Marvel Mystery Comics #76

Jul 18

Jul 18 Marvel Mystery Comics #76

The Queen of Crime

New York City is terrorized by a gang led by the so-called Queen of Crime. When she and her gang attempt to rob the National Trust Bank, the Human Torch and Toro are there to stop her. However, when the gang is rounded up, reinforcements arrive and begin gunning down police creating enough of a distraction for the Queen of Crime and most of her men to escape. Questioning the surviving gang members that were captured, the Torch and Toro learn that they are madly in love with her and will not talk.

The two heroes return to their apartment where Toro finds a note from his friend Jimmy Winters asking him to visit on a matter of importance. After Toro leaves, the Queen of Crime appears in the Torch's apartment and offers him a chance to join her in her criminal empire. When he refuses he gets a phone call from Toro who tells the Torch that he walked into a trap and is now prisoner of the Queen of Crime. The Queen of Crime then leaves an address with the Torch, telling him he has to make up his mind, if he refuses than she will kill his partner.

With no other choice, the Torch goes to the address and is tied up with asbestos rope and brought before the Queen of Crime. Seeing Toro is similarly bound he gives the boy visual cues to be ready to attack. The Torch "agrees" to join the Queen of Crime and convinces her to remove his bonds. After the Queen details her armored car robbery plan, both he and Toro then flame on, the Torch freeing Toro and sending the crooks on the run. However they are tricked into flying into an asbestos lined room with collapsing walls. However the pair get out by prying off a roof vent. They then race after the Queen of Crime and her gang, forcing the crooks to break off their heist, but they get into a car accident as they try to flee. The Torch then visits the recovering Queen of Crime in the hospital telling her this is just another round before the final one of her career.

Recurring Characters

Human Torch, Toro

The Headless Killer

A commission of doctors led by Dr. Zodus meet to discuss the experiments of Dr. Bradley, and find that his attempts of keeping the human body alive without a head too grisly to continue and strip him of his medical license. Bradley leaves the commission vowing to get revenge against them. Soon from his secret lab, Bradley continues his experiments, kidnapping human test subjects and discarding their dead bodies when his experiments fail. Soon his experiment is an apparent success and he called Dr. Zodus' assistant to come to his lab where he shows off his Headless Man, telling him that he will go out and tell the world that his experiment is a success.

Meanwhile, the Sub-Mariner and Betty Dean meet to go to a medical dinner being hosted by Dr. Zodus and his colleagues. During the banquet, Dr. Rogers is attacked and killed by Bradley's Headless Man. Hearing Rogers' dying screams the Sub-Mariner rushes to his aid and attacks the Headless Man, but the creature knocks him out and flees the scene. Namor goes outside to try and track the creature but finds no trace of it. He runs into Zodus' assistant who tells him about Bradley's revenge scheme. Namor then goes to Bradley's lab to find that he has already fled, leaving a mocking note for the police about his future success.

The Sub-Mariner and the police then question Kenyon, one of the doctors who Bradley hates and he believes he'll be the next victim. However, when Namor searches Kenyon's room he finds a note that suggests that Kenyon did not like Dr. Zodus either. Namor rushes to Zodus' home and catches the Headless Man strangling Zodus to death. When Namor attempts to stop the creature from killing Zodus, he is sprayed with a knock out gas. With Zodus dead, the Headless Man then kidnaps his daughter Helen and flees.

Reviving, Namor follows after the Headless Man and deduces that he has fled to a nearby launch that is speeding away. Smashing into the ship, Namor confronts Bradley and the Headless Man, but is forced to stand down when Bradley threatens to kill Helen. Namor is then knocked out by Bradley, and both he and Helen are placed in an air and water tight concrete coffin. They are then brought to Devil's Rock and dumped overboard. Revived, Namor and Helen try shift their concrete prison to land on the jagged rocks at the bottom of Devil's Rock, puncturing the concrete and allowing water to flow in. With his strength revitalized, Namor breaks free and brings Helen to safety aboard a Coast Guard cutter.

Meanwhile, aboard Bradley's ship the Headless Man turns on his master and attempts to kill when when Namor smashes in. Knocking out Bradley and knocking off the Headless Man's fish-bowl Namor easily subdues the "monster" revealing him to be Kenyon in disguise. With the authorities arrival, Kenyon explains that he joined up with Bradley to kill Zodus in order to steal his new formula. When he succeeded he decided that Bradley was too dangerous to keep alive and attempted to kill him as well.

Recurring Characters

Sub-Mariner, Betty Dean

Chapter 1

In Buenos Aries, American government agent Ted Banning is heading to the airport with a list of escaped Nazi war criminals. In his taxi he is confronted by men who know his mission and knock him out. The next day in New York, Madeline Joyce meets with government officials and learns about Banning's disappearance. Suspecting that these escaped Nazi's may be planning World War III, the government asks Madeline to go to Brazil as Miss America and track down that list and stop any Nazi activities in the area, using her civilian identity to pose as an idle rich tourist.

To this end, Madeline goes to a downtown dress shop to purchase new clothing, bragging about her trip to South America. This is overheard by a woman named Wyatt Varnham. Varnham pays a visit to Madeline at her apartment, and asks her to deliver a gold and topaz bracelet to her sister, whom Varnham tells her is living in Buenos Aries, and Madeline agrees. As Madeline heads to Laguardia airport she notices that she is being followed.

