The Statues of Doom

The Human Torch and Toro are invited to a party put on by sculptor Frank Portl, who also happens to be working on defense designs for the government. They are the first to arrive at the party and when they look for Portl, they think they find the sculptor slumped over his desk. Toro rushes to his aid with his flame powers on, causing what turns out to a wax statue to melt in his hands, leaving them to wonder where the artist is and if he is all right. When they search around, the Torch finds the body of Betty Rooge dead on the floor of the bathroom, drowned in the bathtub.

With the other guests having arrived, the Torch calls the police and orders nobody to leave earning the ire of the visiting Prince Von Scholsstein, who is an avid fan of Portl's work but refuses to stay and be questioned. When the coroner arrives to examine the body, they find the remains of a torn check in the hands of Rooge's body belonging the Prince making him a prime suspect. When the prince attempts to flee, the officers on the scene grab him and the Torch orders Toro to get Portl's butler. The butler tells them that he saw Von Scholsstein arguing with Rooge before the party leading to the officers attempting to arrest the prince. When the butler says that Portl hadn't left the house, the Torch notices that Toro is missing. Spotting wax on the butlers hand, the Torch rushes into the next room and frees Toro, who has been encased in a wax statue. When Toro revives he tells the Torch that while he was looking for the butler he came across partially finished sculptures with plans inside of them. As he was looking into things further he was clubbed over the head by someone from behind and encased in wax.

Realizing whoever attacked Toro couldn't have escaped from the room, they begin melting all the statues until the reveal Portl hiding in one. Portl claims to have been hiding the whole time as a joke to his guests and becomes distraught when he learns that Rooge is dead, as he had loved her. When everything is explained and the police are about to take the butler and Von Scholsstein into custody, the Torch finally pieces everything together and realizes the true killer is none other than Portl.

When Portl flees the scene, the Torch and Toro give him chase, tripping him up so he falls into a vat of wax. Hauling him out, they get a full confession: that Portl was selling sculptures with hidden plans to foreign powers, and that he murdered Rooge because she had found out. Von Scholsstein was an innocent victim when Rooge refused to sell him a sculpture with a hidden plan in it before she could contact the FBI. With the case solved Portl is taken away and the Torch commended for his detective work.

Recurring Characters

Human Torch, Toro

Fingers of Death

The Sub-Mariner arrives at the Great Lakes Naval Training Station, summoned by a high ranking Admiral to escort him as he inspects east coast defenses. As they are travelling there, the captain of the "Annie P." arrives in a panic telling the naval men on the coast that they and other fishing ships were attacked by a massive "super-submarine". While they consider this just a tall tale, they decide to investigate the claim anyway sending Destroyer #127 piloted by Captain Malcolm go to investigate. They do find the massive sub and they telegraph in confirmation before the ship and its entire crew vanish.

When the Sub-Mariner arrives nearby with the admiral and they are informed of the situation, Namor decides to dive into the ocean and search for this so-called super-sub. While aboard the vessel, Captain Malcolm is taken to the vessels leader Kommander Von Grubb, a former Nazi who demands that he reveal the location of mines located along the Hampton Road and Streams to the Potomac river so that they can get a clear path to the White House. Malcolm refuses to talk even when tortured, so Von Grubb orders his men to capture the captain's wife and child.

The Malcolms are captured right before the Sub-Mariner's eyes giving the hero a means to trace the location of the super-sub by following the motorboat carrying the Malcolms to its location. Sneaking aboard, the Sub-Mariner attacks the men who have Malcolm's wife and son prisoner and the boy, Peter, manages to break free and flee. Peter manages to find the chamber where his father is being held and is caught by Von Grubb who threatens to torture the lad if Malcolm does not talk. The Sub-Mariner arrives shortly thereafter and fights off Von Grubb and his men and frees both Peter and his father.

As they flee down a corridor, Von Grubb smashes through a window from the outside and throws Namor into the water, leaving the hero to wrestle with the sub's tentacles. Namor ties them up and tries to get back into the ship but finds himself trapped in the air lock. Von Grubb and his men order Namor to surrender, but the Sub-Mariner smashes through the main door instead. By this time, Malcolm has freed his captured men and they storm Von Grubb and his minions while they are distracted. Von Grubb and his crew are easily subdued and the super-sub is brought back to port and taken into military custody. There, the admiral jokingly tells Namor he is to be disciplined for going AWOL and thanks him on a job well done.

Recurring Characters

Sub-Mariner

The Secret of the Sharks

A secret gas attack is launched against military operations on the port of Santa Cruz. The attack brings the Vision to the location and he uses his powers to create a mist that lowers the poison gas and renders it harmless. Finding a woman had been knocked out by the gas, the Vision revives her and learns that she is Leila, a US Counter-Espionage agent.

The two decide to work together to learn the origin of the attacks and take a motorboat out into the waters. Their search is fruitless at first until they spot a shark fin in an area where sharks don't usually go. It is really a two-man Japanese sub that is disguised as a shark and the Vision attacks it, breaking into the vessel and knocking out its crew. Taking Leila aboard, they follow the soldiers' maps back to a massive sub where they are stationed.

There they attack the Japanese crew and knock them out. Escaping back out into one of the shark subs, they use its torpedoes to sink the vessel, killing all aboard. With their mission over the Vision bids Leila farewell, telling her they may meet again should his presence be needed.

