Marvel Mystery Comics #11

Jul 26

Jul 26 Marvel Mystery Comics #11

Human Torch

In a slum area of New York the plague has run ramped. With the threat of infection spreading across the city, Dr. Stone insists that the buildings in the area be burned to the ground, however the property owner Frank Simmons refuses to do so as they still earn him a substantial amount of money. When the Human Torch comes to the scene in his facility as a police officer he agrees with Stone even though the act is technically illegal.

Furious, Simmons goes to his underworld friend Roddy Skeets who promises to uses his underworld influences to put pressure on the police to act against the Human Torch. Even though they have issue with attempting to stop one of their own, the commissioner orders some of his officers to put on asbestos suits and arm themselves with air cannons to stop the Torch from burning down the houses. They would attempt to stop the Torch, however he would seek refuge in a burning building and escape. Learning that the plague could possibly spread out of the neighborhood by Dr. Stone, the Torch then decides to quarantine the area by putting a circle of flame around it.

With the medicine needed to treat those infected with the plague out of reach, the Torch flies to the OMC Medical Hospital and convinces the doctors to help cure those stricken by the plague, and escorts them into the quarantine zone. Increased pressure from Roddy forces the police to send in airplanes to try and douse the flames around the quarantine zone, however the Torch destroys the planes, but not before making sure the pilots bail out.

Furious that his money paid to get rid of the Torch didn't work out, Simmons attempts to shoot Roddy but ironically succumbs to the plague and dies. Roddy soon finds that he himself is infected with the plague. Calling for help leads the Torch and Dr. Stone to come to his aid, but it is too late. Before he dies of the plague, Roddy warns the Torch for the head of the rackets, an individual named J.B.

This story is continued next issue....

Recurring Characters

Human Torch

Sub-Mariner

Continued from last issue...

After his first failed attempt to destroy Namor, Luther Robinson leads a team of men onto the Antarctic continent to try and storm the kingdom of Atlantis. They are confronted by an army of Atlantean warriors who slay all the attackers except for Robinson and one other, taking them prisoner. They are brought before the Emperor, however when Namor tries to attack Luther he is taken away.

Deciding to teach the American a lesson, Namor gets Droma's aid to attack their ship the "Colleen". Sneaking aboard, Namor and Dorma capture Lynn Harris -- Luther's lover -- and Namor sends Dorma to bring Lynn back to Atlantis. Namor is soon spotted by the ships guards and escapes by stealing one of their airplanes. Hiding it near the surface entrance to Atlantis, Namor goes back to the ship and sneaks aboard through the chain locker. Inside, Namor sets the explosives aboard to explode and escapes before the ship is sunk, killing it's entire crew.

Meanwhile, Dorma finds that Lynn could not handle the freezing cold of the antarctic waters and places her in a bed to recover. When Namor tells Luther that he has his woman hostage, Luther becomes more determined to escaping. Using a knife and his fellow prisoner using the sharp edge of his pocket watch, they both manages to chisel their way out of their icy prison and free Lynn. Escaping to the surface they find the hidden plane and use it to escape. As they fly away they are watched by Namor, who planned this all along, not wishing Luther to be executed after the Emperor finished interrogating him.

Recurring Characters

Sub-Mariner, Lady Dorma, Holy One, Princess Fen, Lynn Harris, Luther Robinson

Continuity Notes

Namor's origins here are only a brief narration, they have since been depicted many times from different perspectives, namely in Sub-Mariner Comics #32, Fantastic Four Annual #1, Sub-Mariner #1, and Saga of the Sub-Mariner #1 among others.

Masked Raider

In the town of Pwon Pass, the Masked Raider overhears a local chicken woman complain to the sheriff about how a man was prowling around her house, this in light of a series of unsolved robberies in the area. When the Masked Raider is spotted listening in, the sheriff attempts to capture him, but he escapes.

That night, the Raider shows up at the sheriffs house, however his steal is ruined by the barking of his guard dog. When the sheriff comes out, the Raider explains that he has come to offer his aid in solving the string of robberies. Recognizing the Raider, the sheriff agrees to let the masked hero search his house. The Raider finds a clue that tips him off on who the thief is after the sheriff tells him not even his dog alerted him of the theft. He gives the sheriff a plan to follow the next day and departs. Soon afterward, the Raider inspects the old lady's chicken coop and finds exactly what he's looking for and escapes before he can be found.

The next day, the Raider steals the sheriffs new hat in broad daylight, sending him and his deputies after the Raider. He then leaves it at the home of the chicken lady and sets a small fire in her coop. When the sheriff asks to inspect the fire the old lady refuses and threatens to shoot them for trespassing. The Raider arrives and shoots the rifle out of the old lady's hand. Inspecting the coop, they put out the small fire and find all the stolen loot, implicating the elderly chicken lady.

When she attempts to flee, the Raider catches her in his lasso and reveals that she is not really a woman at all -- but a man who had been posing as a chicken lady to cover up his thefts, solving the mystery.

