All-Select Comics #1

The Case of the Mystery of the Human Bats

Steve Rogers is on K.P. Duty when he James Barnes comes to him with a note delivered by the Axis agent known as the Vulture. It warns that he will kidnap Mayor Allen and warns that if Captain America should try to stop him, the star-spangled hero would be killed. When they are caught by Sgt. Duffy they are assigned to floor cleaning duty. Once finished his task, Steve and James change into Captain America and Bucky to go and watch the mayor.

Captain America and Bucky spend the entire night waiting in the lobby of the mayor's apartment building waiting for the Vulture. When it appears that he hasn't shown, they go up to the mayor's penthouse apartment and are shocked to find him missing from his bedroom. Soon the streets are littered with notes from the Vulture warning that Banker Benson will be next. Sure enough, Benson also goes missing from his apartment, seemingly vanishing from nowhere despite Captain America and Bucky being on guard.

When they attempt to guard the next target, General Cannon, Captain America is knocked out and the General kidnapped. Following the General's capture and while Captain America is recovering in hospital, the Vulture destroys four bridges, derails six trains, and destroyed a munitions plant.

Upon Captain America's release from the hospital, they examine General Cannon's tent and find a webbed footprint in the ground. They find it incredible that they are facing a foe that is able to fly. This time, when staking out the home of the next victim on the Vulture's list -- Commissioner Varner -- they watch from the rooftops. To their surprise they are attacked by a bat-winged man they easily fell. Taking him into custody, they realize that the prisoner cannot talk as his tongue has been cut out. They then force the captured man to lead them to the Vulture's hideout, however along the way he suddenly dies.

Deciding to go further, they search the area and find a cabin with screams coming from inside. Rushing in, they find the Vulture torturing one of his prisoners. The Vulture unleashes his army of Batmen on the hero. Cap fights back, but is forced to stop when they take Bucky hostage.

With their position compromised, the Vulture orders them all back to his aerie, a secret cave within a mountain that is impossible for a normal man to climb. There, the Vulture explains to Cap that there is no way down from the mountain unless by one of his Batmen and offers Captain America great riches and his life in exchange for ceasing his pursuit. Captain America refuses and before being put to death is told how the Vulture gained his powers: the Vulture explains that he created a serum that increased a man's strength 20 fold allowing him to fly under his own weight. With this he created his army of Batmen from unwilling test subjects. The serum would kill them after 24 hours without another injection, making his slaves loyal to him in order to continue living.

The Vulture then has Captain America and Bucky placed in a cage that is suspended over the aerie. However, Cap manages to grab the Batman that has been charged with locking him up and manages to remove his flying wings. Cap then uses them to glide down to the aerie and attack the Vulture. Easily knocking the foe out, Cap and Bucky then free his slaves. Injecting the captured officials and themselves with the flight serum they all flee the scene, destroying all means of making more of the serum so that the Vulture and his men die after 24 hours has elapsed.

Recurring Characters

• Captain America

• Bucky

• Sgt. Duffy

Corner The Clutching Claw

With thousands dying of food poisoning across the country, the Human Torch and Toro are called in to try and solve the mystery. They go to the FBI for more information and arrive just in time to obtain a radio broadcast from the Nazi spy known as the Claw who tells those listening that he will continue to poison Americas food supply. The FBI track the location of the radio broadcast and the Torch and Toro speed off to intercept the transmission.

They found an antenna that goes underground and melt through the soil to get to the Claw's secret hideout. There, the Claw and his men manage to escape from the Torch and Toro, knocking the two hero out and leave for Boulder Dam to poison the water supply and blow up the d,. When the FBI arrive on the scene they revive the two heroes and they race off to stop the Claw and his men. The Torch and Toro round up the Nazi spies in walls of flame, but the Claw manages to escape. The Torch goes after the Claw leaving Toro to wrap up the other crooks and disarm the bombs.

The Claw leads the Torch to another hideout where he tricks the hero into going into a room where he is bombarded gas that threatens to kill him. When Toro arrives shortly after, he too is tricked into entering the room. However, the two manage to stop the flow of gas when the Torch props his young sidekick up to block the gas vent.

The Torch and Toro flame on, and learning that Toro could not find all the bombs rush to the control room where the Claw sets off the explosives. The heroes flaming entry causes the roof to collapse on the claw killing him. The Torch and Toro rush to Boulder Dam and use their flame powers to plug the portion of the dam that has been blasted away, saving the dam from destruction and foiling the Claw's plot.

Recurring Characters

• Human Torch

• Toro

• Nazis

Blood Money

Ogor is a con-man who poses as a mystic and a medium and gives ill advice for exorbitant amounts of money. His most recent victim is a man named Tony whose son is ill due to an injury to his leg. Ogor tells him to do nothing, promising that his son will heal on his own. This con-job attracts the attention of Satan, who sends his minion the Black Widow to collect the fraudsters soul.

She arrives on Earth just as Tony comes back with a gun ready to shoot Ogor, telling the con man that due to his ill advice his son had to get his leg amputated. Ogor manages to knock out Tony and beats him to death with his cane and then flees his home with his ill gotten gain. Planning to leave the country, Ogor walks through the country side when he is confronted by the Black Widow. When she tells him why she has come, he attempts to flee her Widow's Touch, and suddenly suffers a fatal heart attack from fright. Before taking Ogor's soul to Hell, she uses her powers to restore the lost leg of Tony's son.

Recurring Characters

• Black Widow

• “Satan”

The Sub-Mariner Battles the Bloody Baron

The Tower of London is invaded by a gang of thugs who seek to steal the crown jewels, despite their efforts they are thwarted by the authorities and are taken to jail. British authorities are convinced that another attempt to steal the jewels will occur, and so the Sub-Mariner is called in to help. Namor suggests moving the jewels to Fort Knox in the United States for the duration of the war and agrees to accompany them on their voyage to insure that they arrive in the United States safely.

Unknown to the Sub-Mariner, his crew are all minions of the Bloody Baron, a German who pledges no allegiances to the Nazis who wishes to own the jewels as the first step in his personal goals to conquer the entire world for himself. Their first attempt to steal the jewels is thwarted, even though the thugs have captured Namor's friend a British reporter named Betty. Namor manages to free Betty and defeat the thieves.

When the thieves threaten to sink his ship by firing upon it with their own, Namor refuses to surrender. But he is soon ambushed and chloroformed and brought to Germany along with the jewels to face the Bloody Baron. Namor is tied up and the ship searched, but no trace of the jewels are found. Furious, the Bloody Baron orders Namor tortured, however he refuses to reveal where he hid the jewels. They make the mistake of splashing water in Namor's face restoring his strength.

When the Baron and his minions are distracted by a sudden fire on their docks, Namor uses the opportunity to break free and rescue Betty again. Namor then dives into the water and when the Baron's men fire a torpedo at him he tosses it back causing a massive explosion that buries them under tons of rock, killing them. The Sub-Mariner then takes back his ship and finishes his voyage to the United States unmolested, delivering the Royal Jewels to the British Ambassador upon arrival in the United States.

Recurring Characters

• Sub-Mariner

• Betty Dean