All-Winners Comics #4

Aug 4

Aug 4 All-Winners Comics #4

The Terror of the Slimy Japs!

With America entering the war against Japan, Imperial Japan has sent Moppino a spy posing as the priest of the Sun Temple. Setting up in New York City, Moppino and his men capture Mr. Rawlins, the New York defense director and inventor of an atom expansion weapon. Stealing the weapon in the process, Moppino and his men run over Rawlins during an emergency blackout test, and make it appear to have been an accident. Investigating the scene is the Human Torch and his partner Toro, who are suspicious of Moppino. When they find a pool of blood in an alley hastily covered over with newspaper they realize the Moppino had murdered Rawlins. Spotting the Torch and Toro making this discovery, Moppino uses the atom expansion ray on the building across the street causing its upper levels to explode, burying the two heroes under a pile of rubble. Surviving, the two melt their way through the rubble and force their way into the Sun Temple bent on capturing Moppino.

Moppino has prepared for this eventuality by rigging a room with powerful fans and lining it with asbestos, putting out the heroes flames and trapping them. With the Torch and Toro out of the way, Moppino and his army of of spies go out into the city, mowing down police officers before using the atom expansion ray to destroy both the Statue of Liberty and Government Island.

Meanwhile, the Human Torch and Toro manage to break free from the trap by melting through the floor. Learning of Moppino's activities, the two heroes rush out and smash his operations, destroying all his copies of the atom expansion ray. Confronting Moppino himself in Batter Park, the spy attempts to flee aboard a sub out into the Atlantic. When a coast guard ship attempts to stop them form escaping it is sunk by a torpedo. Before the ship can totally sink, the Torch nabs a depth charge and tosses it down into the water. The explosion damages the Japanese sub forcing it to rise to the surface. The Torch and Toro then melt through it causing it to sink, drowning Moppino and his men.

Recurring Characters

Human Torch, Toro, Imperial Japan

The Sorcerer's Sinister Secret!

The soldiers of Camp Lehigh have been dispatched to an army camp in the far Pacific, including Private Steve Rogers and camp mascot James Barnes. With no duty that night, the soldiers are treated to a magic show put on by Mysto the Magician. The show turns sour when Mysto makes a high ranking colonel disappear. He then announces that he will not make the commanding officer appear and vanishes. Steve and James rush off to change into Captain America and Bucky and search backstage. There they only find the magician's cape and a mocking note telling whoever found it that they will never see the colonel alive again.

Checking the magician's dressing room they find only one of his bags with a return shipping label identifying that he lives in "Sorcerers Hollow" a supposedly haunted quarter that the natives stay away from. Rushing into the nearby town, Captain America and Bucky learn the location of Sorcerers Hollow from a reluctant native. There they find Mysto's mansion and find that it has seemingly been mystically protected with doors that suddenly disappear, and window shutters that burst into flame.

Sneaking in the back door, the two heroes are attacked by Mysto's assistant — a hunch back armed with a knife, beating him into submission. Elsewhere in the house, Mysto is about to torture the colonel with a hot iron in order to force him to reveal defense plans. Hearing the commotion, he sets apparent mystical defenses about the house while going to check to see what the commotion is. Spotting Captain America and Bucky he attempts to shoot the two heroes. They dodge the shots and land a few punches forcing Mysto to flee the scene.

Cap and Bucky track him to the room where he is torturing the colonel. Trying to foil the heroes in a room of mirrors he is easily knocked out by the two heroes. The colonel warns them that Mysto is a Japanese spy and that the Japanese army is plotting to attack their base. Knocking out Mysto's assistant and learning that Mysto's home was rigged with traps not mystical feats, they return to the base to warn the commanding officers of the coming air raid. Prepared for the attack, Captain America and Bucky lend a hand in taking down the Japanese attackers. With the invasion forced back, Mysto and his aid are captured and taken into military custody. Later back in their civilian guises, Steve and James are reamed out by Sgt. Duffy for not being on hand during the attack.

Recurring Characters

Captain America, Bucky, Sgt. Duffy, General Haywood, Imperial Japan

Crime On the Rampage

A new crime ring is loose on the city and the Whizzer has vowed to find their leader and crush the organization. He catches the leader Leet Brannis attempting to break into a jewelry store and gives chase. Despite his super-speed, the Whizzer fails to stop the crook from escaping when he flees into a building and uses an elevator to get away. Causing the elevator car to crash on the bottom floor of the building from the top, Leet escapes leaving the Whizzer to send the elevator operator to a hospital for medical attention.

