Captain America Comics #44

Aug 1

Aug 1 Captain America Comics #44

The Prophet of Hate

In India, General Haywood meets with his troops and warn them that the apparent Prophet of Hate of Indian folklore has returned from the grave and has begun mobilizing followers to wage war against all Caucasians in the area and tells the troops to be on full alert. Back in their tent, Steve Rogers and James Barnes are confronted by Sgt. Duffy. Duffy shows them a letter from his girlfriend Flo who calls him a coward for not being more heroic in combat. He blames the two of them since he always has to chase after the pair whenever they go AWOL. He tells them that if he didn't have to babysit the two of them he could be as big a hero as Captain America. When James scoffs at this idea, Duffy storms off determined to prove it. Feeling partially to blame for Duffy's situation, Steve suggests that the two of them help Duffy redeem himself in the eyes of his beloved Flo.

Soon General Haywood is attacked by followers of the Prophet of Hate, prompting Steve and James to change into Captain America and Bucky. They save Haywood, sending most of the followers fleeing. When Cap and Bucky try to question one of the attackers who was left behind, the man kills himself with a knife.

Captain America and Bucky decide to investigate the claims about the prophets resurrection by checking his tomb. Putting on disguises, the two manage to sneak their way into the tomb of the Prophet of Hate. There they are unable to provide the password and end up having to fight their way into the tombs crypt. There they find the body of the Prophet on his altar when they are suddenly surrounded by his followers. To their surprise, the seemingly dead Prophet rises and orders his followers to throw the two heroes with their other prisoner. To show his power, the Prophet somehow manages to will one of his followers to die. Cap and Bucky put up a good fight but are overpowered. Tossed in a cell, they are surprised to see that the other prisoner is none other than Sgt. Duffy.

Captain America then climbs up on the heavy moulding of the door frame and uses it to jump one of the guards who comes in to take them before the Prophet and knocks him out. The trio flee, but run into the Prophet and all of his followers, resulting in a fight breaking out. During the battle, Duffy is knocked out when a vase topples over and hits him over the head. When Cap attempts to battle the Prophet, he begins to "will" him to die as well. However, Bucky notices that one of the Prophet's minions is using a bull roarer to strangle Cap and knocks him out. Cap then quickly knocks out the Prophet of Hate, revealing him as a Japanese spy. The gathered Indians take him into custody to deal with him. Reviving Duffy, Captain America tells him that he defeated the Prophet of Hate.

While Duffy is hailed as a hero and redeemed in the eyes of his girlfriend, when Steve and James return to base they are no spared any niceties and placed on K.P. duty for once more going AWOL with no explanation.

Recurring Characters

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

The Bandit Murder Gang

A group of bank robbers begin plotting their next heist of a bank. Later that night when two police officers hear an explosion coming from inside the bank they attempt to enter and investigate, but are gunned down in cold blood. Passing by, the Human Torch and Toro hear the shots and rush to the scene to investigate. They find no trace of the cop killers, but find that they somehow managed to blast the vault door off and robbed all the money from the bank. Back at their secret hideout, the leader of the gang tells his men to be ready for two other planned heists.

Returning to police headquarters, the Human Torch and Toro brief the chief of police when suddenly reports of two similar bank robberies are reported. Working on a hunch, the Torch takes Toro back to the first bank and examine the wreckage, Upon closer examination the Torch deduces that the vault door was blasted off from the inside out and that the robbers got into the vault by cutting through the floor. Going down the hole, they find themselves in a sewer tunnel and they begin following it unaware that they have been spotted by one of the gang members.

Overhearing them talking about their next heist of yet another bank, the Torch and Toro flame on and try to ambush the robbers, but find themselves caught in a glass contained filled with asbestos gum. With the gum threatening to crush them to death while it hardens, the leader of the mob explains their operation to the two heroes before leaving them to die while the rob the Farmers Exchange Bank. Left alone, the Torch notes that the asbestos gum is hardened by cold, so he flames on and uses his flames heat to cause the cold glass of their container to crack freeing them.

Chasing after the gang through the sewers, the Torch and Toro arrive just as the gang has placed an explosive into the bank vault. As the crooks flee, the Torch tosses a fire ball at them lighting a fuse that sets of the explosion, killing the entire gang. Later, the chief of police commends the Torch and Toro for a job well done.

