Marvel Mystery Comics #61
The Secret of the Masked Horror
Mr. Jordan, a wealthy 5th Avenue jeweler has his chauffeur drive him to the Bowery slums where he picks out a homeless man off the street. Later that evening, Jordan makes a public appearance but is suddenly stabbed in back by an attacker. As the Human Torch and Toro pass by they spot the killer attempting to wipe his finger prints off the knife handle. The man flees before the two heroes can arrive, and identify the body. The Torch finds something interesting about the body, but decides to leave the matter for the police. Meanwhile, Jordan's apparent killer returns to the Jordan home where he tells a woman waiting for him there that he succeeded in his plan, but there was some interference from the Human Torch and his partner, however tells her that he believes they don't suspect the scope of their plan.
Meanwhile, the Torch and Toro head home after turning over the crime scene to the police. As they retire for the night Toro muses how the police suspect Jordan's partner John Withers as the killer. The following day the two heroes are called by the chief of police who tells Toro that they caught Withers who they believe is the killer since his prints are all over the knife. The Torch is not so convinced and the two flaming heroes pay a visit to the police station.
Questioning Withers, they find that he is pleading innocent of the crime he has been charged of and that the knife found at the crime scene was part of their stores stock and that at the end of the night he locked it into a safe. The Torch then asks Withers if Jordan ever bleached his hair. When Withers confirms that his partner did not bleach his hair, the Torch and Toro depart. As they do, they get a newspaper that reports that the Jordan estate was willed to his chauffeur.
Considering this a motive, the Torch and Toro pay a visit to the home of the late Mr. Jordan. They pose as insurance agents come to discuss the estate, prompting the woman living in Jordan's house to rush to the chauffeur and warn him. Recognizing their visitors as the Torch and Toro they decide to play along to find out what they are after. However, when the Torch accusese the chauffeur of murder, the woman sneaks up behind them with a cloth and tries to strangle them. While they are disorientated, the Torch and Toro are then knocked out by the chauffeur.
The pair are then tied up with fireproof rope in a sewer tunnel that floods at night while the two killers prepare to leave for South America to enjoy their ill gotten fortune. Alone, the woman then kills the chauffeur with a blow to the head, unwilling to share the money with him. Meanwhile, the Torch and Toro manage to free themselves and then chase after the woman as she gets away. Trying to get away in her car the woman gets into a fatal accident. Checking her body, the Torch unmasks her as Jordan, who killed a homeless man that resembled himself so that he could cash in on his own insurance policy.
Recurring Characters
Human Torch, Toro
Paradise of Horror
The peaceful island of Pagano is horrified when a hideously deformed man calling himself the Master Megalo and his army of Megalo's (human/animal hybrids) attack their island community. While in the town, they steal the chapel bell from the church, the roof of the store, and supplies of food from the store. When the owner attempts to stop a four-armed creature strangles him before the monstrosities all return to the sea.
The following morning the people of Pagano call upon the Sub-Mariner to investigate the strange attack on their town. Searching the store, Namor finds the store clerk who warns him about the strange creatures before being brought to a nearby hospital where he is put under the care of the local doctor and his nurse Grace Johnson. Meanwhile, the Master Megalo has sent one of his creations -- an ape with a human head -- into the hospital to steal surgical instruments. When he does so he encounters Grace who screams at the creature’s presence sending Namor to her rescue. Arriving too late, he spots the ape-man going into the ocean and goes after him. Subduing the creature and dragging it to shore, the creature dies without telling Namor anything important.
Suddenly, he spots a ship firing flares and goes out to see what the problem is. He finds the ship being attacked by octopus Megalos. As the creatures flee, Namor climbs aboard he finds that the creatures have been stealing medical supplies. dives into the water after them and finds on of Grace's shoes. It contains a note telling Namor that she has been taken to a cove with a tunnel. Hearing Grace's screams for help, Namor follows them to a nearby island where he finds the tunnel. There he finds a crab/human hybrid standing guard using the church bell as an alarm to warn the others.
Namor defeats the creature and rushes to the surface where he sees that the Meaglos have created a small village for themselves. Learning that the Master Megalo has transplanted human minds into the bodies of animals and intends to force Grace to help him with further experiments, Namor is then attacked. During the fight, Namor grabs a surgical scalpel and stabs the Master Megalo to death, then sets their secret tunnel to collapse, killing all his creations and flees with Grace.
Recurring Characters
Sub-Mariner
Eyes of Doom
Madeline Joyce is at the Navy Department in Washington D.C. trying to find the office where she is supposed to meet her Uncle Jim. Stepping into an office to ask for directions she finds that the secretary is in some kind of trance. Suspecting trouble, Madeline changes into Miss America and goes into the next room where she finds Dr. Von Helstog using his hypnotic power to obtain some blueprints.