Returning to his hideout at his pawnshop he gathers his minions for their big heist, sending some of his men to rob various jewelry stores; Brannis hopes it keeps the authorities busy while he and another group of his men rob a local theater. While the Whizzer is occupied stopping the crooks who are robbing jewels, Leet and his men succeed in their theater heist. Forcing one of the crooks to reveal Leet's plan, the Whizzer rushes to the theater catching the crooks just as they are attempting the leave the theater. He easily beats the crooks into submission, turning them over to the authorities before racing off into the night.

Recurring Characters

Whizzer

Sub-Mariner Combats the Sinister Horde!

A U-Boat is spotted off the Atlantic coast sinking all American vessels that venture too near it. When the Navy attempts to take down the mystery sub it manages to slip out of their grasp every time, leaving the military stumped. They then send out a call to the Sub-Mariner for assistance. Receiving the message in Atlantis, the weary Sub-Mariner decides to swim up to the United States and lend a hand.

While Namor is bickering with the Navy to allow him to operate alone, the sub is spotted sinking a ship off Montauk Point off Long Island when the sub is damaged and is forced to rise so its crew can repair the damages. Hearing this, the Sub-Mariner rushes from Washington D.C. to Montauk Point and follows the submarine. However a sudden storm causes the waters to become violent and Namor loses the sub near an island. Going to the island for shelter Namor spots a house and knocks on the door. Granted entrance to get shelter from the storm, he meets the owner of the house Dr. Felix Sak, a retired surgeon. When meeting in his office, Namor spots a gun in Sak's desk drawer. When Sak is called away for a telephone call, Namor decides to snoop around and finds a German Iron Cross in the desk and a switch. This switch opens a secret passageway.

Entering the passage, Namor finds a hidden basement with an elevator car that leads to a sub basement. There Namor is confronted by Sak and a bunch of strong men who subdue the Sub-Mariner. Sak reveals to the Sub-Mariner that he is a Nazi spy and shows him what is in the sub-basement: A secret underground U-Boat dock. He explains that German troops were sent to America years ago to learn and then returned home to Nazi Germany. With a complete education on how to sabotage America, Sak and his men set up operations on the island to sink American ships.

Breaking free, Namor knocks out the two strong men forcing Sak to flee up his elevator. Namor rushes into the shaft and yanks on the elevator cable sending the elevator crashing to the ground killing Sak. Rushing the Nazi soldiers, Namor flees the scene and returns to Brooklyn. There he alerts the military and warns the Navy of the location of the secret U-Boat base. The navy reacts quickly, destroying the base before the Nazis inside can flee.

Recurring Characters

Sub-Mariner, Nazis

Death To the Nazi Scourge

Hitler is furious that the Destroyer has still not been captured yet and puts Heinrich Bungler — AKA the Bungler — on the job to capture the masked vigilante. To this end, Bungler announces that he will behead Pastor Muller, a priest who has been vocally against Hitler's regime. Keen Marlow is in a diner when he overhears a trio of elderly Germans talking of Pastor Muller's upcoming execution and how they wish the Destroyer could rescue him. Deciding to do something, Keen changes into the Destroyer and leaves the men a note telling them that the Destroyer is on the case to help.

Rushing to the prison where Muller is being kept, the Destroyer attempts to scale the walls. He finds too late that the top of the barrier walls are lined with broken glass, slashing his hands open. Dropping back down, he is spotted by guards and a fight breaks out. Bungler arrives, ordering his men to beat the hero into submission but not to kill him. The Destroyer plays possum until Bungler gets close enough to grab. The Destroyer then forces the other Nazi soldiers to stand down, and Bungler passes out at the prospect of being shot. Unable to carry the unconscious commander with his damaged hands, the Destroyer flees.

With Nazi forces following after him, the Destroyer pays a visit to his fiancée Flora von Banger and has her bandage his hands. When the Nazis come pounding at her door, the Destroyer has her fill milk bottles with benzene. Fighting off the guards, the Destroyer then tosses the bottles of benzene at their armored cars causing them to go up in flames. With Flora's home compromised, the Destroyer takes her to an American hotel and tells her to get a room and wait for him to come back from his mission to rescue Mueller.

By this point, Bungler is whipping the pastor hoping he will crack and begin worshiping Hitler, but this does not work and at last Bungler prepares to behead the delinquent priest. Crossing over into the prison by tightrope walking across electrical wires, the Destroy fights his way to the chopping block. There he bests Bungler in battle and then puts him on the chopping block threatening to execute the Nazi commander. As he intended, Bungler is so frightened he faints and refrains from killing him much to the relief of the pastor who believes that only God has a right to kill. With the pastor rescued, the Destroyer takes him to refuge at the room that Flora has gotten for them.