Recurring Characters

Human Torch, Toro

The Graveyard of Ships

Steve Rogers and James Barnes take in a movie and watch a newsreel about the survivor of a marine ship that met disaster. The film features an interview between their old friend Betty Ross and the man, who says his vessel was caught up in seaweed and attacked by strange octopus creatures who forced the vessel to sink, killing the entire crew save for himself as he managed to get away.

Finding the mysterious case interesting, Steve decides they should lend a hand to Betty as Captain America and Bucky. They pay a visit to the East Shipping Company, the business who chartered the shipment. There they are surprised to find Betty working as a secretary. She insists that she is not Betty Ross and hands them a typewritten note asking them to meet her elsewhere. Cap and Bucky then leave, however they are too late to prevent blowing Betty's cover as men come to grab her. Despite Captain America and Bucky's attempts to stop their attackers, they manage to make off with Betty as their prisoner. Noticing that Betty and the owner of the company are gone, Cap questions one of their attackers who tells them that they are striking the Henry Morgan, the next vessel hired out by the East Shipping Company.

Rushing to the ship, Cap and Bucky sneak aboard by ducking into the cargo hold. There they find Betty and the owner of the company tied up. Untying them, Betty reveals the "cargo" is nothing but weighted crates and that she was hired to investigate insurance fraud on behalf of the company's insurance provider. At that moment, the owner of the company pulls out a gun, explaining that he was behind the whole plan and his "capture" was a ruse to eliminate Betty and anyone else who happened to find out about his plan without implicating himself.

Taking Betty hostage, the owner then ties the three of them below deck and releases the ships sea-cocks to flood the lower decks with water as the ship gets caught in a massive reef of sea weed. Cap manages to break free from his bonds and rescues his friends. Turning off the sea-cocks, they then warn the crew to pump the water of the vessel and chase after the owner of the shipping company.

On the deck, the ship is attacked by the Octopus creatures who Cap and Bucky fight against, and soon discover that they are really the shipping company owner and his men in disguise. Making short work of them, the owner explains that his men attacked from a nearby island and were able to walk across the seaweed to where the trapped ships were. With the plot exposed, the owner and his men surrender and are brought back to the United States to face justice for their crimes.

Recurring Characters

Captain America, Bucky, Betsy Ross

Midnight Means Murder

Lt. Jenson rushes back to Camp Lehigh, afraid for his life. As he scales the wall back into the base he is witnessed by Private Steve Rogers and James Barnes who are on guard duty. To their surprise, the soldier suddenly explodes. Changing into Captain America and Bucky, the pair jump over the wall and chase after the killers getaway car by motorcycle. Aboard the speeding car is the costumed terrorist known as Black Hand, who orders his men to abandon their car hoping that Captain America and Bucky will be killed when their motorcycle collides with their idling car. This plan ends in failure as Cap and Bucky manage to bail out of the bike before it crashes.

With the killers nowhere to be found, Cap and Bucky return to base where General Haywood explains that Jenson was a spy attempting to learn what Black Hand was up to. Haywood gives Cap the only remains of a note containing the number 31. Deducing that Black Hand is seeking to destroy the plans for the newly developed P-31 bomber, he and Bucky rush to the factory where it is being built. There they find that the building is ablaze, and while Bucky helps the workers get to safety, Cap goes to recover the only model of the plane and uses it to escape the inferno. Returning it to General Haywood, Cap is thanked for saving the design.

At his hideout, Black Hand is met by one of his minions who refuses to participate any further now that Captain America is involved. Black Hand allows him to leave, however when the man is outside, Black Hand uses his ray gun to cause his watch to explode killing him. Black Hand then begins planning another attack on the plant that is to begin building the P-31. When they attack, Steve and James abandon their guard posts to confront them as Captain America and Bucky. They catch the crooks attempting to push the clock forward so that the Black Hand's ray will effect it and cause it to explode. Battling the Black Hand, Captain America kicks his foe out a window where he falls to his death. Outside, Captain America unmasks the Black Hand. Later at military intelligence he tells General Haywood that Black Hand was none other than Gregory Smith, the owner of the company that was hired to build the planes in the first place.