Aboard the plane she notices how three passengers: James Ilse, his wife, and Peter Carr and conversing as though they have met for the first time, but spies them passing notes to each other with her compact mirror. Carr, having become attracted to Madeline Joyce falls for her attempt to get to know him when she drops her lipstick on the floor. Carr introduces himself and explains that he is a writer from California who is going to Buenos Aries to research his next book. The two talk for the reminder of the flight with the Ilse couple taking close watch to how Carr is getting along with the girl.

After they land, Peter Carr asks Madeline to join him at an evening dance and she accepts. As they sign in, Madeline notes that Peter's gloves are made in Belgium and that they have the initials "L.R." stamped into them, making her suspicious of his character. As Madeline gets ready for the dance, she swoons over how attractive Peter is, but worries if she can trust him. Meanwhile, Peter is putting a gun into his coat just in case, while two men meet at the airport, one of them reporting to the other that Madeline Joyce has arrived in the country and that everything is going according to plan.

This story is continued next issue....

Recurring Characters

Miss America,Ted Banning, Peter Carr, Wyatt Varnheim, James Ilse, Mrs. Ilse

Mad Monster of the Island

Bucky, Toro, Tubby and Knuckles are out sailing on a makeshift sail boat when suddenly their boat begins taking water forcing them to land on a nearby island. As they approach the island, another sailor passes by and warns them that they are landing on Devil's Island where there have been sightings of a monster. With no other choice but to lander there, the Young Allies press forward with the other sailor telling them that he will send for help.

On the island, the Young Allies find footprints and hear a strange monster noise coming from the jungle and decide to investigate. Near a cave they run into Devil Don and his mob who are hiding out on the island. A fight breaks out and thanks to Toro's flame powers the Young Allies gain the upper hand and send Devil Don and his gang fleeing into a nearby cave. Finding that the monster noises are coming from within the cave, the Young Allies decide to press forward anyway. Inside the damp cave, Devil Don and his men manage to get the drop on the Young Allies.

The heroes are tossed in a jail cell where Don and his gang have been keeping young heiress Patricia Van Dyke for ransom. Don explains that they are going to collect the ransom, but have decided to kill them all and unleash poisonous lizards in their cell and leaves the youths to die. However, the cell is dry enough for Toro to flame on and he uses his flame to kill the lizards and break them free. The Young Allies then easily subdue Devil Don and his gang, and later find mechanical devices which the gang used to create the illusion of a monster living on the island to keep people away. Soon the authorities arrive to rescue the stranded youths and take the gang into custody.

Recurring Characters

Young Allies (Bucky, Toro, Tubby Tinkle, Knuckles O’Toole)

Continuity Notes

This story presents Bucky as though he is the original, aka James Barnes. However, as per Avengers #4, Bucky went MIA with the original Captain America in 1945. As explained in What If? #4 the United States government covered this up by recruiting successors. The Bucky here is actually Fred Davis.
As revealed in Young Allies Comics 70th Anniversary Special #1 it was revealed that all of the Timely era Young Allies stories are comic book adaptations of real missions of the Young Allies as propaganda to support the war effort. However, it is unclear what elements of this story are real and which are fabrications or exaggerations. The only fact that is clear is that the Young Allies are depicted as adolescents here when, in reality, they were in their early 20s.

Sight Unseen

The Angel reads a newspaper article about his friend Captain Carter being linked in an underworld protection racket and knows that he is being framed. Going to visit Carter's wife, she hands him the only evidence her husband was able to get: checks written by various shop owners made out to a man named Marty Shore. The Angel then begins visiting the various shops and question them about the checks, but nobody wants to talk. When the Angel attempts to question the owner of a pharmacy, some of the gang members attack him and douse his eyes with acid and flee the scene with the checks. The pharmacist quickly places a base on the Angel's eyes saving him, but the hero finds that he is now blind. He is taken to a doctor where it told that they will not be able to tell if his vision will come back for another week.

Walked home with a chief of police and Mike Quilligan a friend of the police force, and they talk about he case. The Angel confides that he has more checks and that with them he can get to the bottom of the case. The next day, the Angel gets a taxi, and inside is a member of the protection gang who takes him prisoner. The Angel is taken to their secret hideout, and although blind he keeps note of his other senses to keep track of where he is going and realizes that he is on Corduroy Road. He is taken to Marty Shore who strikes the Angel across the face, the mobsters ring cutting the heroes face. Marty then orders the Angel be dumped into the river to drown.

The Angel dives down below the water and uses the barnacles on the docks support posts to cut free of his bonds. Then he sneaks back into the gangs hideout, dousing the lights and knocking out the lone sentry. He then calls the police and tells them to come to Corduroy Road to capture the gang. Then Marty and his gang return, followed by the police. The chief of police recognizes one of the men as Mike Quilligan. Quilligan then accuses the Angel of trying to kill him. However, the Angel exposes Quilligan as Marty Shore, by identifying the ring on his finger as the one that cut his cheek earlier. The entire gang, including Mike are rounded up by the authorities. A number of days later, the Angel goes back to the doctor and has the bandages removed from his eyes to find that his vision is now back to normal. He pays a visit to Mrs. Carter who thanks him for clearing her husbands name.