The House of the Laughing Death

The town of Plesantmere is rocked by a series of baffling deaths over at the Carlin Sanitarium where a number of patients had suddenly died laughing. The strange deaths are examined by police and medical authorities, and no cause of death can be found and no clues turned up. Later, as Steve Rogers reads the newspaper, he finds a personal ad requesting the aid of Captain America at the sanitarium. The ad is written by Dora Blaine, the daughter of James Blaine a wealthy man who went to the sanitarium for a rest from his stressful life. He and James Barnes decide to investigate as Captain America and Bucky.

Arriving on the property, they keep into the window of the head office and see the owner of the sanitarium accepting a sum of money from James Blaine's nephew to eliminate his uncle. Doubling back to the front door they officially announce themselves and are granted admission to see Dora Blaine by Miss Green the housemaid. Dora tells them that she fears for her fathers life, but he will not listen. She suspects that her cousin Arthur might try to kill her father due to the fact that he stands a chance to inherit half his fortune. Captain America and Bucky agree to stay the night and convince Dr. Carlin to allow them to stay, using an approaching storm as an excuse.

That night they peer out the window and witness two men carrying a coffin into the sanitarium. As they witness this, Bucky begins to laugh uncontrollably and Captain America soon notices that there are vents pumping their room full of laughing gas. With the gas slowly killing them, the two heroes just barely manage to make it out into the fresh air of the outside hallway. There they spot Arthur Blaine watching their room and chase after him. As they are pursuing him, Captain America is broadsided by a man in a cloak while Bucky tackles Arthur. The robed man manages to escape however.

They get Arthur to confess to trying to kill his uncle, but the man refuses to go down alone and accuses Dr. Carlin as an accomplice. Rushing to James Blaine's room, they find that he is missing and begin searching the house for him as well. Suddenly Dr. Carlin bursts in the room trying to stab the two heroes. However during the struggle a figure in the shadows fires a poison dart at Carlin. As he dies, he confesses that his brother -- an escaped convict from England -- had come here and forced him to assist for his murder for hire business.

Exploring the basement of the sanitarium, they confront the Silent Death just before he can kill Blaine with the laughing gas. A fight breaks out and the two heroes manage to stop the Silent Death, unmasking him they reveal the killer to be Mrs. Green. However, they remove her wig and discover why she had such manly features, she was really Dr. Carlin's brother James. Refusing to back to jail James stabs himself with one of his own poison darts and dies. With the danger over, Captain America and Bucky call the authorities and then leave into the night.

Recurring Characters

Captain America, Bucky

The Nazi Cleaver

When the Human Torch reads a newspaper story about a family who was poisoned by eating black market meat, he and Toro pay a visit to the FBI who tell them that there is a black market meat ring that is rampant in the Chicago area. The two flaming heroes decide to go and stop the practice and save lives.

The heroes first stop is the butcher shop that sold the tainted meat. There they learn that the butcher is forced to sell it by the rackets and he has no idea where it comes from. The Torch leaves Toro at the butcher shop to wait for the meat racketeers to return while he goes to the morgue. While the Torch is gone, the racketeers do show up and the butcher fingers them. Toro gives them chase, however their truck crashes and all aboard are killed, taking the heroes back to square one.

The two heroes trace it back to the Chicago slaughter houses and head there to investigate further. There Nazi spies led by Fritz Bruck spot the two flaming heroes approaching. Bruck pretends to be a concerned citizen who knows about the goings on and offers his aid in the Torch's investigation. He tells them that they have been unable to find the crooks responsible.

Suspicious of Fritz and his men, the Torch and Toro overhear them discussing their latest plans. They spring on the Nazis in their hideout, but Fritz manages to get away while the others are killed by an explosive set off by Fritz. With the explosive uncovering a hidden radio, the Torch poses as one of the Nazis to radio in and learn their plans. He finds out that they are shipping in more cattle to make into tainted meet at an abandoned rail yard.

Learning the rail yards location, the Torch and Toro arrive in time to round up the crooks and destroy the tainted cattle, while the Nazis are trampled by the frightened herd. With the battle over, the discovery of the abandoned rail yard gives the war effort much needed steel. When they realize it came at the cost of a family of six, Toro full understands the need to only buy government inspected meat.

