Captain America Comics #20
The Spawn of the Witch Queen
While Steve and Bucky are stationed in Egypt, Colonel Fitzpatrick is strangled. Cap and Bucky learn Fitzpatrick was studying the Tomb of the Witch Queen and the Book of Thoth, "the Bible of the ancient masters of black magic." Entering the tomb, Cap and Bucky are attacked by a giant snake. When Cap kills it, its death throes open a sealed room, containing the remnants of explorer Sir Gerald Thorton's second expedition. They find his diary that states that, in 1912, he and his expedition uncovered a mummified child, upon whom they performed rituals described by hieroglyphics and, a week later, found a living boy in the mummy's place that Sir Gerald adopted as his son Lawrence. A mummy-head apparition, identifying himself as the Witch Queen's son, warns Cap and Bucky to leave, but they continue to the inner tomb, where the masked Spawn of the Witch Queen and followers pray for the Witch Queen's revival. Spawn uses drugged smoke to incapacitate the two and prepares to entomb them as mummies, but Cap recovers. Unwrapping still-woozy Bucky, Cap rushes him outside, where Fitzpatrick's Egyptian servant Barbec and British officer Captain Tarleton have arrived.
Cap returns to the tomb, but Spawn catches him in a noose. Recovered, Bucky finds Cap hung and cuts him down, but Cap's enhanced neck muscles prevent strangulation. The two find the Book of Thoth but Spawn magically renders them immobile, then sets a crocodile on them. Barbec, revealed as a British intelligence agent, shoots the crocodile. The sound breaks the spell, and Cap burns the book, then punches out Spawn, unmasked as Tarleton, whom Barbec further identifies as the reborn mummy Lawrence Thornton. Spawn reverts to mummified form, but the gunfire reverberations cause the tomb to collapse. Cap and Bucky escape, but Barbec is crushed beneath falling stones, as are the Spawn's underlings.
Recurring Characters
Captain America, Bucky, Sgt. Duffy
Giants of the Deep
In the Atlantic Ocean, giant fish wreck and sink several merchantman ships, cutting off supply lines. Betty Dean recruits Namor, who accompanies an outgoing ship. A giant swordfish attacks, but Namor snaps off its bill and impales it. The dead fish is magnetically drawn to an underwater Nazi base, Namor right behind, discovering Professor Holz and his men. Namor attacks, but a Nazi immobilizes him with a gas gun. Holz releases his latest mutated fish, intending to destroy New York Harbor. Recovering, Namor uses the base's magnetic force to recall the fish. As the fish batter the base, Namor withdraws, leaving Holz and company to die when the flooded base explodes in a short circuit.
Recurring Characters
Sub-Mariner, Betty Dean, Nazis
The Case of the Killer Shylock
Charles "Cherry" Chewatt is the local loan shark who always hangs out at the Freetown candy shop to gorge on his favorite guilty pleasure: cherries. When the butcher Mr. White comes in to tell Chewatt that he cannot pay back his loan, Charles decides to deal with him like he deals with all his defaulting customers—orders his men to kill him. When Mr. White does not return home for dinner, his wife sends out their son Toddy to see what's keeping his father. Finding the butcher shop empty, Toddy goes into the candy store and asks around. When Charles tells the kid to scram or he'll end up like his father, the boy is thrown out.
Spotting Roddy Colt, Toddy asks the older boy what they can do, Roddy promises to help and returns moments later as the Secret Stamp. Returning to the White house, the Stamp learns about how Mr. White had borrowed from Chewatt because his business was not doing well. The next day, Roddy hangs out at the candy shop and witnesses an old woman begging Chewatt to forgive her son's inability to pay his debts; Chewatt gets angry enough to order his men to kill her. Roddy changes into the Secret Stamp in a phone booth, but the phone begins to ring. Chewatt's men begin trying to break into the booth, but the Stamp manages to call for help. When the authorities arrive to break up the fight, Chewatt manages to escape.
Chasing after the crook, the Secret Stamp loses him, and the police have nothing to go on because nobody will testify against him. Toddy then shows up and tells the Stamp that his father has been found alive at the city dump and is recovering at the hospital. Meeting with Mr. White, he gets the beaten man to agree to testify against Chewatt.
Returning to the candy store, the Stamp forces the counter man to reveal that Chewatt is hiding out at Moderne Garage. There the Secret Stamp fights Chewatt and his men and beats them all single handed. He tosses a note to a beat cop who is happening by and leaves the scene. Sometime later, Chewatt is convicted of his crimes and later Toddy tells Roddy that his father has fully recovered.
Recurring Characters
Secret Stamp
The Fiend That Was the Fakir
General Haywood leads his troop to India, which Japan is preparing to invade in conjunction with the Fakir's Gangee saboteurs. After receiving arms from the Japanese, the Fakir leads a raid on the army camp. The soldiers fight back, and Cap and Bucky join the fray. When Fakir attacks Cap, Cap pursues him but is led into the path of a Bengal tiger. While Cap fights and finally kills the tiger, the soldiers defeat the Gangees, but Bucky is concerned by Cap's absence. Picking up the Fakir's trail, Cap arrives at the Gangee stronghold and finds the Fakir within Kali's temple. The Gangees attack, overwhelming him. The Fakir binds Cap and, as Haywood's soldiers march into the hill country, leaves Cap to burn to death while he leads the Gangees into action. A rogue Gangee, siding with the USA, frees Cap, who hurries to the battlefield, dodging an elephant stampede. Cap and Fakir fight hand-to-hand, and Cap knocks his enemy down a ravine, where he is impaled on Bucky's bayonet. With their leader dead, the Gangees surrender.
Recurring Characters
Captain America, Bucky, Sgt. Duffy, General Haywood, Imperial Japan
The Case of The Clammy Things
In London, strange spindly "Things" abduct city officials. On leave, Cap and Bucky charge into action, but the "Things" overwhelm them. The two feign unconsciousness and are taken to the "Things'" creator, Dr. Destiny, who intends to conquer first London and then the world. Cap and Bucky escape, but the "Things" pursue, and at Bucky's suggestion, the two heroes take separate tunnels. Cap hears the "Things" capture Bucky and rushes back. While he fights the "Things," Destiny abducts Bucky, although Cap strikes Destiny's hand with his shield. Cap hurries to the surface and consults Dr. Jorlstead, brilliant scientist and acting mayor. Jorlstead and assistant Dr. Purvis accompany Cap to search the tunnels. When Cap separates from the others, Destiny shoots at him from a hidden passage, but Cap knocks him out and unmasks him as Purvis. Using the passage, Cap finds Destiny's lab, where the "Things" await. Since they only act under instructions, Cap realizes Purvis was not truly Destiny. He fights past the Things" to where Destiny holds Bucky. Destiny flees, then Jorlstead enters the lab and reveals where the missing officials are held. Cap, noticing his shield's mark on Jorlstead's wrist, realizes Jorlstead is Destiny. Cap knocks him sprawling and Destiny lands against electric cables which kill him. Cap and Bucky lead the officials to the surface.
Recurring Characters
Captain America, Bucky
