Marvel Mystery Comics #66
Devil's Mutineers
At a war factory in the town of Weirfield, precision instruments are being built for the Navy. When Pop gives his manager Pete some precision parts that need to be installed, Pete orders Stowski to install them. However, when Stowski has his back turned, Pete knocks him down and calls him names. Fed up with the constant mistreatment, Stowski talks back and is fired from his job. As he leaves, Stowski vows to get back at Pete. That night Stowski rants to his wife, who tries to calm him down, begging him not to do anything.
That night, an explosion goes off at the factory that severely damages the building and injures a number of workers. When the story hits the presses, the Human Torch gets a call from Agent Langoom of the FBI who asks the Torch and Toro to come down and investigate the explosion. While the Torch and Toro head there, the factory workers meet to discuss the explosion. When it's suggested that Stowski was responsible, a mob begins to form despite Pop not believing the suggestion and trying to talk the mob down.
Soon after, when the Torch and Toro arrive they meet at the FBI field office set up to investigate the blast. They soon learn that there is a lynch mob heading to Jan Stowski's home. They arrive just in time to save Stowski from being hung by the angry mob. When the Torch stops the mob, he points out that the man that is working them up is in the very back, causing them to realize how they were being manipulated. The Torch then reminds them all that in America, everyone gets the right to a fair trial.
Meeting with Stowski in private, the Torch and Toro learn that he couldn't possibly consider blowing up his former place of employment. Going back to the FBI, they learn the bomb was made of a type of Thermonytrate used by Nazi spies. While the FBI investigates one avenue, the Torch and Toro pay a visit to Pop and learn the circumstances of Stowski getting fired. Learning that Pete fired Stowski and Charlie Webber was responsible for working up the mob. Suspecting both men as being the spies, the Torch and Toro race off to try and get them to confess.
Before arriving at Pete's house, the Torch sets up a wire tap onto his phone. When they are questioning Pete, the Torch notes how he briefly lapsed into German when startled, and his knowledge of Thermonytrate. Going back to their tap, the two heroes listen in as Pete calls Charlie and they plan to skip town to their hideout up river. The Torch overhears this and accidentally speaks before Charlie hangs up the line, tipping the spy off to the fact that the heroes were listening in.
When the Torch and Toro crash the spies hideout, they are caught in fire proof nets. However, the spies are too slow to knock out the heroes and they use their flame powers to keep their captors at bay while they break free. They quickly round up the spies and turn them over to the FBI, clearing Stowski's name. As the Torch and Toro leave, the townspeople all come to Stowski's home to apologize.
Recurring Characters
Human Torch, Toro
Sub-Mariner Vs. The Murderous Zako
Betty Dean rushes to her apartment and calls up the Sub-Mariner with her special radio. Connecting with Namor at his home in Atlantis, she tells him about a group of pirates who have had confiscated a yacht after robbing its passengers and leaving them in life boats. She tells him that the yacht owned by the wealthy Van Tilford is out at sea and the next likely target. With the yachts location, Namor swims out to intercept the pirates.
The pirates, led by a man named Zako, arrive at the yacht first and board it and begin robbing the passengers. Namor arrives just after the passengers and crew of the ship have been forced into life boats and Zako and his men have gotten away with the yacht. Following the ship due north, Namor is spotted by Zako's look-out, allowing the pirate and his men to prepare for the heroes arrival. When Namor attempts to board the ship, he is repelled and knocked back into the water by Zako's men. Furious that Namor was knocked out of the ship and can get away, Zako orders his men to fire in the water, but they miss the Sub-Mariner, as he sinks to the bottom of the ocean.
Recovering, Namor returns to the surface to find the yacht gone and that a raging storm has developed forcing him back under water. Following the boats scent, Namor tracks it to an island where he finds a man who is deaf and mute. Finding the man of no help, Namor continues on his way. Having spotted Namor, Zako sends his girl Cheo out to lead the Sub-Mariner into a trap.
Spotting Cheo laying out in the beach, Namor believes that she is in trouble and rushes to her aid, falling into the trap. Namor is then knocked out from behind and taken prisoner while the deaf/mute man watches. Namor is revived by a bucket of water splashed on him by Zako and finds himself tied up and about to be pulled apart. However, Namor tenses his muscles and snaps the ropes. As Namor is busy fighting off Zako's men, Zako himself attempts to flee by boat.
When Namor attempts to follow after Zako, he's knocked back ashore by an explosion, but someone kicks him back into the water. Revived, Namor swims after the boat and manages to capsize it, taking Zako prisoner. Rushing back to Zako's hideout, he finds his entire gang tied up, leaving Namor to wonder who did it. Elsewhere, the deaf/mute man walks off into the jungle.
Recurring Characters
Sub-Mariner, Betty Dean
Miss America
Madeline Joyce is on her way to her uncles hunting lodge when she hears a cry for help. Going out into the winter wilderness she hears a scream cut short by gunfire. Rushing to the sound of the shots she sees two hunters standing over a dead man, who flee when they hear her coming. Changing into Miss America, Madeline catches up to the two fleeing hunters and nabs them. She then gets the sheriff to come examine the body. The two men -- introducing themselves as Page and Morrow -- explain that they own a lodge in the area and were out hunting with their colleague who tripped and set off his own gun, killing himself by accident. With no evidence to the contrary, the sheriff has nothing to hold the two men on and is forced to let them go.
