Marvel Mystery Comics #74
Escape From Doom
One afternoon, the Human Torch is reading the paper and learns that a criminal named Crusher is to be executed that night. The Torch regrets that Crusher didn't squeal the location of his partner Steeley before he was to be executed. They are soon called by the warden at the prisoner where Crusher is being kept, who tells them that the Crusher is ready to talk, and demands to see the Torch. The Torch and Toro rush to the prison where they meet with the warden. They introduce the two heroes to his young daughter Peggy, who has a crush on Toro. As she fawns over the youth, Toro is embarrassed and endures some good-natured teasing from both the warden and the Torch.
Peggy convinces the Torch and Toro to allow her to tag along while they question Crusher. As they go to his cell, and older prisoner is let into the block to clean. However, this prisoner has been paid off to help spring Crusher from his cell. The prisoner kills the guard and knocks out Toro. While the Torch is trying to stop him Crusher grabs the dead guard's gun and holds the hero at gun point and forces the Torch to use his flame powers to burn an escape path out of the prison to where Steeley and the rest of his gang are waiting to pick him up. After the Torch does this, Steely and his men tie the hero up with asbestos lined rope and take Toro and Peggy as hostages to keep the authorities from following them.
As the two youths are being driven away, Toro overhears the gang is heading to a warehouse on Water Street. With a pencil and one of Peggy's hair ribbons, Toro writes a note to the Torch revealing the location and tosses it out of the car. Meanwhile, the Torch has been freed and they get a report about the note on Peggy's ribbon. The Torch then rushes off to Water St. to rescue Peggy and Toro. At the crooks hideout, Toro and Peggy are tied up, when one of the thugs taunts the two Peggy lets slip that Toro managed to get a message out to the Torch, tipping the crooks off and they prepare a trap for the hero.
The Torch is ambushed and he is tied up with asbestos lined rope to a boiler with the other two prisoners. Crusher leaves a stick of TNT burning that will go off at the exact moment that Crusher was scheduled to be executed while they go and rob a bank. Left alone, with time running out, the Torch notices that there are water pipes directly over head and uses his flame powers to burn through the pipe and smother the TNT. Then they free themselves as the water expands the ropes they are tied up with. The Torch and Toro then rush off and quickly captures Crusher, Steeley and his gang. The next day Toro gets a letter from Peggy thanking him for saving her life.
Recurring Characters
Human Torch, Toro
Sting of the Bat
On New York Harbour, the Sub-Mariner is approached by a ship that is delivering him a note. It is from his friend named Don, who is an artist who recently moved to Rock Island. Namor swims off to the Rock Island where he finds Don on the beach examining a dead body whose throat was torn out. Don explains that since moving to Rock Island, purchasing his home from a woman named Mona Welles , they a creature called the Bat has been sighted in the area and has killed three people. The Sub-Mariner then is introduced to Don's fiancée Ellen Bradley and her Uncle William and meets the ground keeper named Jim who was previously employed by Mona, and claims to have not seen the Bat.
That night, Namor suggests that they lock up the house to protect themselves against the Bat, if it really exists. When Ellen goes to bed she suddenly screams as the Bat has broken into her room. Namor rushes up and fights off the Bat, which Namor is shocked to see is a giant Bat with human features. The Bat is frightened off by Don's gun and Namor dives into the water and swims after him. The hero loses the Bat out at sea, but soon sees the lights of a motorboat and follows it as it goes to Rock Island. The occupant, a woman, goes to Don's house and Namor is introduced to her -- Mona Welles. Don appears to be in some kind of trance and focuses his attention on Mona, ignoring Ellen, much to her chagrin. Mona has come to get some of the things she left at her old home, and tells Don that she will return for the rest the following night. Namor confronts Don about his behaviour, and he comes out of his trance.
Namor notices a man watching them and gives him chase, catching him the man explains that he has come on behalf of an Aztec tribe in Mexico. He explains that three years ago, he was living among the Aztec people along with Mona Welles. Mona was accused of stealing their god image, an ivory and ruby statue. Mona denied the doing so, but they forced her to drink their potion of disgrace and that she returned to the island and apparently died. When Namor tells the man that Mona is alive, and the threat of the Bat, the man panics -- realizing the curse came true -- and flees. The next day, Namor goes to a library on the mainland and reads about the tribe and the potion of disgrace, which turns those who drink it into a vampire. Namor returns to Rock Island and questions the grounds keeper about Mona's coffin, the man denies that Mona actually died. When Namor tells Don about what he has learned, Don thinks that Namor is mad, but agrees to let Namor try to expose Mona to some Cadacia herbs that will strip her of her powers.
However, they are overheard by the ground keeper who decides to warn Mona. However, as midnight approaches, Mona has not shown up. However, she is hiding out in the woods with the grounds keeper. The keeper shouts out into the night by pretending to be attacked, drawing Namor out. Namor recognizes the grounds keepers voice and attacks him then chases after the Bat. However, the grounds keeper drops a block on Namor's head knocking them out. Mona and the grounds keeper take Namor to a cave and tie him to a rock with a chain before going to kill Ellen in order to put Don completely in her thrall. Left alone to die, Namor hears water tricking behind a rock and manages to push it out of the way with a stick and the rushing water restores his strength.