Miss America attempts to stop them, but as she fights off Von Helstog's men, the Nazi hypnotist manages to escape. When the military authorities arrive Miss America explains what happened and then begins questioning one of the captured spies. When he begins to talk, one of his comrades shoots him dead for talking. Learning that Helstog gained access by offering to show a new invention, they find the invention case and realize he came only to steal the blueprints. Miss America then grabs the other spy and flies him high in the air and frightens a confession out of him.
Told where Von Helstog's hideout is, Miss America enters the abandoned farmhouse and is attacked from behind. Von Helstog then uses his hypnotic powers on her, forcing her to sleep until he can deal with her when his mission is over. Helstog then leaves in a bomber heading off to attack some American battleships and the docks. However, Miss America -- having heard Helstog's plans -- fights off the effects of his hypnotism and flies after him. Jamming the bomb-bay doors on the bomber she then smashes her way in. With the plane on a collision course with a battleship, Miss America fights off Von Helstog and his minions and sends the plane on a collision course with the ocean and bails out. The plane crashes in the water, killing Von Helstog and his men in the resulting explosion.
Recurring Characters
Miss America
The Mystery of the Bogus Bonds
Jeff Mace is assigned by Jack Casey to cover the Grand Ball that is being thrown to kick start the current war loan drive. Jeff agrees to take the story but first goes to the bank to cash his paycheck so that he too can buy some war bonds. At the bank, he overhears how a man seeking to redeem his war bond is told that the bond is a counterfeit. When the man becomes upset because he bought the bond at that very bank, the manager agrees to honor it anyway. However the incident convinces others in the bank line to reconsider buying a war bond.
Jeff decides to cover this story for his paper, but also decides to investigate things further as the Patriot. Jeff heads for the Treasury Department in Washington D.C. and along the way happens upon some men holding up an armored truck. Changing into the Patriot, Jeff knocks out the man and learns that the truck was shipping war bonds. Accompanying the drivers to the Treasury, the Patriot meets with the secretary who tells him that the bonds have been intercepted in transit and replaced with fakes. With his people stumped, the Patriot agrees to try and solve the mystery. The Patriot then joins an armored car shipping war bonds to New York City.
Meanwhile, the Nazi spies responsible meet and plot to attack the armored car, determined to replace the war bonds with fakes. They place logs on the road which cause the armored car to crash and then hold the drivers and the Patriot at gun point and decide to take the hero to their leader. When the Patriot attempts to resist he is pistol whipped from behind. When he comes around he overhears the spies intentions to let the drivers go while taking him to their leader. The Patriot then tells the armored car drivers to take the bonds back to Washington for examination.
Taken to the Nazis hideout, the Patriot finds that they have stolen the legitimate bonds which they seek to profit on. When the Patriot fights back, he knocks out all the spies. Suddenly, FBI agents storm the building, having come to the local thanks to the armored car drivers following the spies and tipping the feds off to their location. With the operation busted up the FBI takes the spies into custody.
Recurring Characters
Patriot, Jack Casey
Secret of the Blind Idol
The Angel is travelling through Asia on his way back from a government mission. Stopping at a local port he spots a woman being chased by an angry mob. He comes to her rescue, fighting the men off. He learns from the girl that they are all worshipers of the god Vurashnu and she tries to tell the Angel that they have been tricked into giving all their valuables as a sacrifice when suddenly the leader of the religion, Zerhu appears. Zerhu claims to be the son of Vurashnu and tells the Angel that his followers must give up their possessions to Vurashnu and that they killed the woman's father for refusing to do so. When the Angel asks what an idol could want with valuables and where they could go, Zerhu calls him a blasphemer and tells him to leave. The Angel agrees to do so only if they agree to let the girl go.
Later, the Angel changes into his costume and follows after Zerhu to investigate the strange cult. He runs into the girl again who tells the Angel that the gold and jewels have mysteriously vanished, confusing her. They are then attacked by members of the cult, whom the Angel tries to fight off but is knocked out by a blow to the back of the head. Coming around later he finds himself before Zerhu and he orders both the Angel and the woman to be tortured. They string the Angel up to the rafters to make him dangle in pain. However, the Angel manages to get Zerhu in a leg lock long enough for the woman to grab a knife and cut him free.
Rushing to the worshiping hall, the Angel holds back Zerhu and his loyal followers until the woman finds the cache of gold and other valuables hidden in a secret compartment. When she exposes that Zerhu has been stealing from them the cult members turn on their would-be leader and kill him, an act that unnerves even the Angel.
Recurring Characters
Angel