Recurring Characters

Human Torch, Toro

The Curse of the Yellow Scourge

Military intelligence has just learned that an island of strategic importance, whose natives previously disallowed either American or Japanese forces on their land has suddenly allowed the Japanese to start building a base there.

In order to understand why, they end another military mission to try to talk to the natives. However, their witch doctor Tu-Ra-Bi-Ka accuses the Americans of bringing the "white death" that has killed many of the natives, and attributes it to white people. The soldiers are then taken prisoner to be executed later. When news reaches Steve Rogers and James Barnes, they go into action as Captain America and Bucky to rescue the captured soldiers.

Taking a P.T. Boat, they slip past Japanese defenses and scale the cliff face of the island to get onto the mainland. Upon their arrival they are attacked by the natives who fear them for the "white death". When Captain America and Bucky try to talk sense into them , Tu-Ra-Bi-Ka appears and the attacking natives suddenly drop dead. At the same time, something effects the two heroes causing them to pass out and be taken prisoner. They are brought before the chief of the natives where Captain America once more leads his case, pointing out that something effected him and Bucky as well. Before the chief can listen to this he is suddenly struck dead as well. Captain America and Bucky are then rushed and tossed into the cell with the other American prisoners to be burnt at the stake.

As they are planning to escape by rushing the guards that are surprised when one of the young natives is tossed in with them. They learn that he is the son of the chief and that Tu-Ra-Bi-Ka ordered him thrown in the cell with the soldiers when he refused to allow the boy to see the corpse of his father and began questioning why they were no longer allowed in the witch doctors hut. Bucky manages to convince the boy that there is no "white death" and he agrees to help them break out.

Only Cap and the native boy manage to break free, while Bucky and the other soldiers are all rounded up and brought to where they are going to be burnt at the stake. Entering Tu-Ra-Bi-Ka's hut they find Japanese soldiers inside with radio equipment, and knock them out. Also inside they find the real Tu-Ra-Bi-Ka who reveals that the man outside is a Japanese impostor. Captain America, the real Tu-Ra-Bi-Ka and the native boy all rush to where the sacrifice is taking place. When the real Tu-Ra-Bi-Ka approaches his people, Captain America is able to unmask the impostor and find gas canisters which sprayed lethal gas that killed the natives.

With the truth revealed, the young native boy avenges his fathers death by killing the Japanese impostor, and the rest of the Japanese forces are forced off the island. Later, Steve Rogers and James Barnes return to the island when the young chief allows the American military to build a base there. While they marvel over their success, the two are scolded by Sgt. Duffy for goldbricking.

Recurring Characters

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

The Saboteur of Death

Steve Rogers and James Barnes have been dispatched to Company B in the nation of Barabia. Following drills they narrowly avoid a booby trap explosion, one of the many attempts by Nazi forces to create tensions between the Allied Forces and the people of Barabia and incite war. Later that night, Steve is met by one of his superior officers who puts him on a secret mission.

This, Steve decides to complete as Captain America and wakes James up to assist him as Bucky. That night, the two heroes come across a fight between a Nazi spy and a pair of American ambassadors. The Nazi is beat into submission by the ambassador has been fatally poisoned. He warns them of a Nazi named Von Broot and hands them a document. Cap then delivers it to the American embassy where the lead official there tells him that Von Broot has been operating out of an abandoned sewer in his attempts to undermine relations between Barabia and the United Nations.

Searching the sewers, they find Von Broot's lair where he has his scientists extracting venom from poisonous snakes. Attacking, the two heroes force Von Broot to flee. In the course of the battle, the snakes are broken free from their cages, and attack the scientists as the two heroes follow after Von Broot. They lose the Nazi agent, but find that he's dropped a letter written by Adolf Hitler himself telling him to attack Allied ships that are heading for the mines they have placed in Barabia Harbor and will strike at 6:00 am that morning. Rushing to the coast, the two heroes find a sea-plane and use it to set off one of the sea mines alerting the American soldiers of the mine field they almost stumbled into. Returning to land, the two heroes reenter the sewers and track down Von Broot again.

They attack him and his remaining men before they can push down the plunger to a charge that would set off explosives planted under the American military base nearby. With Von Broot and his men incapacitated, Captain America and Bucky call the military authorities to take them away and are commended on a job well done.

Recurring Characters

Captain America, Bucky, Nazis