Captain America Comics #53

Aug 1

Aug 1 Captain America Comics #53

Robe of Evil

Captain America and Bucky are out looking to capture Hammer Reily and his gang who are wanted for a series of murders in the area. They spot the gang who put one of the men, named Snatch, on guard duty at their latest hideout. Spotting Captain America and Bucky, Snatch panics and flees the scene of the crime leaving his comrades to face the two heroes on their own. Busting in on the gang, Cap and Bucky easily defeat them but Hammer manages to escape to a nearby safe house. There he finds Snatch hiding out and beats him for being a coward and abandoning his post and throws him out into the rain. As Snatch runs into the rain, he vows to get back at Hammer for beating him.

Meanwhile, at a nearby costume shop, a father and his daughter purchase what they think is a replica of the legendary "Robe of Evil". As they park to find a place to eat, Snatch decides to rob their vehicle to see if there is anything he can make any money off of. Finding only the robe, Snatch believes that it is only a ragged cloak and puts it on for warmth. Suddenly he is endowed with magical powers and realizes that he is wearing the actual Robe of Evil. Spotted by a police officer who demands to know what is going on, Snatch easily murders the cop. Finding a safe place to hide out, Snatch realizes the power he has in his cloak and decides to become a super-powerful criminal and calls himself the Robe. He then goes to Hammer's hideout and uses his powers to force control over the gang, beating Hammer himself into submission.

While at the police station, Captain America and the police begin questioning the members of Hammer's gang that they captured earlier. They learn the location of the Hammer's safe house and head there. When the police storm the building, Cap and Bucky confront the Robe who easily defeats them. The Robe proves too powerful for them and the gang manages to escape once again. Safe once more, the Robe is granted leadership of the group and reveals his true identity to them. When Hammer begs for his life, the Robe kills him. Back at police headquarters, Cap compares notes with the police and wonders how the new leader of Hammer's gang was able to not be harmed after being shot a dozen times. Just then, the father and his daughter enter the police station to report the theft of his costume.

Realizing that it is the real robe of evil, Captain America and Bucky are told it's long and mysterious history: In 5000 BC it first surfaced in Egypt and used by a ruled named Hyskos who led a reign of terror until his death. It next resurfaced in 200 BC, worn by Peragamum the Ruthless. It was later found in France by a man named De Signy and worn until he was hung for his crimes. After hearing the story, Cap finds that the legends speak of no way to weaken the cloaks power. However, when Bucky complains about his eyes when Cap suddenly turns on a lamp, Cap realizes the solution to his problem.

While Captain America gets police across the country to begin tracking down the Robe, the Robe organizes a national crime cartel that goes on a murder spree across America. The authorities attempts to stop the Robe and find his hideout all fail until one day the Robe orders law enforcement to stand down or be destroyed utterly, offering a representative to come to his hideout to issue their surrender in 24 hours. Captain America and Bucky then return to the streets desperate to find the location of the Robe's hideout. Knocked out battling some of his men, Cap and Bucky are then taken to the Robe's castle hideout. When the time elapses and the police refuse to surrender, Captain America then attacks the Robe. Surprisingly, Captain America does not tire like in previous fights and the Robe -- outmatched -- attempts to escape by jumping out a window. Cap reaches for him and grabs only his cloak while the now powerless Snatch falls out the window to his death.

Soon, the Robe's criminal empire is dismantled and as Cap burns the Cloak of Evil, he reveals to Bucky that it's radiating light was what weakened them before, and that by fighting the Robe with his eyes closed, he was able to defeat their foe.

Recurring Characters

Captain America, Bucky

The Killer Who Died Twice

At the Harrison Steel Company, Mr. Walker is told by one of his employees, Steve Lars, that his co-partner Mr. Werner has apparently fallen into one of the vats of molten metal. Walker calls the Human Torch, convinced that his partner was murdered. Taking the case, the Torch and Toro rush to the factory. Arriving at the scene, they examine the area and find no splatters of metal that would indicate that Werner fell in. When they drain the metal from the large holding tank they find no remains either.

Suspecting something is up, the Torch and Toro leave only to return to follow Steve Lars home to see what he might have to do with the strange goings on. They follow Lars as he returns home and leaves with another man and returns to the mill. Following them they find that Lars and this other man are attempting to throw Walker into the vat of molten steel this time. Rushing to the rescue, the second man is knocked into the vat while Lars is captured. With his accomplice dead, Lars reveals that it was Mr. Werner, who had faked his death in order to kill Walker in order to obtain the shares of his company. As the Torch and Toro take Lars away, they muse over the irony that Werner met the horrible fate he had faked, and intended for his former partner.

Recurring Characters

Human Torch, Toro

Murder Etched in Stone

Captain America and Bucky are going through crime files at Inspector Grady's police station to keep themselves up to date with any interesting cases that are on going. Their research is interrupted when they get a call about a woman who wants a murder investigation. Cap and Bucky join the inspector to the home of a young woman who claims that if Ivan the Sculptor completes a sculpture of her father, he will die.

Deciding to look into this, Cap and Bucky are brought to Ivan's home at a Park Avenue apartment building. They are surprised when the door is answered by a group of savages and a fight breaks out. Subduing the savages, the girl leads Cap and Bucky into the studio of Ivan who is almost finished his sculpture. Demanding answers, they learn that anyone who Ivan has sculpted ends getting ill and dying by the time the sculpture is done. However, Ivan dismisses this claim and the natives refuse to allow him to stop either or their god Os-Os-Me-Lim will become angry. With no evidence of criminal activity, Cap and Bucky are forced to leave.

Going to Miss Drew's home, they learn that Ivan had done the same to other wealthy men recently making them ill until they paid him for his carvings and soon became well again. Talking to the Inspector they learn that all the victims from five years ago had refused to pay him for commissioned work and he killed them in the same method, but the courts could not prove it. They are soon alerted to noise up in Mr. Drew's room and rush up there and chase off some of Ivan's minions. Questioning Mr. Drew he weakly tells them that they did nothing but stand over him.

Rushing back to Ivan's apartment, Cap and Bucky are overpowered by Ivan's men and knocked out. When they revive they find themselves tied up and Ivan has just completed a bust of Captain America. Feeling himself getting weaker, Cap hallucinates a memory from his childhood where he shielded his eyes from the sun while swimming and suddenly finds the strength to break free. Freeing Bucky the two make short work of Ivan and his minions and round them up for the authorities. In police custody, Ivan admits to the killings telling them that use made specially crafted lightbulbs that used "Actinic Rays" to cause illness, and used voodoo as a cover before being taken away by the police.