Captain America Comics #9
The White Death
Steve Rogers and James Barnes are taking a stroll through the suburbs when they hear a scream coming from one of the houses. Rushing to the scene, they find a dead body in the house with a note warning them to not get involved. After calling the police to report the murder, Steve and Bucky return to base unaware that they were watched by a killer - a man garbed in a white cloak - the whole time. Later while reading the newspaper, Steve and James learn that the murdered man was the butler of Josiah Harrow, an eccentric millionaire. Realizing that there is something fishy going on, the duo change into Captain America and Bucky and sneak out of the camp at night.
Meanwhile, at the Harrow home, surviving members of Harrow's family meet to hear Josiah's will. Those there include Josiah's lawyer Matthew Clinton, his shady nephew Jim Slade, as well as his granddaughter Lucy and her husband Manuel Perez. Before the will can be read, they receive a telegram informing them that another relative Phillip Avery will be delayed. Soon after, Captain America and Bucky arrive and begin secretly searching around the mansion. They end up finding the body of Avery, discovering that he too was murdered. They find another note from the killer, who calls himself the White Death.
Hearing a scream from Lucy Harrow's room, the duo rushes to her rescue and catches the White Death just as he is attempting to carry the fainted woman out of a nearby window. As they explain to Lucy what is happening, Jim is tricked into waiting in the garden to learn the details of the will, only to become the White Death's next victim. Captain America and Bucky arrive and chase after the killer but he manages to get away.
When they hear commotion back inside the mansion they double back and find Clinton and Perez struggling to detail Josiah's brother, and accuse him of the murders. When the two heroes enter the house, Bucky is attacked by the White Death who attempts to stab the boy but is stopped by Captain America. When Cap knocks out the White Death, Clinton attempts to gun the hero down but Cap blocks the shots with his shield and easily takes down Clinton. Meanwhile, Bucky unmasks the White Death, revealing him to be Manuel Perez. They soon learn the two were in cahoots together to murder the Josiah's family members so that they could split the inheritance.
Recurring Characters
Captain America, Bucky
The Man Who Could Not Die
Tony Scarlatti, a local racketeer is working in his office one day when he is shocked by the arrival of Nick Pinto - a ruthless criminal who supposedly died in the electric chair thanks to Scarlatti squealing to the police. Pinto guns him down and leaves, but not before Tony manages to call the police and report that he was shot by the seemingly resurrected crook, shocking the authorities. Upon investigation, the police find no trace and the head detective on the case refuses to believe that the killer is Nick Pinto returned from the grave. However, the fact of Pinto's miraculous resurrection becomes hard to dismiss when he leads an entire gang of mobsters on a blazing trail of murderous robberies all over the city.
The crime spree attracts the attention of Captain America and Bucky after Betty Ross is kidnapped by the crooks. They track down Pinto to his hideout and easily defeat his gang and capture the crook. Despite the fact that he is once more headed for death row, the crook remains positive that he will cheat death a second time. When being interrogated on how he survived the chair, Pinto refuses to talk and is sent back to his cell to await his execution.
On the night of Pinto's execution, Steve Rogers and James Barnes decide to pay a visit to the prison as Captain America and Bucky. Following the execution, Pinto's seemingly dead body is brought to the morgue where the prison doctor revives Pinto using a machine. As it turns out, the doctor had devised a way to rig the voltage on the electric chair so that it only briefly stops the heart of those on it. Reviving the criminals shortly after, he would smuggle them out of the prison in the morgue car for a fee after revival.
However, the prison staff is wise this time around and when the doctor attempts to leave the prison, they attempt to stop and inspect his hearse. When they refuse to stop they are forced to crash and try to make a break for it. While the doctor is gunned down by the guards, Pinto manages to grab Betty Ross and hold her hostage. However when Captain America and Bucky back him into a corner, Pinto ditches Betty and attempts to flee. As he is scaling the fence, one of the guards activates its electricity, electrocuting Pinto to death.
Returning to base, Sgt. Duffy gives Steve and James trouble for being AWOL the night before and tosses them both into the guard house.
Recurring Characters
Captain America, Bucky, Betsy Ross, Sgt. Duffy
Death in the Alps
After a series of mysterious deaths of German scientists who fled Nazi Germany to Switzerland, Headline Hunter decides to go and get the story. Arriving in Switzerland he begins investigating the murders with the help with German scientist Von Grosser and the two stumble upon a plot by Nazi agents to eliminate those who defect from their country. Attacked in the Alps, Hunter defends himself, sending the Nazi agents plummeting off the side of a cliff to their deaths.
