Blonde Phantom Comics #14

Horror at Haunted Castle!

1818: Doctor Frankenstein has succeeded in creating a monster. However, ill in health, Frankenstein suffers a heart attack and as he dies he puts a curse on his castle home, vowing that those who live in his castle will never know peace even as his soul shall never rest.

1947: Louise Grant gets a phone call from her employer Mark Mason to tell her that he has a case for the Blonde Phantom and that he needs her to report into the office early. Louise has no intention of making that order, as she herself is the Blonde Phantom. She changes into her costume and meets with Mark at his office. Mark takes Blonde Phantom to Castle Frankenstein, which has been transported to America brick-by-brick after being purchased by the wealthy Elmo Lane. As they approach, the sinister figure watches their arrival and vows to make them regret not heeding his warnings.

Meeting with Elmo Lang, Mark and the Blonde Phantom are told how Lang had began receiving warnings from a man calling himself Baron Frankenstein. Lang tells them that he has searched every inch of the castle, but has found no trace of the mystery man leaving the notes, yet they still appear. Hearing Elmo's daughter scream, Blonde Phantom races upstairs to her aid. Entering the girls room she catches Baron Frankenstein attempting to kidnap the girl. The creature tosses the captive girl at Blonde Phantom then suddenly disappears. When Mark and Elmo arrive, Blonde Phantom suggests that he may have escaped through a secret passage. As Elmo comforts his daughter, they ask him what the Baron could want. Lang believes him crazy, explaining that the creature is seeking out some treasure that is apparently hidden in the castle. Elmo believes this impossible as the castle was brought to America brick-by-brick and if there was a fortune hidden somewhere it surely would have been found in transport. When the Blonde Phantom asks for a map of the castle so she can search the secret passages, Elmo informs her that Baron Frankenstein had stolen the only copy. While down in the castle's dungeon, Baron Frankenstein stands before the tomb of his ancestor vowing that he will find the treasure hidden in the castle.

Later that night, as everyone is sleeping, Baron Frankenstein once more preys on Elmo's daughter in her bedroom. However, Blonde Phantom anticipated this move and once more confronts the monster. Blonde Phantom battles the monster, but it easily defeats her and takes both the Blonde Phantom and Elmo's daughter prisoner. He ties them up in the basement and demands to know where his family treasure has been hidden. However, as he questions the girl, Blonde Phantom uses the sharp edge of Frankenstein's tomb to cut her ropes and knocks out Baron Frankenstein with a chair. Untying her fellow prisoner, Blonde Phantom realizes where the gold is. She explains that Baron Frankenstein's ancestor asked to be cremated out of fear that someone would restore him to life. She then removes the lid to the tomb revealing the gold hidden inside. The Blonde Phantom then allows Baron Frankenstein to take the gold and leave, ending his threat to the Lang family.

Recurring Characters

• Blonde Phantom

• Mark Mason

Continuity Notes

• This story states that Doctor Victor Frankenstein died of a heart attack after he created his monster and that his castle was moved to America in modern times. This is not accurate at all. Much like in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, in the Marvel Universe Victor Frankenstein survived the creation of his monster and later died of pneumonia while following his monster to the North Pole as seen in Frankenstein #1-3. Castle Frankenstein has been depicted as still being in Switzerland in every other story that is derived from Frankenstein. In fact, Invaders #31 (which takes place in 1942) shows the castle still being in Switzerland. The people in this story are either mistaken or perhaps Victor Frankenstein was two-castle rich.

Death Drops the Curtain!

Miss America rushes to the police station to ask the chief of police if there is any crimes that have recently reported. He jokingly tells her that there is a murder scheduled at the Booth Theater, explaining that it is the primary plot to the play "The Missing Corpse" that has been showing there. Miss America takes the chiefs advice to take the night off and enjoy the show at the Booth Theater.

Changing to her civilian guise of Madeline Joyce, Miss America watches the first act of the play. To everyone's shock, during the murder scene the lead actress Vera Campbell realizes that she has actually shot her fellow actor Van Rogers to death with real bullets. As the play screeches to a halt Madeline changes into Miss America and goes down to question Vera, and call the police. When the chief of police arrives, he suggests that Vera willingly shot Van to death, but she denies it, telling them that she and Van were in love and about to be married.

Suspecting that there is more at work here, Miss America flies off to Van Rogers apartment to search for clues. Searching through Van's desk she finds a document that will identify the real killer. However before she can leave with it, the killer sneaks up behind her and knocks Miss America out and flees with the paper. Miss America comes around and finds that the killer turned on the gas in the apartment and manages to escape before it explodes. She rushes after the killer and captures him as he tries to drive away.

Meanwhile at the police station, the chief checks out the gun that Vera fired and finds that it is indeed loaded with blanks. Suddenly, Miss America bursts in with the killer: Paul Connors, the writer of "The Missing Corps". She turns over the letter that Paul tried to take, explaining that Paul was a jilted lover who threatened to kill Van if he and Vera were to continue their relationship. She goes on to explain that when Vera shot her blanks, Paul fired the real gun from his private viewing box, killing Van. Later, Vera thanks Miss America for her help, and Miss America suggests that she leave town until people forget what happened.

