Sub-Mariner Comics #29
The Mystery of Pirate Cove!
Corso Lenori and one of his men have come to Lafitte Island to make it their home base for modern piracy. However they are caught on the property by the land owner Colonel Carter who demands to know what they are doing on his island. Lenori makes it all sound like a misunderstanding when he suddenly pulls out a gun and shoots Carter dead.
Not far away, the Sub-Mariner and Namora are aboard a freighter trying to find out the location of the pirates hideout. Spotting the island and figuring it would be a good place as any the two Atlanteans dive into the water to investigate further. Swimming to shore they find Colonel Carter's daughter Susan and Old John the grounds keeper who have found the body of the Colonel. While Old John is suspicious of the death, Susan believes it was an accident. Namor and Namora cannot find any evidence of theft and are stumped. Overhearing this turn of events Corso Lenori decides that he will try and obtain the deed to the land on the island by romancing Susan Carter.
Weeks of searching, Sub-Mariner and Namora find no further cases of piracy and have become suspicious of Lenori who has been a frequent visitor coming to court Susan. Neither does Old John, and when Namor and Namora are called off to investigate a burning boat out at sea, possibly the work of pirates, Old John goes snooping in Lenori's car. Inside the glove box he finds a gun which raises his suspicion and a police bulletin that identifies Corso Lenori as a wanted criminal named Peppo La Rue for the crime of piracy in South America. Old John is caught by Corso who knocks him out from behind. Dragging the body away Lenori is caught by Susan who begins screaming. While not far away, Namor and Namora arrive at the burning boat and are ambushed by a trap set by Lenori and his men. They are knocked out and locked in the cargo hold of the ship to burn alive.
Namor and Namora manage to pull down a large cross beam and use it to ram through the locked door, freeing themselves. They then follow the pirates back trail to the Carter property. There they find the deed to Lafitte Island in the name of Colonel Carter and begin piecing things together. Swimming to the island they find that the pirates have set up operations there. There they overturn the boat and round up all the pirates. Inside the cabin, Lenori has Susan hostage, but Namor bursts in and makes short work of him. With the entire band of pirates captured they begin to piece together their plot, and are surprised to find that Old John had survived Lenori's earlier attack.
Recurring Characters
Sub-Mariner, Namora
The Deadly Game of Captain Black
One day on a private island the Sub-Mariner and Namora are taking time off crime fighting to enjoy themselves however Namor soon finds that his cousin has grown restless. She tells him that as a woman she feels the desire to go out for dinner and dancing. Namor decides that in order to cure her need they swim into New York and have a night on the town. Dressed in rental formal wear, the two go for dinner at New York's swankiest nightclub. There they are eyed by two mobsters who decide that the pair are ideal for their plans, figuring the two are worth millions.
One of the men approaches Namor and Namora and propositions them to join them on Captain Black's gambling ship which he promises will be more fun than the night club. Unaware of any danger, Namora agrees to go. Namor however is suspicious and agrees to go along to see what the deal is. The pair are brought aboard the ship where they are introduced to Captain Black. He leads them down below deck where he tells them there are gambling tables. However, the lights are soon doused and the two heroes are knocked out. When they come to they find themselves locked in a cabin. Captain Black informs them that he and his gang have been capturing wealthy people in the city and holding them for ransom.
When Namor tries to explain that they are not rich, the captain does not believe him. But Black makes the mistake of getting close enough for Namor to grab him by the beard and force him to release them. As he tries to break free the other prisoners, Captain Black begins to flood the lower decks of the ship and flees. This does not daunt Namor, who simply jumps out of a port hole and swims up the boat, and uses his massive strength to lift the ship in the air so it stops filling with water. Namor then carries it to shore and when Captain Black and his men attempt to flee the scene, Namora stops them.
Turning the gang over to the harbour patrol, Namor and Namora rush back to the night club and capture the two men who tricked them into going to the ship in the first place. The next day back on the island, Namora once more suggests that they go out some place and Namor responds by playfully face planting his cousin into the sand.
Recurring Characters
Sub-Mariner, Namora
The Flame That Wouldn't Die
Bull Gresham is released from prison after serving his time and is picked up by his girl Sally. Sally is hoping that Bull will now go straight, but Bull is determined to get back into the rackets again, especially after hearing that his rival Mordo has fill the void created by his incarceration. He goes to Mordo's place and confronts him there and demands to start up all his old rackets. Mordo warns Bull that times have changed and the public no longer stands his brand of crime, an neither does the new District Attorney Charley Vance. Mordo tells him that the "legal" rackets such as gambling will be tolerated in town and that Gresham is washed up. Furious, Bull easily trounces Mordo and pulls a gun on his men when they burst into the office. Mordo stops hostilities, telling Bull that they can talk about things the next day. However, when Bull Gresham leaves the office, Mordo tells his men that Bull is too dangerous to have as competition and that they have to wipe him out.
Meanwhile, Sally is having dinner with Charley Vance and expresses her concern over Bull as she believes that he has been working with Nick Mordo. Vance has been trying to bust Mordo with little success and agrees to help Sally out by calling in his old friend the Human Torch. After dinner Charley asks Sally if she will give up on Bull in favour of dating him, but Sally cannot bring herself to leave Bull. Later, after talking to Vance, the Human Torch and Sun Girl pay a visit to Bull Gresham and try to dissuade him from getting involved in the rackets again. Bull tries to bull them off, but suddenly a truck with a number of gun men pull up and begin shooting. Bull dives but is wounded and the Torch and Sun Girl swing into action, defeating the gunmen. In the aftermath of the battle, the Torch and Sun Girl realize that Bull Gresham fled in the excitement. However, they note that they can follow his bloody trail to see where he has gone.
Bull has walked all the way to the office of Nick Mordo and confronts him over the botched assassination attempt. However, as Bull gets off a fatal shot on Nick, he is also shot by his bodyguard as well. The Torch and Sun Girl arrive and take down the body guard. As he dies, Bull Gresham dying words that time does not change things and that those who live by the gun die by the gun. Sometime later, the Torch and Sun Girl are guests at the wedding of Sally and Charley Vance.
Recurring Characters
Human Torch, Toro
The Professor and the Mermaid
Betty Dean is on a vacation in the quiet fishing village of East Gloucester for some rest and relaxation. This suddenly changes when a new guest arrives at the hotel: Professor John Harris a marine biologist who has come to research sea life in the region. When Betty finds him cute she asks the owner of the inn about him and learns that the man is too heavily focused on his career to be sociable.
Betty finds out for herself when trying to strike up conversation with Harris on the beach the next day and he snubs her to go looking for fossils in cave. Betty has enough when John runs to her not to ask her out on a date, but to shower her some teeth he found in the water. Betty calls the Sub-Mariner and Namora to help her and when they arrive they begin working together on a plan to get John Harris to finally recognize Betty.
That night while John is out in the ocean on a boat, he catches Namora (disguised as a mermaid) in his net. When he is about to pull in this amazing discovery, Namor confronts him and demands that he release his mermaid. Namor frees the "mermaid" and tips over John's boat. When John tries to fight back, Namor knocks him out and tosses him in the boat and tows it back to shore.
When John is revived by some of the locals and Betty he tries to tell him about his amazing discovery but everyone disbelieves him and laughs at him... All except for Betty, whom John finally notices and agrees to go out on a date with.
Recurring Characters
Sub-Mariner, Namora, Betty Dean
