strung up by his feet. Swinging his body the Sub-Mariner causes enough momentum to break loose from his bonds and carry Betty to safety. Namor then smashes a hole through the U-Boat causing it to sink. Swimming Betty to safety, Namor then swims out and smashes all the ice that has formed over the Channel causing the Nazi invasion force to plunge into the water and a watery grave.
Recurring Characters
Sub-Mariner, Betty Dean, Nazis
Terry Vance
Terry Vance, Deadline Dawson and Dr. Watson pay a visit to their friend Don Wallace, a forest ranger in the town of Pine Grove. They meet Wallace at the North Wood and he takes the boys to his forest observatory so that they can all work together keeping an eye out for forest fires. When a blaze suddenly becomes visible from the distance, Terry wonders how a forest can be so prone to fires.
The following day, Terry and Deadline arrange to head down to a nearby station. Along the way Dr. Watson witnesses a laundry truck passing by that carelessly tosses a cigarette out the window. Don quickly quashes the cigarette before it can cause another forest fire and curses their carelessness. Walking through the wilderness they spot a car leaving a camp site while a fire is still burning. After they douse the fire they are confronted by a man who gives them chase, sending Dr. Watson up a tree. After the two men knock Terry around for a bit they drive off, warning them not to interfere again.
Searching the site, Terry finds a timer for an incendiary device and soon they spot another fire starting. Dr. Watson then stumbles upon a wire that leads them to a timing device that is rigged to set a canister of gasoline on fire. Terry and Deadline realize that the fires are being deliberately set. They are caught at gun point by the men who started the fire -- Nazi spies -- and they tie up Terry and Deadline. However, Dr. Watson manages to get free and uses a call box to alert Don Wallace and the other rangers who come to Terry and Deadline's rescue and help capture the spies before they can burn the rest of the forest down.
Recurring Characters
Terry Vance, Doctor Watson, Deadline Dawson, Nazis
Corpse That Walks
Madeline Joyce and her Uncle Jim are heading home from an engagement when Uncle Jim spots Officer O'Reilly running down the street blowing his whistle. O'Reilly tells Jim that someone had robbed the bank and ran down the alley. When Uncle Jim turns to leave he finds his niece has gone missing. Madeline has slipped off to change into Miss America to stop the bank robber.
When Officer O'Reilly corners the crook he is shocked to see that he is Killer Pedro, a mobster who was supposedly killed in a gunfight months earlier. Pedro pulls out a gun and shoots down the cop in cold blood. Miss America swoops in and attacks Killer Pedro, but the crook manages to getaway. She chases after him and is surprised to see Killer Pedro disappear into a mausoleum in a nearby graveyard.
Curious, Miss America gets permission from the graveyard groundskeeper to investigate Killer Pedro's tomb. The keeper tells her that he is Pedro's brother and assures her that his brother is dead. He has his assistant Carlo take Miss America to show her the coffin. However, just as they discover that the coffin is empty, Killer Pedro attacks his brother Don with a knife.
Miss America, hearing Don's cries for help, rushes to his rescue and Pedro flees. Following him up to the attic of the house, she is attacked from behind by Pedro who has disguised himself in a suit of armor. Taking Miss America up to the roof, he throws her off, but she comes around in time to fly to safety. She flies back into the house and captures Pedro before he can claim his stolen loot and flee. He confesses that he wasn't killed in the gun battle with police, but only grazed with a bullet and went into a coma. Having woken up in a coffin Pedro decided to maintain the ruse.
With Pedro turned over to the police, Madeline manages to get home before her Uncle Jim and gives him the newspaper with the story of Pedro's arrest.
Recurring Characters:
Miss America, James Bennett
Patriot
Jeff Mace is walking down a dark street at night when he suddenly hears a cry for help. Witnessing a kidnapping in progress he attempts to follow after the getaway car. Picking up a piece of paper dropped at the scene, Jeff gets a cab and gets it to follow the kidnapper’s car. The tail is spotted by one of the kidnappers who shoot out the taxi’s tires causing it to crash. Surviving the wreck, Jeff spots as the car pulls into an old house down the road.
Inside the house are a group of Nazi spies begin demanding the piece of paper from the man who they kidnapped but he refuses to talk. Jeff changes into the Patriot and attacks the Nazi kidnappers but they knock him out with a blow to the head with a wrench. Coming around later, the Patriot finds himself alive and unbound, and hears the spies trying to interrogate their captive in the other room. Unable to get the man to talk, the spies decide to kill him for his silence. The Patriot suddenly bursts into the room and knocks out all the spies. Untying their victim, the Patriot demands some answers. The man introduces himself as John Faracy an American counterspy who was gathering information about Nazi spies active in the United States for various government activities.
With the spies captured, the Patriot turns over the piece of paper that has the list of Nazi spies, and with the information, John turns over to the authorities a number of spy operations are taken out of commission.
Recurring Characters
Patriot
The Lamp Post Murder
As the Angel walks the street at night, another man is being stalked by a killer. The killer catches his victim in a lasso and chokes him to death, then ties his body to a nearby lamp post. The Angel sees this and changes into his costume but is too late to stop the killer from murdering his victim. When a police officer arrives at the scene, the death is dismissed as a suicide, but the Angel is not so certain.
The next day when the stories of Mr. Larkin's death make the front page his killer decides to continue with his plans. His next target is George Delvin of the city bank. Meanwhile, the Angel learns that Larkin was employed at City Bank from the police and decides to go there to search for clues. At that time, the killer arrives at the bank determined to murder George Delvin a teller at the bank. Approaching the teller booth, the killer attempts to strangle Delvin with his cane when the Angel arrives and attempts to stop him. However, the Angel is quickly struck down by the weighted cane belonging to the killer who manages to escape.
When the Angel comes around later he learns that the murderer succeeded in killing Delvin as well. The hero asks to speak with Mr. Sparks the bank president. In Sparks office the Angel learns that he only issue they ever had with an employee was when they fired a man named Edward Burk a few years back when he was caught embezzling money and was subsequently sentenced to 10 years in prison. However, he was recently paroled but Sparks maintains that Burk has reformed since being in prison.
As the Angel gets the address of Burk, he notices that there is a make-up smudge on his hand revealing that whoever the killer is, he was wearing a disguise. The Angel and Sparks pay a visit to Burk's apartment to ask him a few questions. There Burk tells them he is innocent and has gone straight. When the Angel hears that he has since become an actor and finds a make-up kit on his bureau, the Angel accuses him of the murder and attempts to detain him. However, Burk manages to break free and pulls a gun on the two other men and admits to the killings. Burk explains that he was murdering those whose testimony landed him in jail and Mr. Sparks was the next on his list.
When Burk attempts to shoot Mr. Sparks, he merely wings the elderly banker in the arm, leaving him open to a knock out punch from the Angel. With Sparks getting medical attention the police arrive to take Burk away as the Angel once more vanishes into the night.
Recurring Characters
Angel