Recurring Characters

• Miss America

What the Blonde Phantom Fears Most

At the office of Mark Mason, Louise Grant notices her boss is deep in thought and asks him what he is thinking about. Mark's mind is once more focused on the Blonde Phantom and he tells Louise how fearless the costumed heroine is. He relates to her a number of stories: how she walked hand over hand along a rope at a great height without losing her nerve; investigated a haunted house without fear; stared down a killer who was pointing a gun at her; braved through a burning building on the brink of collapse; rescued a drowning man from a raging river; and looked through the swamps.

He muses that almost nothing strikes fear in the heart of the Blonde Phantom, nothing but ravenous autograph hunters.

Recurring Characters

• Blonde Phantom

• Mark Mason

The Brain Strikes Back!

Namora and Namor are spending an afternoon together. To pass the time, Namora challenges Namor to a swimming race to see who can reach Taboo Island first. Meanwhile at the secret hideout of the Brain and his gang and that they are busy planning to stage a robbery of a shipment of Ambergris being shipped by Captain Cole, hoping to reap a huge profit selling the stolen goods to the perfume industry. They then leave their base to take a boat to meet with another member of the gang known as the Knife.

On Taboo Island, Namora wins the race against Namor and they spot a house. Having believed Taboo Island to have been deserted, the pair decide to go for a closer look. There, the Namor spots a man feeding his parrot Polly, and recognizes him at the Knife. Namor attacks the Knife, easily dodging his blades and subduing him. But before he can do anything else, the Brain and his gang arrives and takes Namora at gun point. The Brain is about to eliminate the two heroes when one of his men announces that Ambergris shipment is on the way. They then tie up Namor and Namora deciding to eliminate them later and leave. Weakened from his time away from water, Namor manages to knock over Polly's stand, causing the birds water dish to spill on the hero, restoring his strength and allowing him to free himself and Namora.

The pair then rush out to Captain Cole's ship where they easily round up the Brain, the Knife and their men and turn them over to the authorities.

Recurring Characters

• Sub-Mariner

• Namora

Tune of Terror!

Mark Mason and the Blonde Phantom turn over a gang of crooks they recently busted, however this case did not earn Mark any money and he is forced to consider shutting down his detective agency until he can get some more paid work. Blonde Phantom departs and rushes back to Mark's office where she changes back into her civilian identity of Louise Grant. When Mason arrives, he tells Louise that he has to let her go because he cannot afford to pay her salary and wishes her luck finding new employment. As she leaves, a large goon pushes past her and enters Mark's office. Suspicious of what a bruiser like this could want from Mark, Louise decides to listen in on their conversation.

In the office the brute introduces himself as the Ox, he tells Mark that he would like to hire him to find a girl named Gloria Vance whom he was engaged to marry before he was sent to prison. He goes on to explain that since he got out of prison he has not been able to locate her. Overhearing that Gloria used to be a chorine at Broadway Place, Louise decides to lend a helping hand as the Blonde Phantom.

Later, Mark arrives at Broadway Place and asks to speak to dance director Mervyn Doy. When He asks Doy about Gloria, he tells Mason that Gloria is dead. When Mark starts pressing him for information, Doy has security toss him out on the street. Before the thugs can beat on Mark, Blonde Phantom comes to his aid, knocking them out. As she walks Mark home, he laments how he has reached a dead end in his case. However, the Blonde Phantom believes that she can help solve it for him.

The next day, as Louise Grant, Blonde Phantom manages to land a job as a chorus girl at the theater. There she gets friendly with one of the other dancers named Mamie Heart and convinces her that she is an old friend of Gloria Vance and asks where she might be able to find her. The girl believes the story and offers to give her the address. Louise then calls Mark Mason, telling him that she has a lead on the location of Gloria Vance. However, as she hangs up the phone she hears foot steps running away and realizes that someone was listening in on her conversation. She changes into the Blonde Phantom and rushes off to Gloria's house.

At Gloria's house, and hears gunshots from inside so the Blonde Phantom picks the lock. As she enters the house, she swiftly stops Gloria from trying to pistol whip her from behind the door. Tossing Gloria away, Blonde Phantom is shocked to find Mamie Heart dead. Gloria is about to shoot the Blonde Phantom when Mark and Ox suddenly show up. Her next shot goes wild when she realizes the Ox has tracked her down. When he tells her that he has been seeking her out, she tells him that she has married a rich man and has no interest in marrying him. She explains that she used her new found and wealth to silence her old friends so that Ox could never find her. Now that he had, she unloads her gun into him. Betrayed, the Ox then strangles her to death and then dies from his gunshot wounds.

The next day Louise is called back to her job, and Mark shows her a check written by Gloria's husband in thanks for showing him the error of marrying a shady woman, and tells her they are back in business.

Recurring Characters

• Blonde Phantom

• Mark Mason