Namor grabs the herbs and rushes back to Don's house as Mona -- in her Bat form -- attacks Ellen. Namor drives her away with the herbs, but when she rushes back to her coffin she finds that Namor destroyed it and when the sun comes up Mona dies. With his master dead, the grounds keeper commits suicide and Don is freed from her control. Six months later, Namor runs into Don and Ellen, now married, and he tells them that he won a $5000.00 art prize for painting a picture of the bat.
Recurring Characters
Sub-Mariner
Red is for Gore
In a rooming house in a poor neighbourhood a young man is kicked out of his room for not paying his rent and his landlord keeps all his possessions until he pays her back.
Meanwhile, Madeline Joyce is on her way to the the Madison Street Mission to see what is going on there. There is a man and his parrot handing out fortunes. Also arriving is the young man who gets a fortune that says "Red is your color, you ought to know. Wear a red flower and poverty will go!" Madeline notes the man and his shabby appearance and hopes things work out for him. Leaving, Madeline spots a gas station hold up by the Carnation Joe and his gang and changes into Miss America, but is too late to stop them. She chases after one of the gang members who tosses his red carnation in the trash and escapes into the crowd. With no trace of the thief, Madeline changes back into her civilian guise. As she returns to her car, she notices the young man she saw earlier taking the carnation out of the trash and wearing it.
Later that night, Madeline spots the young man begging for change on the street and suggests that he go to the mission who will give him a meal and a place to stay. On his way, he runs into one of the members of the Carnation of the gang, who mistakes him for a member of the group and gives him the address of their next meeting. Not understanding, the man goes to the meeting and overhears them plotting to rob another gas station. Carnation Joe notices the interloper and they force him to act as their distraction during the hold up or they'll kill him.
After the hold up, Madeline happens by the gas station and learns what happened. She quickly changes into Miss America and learns that her red haired friend had left a clue with one of the attendants. Flying across the city, she sees the Carnation's gang getaway car and that the man is leaving a trail of carnation pedals that leads her to the gangs hideout. During the fight, one of the gang members knocks Miss America out from behind and they leave her in the hideout, setting the house on fire while they go off to do their next job. The man convinces the gang to let him go back in and get his flower, but he tips Miss America off to their next crime and frees here. Miss America then stops the gang from robbing another gas station and with the help of the young man defeats the Carnation gang. Later, the man tells Miss America that he was able to get a job with the mission and is making a living.
Recurring Characters
Miss America
Ambassador of Death
Jeff Mace is assigned to cover the reception dinner being thrown for the new ambassador from South America to get the story. Jeff goes and spots an attractive young woman with a high ranking general. She complains of having a headache and asks to be taken home. The general agrees and when they are at her apartment, she offers him a drugged cigarette that causes him to divulge military secrets. Returning to his home, the General snaps out of the drug and decides to commit suicide for betraying his country.
Later, when the Brazilian ambassador arrives he begins planning a big party, unaware that his aid is really a foreign spy who calls the woman to repeat their plan. After making the call, the spy takes the ambassador hostage and sets up a short wave radio. The next evening, Jeff Mace arrives at the party to cover the story for his newspaper. There he spots the woman who was with the general the previous night, and notices as she pulls the same stunt with another high ranking soldier.
Jeff follows them back to the woman's house and watches as the drugged soldier leaves to return to his home. Changing into the Patriot, Jeff prevents the soldier from committing suicide as well. Learning what secrets he revealed to the woman, the Patriot rushes back to her house and catches the two spies celebrating their victory. The Patriot smashes in but is knocked out by the girl. The male spy then tears off a swatch of the Patriot's uniform and they rush to the ambassadors house. There they give his attack dogs the Patriots sent and send them off to kill the hero.
However, the Patriot manages to get past the dogs, and breaks into the ambassadors home. The Patriot easily subdues the spies and smashes their radio. With the spies tied up he then calls the FBI to pick them up.
Recurring Characters
Patriot
The Saga of Sunshine O'Hara
Beat cop Officer "Sunshine" O'Hara is having a rough time on his beat and his captain chews him out for his bad job due to his inability to capture a gang of car thieves that are operating in the area. He returns home late and gets grief from his wife as well.
The next day, O'Hara spots some suspicious looking men looking over a warehouse. When he asks them what they are up to, they say that they are looking to buy the warehouse so that their friends can store merchandise. Later he spots some crooks making a getaway and shoots at their car causing it to crash. He is joined by the Angel who is also looking to nab the crooks. However, O'Hara's needing to nab the crooks himself ends up tripping up the Angel, thinking that the hero will spoil his job. However, the two decide to work together after the gang gets away and the Angel covers for O'Hara to his chief.
However, O'Hara once more returns late for dinner and gets more grief from his wife. Overhearing their argument outside, the Angel talks to O'Hara as he goes outside for a cigarette. O'Hara mentions the men who were looking to buy the warehouse earlier that day and the two decide to investigate the warehouse after O'Hara is done his shift for the day. That night, the two men arrive at he warehouse and they decide to go through different doors. O'Hara literally stumbles upon the car theft ring, and is taken prisoner. The Angel then smashes in and the two men easily subdue the gang and turn them over to the authorities. Returning home late for dinner, O'Hara is about to get grief from his wife again, but the Angel smooths things over and O'Hara is flabbergasted on how quickly the hero is able to turn his usually grumpy wife into a doting kitten.
Recurring Characters
Angel
