Marvel Mystery Comics #33
The Dynamite Saboteurs
The Human Torch and Toro are charged with watching a warehouse where dynamite is secretly being stored before being shipped to an American base overseas. This TNT becomes the target of a gang led by Romo, who have heard of its existence and have been hired to steal TNT. Their attempt leaves the lone security guard drowning, forcing the Torch and Toro to split up — with the Torch heading into the warehouse to stop the theft, while Toro goes after the drowning guard. The thieves overpower the Torch and make and escape in a car and speed boat. The Torch manages to stop the car full of crooks containing Romo and goes to Toro. Learning of the motorboat, they chase after it and prevent them from using stolen dynamite from destroying the Flight City Plane Radio Warehouse. When trying to stop the crooks, one of them grabs a fireball thrown by Toro and uses it to blow himself and the boat up, preferring death over capture. The two flaming heroes rush back to the car they stopped and notice that burst fire hydrant allowed Romo and his men to escape. But the Torch believes that they will be back.
Romo and his men return to their hideout where they report back to their employer a Nazi spy named Von Brukk who demands that they steal the TNT or face torture. In their second attempt to steal dynamite, Toro tosses back a grenade at Romo and his men, killing some of the gang, but Romo and some of the others escape. Searching the bodies, they find a blueprint of the Sky City Plane Company's main manufacturing plant and realizes that they plot to blow it up. While the Torch and Toro head toward the manufacturing plant, they are unaware that some of Romo's men have returned and stolen more TNT out of the back of the warehouse.
Back at Romo's hideout, he meets with his ally Professor Mikki who has created a gas apparatus to help them destroy the manufacturing plant. Von Brukk leads Romo and his men to a tunnel below the plant and use Mikki's gas device to fill the entire tunnel with gas to maximize the explosive force of the stolen dynamite. They are confronted by the Human Torch and Toro. While Toro goes to stop the gas device, the Torch battles with Von Brukk and his men. Both unable to use their flames and weakened by the gas it is a losing battle. However, some of the works within the plant decide to search the premises when the gas from their welding torches no longer work. Finding the Torch and Toro in trouble, they flood the tunnel with fresh air and expel the gas, revitalizing the two heroes and allowing them to use their flames.
Seeking to avoid capture, Von Brukk throws Romo into the Torch's path, burning him alive. With the blueprints, Von Brukk attempts to escape what he believes to be an emergency escape route, however it is in reality a wind-test turbine, which coincidentally was to be tested out that day. Caught in the powerful winds of the device, Von Brukk is thrown into its turbine and cut to ribbons, ending his threat and his plot.
Recurring Characters
Human Torch, Toro
The Sub-Mariner Slugs the Sahara Scavengers
With Nazi forces overpowering American Naval fleets off the coasts of Africa, the Sub-Mariner offers his army to help stop the sinking of American ships. With a group of Atlantean warriors, the Sub-Mariner creates a fleet of sub-tanks, submarines that can also travel on land via tank treads and head out to the waters of Africa.
There they clash with Nazi captains Von Ratter and Von Rommel. Von Ratter attempts to blow up Namor's fleet with depth charges. But the Atlanteans leave their vessels and grab them and tie them up in a massive net, preventing Von Ratter's fleet from getting close enough to attack them directly. Unable to beat Namor in the sea, Von Ratter and Von Rommel retreat their forces to the land. However, the Sub-Mariner's sub-tank fleet is able to follow on land as well as the sea.
Battling in the deserts of Africa, the Sub-Mariner and his troops use the sub-tanks fins to create a massive sandstorm to blind the Nazi tank battalion. Von Rommel and Von Ratter managed to escape, abandoning their troops to Namor. Blinded by the sand and dying of thirst, the Nazi soldiers are surprised when Namor takes them prisoner instead of killing them. Using the Nazi soldiers uniforms as a disguise, the Sub-Mariner learns that Von Rommel and Von Ratter have a hideout in an abandoned village that they wiped out. Attacking it, Namor manages to capture Von Ratter, however Von Rommel manages to escape in a tank that he had hidden in the sand.
As Von Rommel plans a counter attack, Namor and his forces dig a massive tunnel to flood the desert valley they are battling in. When Von Rommel and his reinforcements lead a counter attack, Namor then floods the valley and easily captures Von Rommel. He takes the two back to an American vessel and prevents them from attempting to drown themselves. Turning the two captains and their army over to the authorities, Namor is commended for a job well done.
Recurring Characters
Sub-Mariner, Nazis
The Giant Octopus Menace
A Nazi mad scientist stationed in New Jersey has created a race of octopi which he can expand into massive size and uses them to attack New York City. His first test, unleashing the creatures on New York harbor is a success even though the creatures are quickly blown up thanks to an air force fleet that is called in to bomb the monsters.
He then unleashes more of the creatures on New York City. However, his attack attracts the attention of the Vision who knocks out the mad scientist and heads to New York where he slays one of the octopi before it can kill a young woman. He then lures the creatures back to their creator's hideout in New Jersey where they are tricked into attacking their own master. In the confusion, the Vision knocks over a lamp causing a massive fire as a beacon for the air force who destroy the last of the creatures in another bombing sweep. With the monsters destroyed, the Vision disappears in a cloud of smoke telling those gathered that he will return when they need him next.