Recurring Characters

Masked Raider, Lightning

Adventures of Ka-Zar the Great

Jan VanGelder, commissioner in charge of the Belgian Congo is shocked when ruthless game hunter Rajah Sarput has arrived in his office to inform him that he has purchased a track of land for the purposes of game hunting. VanGelder finds the paperwork in order, but warns Sarput not to hunt outside of the land that he owns.

Meanwhile, in his explorations of the western jungle, Ka-Zar would learn from a native of Rajah's game hunting and how he would also slay natives that he came across as well. Ka-Zar would become determined to stop Sarput and would hunt for him along with Zar and Trajah. The trio would come across Sarput as he is hunting a herd of elephants. Ordering the elephants to change direction, Ka-Zar then tries to stop the Rajah, but is shot and sent falling off a small cliff.

Angered that his "brother" has been injured, Zar attempts to attack Sarput and is shot as well. Finding that that mighty lion is still alive, Sarput orders his men to cage it, as he intends to let it heal so that he can hunt it at a later time. Meanwhile, Trajah finds Ka-Zar and brings him to a nearby lake to recover.

Later, an American hunter comes to Sarput and is impressed by the size of Zar and offers to purchase the large cat on behalf on an American zoo. When Sarput refuses to do so, the hunter hires some natives to help him steal the beast in the night. He succeeds which angers Sarput. Sarput then whips his slaves out of frustration and orders them to bring the creature back.

However, they are too late as the animal has been loaded aboard a cruise ship headed back to America. While it travels onward, nobody is aware that Ka-Zar has hitched a ride aboard the ship as well, determined to save his friend from his captors.

This story is continued next issue...

Recurring Characters

Ka-Zar, Zar, Rajah Sarput

Terry Vance

Terry Vance is at the local race track when one of the cars suddenly crashes. Investigating the crash site, Terry finds mercury on the track and wonders what it's doing there. On his way to take a look at the pictures his ape Dr. Watson took of the crash he runs into some men, and notices when one of them drops a vial of mercury. Finding this suspicious, Terry hides in their trunk, sending Dr. Watson off to collect their friend Deadline Dawson.

Hiding in the men's cellar, Vance listens in with his eavesdropping device and overhears how they fix the races with mercury so that they can win bets. Exploring the house, Terry finds a man named the Master Mechanic, a man whom the men force to work on their race car to ensure it's in top performance. Terry is soon caught and bound up in the house by the crooks while they go off to the races to fix another car.

Meanwhile, Dr. Watson goes to Deadline Dawson, who by looking up the license plate information on the car that Terry rode off in tracks the crooks house. There they free Terry who then sends both Watson and Dawson to stop the race while he instructs them via radio. Warning the effected drive to pull out of the race, he gets off the track before his wheels fall off. With the crooks apprehended, Terry finds traces of mercury in the cars tires, explaining that the metal would cause enough friction to snap the axles of the vehicles.

Recurring Characters

Terry Vance, Doctor Watson, Deadline Dawson

The Devils of the Mist

Continued from last issue..

Just barely avoiding the fall into a pool of lava, the Angel wonders how he will get out of the subterranean realm that he is trapped in. He is soon attacked by an army of giant ghouls who attempt to capture him. When they finally do, these monstrous giants suddenly stop for a number of hours, as if frozen, before bringing the unconscious Angel to their massive city and tossing him into a dungeon.

There he is revived by a woman who is dressed in clothing commonly found in ancient Greece. She tells the Angel that she has been a prisoner of the creatures for four thousand years. She explains that her people forced them into these caverns and trapped them many years ago, and that she cannot escape as exposure to the sun would cause her to die and decompose instantly. The woman decides to help the Angel to escape. Giving him a special flying costume supposedly worn by Mercury, she tells the Angel that the creatures will become immobilized for a number of hours if they exert themselves too much. When he refuses to leave without her, she assures him that she will find another means of escape.

As the Angel flies away he sees that she did: By walking into the ray of sunlight let in by the hole, ending her long life. The Angel battles with the creatures, causing an earthquake which buries the ghouls and closes the hole to the surface. The Angel escapes by flying through that hole just seconds before it's closed.

Recurring Characters

Angel

Electro

Badlwin Drake of the Drake Lumber Company is furious to hear his rival John Borden had won a government bid to purchase the lumber for sale in Burton County near Midvale and hires some criminals to set the woods ablaze. When John sees his lumber supply set on fire, he calls his old friend Professor Zog for assistance.

Zog, having just installed a new televisor into the head of his robot Electro agrees to come to John's aid. Flying to Midvale, Zog personally oversees the use of Eletro to put out the blaze. Seeing Electro, Baldwin orders his men to stop Zog and Borden. They attack the two and Borden is grazed with a bullet while Professor Zog is captured and left in the blazing inferno.

John revives and uses Electro to save Professor Zog and put out the blaze. Realizing who was responsible for the blaze, Zog and Borden send Electro to Drake's saw-mill. When the robot smashes through all the defenses, the crooks attempt to escape but are easily captured by Electro.