Nick Peron

View Original

All-Winners Comics #9

Human Torch

Credits

When the entire city of Tudela, the home of a war factory, is set ablaze, the Human Torch and Toro are on hand to assist with the rescue effort. After pulling people out of the blazing inferno, the pair are told by the firefighters on the scene that they haven’t been able to fight the fire because the water lines have been tampered with. At that moment in a shack a man named Carl begs Bashon to not kill anymore people. However, Bashon refuses to give his friend peace because their work is far from finished. The factor in Tudela was the first in many targets that Bashon wants to attack.

By this time, the Human Torch and Toro are searching the wreckage of the city for clues when they overhear some people talking among the rubble. Going to look they discover strange looking ape-men examining aircraft from an undamaged section of the factory. Seeing these horror the Human Torch and Toro flame on and try to stop these creatures from stealing the planes. Frightened by the flames the gorilla men seek guidance from their master. That’s when Bashon comes out and signals the creatures escape. When the Torch and Toro flame off to give chase when Bashon attacks Toro. The Torch knocks out Bashon when he suddenly hears a scream. Flaming on and goes after to the source, scaring away one of the gorilla men. He finds Carl passed out in a chair and rushes to his aid. He then remembers that Toro was out somewhere fighting the apes. Putting the boy down, the Torch goes looking for him and finds his sidekick among the ruins. Learning that Toro suffered a blow to the head takes him back home to treat his injuries. That’s when the Torch remembers he forgot all about the boy in the ruins. Rushing back to the scene, the Torch rescues the boy and returns him to the home he shares with Toro.

Investigating Carl, military intelligence discovers that he worked in the gunpowder factory up until a few days before the explosion. The Torch demands answers and Carl explains that he was forced to do Bashon’s bidding. As it turns out Bashon is a Nazi operative who has created an army of prehistoric gorilla men to do his bidding. He has been attacking cities with war factories in order to steal their weapons and repurpose them into weapons for his unevolved armies to use. Learning the location of Bashon’s secret hideout, the Human Torch and Toro lead the military to this base. During the attack, the Torch and Toro get inside the base and discover the lab where he conducts his grisly experiments. They also find a chest full of gold and jewels that could finance the rebuilding of Tudela.

Returning the battle, the Human Torch and Toro help the military put an end to Bashon’s armies and slay their master as well, ending their threat.

Recurring Characters

Human Torch, Toro

Case of the Sinister Hun

At a Brazilian concentration camp for Nazi POWs Baron Widemouth and some of his men manage to break through the gate. However, only Widemouth manages to escape, the rest of the Nazi escapees are either gunned down or recaptured. One of the surviving Nazis who is taken back into custody decides to talk and tells the authorities that Widemouth intends to bomb the Panama Canal, prompting them to contact the American soldiers stationed there at once.

At the Canal, Steve Rogers and James Barnes are relaxing near the Canal when they spot a model airplane buzzing by. Deciding to let it go they are shocked to see it crash and explode, releasing Lewsite gas. Seeing signal lights being turned on to direct another plane, Steve and James rush off to warn their superiors. They arrive just as the commanding officer receives a teletype warning of Widemouth's plans and Rogers and Barnes are ordered to return to camp to await orders.

Instead the duo change into Captain America and Bucky and swing into action. Tracking down one of the signal lights, Captain America and Bucky attack knocking out some Nazi spies. Cap allows one of them to escape so that they can follow him to their leader. The spy notices that he is being followed and leads them to some other spies. When a fight breaks out, Captain America is too occupied fighting off the other spies that the one they are following tries to slip away. Bucky follows after him and is soon ambushed and taken prisoner by Baron Widemouth and his men.

Widemouth shows Bucky a larger model plane which he is about to launch against the Canal Zone Headquarters. Before they can, Bucky spots a nearby parachute and gets ready for action. Meanwhile, Captain America passes an anti-aircraft cannon whose operators have been takne down by Lewsite gas. At that moment, Widemouth launches the attack plane, and Bucky grabs on but finds no way to stop it. When Captain America spots the plane he is about to shoot it out of the sky when he notices Bucky is aboard it. He uses a spotlight to dash Bucky a message ordering him to jump. The young hero complies and Captain America blasts the model plane out of the sky.

The two heroes regroup and attack Baron Widemouth again, interrupting the preparation of another aircraft. During the struggle, Captain America tosses Widemouth into the pit where his explosives are kept. The sudden jarring causes the volatile explosives to go off killing Widemouth and ending his threat.

Recurring Characters

Captain America, Bucky, Nazis

Namor Cracks the Whip

The Sub-Mariner is swimming across the Mediterranean Sea and is heading for Crete Isle to lend a hand to the British gorilla forces that are fighting the Nazis there. Along the way he spots a British sub as it tracks and destroys a Nazi supply ship.

