Captain America Comics #42

Aug 1

Aug 1 Captain America Comics #42

Tojo's Terror Masters

Along the Russian-Manchukio border, Manchurian rebels witness as Japanese forces are moving to the south, making them suspicious. At the secret headquarters of Chinese gorillas, the commanding officer orders a spy named Tein Lin to investigate Japanese activity at the Hangchow waterfront. Meanwhile, at the Japanese headquarters in Hungchow, General Yokima learns that the rebels have learned of their plans and orders his men that the invasion of America must continued, but underground instead. Tein Lin learns of this and returns the information to his superiors who informs American military intelligence.

At American military intelligence the information is rushed directly to General Douglas MacArthur himself. Standing guard are Steve Rogers and James Barnes who overhear MacArthur's hopes of contacting Captain America and Bucky to see if they will volunteer for a mission to learn how the attack is being carried out. Changing into their costumes that night, Captain America pays a visit to General MacArthur in his quarters and tells him that he will venture into the Japanese occupied territory and learn what their insidious plan is.

They have an American sub take them just outside the shores of Tokyo where they swim to shore. There they are spotted by sentries who warn General Yokima of Captain America and Bucky's arrival. Yokima orders the two Americans to be taken alive and they are soon swarmed by Japanese soldiers. The two heroes put up a good fight, but are overpowered and taken prisoner. Held prisoner in Yokima's hideout, they are tortured in order to learn how much the Americans know about the escape plan. When Cap tells him that his government knows "everything", Yokima sees through the claim as a trick to get him to tell them of the plan. He then sends the pair off to be executed by firing squad.

Fighting their way loose and rush into Yokima's office. There they find the plans for a secretly built tunnel leading to America which the Japanese plan to launch an invasion using super-fast blimps. Arriving at the secret base, Cap and Bucky fight their way through the guards and learn that they are too late to stop the invasion fleet from departing for their destination. Getting the location of the tunnels exit, Cap and Bucky steal a plane and fly to Marcus Island, the halfway point where there is a supply hut. There they storm the guards and toss loads of TNT into the tunnel. The detonation destroy the tunnel killing Yokima and his men. With the invasion thwarted, Cap and Bucky head back to base.

Recurring Characters

Captain America, Bucky, Imperial Japan

The Spy-Master of the Third Reich

The Human Torch and Toro answer a call from Sam Gleason section chief of the FBI. Gleason tells the two flamings about how a spy has been photographing secret plans for a new rocket ship at the Carlsbad Plant. Flaming on, the two heroes fly to the Carlsbad Plant and begin staking it out.

Sure enough they spot a man sneaking around the property who quickly leaves. Following after him in secret but are spotted and blinded by a bright flashlight before they can jump the spy. With the spy having escaped, they find a note signed by a man named Lambert telling that he has the "goods" and to meet at his place.

As the Human Torch and Toro track down Lambert's home, Lambert returns there to a bunch of Nazi spies and warns them that the Human Torch is onto him. The Nazis are not worried, as they have prepared just the thing to deal with the Torch's interference. As the Torch and Toro arrive they flame off to sneak onto the property. They end up getting caught on a leg snare made of asbestos rope. With the two heroes trapped, the Nazi spies boast that they will steal the rest of the plans and then escape back to Germany. Left alone, the Torch and Toro flame on and use their fire powers to burn the tree that the rope is tied to, freeing themselves.

Rushing back to the Carlsbad Plant, they catch Lambert and the spies in the middle of stealing the rest of the plans and easily round them up and turn them over to the authorities. Later, the pair are thanked by the chief of the FBI.

Recurring Characters

Human Torch, Toro

Waters of Death

Steve Rogers and James Barnes are on guard duty when they spot a speeding car driving down the road. When its tire blows out, the two go to investigate and find the hysterical millionaire J.T. Fleming, who believes that someone is trying to kill him. He recounts how over the past few days that he had a number of near death experiences cementing the idea in his head. After helping Fleming change his flat, the two soldiers hear how he is planning a big party the following night and he worries that someone might kill him there.

After Fleming has left, Steve decides that they should pay the party a visit as Captain America and Bucky. The following night Cap and Bucky stake out the party and witness as Fleming invites his guests to swim in his in ground pool. The only one interested in swimming, Flemming suddenly screams in pain and sinks into the water. Captain America dives in and fetches the millionaire out and finds that he is dead. Finding a red blotch on Flemming's body, Cap dives into the water to search for something and quickly swims to shore in a hurry. Cap tells Bucky that he spotted a Man-Of-War in the water, explaining to him that the deadly creatures are nearly invisible in water.

Suspecting that someone deliberately put the creature there, they decide to wait in the shadows to see if anyone would come to fish the creature out. Sure enough someone does and confronts him. The man tosses the Man-Of-War back at them and flees into the night. Cap and Bucky follow after the murderer back to his home where they find the man keeps a number of marine animals. During the fight, the killer lunges at the heroes and accidentally throws himself into a fish tank containing a large octopus. Captain America shoots the creature dead and removes the man from the water.

Removing his face mask, the dying man explains that he is an ichthyologist who wanted revenge against Flemming for convincing a scientific institution to decline backing his experiments.

Recurring Characters

Captain America, Bucky

The Baron of Horror Castle

Steve and James are on KP duty peeling potatoes when Sgt. Duffy enters the room and tells them that some of the upper brass have been invited to have dinner with the eccentric man who lives at Horror Castle and the pair of them have been selected for guard duty. Steve explains to James that the Baron of Horror Castle refuses to modernize his home and lives as they did during the dark ages.

The following evening, Steve and Bucky join their superior officers in going to Horror Castle where they are greeted by its owner. While the senior officers eat dinner, the Baron informs them that their food has been drugged and they are knocked out. Outside the banquet hall, Steve and James look in on their commanding officers and are attacked by one of the Baron's men. The pair flee the scene and change into Captain America and Bucky. When the guard returns to the Baron to tell him of his failure, he is tossed into a pool filled with piranha's and is stripped to the bone. The Baron orders his men to capture the two escaped officers so that they can be brought to Germany along with their captured comrades.

Captain America and Bucky soon attack, but the Baron's men manage to get the better of them, knocking them out and tying them up. They are tossed into the pool of deadly fish and left to die, however Captain America manages to cut his bonds with a sword carelessly left on the edge of the pool. Cap then pulls himself and Bucky out. Rushing to the top of the castle, they force the Baron's plane to crash and recover the commanding officers finding them no worse for wear. The Baron's men survive as well, and counterattack. All are knocked out except for the Baron who attempts to toss a cannon ball at Cap, but loses his balance and falls off the ledge of the castle parapet to his death below. Changing back to their civilian guises and returning to base, Steve and James are caught by Sgt. Duffy who puts them on KP Duty again.