Captain America Comics #31
The Terror of the Green Mist
Adolf Hitler meets with Hermann Goering and Joseph Goebbels to express his displeasure with the progress in the Nazi war effort. Wanting better results he is taken outside where he is shown the Nazis next secret weapon, which impresses him so much he orders its immediate deployment.
Meanwhile, at Camp Lehigh, Steve Rogers and James Barnes are hard at work on the base garden but are yelled at by Sgt. Duffy for "goldbricking" on the job. The pair avoid too much trouble by running off in time for lunch. Their meal is interrupted when a Nazi plane suddenly passes over and drops a strange being made of moss out that parachutes to the ground. Soldiers blast the "man" to bits unleashing a strange green gas that does not seem to harm anything. Searching the remains, they find a letter written by Hitler himself warning the military that this is the beginning of the end of their democracy. Later that night as military intelligence mulls over this strange attack, Steve Rogers leaves his tent and is shocked to see an ever expanding mass of fungal growth swallowing up the farmland exposed to the green smoke. With the growth heading toward the camp, Steve manages to warn everyone and the camp is evacuated before the growth can overwhelm the soldiers.
Steve decides this incident requires the attention of Captain America and Bucky. The two heroes take a plane to California, where Cap deduces another attack is likely to take place. Their patrol of the air space spots a Nazi blimp flying over American air space and the two parachute from their plane and land aboard the blimp. Sneaking inside they find Fungi, a moss creature that is in command of the vessel and is ordering the Nazis on board to prepare for their next attack on Americas farmlands. Overhearing that they have just recently dropped more of their moss figures, Cap tells Bucky that they should wait to attack when he overhears Fungi order his men to return to the swamp where the mists are located so that they can destroy the source of their powerful weapon.
In order to pass the time as they fly into Germany, Captain America and Bucky attack a number of Nazis in one of the rooms aboard the ship and secretly hold them hostage. However, one of the soldiers manages to rip off an internal phone off the hook setting off an alarm that alerts Fungi and the other commanding officers of intruders aboard the ship. The two heroes are chased to the outside of the blimp where they are forced to jump ship and parachute to the ground below. Having been warned of potential danger posed by Captain America, Fungi orders his troops to land so that he can destroy the hero personally.
Meanwhile, Captain America and Bucky safely land and hop aboard a train heading in the direction of the mists. On the train they jump two Nazi officers and steal their uniforms in order to disguise themselves. Tricking the Nazis aboard the train they manage to ride to the next town without issue and witness a public address being made by Fungi. Stealing a Nazi car, they force one of the soldiers to reveal the location of the swamp where the mist is taken from. This news eventually makes its way to Fungi who wishes to lure Captain America into a trap.
When Captain America and Bucky arrive at the castle where the swamp gas is gathered, they are captured and tied up in the wine cellar. When Fungi comes to gloat, the two heroes make a break for freedom. Although Cap is injured, the two heroes get away, but Cap tells Bucky to stay behind while he deals with Fungi alone. During the fight, Captain America tears away what he thinks is Fungi's mask revealing a hideous abomination underneath. Captain America then slays the creature, smashing its gas synthesizing equipment in the process. With Fungi slain, the two heroes then force his minions to bring them home in a blimp. As they ride home, Captain America decides to spare Bucky the knowledge of Fungi's true nature.
Recurring Characters
Captain America, Bucky, Nazis (Adolf Hitler, Hermann Goring, Joseph Goebbles)
Murder!
Midnight at an military intelligence office ends in murder after the night janitor Gabby leaves and all the soldiers answering phones suddenly drop dead. The Human Torch and Toro are called in to assist in the investigation and they find that poisoned needles were placed in the ear pieces of the phones, causing the soldiers to die of a fatal poisoning whenever one answered the phones.
Learning that Kriss "Gabby" Lout was the last person to see the soldiers alive, the two flaming heroes pay a visit to his home to question him. They are greeted by his land lady Mrs. Fagan who tells the two heroes that Gabby ducked out on her in the middle of the night without paying the rent that he owed her. The land lady allows them to investigate the property, and they find poison and needles, enough evidence to prove that Gabby is a Nazi spy that was responsible for the deaths. However, they cannot find a clue as to where Gabby may have gone.
Leaving the boarding house, the Torch realizes that there is no way Mrs. Fagan could have known the exact time that Lout fled his home and deduces that "she" is really Lout in disguise. Returning to the house, the Torch pulls off "Fagan's" wig revealing his hunch to be correct. Lout flees into a secret doorway and the two heroes flame on to follow after him. However the inadvertently fly into a pit of water, dousing their flames and seemingly trapping them.
When Kriss leaves them alone the two manage to climb out of the pit and manage to stop Kriss and another spy from beginning their next plan: setting off a bomb within the White House, and turn them over to the authorities.
Recurring Characters
Human Torch, Toro
Let's Play Detective
Detective Mike Trapp exposes the janitor at Parks Arms as the killer of the Thompsons.
Recurring Characters
Mike Trapp
The Coughing Killer
A new Nazi commander dubbed the Coughing Killer has been sent to the United States to assist a group of spies in their sabotage schemes to under mind American morale. He orders them to prepare to attack their first target, an American movie star who promotes the purchase of war bonds. However, before they do so, the Coughing Killer slays one of his men whom he exposes as an FBI spy, seeming killing him with his cough.
When the Coughing Killer sneaks backstage of the bond rally, he kills the American actress promoting the sale of bonds. As he flees, he is spotted by Steve Rogers and James Barnes who are in the audience. Although the two soldiers manage to catch up to the Killer and turn him over to the authorities, later that night they hear over the radio that the killer managed to escape authorities and is still at large.
As Captain America and Bucky, the two heroes pay a visit to the police station where some of the Coughing Killers men are still imprisoned. They convince the officers to release one of the men so that they can trail him back to the Coughing Killer's hideout. There they knock out the spy and rush into the hideout to stop the Coughing Killer and his men. Cap and Bucky are overpowered and taken prisoner. After showing the two heroes his killer cough, the Cougher then has them locked in a safe where he plans to have the pair suffocate from lack of air.
With their air running out and the river directly above them, Captain America digs up through the ceiling of the cavern vault. Breaking free into the water, Cap and Bucky swim to the surface and come up near a ship building dock and realize that this is the Coughing Killer's next target. Rushing to the scene and prevent the Cougher from killing the admiral who is on site to christen a new ship. Chasing the Cougher onto a crane, Captain America battles it out. However, during the fight Bucky has the crane operator swing the hook sending the Cougher falling to his death. Examining his body, they learn that the Cougher's cough was not fatal at all, but he instead used poison blow darts to simulate his strange power.
Recurring Characters
Captain America, Bucky, Nazis
