Human Torch Comics #11

Aug 1

Aug 1 Human Torch Comics #11

Blackout for Doom

A special meeting of air raid wardens is called in New York City, and the Human Torch and Toro sit in. They learn that a mock air raid is being done to test out the effectiveness of air raid procedures using specially made dud ammunition created by the local weapons manufacturers. With the meeting ended, the Human Torch and Toro decide to lend a hand by offering their aid to the Ajax Company, one of the many arms dealers that are making dud weapons for the test.

At the Ajax Company the president meets with one of his employees to discuss the matter of the dud weapons and tells him that this is to be a secret of national security. Unknown to the president, the employee is really a Nazi spy who confers with his fellow spies within the weapons plant and they begin conspiring to replace the dud ammunition with live rounds instead.

The Human Torch and Toro are working on the job undercover, and they soon notice that some of the workers are replacing the boxes of duds with boxes of live rounds. When the Torch goes into action his flames threaten to set off the live rounds, forcing him to flame off to put out the fires he started. This leaves his guards down long enough or the spies to knock the Torch out. Toro joins the fight and comes to the Torch's rescue but the leader of the spies escapes.

The Torch chases after him and flies down a tunnel rigged to put out his flames. Knocked out with chloroform, the Torch is held hostage by the leader of the spies forcing Toro to stand down. Toro is then knocked out and both are stuffed into a crate and loaded into a truck carrying the explosives so that if they attempt to use their flames they will be blown up.

Realizing this, the Torch and Toro disassemble the crate they are in and find that it is on the floor of the flatbed and use their flame powers to melt out the bottom and escape the truck. They realize that they have been taken close to the Canadian boarder and that they are miles away from New York. They stop up the spies and when two of them attempt to toss a live bomb at the heroes they fly out of its path, causing it to blow up the Nazi leader.

Racing against time, The Torch and Toro find that all phones in the surrounding areas have been knocked out and rush to the next town where they call the military only to learn that the bombers have been launched on their test run. Flying to New York City as fast as they can, they write a message in flames in the sky warning the pilots that they are carrying live rounds, ending the test run before tragedy can strike.

Recurring Characters

Human Torch, Toro, Nazis

Mystery of the Blue Diamond

Professor Philo Baker has met with military officials to show off his newest invention: The Puff-Gun. On test runs it has the ability to make targets disintegrate into a puff of smoke. The successful test is seen by a Nazi spy who calls his leader, the Blue Diamond who plans to steal the device for the Nazis.

Later, Professor Baker calls for the Human Torch and Toro to come to him to report something to them in private. Meeting with the scientist they learn that his invention has been stolen. The Bakers explain that the only time they left their home was when they received a hoax telegram telling them that their son was in the hospital. Searching the apartment, the Torch finds a Dictaphone wire hidden in tha room and writes a message in flame telling Philo to agree with everything he says. He then makes up a story about how the Puff-Gun needs an infrared screen to operate and that it is hidden in a safety deposit box in the Merchants Bank.

This information is relayed to the Blue Diamond who falls for the trap. Toro goes after the spy in the other room but he flees. Before the Torch and Toro can capture him he is shot dead, but the two heroes capture his shooters so that they cannot tip off the Blue Diamond.

When the Blue Diamond and his men break into the bank and attempt to break open the safety deposit box, they are confronted by the Torch and Toro. During the course of the battle, the Blue Diamond manages to douse Toro's flame and uses the boy as a hostage to escape, having realized that the whole exercise was a trap.

Although Toro cannot burn the Blue Diamond through his fire proof cloak, he uses his free hand to send a flame signal that allows the Torch to track Toro back to the Blue Diamonds hideout. There, the Torch arrives to save his sidekick. The Blue Diamond attempts to eliminate the Torch with the Puff-Gun, but strikes the roof instead causing it to collapse on his head. As the house begins to burn to the ground, the Torch manages to recover Toro and take the Blue Diamond into custody. Toro manages to recover the Puff-Gun, undamaged from the wreckage from the house and it is returned to Professor Baker so that he can present it to the military officials in Washington.

Recurring Characters

Human Torch, Toro, Nazis

Continuity Notes

The Nazi Blue Diamond should not be confused with Elton Morrow, the heroic Blue Diamond who fought crime during World War II.

Hitler's Hoax

Adolf Hitler announces over the radio that his minion Herr Bull Neck has succeeded in mapping out the defense perimeter around New York Harbor, boasting that they will succeed in destroying New York City during their next strike.

This prompts the Sub-Mariner to go to the aid of the Navy to try and ferret out Bull Neck and his men before the information can be taken to the Nazis. Going out on patrol, the Sub-Mariner notices on of the sailors is acting shifty and is constantly going to one of the search lights on the patrol boat. Calling the man on it, he jumps overboard to avoid capture. When Namor finds him, he finds the man was wearing a weighted vest and had drowned in the water rather than face capture.

Suspicious of the spies interest in the search light, the Sub-Mariner finds that it has a hidden camera filming footage of the defenses around the harbor. The Sub-Mariner realizes that Hitler had made a hoax in order to allow his men to film the defense perimeter while they were reexamining it. The Sub-Mariner then decides to lead Bull Neck into a trap by leaving the footage there to be recovered, however Namor works on a surprise for them.

Noticing that he is being watched leaving the ship, the Sub-Mariner trails the spies back to Bull Neck's hideout and jumps on of the spies when they head to the ship to recover the film. When Bull Neck grabs the film, the Sub-Mariner reveals himself and attacks.

The spies knock Namor over the head and flee the scene to go and develop the stolen film. Namor follows after them to their hideout where he attacks the spies just as they realize the film has already been developed. Bull Neck flees the scene with the film aboard a speed boat, but Namor eventually follows after him. The trail leads to a Nazi U-Boat where Namor allows himself to be captured.

Bull Neck gloats over his victory over the hero, and he and the subs captain put on the film to look at the footage. Much to Bull Neck's horror it is not a film of the harbor defense, but a film reel of swimming lessons hosted by the Sub-Mariner himself. Angry at this failure, the sub captain executes Bull Neck. While this is happening Namor breaks free and subdues the crew then contacts the Navy to come and collect them, foiling the Nazi plot.