Unconvinced, Miss America changes back into her civilian guise and goes to the Pine Inn, a hotel near the hunting lodge to investigate further. As she is checking in she is shocked to see Page checking in. She then notices Morrow enter the hotel as well. She follows the two men into the hotel's grill and overhears their conversation. Morrow accuses Page of running out on him, but Page convinces him otherwise. Madeline realizes that a double cross is in the works and watches as Page convinces Morrow to go back to the lodge, and then returns to the Inn.
In her hotel room, Madeline calls the New York police and gets a background check on Page and Morrow, and learns that the three business men took out an insurance policy that would pay out one hundred thousand dollars should any of the members die. Realizing the truth, Madeline changes into Miss America and rushes to Morrow's room at the lodge, following his apparent footprints. She arrives too late and finds Morrow hanging from a noose, an apparent suicide. Getting the sheriff, they collect Page and show him the murder scene.
Page admits that Morrow killed their partner and threatened Page's life and that he lied to protect himself. Unconvinced, Miss America rushes back to Page's room at the Inn and returns with Morrow's boots. Explaining that there was only one set of tracks because it snowed covering up their footprints to the lodge, and then Page stole his partners boots and walked back to the inn backwards to make it look like only Morrow returned to the lodge. Page attempts to fight his way free, but Miss America easily knocks him out and turns him over to the police.
Recurring Characters
Miss America
The Jig-Saw Death
A series of strange murders have hit the city, where the deceased are found laying over incomplete puzzles. After the most recent one is reported in, reporter Jeff Mace tries to get the full story. He learns in each case, the men who were murdered were sent letters demanding money, and all refused. In every case the dead men were found with a puzzle with one piece missing. Jeff notes that the puzzles are unusually thick and made of wood. When the phone suddenly rings, the chief lets slip that Prescott, a local banker, is the next target but tires to downplay it.
Jeff races to Prescott's home and pretending to be a police officer he learns that Prescott decided to pay the ransom anyway. When a real police officer arrives on the scene, Jeff's ruse is revealed and he is tossed out. After checking in with his editor, Jeff returns to Prescotts home as the Patriot. There he slips past the police sentry and discovers a man trying to sneak into the house. Knocking the man out, the Patriot finds Prescott dead before a puzzle and a note warning Prescott that for tipping the police he is going to die. The man that the Patriot knocks out revives and escapes with a lone puzzle piece.
The Patriot, changes back into Jeff Mace and trails the man back to a toy store in town. Inside, the owner is furious that the Patriot interfered and strangles his minion for potentially allowing the hero to trail him back to their hideout. Just then the Patriot bursts in and rounds up the gang. At the police station, the authorities are about to let the toy maker go due to lack of evidence, when the Patriot produces some: the stolen puzzle piece. He reveals that it contained a hidden trigger that pricked the victims fingers and injected them with lethal poison, killing them instantly, and that the reason they couldn't determine how the victims were all killed was because the toy maker sent one of his goons to collect the missing piece after their victim was murdered. The toy maker confesses, revealing that the device was expensive to make, and instead of building new ones each time, he just reused the same mechanism.
Recurring Characters
Patriot
Angel
At the home of the wealthy Peg Lord a letter demanding a large sum of money is mailed to her attention. She keeps this from her family and begins to wonder what to do when suddenly she is visited by someone posing as the Angel. The "Angel" tells Mrs. Lord to use the money to bait the blackmailer so that the "hero" can capture him. Mrs. Lord then gives the "Angel" the money and the "hero" disappears. Later, the butler informs Mrs. Lord that her niece Gloria has gone missing from her room and calls the police.
When she tells her story to the police and later Detective Snyder tells the press that the Angel is the prime suspect in the case. When the story hits the front page of the paper, the Angel realizes that someone has framed him. When the police come knocking at the Angel's door, the hero then flees the scene and races to the Lord mansion. After sneaking past the police guard, he overhears Mrs. Lord talking with Detective Snyder about a ransom note having come in demanding $10,000 or her niece will be murdered. Snyder tells the woman to leave the money out for the Angel so that they can capture him.
The Angel goes to the location where the money is being left, and spots a man lurking in the shadows. Thinking him the real criminal, the Angel jumps him and is smacked in the face with the butt of a gun. When he comes around he finds that the money has been taken and the police have surrounded him. Taken to police headquarters, the Angel explains that he was framed, and when he was knocked out he managed to tear off a scrap from his attackers coat.
Noting that Detective Snyder's jacket is ripped, the Angel accuses him of the crime and jumps at him. Subdued, Snyder confesses, telling the surprised officers that he wanted to get rich and always hated the Angel for taking all the glory and wanted to frame him for the crime. With Snyder arrested, and Gloria and the stolen money is returned home.
Recurring Characters
Angel