Recurring Characters
Headline Hunter, Nazis
The Case of the Black Talon
When visiting an art museum, Captain America and Bucky stumble upon a murder where a local artist is strangled to death and his murderer (a mysterious figure with a black hand) has painted a portrait of his victim's death. The killer attempts to strangle Bucky, however Cap stops him and the killer gets away. Returning to Camp Lehigh in their civilian guises, Steve and James are reamed out by Sgt. Duffy who puts them on painting detail.
Meanwhile, the killer - who calls himself the Black Talon - is preparing a painting of his next murder of another local artist. That night as the Black Talon goes after his target, Captain America and Bucky are patrolling the area looking for him. When they hear the targeted painter's screams they rush to his rescue. However they arrive too late, and have to clash with the Black Talon and his minions, and are easily over powered. Before Black Talon can personally strangle them to death, the police arrive prompting him to flee.
Curious about their Caucasian enemy's black hand, Captain America and Bucky decide to do research at the library to see what they can learn. As the Black Talon paints his next victim, Cap and Bucky's research points to an artist named Pascal Horta who was seriously injured in an automobile accident months earlier. Going to Horta's home, they find him hanging from a noose and believe him to be another victim of the Black Talon. The heroes are wrong, as Horta is really the Black Talon. While his minions attack the two heroes, Horta pulls himself from the trick noose and gets the drop on the heroes, knocking them out.
With Cap and Bucky bound, the Black Talon tells them that after the automobile accident his right hand was mangled so badly he could no longer paint. Refusing to get it amputated his doctor would suggest an emergency transplant. Agreeing, Horta would have his hand replaced with an African-American prisoner on death row named "Strangler" Burns. The operation was a success, however Horta began to believe that Burns' blood had tainted him and turned him evil after he began painting images of death, and soon used this as a rationalization to kill. As the Black Talon tells his tale, Cap uses the distraction to cut his bonds and attack their foe. During the fight, Captain America knocks the Black Talon out of the window and believes him dead. Freeing Bucky the two are chilled to the bone to find a portrait of their deaths that the Black Talon was working on prior to their capture.
The Black Talon meanwhile has survived and as he flees into the countryside he vows to get revenge against Captain America and Bucky.
Recurring Characters
Captain America, Bucky, Black Talon
Crime Goes to Press
Hurricane arrives in the town of Midvale, a town that is besieged by racket men. Deciding to deal with the issue he manages to land a job working for the Daily Star newspaper after he saves the editor from an attack from the gang.
When the mobsters target Hurricane, he uses his super-speed powers to easily defeats them. Demanding to know who their leader is, the mobsters don't know but believe that their employer is somehow connected to the Daily Star. Returning there, Hurricane is unaware that the mob leader is John Smithers, the paper's owner and he is plotting with his men to kill him.
This proves to be the mobsters undoing as they would be easily defeated at Hurricane's hands. When Smithers himself attempts to attack Hurricane, the hero steps aside and Smithers ends up falling to the printing press and his death. With the crime situation in Midvale cleaned up, Hurricane leaves the paper.
Recurring Characters
Hurricane
The Bombs of Doom
A scientist named Zarpo has invented a bomb that will explode when near a human body for more than five minutes. Thinking that this would be a benefit to the United States government, Zarpo brings his invention to government employee John Peters. Peters dismisses Zarpo as a crackpot inventor and kicks him out. Maddened by this rejection, Zarpo gathers a gang for the purpose of eliminating government officials with his bombs.
He plants one in the home of Peters, and after Peters ends a visit from his friend Larry Scott he is caught in its explosion. Hearing the blast, Scott changes into Father Time to investigate. Finding Peters dead and no clues as to who has done it, Father Time vows to avenge his friend's death.
Zarpo meanwhile decides to target other government officials as well and sends his men to plant a bomb in the home of Senator Rogers. Patrolling the area, Father Time spots the crook exiting Rogers home and stops him and tries to get answers. In a panic to get away from the bomb, the goon explains why he was there, prompting Father Time to rush into Rogers' home, however he is too late to stop it from killing Senator Rogers.
Catching up with the crook who planted the bomb, Father Time learns of Zarpo's plot and where he is hiding out. Dropping in on the crook, Father Time is initially overpowered and tied up and left with one of Zarpo's bombs. Father Time manages to break free before the bomb goes off and when Zarpo and his men check for remains he attacks them. During the fight, Father Time defeats Zarpo's remaining mob and Zarpo himself meets his end at the hands of his own invention, ending his threat.
Recurring Characters
Father Time