Recurring Characters
Vision
Treachery Deals a Double-Cross
Jeff Mace is assigned to cover a story about a prisoner exchange between the Americans and Japanese. Learning that the Japanese ambassador T. Nokki has been killed by the Japanese and they plot to bomb the American ship doing the exchange, Jeff charters a plane to drop him off in the middle of the pacific in a life raft.
There he feigns to have died at sea until the Japanese ship carrying the body of Nokki takes him aboard and locks his "corpse" in with the other dead bodies. Disguising himself as Nokki, Mace tosses the dead body overboard and allows himself to be smuggled into Japan. There, he sneaks out and fights his way through Japanese soldiers as the Patriot. Stealing a Japanese military uniform, the Patriot fights his way into a Japanese airfield and steals a plane.
After shooting down perusing planes, the Patriot uses the Japanese fighter to blow up the sub that is to blow up the American Destroyer. Landing his plane aboard the American ship, the Patriot explains the situation and is commended by the ships captain for helping stop the Japanese plot.
Recurring Characters
Patriot, Imperial Japan
The Case of the Bogus Stamp Salesman
When Terry Vance pushes a man crossing the street out of the path of a speeding car, he finds something odd: a stamp enthusiast, Terry notices that the man — who works for the Tropey Stamp Company — has a number of stamps that are obvious counterfeits. Deciding to investigate this further, despite Deadline Dawson's apathy toward stamps, he gets an officer to accompany them to the Tropey Stamp Company. There they find nothing amiss, but Terry is not convinced.
Later, he and Deadline return to the office building where the Tropey Stamp Company is located. Lowering Dr. Watson with their belts, they have the monkey help them break into the office. Finding the fake stamps, Terry has them lined up together and douses them with water revealing that they have hidden maps of American defense plans. They are then confronted by Tropey, a Nazi spy who holds them at gun point.
He is distracted when Dr. Watson suddenly grabs the stamps and tosses them through a fan causing them to scatter all over the room. This allows Terry and Deadline to subdue Tropey and when the police are called, Terry explains how Tropey used the profits of a legitimate stamp company to help his subversive activities.
Recurring Characters
Terry Vance, Deadline Dawson, Doctor Watson
The Tunnel To China
Jimmy Jupiter is inspired when his father tells him that if he dug deep enough he could dig a tunnel to China. Telling some of the local boys, the idea of scoffed at so Jimmy decides to try and dig his way to China to prove them wrong. Growing tired from all the digging, Jimmy decides to take a nap, but finds himself awoken when he suddenly breaks through the ground.
He lands in a world that turns out to be Wonderland, from the story Alice in Wonderland and meets the White Rabbit. The Rabbit mocks Jimmy telling him that there is no such thing as China, but he can get some fine china. Exploring Wonderland, Jimmy comes across a massive chess board. There he meets a White Knight that thinks that Jimmy is a spy for the Black Kingdom and takes him prisoner. Taken before the White King and Queen, the Queen also believes Jimmy to be a spy and send him to the White Bishop for examination. When the White Bishop does not find any proof confirming the claims that Jimmy is a spy, the Queen orders him hanged as well.
However, the executions are postponed when the Black Kingdom attacks. Jimmy offers his aid in exchange for his freedom and the White King accepts his offer. Examining a chessboard, Jimmy comes up with the perfect strategy to insure that the White Kingdom wins by checkmate. With the Black Kingdom defeated, the King allows Jimmy to leave and vows that the two kingdoms will fight no longer. However, as Jimmy continues on his trek to China he stops and sees that the two kingdoms are warring once again. Jimmy resigns them to their fate, believing that their conflict is utterly pointless.
This story is continued next issue....
Recurring Characters
Jimmy Jupiter
The House of the Living Dead
The mayor is attacked in his office by a zombie, and is rescued by the Angel who tosses the undead creature out of a window. Following it back to a nearby graveyard, the Angel sees a horde of zombies being led by a leader that does not appear to be quite a dead as he seems. Hearing that they intend to contaminate the city's water supply with their dead bodies, the Angel attacks. He is overpowered and tossed into the dungeon of a house. Breaking free, the Angel finds a bottle of chlorine and tracks down the zombies. Dousing the creatures with the chlorine, their bodies dissolve ending their threat.
Rushing back to the house he was imprisoned in, he catches two doctors reviving another corpse and fights them off. Following after the recently reanimated corpse, the Angel finds another army of zombies digging up more bodies to be reanimated. Fighting them off, the Angel knocks them all into a mass grave and uses gasoline to incinerate their bodies.
Running back to the laboratory once more, the Angel confronts their leader and during the fight tosses a table full of chemicals at the supposedly undead man. The chemicals break open and spill on his face dissolving the mask he is wearing. The zombie master is revealed to be the ally to human Dr. Merkel, a mad doctor who recently escaped from an insane asylum. Before the fight can carry on further, the volatile chemicals that have been spilled explode causing a massive fire. The Angel manages to escape on his own, and the house quickly burns to the ground, killing Dr. Merkel in the inferno.
Recurring Characters
Angel
