Captain America Comics #3
The Return of the Red Skull
Having survived his previous encounter with Captain America and Bucky, the Red Skull vows to get revenge on the two heroes and continue his reign of terror against the United States of America for the Nazi cause. To this end he targets Major Douglas who is guarding plans for a new power drill device that the military plans to develop. He murders Douglas and steals the plan. His actions alert the attention of Steve Rogers and Bucky who had just finished dropping off the plans and they arrive to find the Red Skull's calling card: a box containing a miniature red skull. Changing into Captain America and Bucky, the duo chase after the Skull but lose him when they are attacked by his goons.
The Red Skull soon develops a working model of the drill and uses it to terrorize New York City. Captain America and Bucky clash with the Red Skull at Wrigley Stadium, however the villain retreats when the authorities arrive on the scene. Meanwhile, a bunch of shady businessmen attempt to make some extra money by having two thugs dress up as Captain America and Bucky and charge people 10 cents to see them. When the real Steve Rogers and Bucky come across the two, they rough them up for being phonies. Later in their dressing room, the two posers are confronted by the Red Skull who presumes them to be the real Captain America and Bucky and takes them captive and has them hanged.
Meanwhile, the real Captain America and Bucky are out on patrol looking for the Red Skull. Realizing that the Skull must be using the subway as a hideout, the two track them down and clash with the Red Skull there. When the Red Skull attempts to escape in the drill he tosses a bomb at the two heroes. Cap picks up the bomb and throws it back at the Skull and he is killed in an explosion and the drill is destroyed.
Recurring Characters
Captain America, Bucky, Nazis, Red Skull, Sgt. Duffy
The Hunchback of Hollywood and the Movie Murder
American filmmaker Mark Carstine decides to make his next picture a medieval tale that is in reality an anti-Nazi picture using the backdrop as a metaphor for a democracy battling a dictatorship. Overheard by a Nazi sympathizer, the man disguises himself as the Hunchback and murders Carstine. Despite Carstine's murder, the film goes on and begins production near Camp Lehigh, recruiting the local soldiers as extras in the film -- including Steve Rogers and James Barnes.
Steve plays the role of a knight in a jousting scene which is abruptly ended when the other actor is killed by an arrow. Changing into Captain America and Bucky the two heroes catch up with the murderous archer but he is killed by another before he can reveal anything. Chasing after the killers accomplice they are attacked by the Hunchback before the set crumbles. Pulling themselves from the rubble they run into famous actor Craig Talbot who tells them that the Hunchback escaped in the direction of Goris Barloff's dressing room. Because Barloff, a popular horror movie actor, was made popular for playing the role of a hunch back he becomes the lead suspect even though he angrily denies anything to do with the murders on set. When the authorities attempt to arrest Barloff, his direct helps facilitate his escape.
Investigating things further as Captain America and Bucky, the two heroes catch the Hunchback attempting to strangle actress Marie Deterle. Saving her life, they chase the Hunchback to the prop castle that has been constructed on the set. Searching for him there, Captain America runs into Talbot who he correctly deduces is really the killer. Captain America easily defeats Talbot in a duel and turns him over to the authorities. To everyone's surprise they learn that Talbot was a member of a pro Nazi bund and was seeking to stop production on the film.
Recurring Characters
Captain America, Bucky, Sgt. Duffy
Traitor's Revenge
After Lou Haines is dishonorably discharged by Colonel Stevens, He attempts to kill the Colonel in his sleep. Captain America hears Haines and his two thugs outside of the Colonel's tent and intervenes with Bucky at his side. The two stop the attempted murder and tell the Colonel they slept through the ordeal when questioned the next day.
Recurring Characters
Captain America, Bucky
The Queer Case of the Murdering Butterfly and the Ancient Mummies
The local Egyptian museum is plagued by a series of robberies committed by a villain known as the Butterfly, who scoffs at the law and gloats over his successes. The press his daring robberies make attract the attention of Steve Rogers and James Barnes who decide to investigate the case further. Meanwhile, the museum is being delivered a new shipment of ancient Egyptian artifacts being overseen by Dr. Vitrioli who cautions the men moving them to be careful. Two of the following nights the Butterfly returns, each time killing the guard on duty and stealing a treasure on site.
When James Barnes goes on a field trip to the museum with his class he breaks off from the group to explore on his own and comes across a secret passageway where he finds the Butterfly's costume and the stolen loot. He runs into Lenny, Dr. Vitrioli's strong assistant and is knocked out and taken prisoner. When Bucky doesn't return to Camp Lehigh, Steve decides to investigate but gets no help. He decides to hide out in the museum until after it closes and explore as Captain America. That night Captain America clashes with both Lenny and the Butterfly in the museum. The battle ends when Cap causes the Butterfly to fall cracking open his head. As he dies, he is unmasked as Dr. Vitrioli and he tells Cap that Bucky is locked up in a sarcophagus in his secret room. Captain America hears the police as they enter the room, and dashes out to find Bucky. Bucky is still okay thanks to some air holes in the sarcophagus, and they change into their normal clothes and escape through a secret back door. Bucky laughs at Captain America for explaining to a passerby that he is a very nervous person and is glad the Butterfly was brought to justice.
Recurring Characters
Captain America, Bucky
Atlantis and the False King
Continued from last issue...
Tuk and Tanir have agreed to help Princess Eve free her kingdom of Atlantis from the evil rule of her uncle. However their arrival in the area does not go unnoticed as the kings Soothsayer has detected their presence through his crystal ball. The king confronts them as they enter the kingdom through a secret passage way and battles Tuk and Tanir. When the duo appear to be too strong for him he calls the guards to attack them.
However, when Princess Eve reveals herself to them they stand down and the evil king is taken off to the dungeon while Eve retakes her rightful role as ruler of Atlantis. She offers the two heroes to stay in her kingdom, however the decline telling her that they must travel onward to seek out the "island of the gods" known as Attilan.
Recurring Characters
Tuk, Tanir, Princess Eve
Satan and the Subway Disasters
Groton City is plagued by a series of lethal subway crashes attracting the attention of Hurricane who suspects that his nemesis Pluto is behind the disasters using some secret devilish device. Sure enough going to the scene of the most recent crash scene he overhears investigators as they recover a mysterious black box from the rubble of the wreck.
Spotting a crook fleeing the scene, Hurricane changes out of his civilian guise and follows after him. He trails the crook back to the hideout of Scarface Rispoli and learns that they are using specially constructed "death-boxes" to cause the wrecks so that they can rob all the people who are killed in the subway crashes. Although he is spotted, Hurricane easily rounds up all the crooks and learns from Scarface that the man who put them up to this scheme is staying in the penthouse at the Rexal Hotel.
After dumping off Scarface and his goons at the police station, Hurricane would rush off and confirm his suspicions: that the man who put Scarface up to the job was none other than Pluto himself. Before he can capture his old foe, Pluto knocks out Hurricane with some gas and rushes off to plant another black box of death along the subway. Hurricane revives and stops Pluto before he can put his plan into action, beating him into submission and throwing him off into the sky. Hurricane then decides that although his foe Pluto is defeated for the time being, there is still much that he can do on Earth.
Recurring Characters
Hurricane, Pluto
