Trapped by the Trickster

Jeff Mason is teaching his class at the Lee School when he gets a telegram and dismisses his class. Rushing to the nearby hospital he visits with his old partner Fred Davis Jr., who is being discharged from the hospital after being shot. Still weak, Fred hopes to once more resume his role as Captain America's sidekick Bucky. Happily reunited, the pair leave the hospital and take a taxi, however the driver gasses them and they wake up in as prisoners of the Trickster. The Trickster has deduced that Fred is Captain America's sidekick and hopes to lure Cap into a trap while trying to rescue him. Unaware that Jeff is really Captain America, the Trickster releases him and orders him to contact Captain America and inform him of Bucky's plight.

Once outside, Jeff changes into Captain America and comes crashing in on the Trickster and his men. While the thugs keep Cap at bay, the Trickster activates the hydraulic lift that Fred is tied to. The Trickster then orders his men back and waits for Cap to get up and try to free his partner. The Trickster then pulls a gun, threatening to shoot them if they try to jump off. With Fred free and changed into his Bucky costume, Cap throws his shield at the crooks, disarming them and the pair easily trounce the Trickster and his gang and turn them over to the authorities.

The next day at the Lee School, Jeff Mace welcomes Fred back to class.

Recurring Characters

Captain America, Bucky, Trickster

Continuity Notes

• Per What If? #4 the appearances of Captain America and Bucky in these stories are attributed to Jeff Mace and Fred Davis, Jr.

• This is the final Timely Comics appearance of Bucky. The fate of Fred Davis in the role of Bucky is detailed in Captain America: Patriot #4.

• Bucky briefly returns as Cap’s sidekick since being replaced with Gold Girl in Captain America Comics #66, Golden Girl resumes her role of Cap’s regular sidekick after this story.

Terror Is Blind

At the Lee School, Jeff Mace bumps into the new Mr. Weston the new astronomy/physics teacher. He then begins to tell Weston the tragic story of the Dr. Teague, the teacher who held the position before him:

Some time earlier, Teague was developing a new more powerful telescope with the help of another teacher Jonathan Presto. Teague had becomes obsessed with completing his invention hoping to gain notoriety in science. However Jonathan soon began developing a romance with Teague's ward, Helen Bryant. Seeing this as a threat to his success Teague began trying to take up all of Jon's free time. When Helen began to protest, Teague then attempted to break up their romance by having his financial backer Quentin Foss romance Helen. When Jon caught Foss trying to romance Helen a fight broke out. Things turned potentially deadly when Foss pulled a sword hidden in his cane. However, Captain America intervened and broke the sword and forced the two men to make up.

Realizing what her guardian was up to, Helen accused Teague of putting his own wants ahead of the others. Going mad, Teague continued attempting to break Helen and Jon apart. He invited Jon over to a new test run of their telescope, and removed the filter so that Jon would be struck blind, hoping that Helen would not wish to marry a blind man. In the hospital, Jon is visited by Jeff Mace to whom he confides his fear that Helen will now marry Foss. Released from the hospital, the now blind Jon realized that Teague blinded him on purpose and confronts him. A fight breaks out, ending with Teague being knocked out under the telescope and the unfiltered cosmic rays streaming through and frying his brains. Having seen Jon rush into the science lab, Captain America follows after and finds Helen smashing the device to bits...

With his story finished, Jeff is asked by Mr. Weston what became of Jon and Helen. He is then introduced to them -- now happily married -- and informed that Jon now teaches blind children

Recurring Characters

Captain America

The Mark of Death

A man is walking home from a successful game of poker when he is suddenly jumped by a man hiding in an alley and murdered. When the police arrive on the scene the man tells the killer tells them that he acted in self defence. The officers then call in Detective Skip McCoy and his chief. When examining the crime scene evidence they found that the killer's finger prints were found on the back of the neck of the deceased. Skip then arrests the killer and after getting a confession explains that if he had fought him in self defence, there would have been fingerprints on the front of the body, not the back.

Recurring Characters

Detective Skip McCoy

Fate Fixed a Fight

The Witness watches the fate of boxer Dusty Mangler, who has been reduced to throwing matches for gambling money in order to continue his career. Ashamed of his career and upset that the amounts he is being paid to dive are dwindling, Dusty begins to fear for his future in boxing, despite the assurances of his agent. Deciding enough was enough, Dusty decided to go straight and get the championship.

Soon with bets placed against him, both he and his agent put away a good $50,000. Preparing to retire, Dusty gets into on final match on another boxer named Hunter. With 4 to 1 odds. Seeing this as a way to retire from boxing, Dusty begins to consider diving in the match and puts all his money on the fight. During the match, Dusty fights into the fourth round when suddenly Hunter takes a dive, much to his shock. When getting back into the dressing room, Dusty realizes that his manager -- concerned that Dusty was not training well before the fight -- paid Hunter to take a dive in order to win the bet. With both men now completely broke, Dusty laughs at the beautiful irony of their situation.

Recurring Characters

Witness