Daring Comics #11

Payment In Death

Namor and Betty are taking a trip on the Staten Island Ferry. While Betty is attempting to be romantic, Namor notices a couple named Ted and his fiancee Mimi. Ted appears troubled while Mimi is annoyed. When a trio of drunk sailors walk past the couple, Ted uses this distraction as an opportunity to jump overboard. Seeing this, Namor dives in after Ted and saves his life. Swimming to Staten Island ahead of the boat, Namor questions the man. He tells Namor that he jumped overboard to get away from a tall man in a black coat that has apparently been following him for days to the point where it broke his nerve. Suddenly, Ted points off to a nearby shed, saying his mysterious follower is there. However, when Namor goes to investigate, Ted runs away. When Namor realizes this he cannot find any trace of Ted.

Deciding to investigate this further, Namor swims back to the ferry and begins to question Mimi. She explains that she was shocked to find Ted on the boat because he had said he was working late, and that this is the first she had heard of a man following him. She explains that her husband-to-be has been jumpy ever since his business partner Dick Grover committed suicide. Namor then finds the newspaper that Ted had been reading and notes a classified ad that reads "'T' Communicate with 'A' 315 8th Street S.I." and deduces that it might have been a coded message for Ted. Namor then decides to swim back to Staten Island and go to that address.

At that moment at the 8th Street address, Ted is paying off a gang led by a man named Arnold. When Arnold demands more money to pay for his silence, Ted refuses to pay anymore money and decides that he will go to the police and face the music himself. When Arnold attempts to shoot Ted, Namor appears and knocks the gun out of Arnold's hands. As Namor battles the gang, Mimi appears and runs to Ted, only to be grabbed by Arnold who holds her hostage. Namor is soon knocked out by a blow to the head and the gang escapes with Mimi as their prisoner.

As Namor revives, Betty Dean arrives and the trio search the room for clues while Ted explains the whole situation. Two weeks prior, Ted had discovered that his business partner Dick Grover had been embezzling money from their company. Confronting him about the missing $7500, Dick admitted to stealing money and then pulled a gun on Ted. As the two struggle, Dick's gun went off killing him just as Arnold was entering the building. Taking advantage of the situation, Arnold made the death look like a suicide and then blackmailed Ted to keep his silence.

With Mimi's life at risk, Namor suggests that Arnold is likely looking for more money and tells Ted to put an ad in the paper. Sure enough, when they do, Arnold contacts Ted and demands that he pay another $25000 in an hour or Mimi will be killed. Ted goes to meet Arnold and his gang by boat while the Sub-Mariner follows in secret. When Ted is suddenly chloroformed, Namor dives out of the water and attacks. When the Sub-Mariner is seemingly knocked out by a rag of chloroform himself, the goons attempt to tie him up. Playing possum, Namor breaks free of his bonds and then chases after Arnold and Mimi who are escaping in a speedboat. When Namor calls Arnold's bluff he reveals that Mimi really shot Grover. Namor captures the pair and brings them back to short. There Mimi reveals that Grover threatened to revealed her shady past necessitating her to shoot him and then confesses to Ted she was only interested in marrying him for his money.

With the crooks turned over to the authorities, Namor returns to the sea telling Ted that he will get over his heartbreak soon and find a new girl.

Recurring Characters

• Sub-Mariner

• Betty Dean

The Stolen Republic

The Human Torch and Toro are spending time relaxing in the Central American town of Chorrea. The vacation is peaceful until one day they witness authorities shooting a man dead in the street. When Toro attempts to stop a second man from being arrested, the Torch tells him not to interfere with the local laws.

Later that day Toro disobeys Torch's rule to not use their powers, prompting the locals to talk and deduce their identities. They are visited by the Don Rodriquez, former ruler of Chorrea who explains that when his people voted him out, his successor, Ramirez, soon became influenced by an American from Chicago named Scarzi Bragg. Since Bragg's arrival the people had a heavy tax levied upon them and a state of corrupt martial law imposed on the people.

The Torch and Toro agree to help and flame on and fly back to the United States to investigate Bragg's background. In Chicago, the police commissioner explains that Scarzi Bragg was a notorious gambler, racketeer, and murderer who ran wild in the Chicago area, but disappeared before he could be arrested. Meanwhile, at his old hideout Scarzi's old gang is furious that he skipped town with all their loot, leaving them nothing. Soon they are visited by the Torch and Toro who offer them the chance to get revenge against their former boss and tell them where to find him, in Chorrea.

Returning to Chorrea, the Torch and Toro visit with Don at the location of the Chorrea underground. With a radio transmitter, the Torch demands that Ramirez appear on his balcony that night or face the destruction of his palace. Scarzi, hearing this, fears that the people will learn that he murdered Ramirez and begins to plot against the Torch. Sending a fake note from "Ramirez", Scarzi asks the Torch to come to the palace as "Ramirez" is "too ill" to address his public.

Going alone, the Torch meets with "Ramirez" and instantly realizes he is a phony. Before he can act, a trap door is opened and the Torch is wrapped up in a fire proof bag. Meanwhile, Toro has organized the members of Scarzi's gang and the Chorrea underground to attack the castle. However, the Chorrean army is too well armed, prompting Toro to flame on and light the palace on fire. As hse lights the building on fire, he finds the Torch and frees him. However, when thery chase Scarzi he locks himself in the palace safe, telling them he will not leave unless they agree to let him free with all the country's money. However, one of Scarzi's gang members has a stick of TNT which they use to bury Scarzi alive. With Scarzi removed and Rodriquez back in power, the Torch and Toro resume their vacation.

Recurring Characters

• Human Torch

• Toro

Floating Death

In the south pacific, an Australian coastal warship picks up a near dead sailor lost at sea. When the sailor is questioned in hospital, he insists that they were not sunk by a Japanese sub as their radar did not detect anything. With naval sweeps being unable to find anything, they seek the aid of the Destroyer to determine the cause of the ship sinking in the area.

The Destroyer is air dropped over an island controlled by the Japanese. When soldiers rush to the spot where he landed, they find that the hero had set up a dummy as a decoy and he gets the drop on them. Stealing a uniform, the Destroyer rushes to the docks where he finds a number of structures with high roofs. However before the hero can investigate his disguise fails and he is attacked by Japanese soldiers. However, despite his efforts the Destroyer is overpowered and taken prisoner.

The commanding officer takes the Destroyer into one of the enclosures and he is shown the Japanese plan: Inside there are submarines that have destroyed ships welded to them. The commanding officer explains that they set their subs out with their engines off to avoid detection and destroys the ships.

Then in order to mock the Destroyer, the commanding officer takes the hero out in their sub as they wait for a passing Allied ship. However the Destroyer breaks free of his bonds and fights off his captors. The Destroyer then raises the sub so that it is spotted by the ship. The sub is then incapacitated and the soldiers are turned over to the ship by the Destroyer.

Recurring Characters

• Destroyer

• Imperial Japan