Recurring Characters

Vision, Imperial Japan

In the Land of the Fun People

Continued from last issue...

Jimmy Jupiter has been spending the day having ice cream with the Candy People who are thankful to him for saving them from the Gloomy Gusses. They introduce him to Captain Cookie, a famous explorer who asks the boy if he'd like to join him on a journey. Jimmy is more than happy and soon they set sail aboard the ship. They first land in the land of the China People in a place called Tea Land. At first they are not welcomed as they are strangers, but when Jimmy saves a young girl from the "Bull in a China Shop", they are welcomed with open arms. At a banquet, Jimmy is given a dog called a Likker Snik that only eats licorice whom he names Fido before they leave.

They are soon caught in a storm and are lost at sea for many days. With their food supply running low, they son find an island to pull up to and forage for food. They are attacked by the savage Licorice Men, who take Captain Cookie and his crew hostage as they are candy-cannibals, leaving Jimmy to fend for himself. Getting Fido from the ship, Jimmy goes to the Licorice Men's village and unleashes his pet who eats them all, saving Cookie and his crew.

Eventually finding their way back to the Land of the Happy People, Jimmy decides it's time to go home before his mother worries and takes the upside-down roller coaster back to the real world. He soon wakes up at the end of the roller coaster ride in the amusement park where the operator tells Jimmy he slept through the whole ride. Jimmy however wonders if that is true or not.

Recurring Characters

Jimmy Jupiter

Mystery of the Phantom Robberies

Deadline Dawson and Terry Vance are investigating the strange case of the Phantom Burglar and go to investigate his latest victim Mrs. Kaye. They find that only her daughter is home, and she tells them that her mother is out seeing her psychologist Dr. Mefis. Soon Mefis arrives back with Mrs. Kaye, and the doctor orders Kaye to return to her room. While he is helping her, Dr. Watson — suspicious of the doctor — steals a note out of his back pocket when he catches the psychologist snooping through Deadline's notes. Watson gives the list to Terry and they find that it is a list of all the robbery victims who just happen to also be his patients.

Suspicious, Terry, Deadline and Ms. Kaye decide to try and catch Mefis in the act and use make-up to make Terry look like an old man. Terry then pays a visit to Dr. Mefis's home and is put under a hypnotic spell. When Deadline and Ms. Kaye follow after him, they are barred at the door by Mefis's assistant, but when Deadline sees that he is carrying a sword he knocks him out and rushes inside. There they find that Mefis has hypnotized Terry and seen through his disguise and is about to order him to go home and slit his own throat.

Dr. Watson rushes in and wraps his tail around Mefis's throat and threatens to choke him until he releases his hold on Terry. With Mefis busted, he attempts to flee but is stopped by his assistants boa constrictor which managed to escape from its pen. Terry slays the reptile and turns Mefis and his assistant over to the police.

Recurring Characters

Terry Vance, Doctor Watson, Deadline Dawson

The Iron-Clawed Monsters

Casey, Jeff Mace and Mary Morgan go to investigate the sinking of one of America's most powerful battleships as it mysteriously sank at port. When a team of divers are sent down they are attacked by a massive vessel shaped like a crab, and they are all slain. Unaware of what is going on below the surface, the military order a bathysphere be sent down next.

Spotting a metallic claw in the water, Jeff Mace slips off to change into the Patriot and dives into the water. There he is attacked by the giant crab machine but manages to slip away into the bathysphere. There he notices that the divers inside have all been replaced with Japanese spies. He is attacked on both sides by spies and their diabolical machine, but manages to slip away by pushing one of the spies into the machines claws, slicing him in half. Escaping from the bathysphere, the Patriot manages to pry open the hatch inside the crab machine and pull its operators out of the water and turn them over to the authorities. As the Patriot is being commended Mary Morgan swears she thinks the Patriot looks familiar.

Later changing back into Jeff Mace, Mary points out that once again when there was trouble, Jeff was nowhere to be found. Jeff covers for himself by saying he hates the sight of blood and violence.

Recurring Characters

Patriot, Jack Casey, Mary Morgan, Imperial Japan

The Ogre and the Man-Eating Boboes

A couple are captured by the Ogre of Hill Forest who is preparing to feast upon their bodies. Meanwhile, the Angel, who has learned of the legend of the Ogre is also investigating Hill Forest to find clues to the Ogre's existence. Finding the Ogre's mill home, he busts in just before the Ogre and his legion of tiny Boboes are about to feast upon the couple. The Angel puts up a good fight, but he is no match for the cannibalistic Ogre and he legion of flesh hungry creatures and he too is captured.

The Angel and the girl are taken to the lower levels of the Ogre's home where the cannibal shows them that he creates his Boboes out of the blood of his victims and that he intends to eat all three of them. Breaking free of his bonds, the Angel fights the Ogre until the Boboes threaten the girl. As the Angel is saving her, the Ogre attempts to flee to one of the upper levels of his home. The Angel follows after him and tosses one of his own Boboes at him. The creature causes the Ogre to stumble and fall to his death. With the Ogres death the Boboes pop out of existence ending their threat. The Angel helps free the Ogre's captives and they all go their separate ways, the young couple thankful for the Angel's aid.

Recurring Characters

Angel