All-Select Comics #6

Aug 9

Aug 9 All-Select Comics #6

Yellow Claw And The Mole Men

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A war plant in the western United States is running its usual operations one day when suddenly the entire building collapses into the ground. After the disaster, the authorities are called in to investigate and the entire incident is dismissed as an accident because any other possibility is too fantastic to consider. Among the soldiers put on guard detail are Steve Rogers and James Barnes. James is not convinced that this was a mere freak accident and Steve is inclined to agree.

Nearby in a mine shaft an old man is panning for gold with his daughter when they are suddenly attacked by an army of Mole Men (Japanese men with large hands for digging) they take the old man's daughter prisoner but the old man flees to the surface. When he warns the military brass about the Mole Men below, they dismiss his warning as nothing more than the ranting of a crazy man. Steve and James hear this and decide that they should investigate as Captain America and Bucky. Confronting the old man, Cap and Bucky offer their help. The old man brings them down into his mine and to the location where his daughter was kidnapped.

Travelling through the underground tunnels, they are attacked by the Mole Man and taken prisoner. They are brought before the Mole Men's leader a Japanese agent calling himself Yellow Claw. While Captain America fights off the Mole Men and keeps the Yellow Claw's bullets deflected, the trio manage to rescue the old man's daughter and flee the scene.

Returning to the surface, Cap and Bucky resume their civilian guises and go to report the incident to their commanding officer. However, before they can the Yellow Claw and his Mole Men dig their way into the commanding officers quarters and attack. They gun down a soldier and take General Haywood hostage just as Steve and James arrive. Changing back into Captain America and Bucky, the two heroes follow the Mole Men's tunnel. At the end of the tunnel they overhear Yellow Claw demanding Haywood reveal the plans for a new tank being developed by the military. When Haywood refuses to talk, Cap and Bucky attack, however the trio are forced into an underground river to be dragged over a waterfall to their deaths. However, with quick thinking, Cap manages to save them by grabbing a nearby branch.

They rush back to Yellow Claw and his minions as they are preparing to set off an explosive in a dormant volcano in order to destroy the American base. Captain America and Bucky clash with Yellow Claw and his Mole Men, disarming the bomb. The battle ends when Cap and Bucky dodge the charging army sending Yellow Claw and his men falling down a deep chasm to their deaths.

Recurring Characters

Captain America
Bucky
General Haywood
Imperial Japan

The Merchant Of Death

At the Manfried Diamond Cutting Institute, a trio of guards are preparing the next shipment of diamonds, weary of the potential for a theft attempt. Outside, Luke Bowie and his men are planning to do just that. Posing as electricians, Bowie's men get inside and then obtain gas cylinder from an organ grinders monkey planted outside that brings it to their window. As everyone inside the institute is knocked out by the gas, Bowie's men steal the diamonds.

Noticing the gas from across the street the Human Torch and Toro rush after the crooks as they try to make their escape. As they are fighting the gang, Luke Bowie appears out of his car and opens fire with a machine gun. The Torch avoids getting gunned down by pushing one of Bowie's men into the line of fire. However, the crooks manage to get away when they knock out Toro, prompting the Torch to go to his aid. When one of the straggling thieves tries to get away, an officer shoots him dead, preventing Bowie and his men from getting away with the diamonds.

With their leads all one, the Torch and the recovered Toro flame on and try to find Bowies getaway car but fail to locate it. They return to the scene of the crime and see all the people who were murdered just so Bowie and his men could make their haul. The Torch and Toro then resume their search for Bowie's getaway car but have to stop when it begins getting too dark to search.

At their secret hideout, Bowie and his men begin planning their next heist at the Federal Reserve Bank. This time, Bowie intends to eliminate the Torch and Toro should they interfere with his plans again. The following day, the Torch and Toro get a call from an informant who tells them about Bowie's next bank job. Suspecting a trap, the two heroes head off to intercept the robbery anyway. Rushing into the bank during the robbery, the two heroes are doused with a gas that prevents them from flaming on and knocks them out. When the two come around they find themselves in the gangs hideout tied up with asbestos rope and placed in front of crates of TNT. Bowie then informs the heroes that while his gang is robbing the Federal Reserve, a lit fuse will burn away to their eventual demise.

Bowie and his men leave the Torch and Toro to die, however the two heroes stop the fuse by knocking a fire bucket on it and then free themselves from their ropes. The Torch and Toro then rush to the Federal Reserve where they attack Bowie's men in their armored car. As they attempt to flee the Torch and Toro they get into a fatal crash killing Bowie and his men before they could succeed in their robbery.

Recurring Characters

Human Torch
Toro

Master of Murders

Captain Suicide sends a radio message to the enemies of Japan warning them that they will face destruction at the hands of Japans mighty invisible robot bombs. However, in the middle of his radio address he is interrupted by one of his men who brings him a note from the Destroyer vowing that he will stop Captain Suicide's plans. While Captain Suicide orders the Destroyer's death, the hero has jumped a Japanese soldier and stolen his uniform so that he can infiltrate that lab of Professor Haruda where the apparent invisible robot bombs are being developed.

In the lab, Professor Hardua has just finished informing Captain Suicide that his attempts to create such a bomb have met with failure, prompting Captain Suicide to shoot the scientist dead. The Destroyer then rushes in and clashes with Captain Suicide. However, the Destroyer allows Suicide to escape to see what he is up to. He follows the commanding officer to a nearby airfield and attempts to board the zeppelin but is knocked out from behind and taken prisoner. Brought before Captain Suicide who takes him aboard the zeppelin as it heads toward the United States. Suicide reveals that the invisible robot bombs were not invented and that instead they will be detonating pre-placed bombs to give the illusion that the invention was a success.

The Destroyer breaks free from his bonds and knocks out Captain Suicide and flees into the balloon portion of the zeppelin. There, the Destroyer ignites the gasses that keep the craft afloat and knocks Captain Suicide into the flames. The Destroyer then abandons ship and parachutes back to the United States where he reveals the hoax of the invisible robot bombs. With this information the Untied States then sends bombers to attack the industrial heart of Japan.