Continuing along he arrives on Crete and soon finds the Nazi camp. To his surprise he finds that they are busy preparing British bombers. He is soon confronted by the British gorillas and convinces them that he is on their side. Deciding to find out what the Nazis are up to, the Sub-Mariner sneaks into the enemy camp and captures one of the sentries and takes him back into the wilderness. There they force him to talk and learn that the Nazis are planning on using the stolen British planes to attack the Dardanelles in order to turn the Turkey against the Allied Forces.

Before the Sub-Mariner and the British soldiers can act they are surrounded by Nazi soldiers led by Colonel Brusch who takes the three men prisoner. They are kicked into a pit where the lack of water begins to weaken the Sub-Mariner to a dangerous level. Noticing that there is wet mud in the pit, the two British soldiers begin to dig until they hit water and toss the Sub-Mariner in. They quickly cover up the water and Namor plays possum when Brusch returns to pull them out of the pit and forces them to watch the launch of his sneak attack aboard a bomber.

Namor then quickly breaks free from his bonds and knocks out Brusch and his pilots. He then begins firing at the other bombers leading them into a chase. Quickly, the Sub-Mariner then crashes the bomber, abandoning ship at the right time. The resulting explosion destroys all the stolen bombers and wipes out the entire Nazi base. Namor finds the gorillas alive and hiding in the pit that was once their prison.

Pulling them out, Namor thanks them for their help and offers to bring back a message to Allied Forces before paying his leave.

Recurring Characters

Sub-Mariner, Nazis

The Flight From Peril

Out on the Berlin countryside, a hay wagon is stopped by a Nazi patrol led by Captain Krause who suspects that there are refugees hiding in the hay. His hunch is right and he pulls a woman named Gloria out of the hay and a man who is supposedly her father. Kraus then shoots the man piloting the wagon and then orders the man and woman to give over the plans that they stole and were trying to smuggle out of the country.

However when the cart begins racing a way, Kraus orders his men to investigate. Out from the hay comes a third occupant, the Destroyer, who mows down the approaching Nazis with a machine gun. Knocking Kraus out of his jeep, the Destroyer takes over the vehicle and orders Gloria and her "father" to get aboard, but the man is shot in the back by Kraus. As he dies, he hands the Destroyer the papers and tells him to help get Gloria to Britain with the stolen documents.

Kraus and his only surviving minion race off on a motorcycle to a nearby airfield where he demands his fighter planes to get ready and calls for Nazi forces along the way to try and stop the Destroyers progress. Smashing through a roadblock, the Destroyer and Gloria are soon shot at by a Luftwaffe fighter plane. With no other choice they crash the jeep and play dead, waiting for Kraus to arrive.

When Kraus lands the plane and begins inspecting their bodies, the Destroyer and Gloria swing into action, beating the the two Nazis into submission. With the Nazis knocked out they steal the plane and fly off heading towards Britain. When they are safely out of Nazi airspace, the Destroyer pays his leave and jumps out of the plane, declining Gloria's offer to accompany her to Britain, telling her that his help is needed fighting the Nazis in Germany.

Recurring Characters

Destroyer, Nazis

Continuity Notes

  • This appearance of the Destroyer is attributed to Kevin Marlow per Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A-Z #3.

The Whizzer

The military are testing a new super explosive shell developed by a prominent scientist named Mr. Gray. When the mortar cannon tries to fire the shell it explodes. This is the work of a Nazi sabetor who uses a shortwave radio to report his success. He and his master are speaking in code, using baking analogies to communicate with each other. As it happens, Robert Frank is listening to this strange conversation and decides to investigate. Changing into the Whizzler, the hero races to the military and checks the transmission call sign and learns that nobody was authorized to use it. He then races to Mr. Gray and warns them that the spies are planning to sabotage the next test. He assures the military brass that he can catch whoever is responsible and tells them to carry on.

Remembering that the spies were talking about a bakery in their transmissions, the Whizzer races across town searching each bakery for sign of the spies. At the last bakery, the Whizzer is looking around when the spy gets a call warning him that the Whizzer is on to them. The “baker” then strikes the Whizzer over the head with the phone receiver, knocking him out. While pretending to still be knocked out the Whizzer overhears the two spies reveal that they use baking goods to smuggle in the device they plant on the super explosive shell to cause them explode prematurely. REvealing that he was faking it, the hero quickly rounds up the spies working out of the bakery and rushes to the scene of the test and stop the last spy from sabotaging the test.

Recurring Characters

Whizzer, Nazis