Miss Fury #3 — Nick Peron

Aug 8

Aug 8 Miss Fury #3

Continued from last issue…

After saving the life of Bruno Beitz from a hanging, the locals accuse Marla Drake of being a spy as well and begin surrounding her. Thankfully, the gunshots have roused Bruno’s driver who begins opening fire on the mob with a machine gun, despite Bruno’s protests for him to stop. Thankfully, a massacre is avoided when a chance lightning strike hits a nearby tree causing it to topple toward the crowd making them disburse.

In the ensuing chaos, Bruno manages to break free from his bonds and recovers Marla, who had been knocked out in the confusion, and flees in his car. He is furious that his driver opened fire on the Brazillian mob as this could result in Brazil siding against the Nazis in the war. Hours later, Bruno arrives at his secret hideout which is located inside a mountain. Inside, Bruno is greeted by his loyal guard and Marla is locked in a cell. When she finally wakes up, Marla realizes her current predicament and blames her current plight on the the ceremonial costume of Miss Fury, which she blames for putting her in this situation. Elsewhere, Bruno is trying to figure out where he saw his captive in the past. He is interrupted when he is told that it is time for the latest briefing. He learns from Pepo Manero that the collective of Nazi and Japanese spies in the region they are now able to take over Brazil for the Axis powers.

While this briefing is going on, Marla uses a polished dish to be able to look around outside of her cell and realizes that she is in a secret Nazi base hidden in a mountain and that there is a huge stockpile of troops, tanks, and aircraft hidden within. That’s when Bruno enters the cell and recalls that he ran into this woman in America and demands to know what she is doing in Brazil. When Marla refuse to talk, Beitz releases Marla into the care of Pepe Manero to keep prisoner in his home until they have finished their coup of the country.

One back at his home, Pepe tries to romance Marla when he is attacked and shoved out a window by a freedom fighter named Era. Era recognizes Marla from the bloodshed earlier in the day and is furious to see the woman she thinks is responsible for the death of her countrymen. Thinking that Marla is a Nazi spy, Era takes her prisoner. Not far away is the camp where a resistance movement of guerrilla fighters are preparing to fend off the Nazi invasion of Brazil. Among them are Brooklyn native “Fingers” Martin and British fighter pilot Greg Hammond. The pair talk about their reasons for joining the resistance is interrupted when Era returns and they are immediately taken by the woman she has brought as a prisoner. Although Era insists that Marla Drake is a spy, Marla insists she is innocent. Smitten by the American woman, both Fingers and Greg can’t help but try to treat their prisoner with some hospitality, much to the chagrin of Era. Marla’s continues to earn Era’s ire when her love, Don Chico, arrives and is also smitten by Marla. After some arguing about treatment of the prisoner, they send for her belongings and then discussing strategy. Don Chico explains that he has gathered an army of men to join their resistance. However, as these are cowboys owned with bolos, Era is unhappy insisting they need the help of soldiers with guns. When Marla’s luggage arrives, Era is upset that there is so much. However, when Marla points out that she had packed a trousseau. Hearing that Marla is to be married relieves Era, who has become increasingly jealous of the new women, but her dislike returns when she learns that the Drake woman is no longer going to be getting married.

This antagonism continues the next morning as Era watches Marla go through her morning routine and mocks her for putting on so much makeup. That’s when Fingers comes rushing in telling Era that Greg left in their plane the night before and has just returned. He was shot up by the Nazi planes, but managed to escape with minimal wounds. With time running out, Era orders her troops to mobilize so they can attack the Nazis as they travel through the valley path. Although this may be a slaughter the troops comply. However, when Marla is ordered to be sent to town, nobody wants to take her and she is left to leave on her own. Before leaving, Don Chico kisses Marla, much to Era’s further anger, and tells her that she can use the car to drive into town. While loading her luggage into the car, Marla is unaware when a strange vial drops out of one of her bags and lands near the gas pedal. When she sits down she unknowingly breaks the vial and is shocked when all the metal components of the car and her luggage suddenly dissolve. Inspecting the wreckage she finds the vial recalls how she found these vials got into her possession while investigating the murder of Jan Novak in the United States. She remembers how a Nazi spy named Gruen Novak, Jan’s nephew, sought to reclaim the vials. Although she prevented Gruen from getting these vials she forgot that she still had them in her possession and that they were in the luggage she brought with her to Brazil.

Meanwhile, Era and her army meet up with a group of Brazil’s indigenous population who have also agreed to join her armies, adding their spears, arrows, and blow guns to the arsenal. Back at the rebel base Marla is going through her spilled clothing and comes across her leopard skin costume. Although her costume is allegedly cursed, she realizes that Era and her soldiers could use the vials of metal destroying dust to turn the tide of battle. As she changes into Miss Fury, Marla is confronted by a group of aboriginals looking for Era and her army. They are led by a man calling himself Albino Jo, who doesn’t point out that his allies are wrong when they mistake Miss Fury for Era. Gaining their trust, Miss Fury leads the natives to the place where Era and her men are going to ambush the Nazis. By this point, General Bruno and his men emerges from their hidden base and are ambushed in the valley by Era and her armies. Although they have the element of surprise, Era and her armies are outgunned by the Nazi tanks. That’s when Miss Fury and the natives arrive and begin pelting the Nazi soldiers with the metal eating dust. Eventually, ever tank and every gun (even those of the resistance fighters) is dissolved in the dust forcing both sides to engage in a massive brawl in the valley. With their weapons unaffected by the dust, the natives end up slaughtering the Nazi soldiers prompting General Bruno to order a retreat. However, his second in command — Colonel Barx — kicks Bruno down into the valley and leaves him to die, unaware that one of the other trapped soldiers shielded his commanding officer with his body. With the battle over, Miss Fury rushed back to the rebel camp and changes back into her civilian guise. when the others return, Era is not happy to see that her competition is still around and takes out her anger on Chico, and Fingers. Meanwhile, Greg takes up the plane to scout the area and is soon attacked by Nazi fighter planes. Although he blasts these planes out of the sky, the rebel base is bombed out.

At this moment, Colonel Barx is enjoying his ill gotten promotion when, surprisingly, General Bruno returns alive and well. He is furious that Colonel Marx ordered his men to leave the dead in the valley and has his troops recover the bodies so he can give them a proper burial. Fearing for his life, Colonel Marx attempts to shoot Bruno after the funeral, but the one-armed man is able to evade the bullet meant to kill him and strangles Colonel Barx to death. By this time, the Brazilian air force has been convinced that there are Nazis in the region and being searching the area. Bruno quickly orders his men to hide their base, and when the Brazilian air force finds nothing, they leave, dismissing the reports of a Nazi invasion as nothing more than a hoax. With the danger passed, General Bruno is determined to learn how the rebels obtained a metal eating substance and orders his men to prepare for another attack. Back at the rebel base, Greg lands his plane and discovers that everyone is alive and well despite the fact their home was bombed. Era meets with Albino Jo to learn what she can about the metal eating dust as well. However, all Albino Jo can tell her is that it was given to his people by a mystery woman in a leather print costume. Although Greg figures the natives know more about the dust than they are willing to tell, Era knows she will not be able to get them to reveal something they wish to keep secret.

Spotting Marla nearby gathering up her clothing, Era dismisses the woman as nothing more than a glamor girl that is wasting everyone’s time. She is unaware that Marla is frantically trying to find her Miss Fury costume before someone else finds it. That’s when she is approached by Albino Jo who hands her the costume and reveals that he knows exactly who she is, as he — as impossible as it sounds — used to live in New York City and knows all about the exploits of Miss Fury.