Marvel Mystery Comics #82
The Laughing Killer
The Human Torch and Toro are at the local firehouse checking out new fire fighting equipment when the alarm goes off. They accompany the firemen to the Kenny Precision Tool Company where a chemical lab has burst into flames. The two heroes put out the fire. After they meet the owner Lydia Kenny who tells them the man who likely started the far is their chemist Jerry Carson, a psycho-neurotic war vet who has a drinking problem and showed up for work drunk.
Fearing for his safety, the Torch and Toro rush to Carson's house where his mother tries to deny him being there until Jerry begins to scream from upstairs. Mrs. Carson breaks down, telling them that her soon took up drinking two days ago and has been exhibiting odd behavior, like one night when he came home with what she thought of as a two foot can-opener. Rushing upstairs they find Jerry, apparently drunk, he tosses a chair at them and then jumps out the window, cutting himself on a loose nail on the way out. Before they can follow after him they hear a woman scream from downstairs. Checking on the source, they find Lydia Kenny downstairs, who tells them that Jerry attacked her with an ashtray before fleeing. The two heroes go out searching for Jerry, but the trail runs cold. Returning to the Carson home, they learn that Lydia had left, telling Jerry's mother that Jerry is invited back to work when he cleans his act up. Searching for this strange can opener they don't find it. Asking Jerry's mother who Jerry might confide in, she gives them the address of Jerry's old schoolmate Marty Elliot.
Rushing to Marty's house the find Harry Wallis instead, Marty's partner at a second hand auto part garage. Suddenly, they spot Marty's car driving erratically, and watch as it drives off a cliff to a fatal crash. Inside the car they find Marty's dead body reeking of alcohol. Searching the car with the police they determine that Marty was dead before the crash, the car in neutral and one of Jerry's cuff links in the car. The Torch tells the office to get an autopsy done on Marty and takes Toro back to the Carson house. Along the way, the Torch tells Toro he doesn't believe that either man was drunk and that the alcohol was used as a cover up for a deeper plot. At the Carson house, the Torch removes the nail that Jerry cut himself on and takes it back to the police lab for examination. The scientist there tells the Torch that Jerry's blood contained no alcohol. He then checks with the coroner and learns that Marty did not consume any either. Seeking to find the strange can-opener, they double back to Marty's house but are knocked out by two thugs seeking the same thing. Reviving, they decide to search Marty's auto garage, searching the junked cars in the junk yard. They find the can opener in a crane, but before they can recover it, they are doused with water and knocked out.
When they come to, they are bound on a mechanics track and doused with carbon monoxide to keep them from flaming on. The thugs then send a truck speeding at them and leave them to die. The Torch and Toro knock over an oil drum which allows them to squeeze out of their ropes and the Torch diverts the truck before it can hit them. Realizing the "can opener" is really a device used for burglary, the Torch realizes what is going on. They then rush to the Kenny Precision Tool Company where they find Jerry a prisoner of Lydia. Before she can kill Jerry the two heroes subdue her and her minions. Taking them to the police station, she confesses that she was using her company to build burglary devices for crooks and when Jerry found out she drugged him and used the alcohol story to eventually destroy him. With the caper explained, she is put into police custody.
Recurring Characters
Human Torch, Toro
The Coming of Namora!
A gang of crooks in a submarine are busy looking for Namor's undersea home while the hero is away on a mission in Asia in order to rob it of its wealth. They find an underwater city ruled that is living peacefully under their ruler and his daughter Aquaria Nautica Neptunia. The crooks dive down to the city and gun down everyone, seemingly killing all the undersea dwellers and robbing them of their valuables and flee.
Later, the Sub-Mariner is swimming by and decides to stop by the kingdom and sees the massacre. He is surprised when he finds Aquaria alive, and agrees to assist her on avenging the death of her father and his people. Aquaria decides to take on the alias Namora since she is working with Namor. Describing some of the attackers, Namor recognizes one of them as Stoop Richards. They go to a west coast prison and learn that Stoop was released from prison 3 months earlier. Knowing that Stoop is a notorious gambler, Namor suggests that they check out the gambling ship known as the "Blue Rose". Along the way, Namor suggests that if they get split up they meet at an island called Silver Rock. As it turns out, Stoop and some of the gang are intending to rob the Blue Rose as well. They are caught in the middle of their heist by both Namor and Namora who make short work on the crooks and tie them up.
However, before they can get them to talk about the massacre of Namora's people, the leader of the gang and more men arrive. They chloroform Namora and take her prisoner and knock Namor out, leaving him behind. When Namor revives he learns what happened to Namora and goes out looking for her. Coming across Silver Rock, he comes up with a plan to get the crooks to come to him. He goes to a local radio station and convinces the announcer to report a false story about Namor being in a coma and talking about an island full of jewels that "sparkle like silver". At the hideout of the gang, they hear this report. Namora realizes that it is a coded message from Namor telling her to get the crooks to Silver Rock. When they threaten her to reveal the location of the "jewels" she plays along, leading them to Silver Rock where Namor ambushes them and easily subdues the killers of Namora's people.
With no place to go, Namora is brought to the home of Betty Dean, who agrees to take Namora in. Namor then tells Namora that they will have more adventures in the future and departs.
Recurring Characters
Sub-Mariner, Namora, Betty Dean
Continuity
This story marks the return of the Atlanteans, last seen back in Marvel Mystery Comics #42. This long absence of his people is explained in Saga of the Sub-Mariner #5-6. Namor’s extended absence from his kingdom during the War led to him being exiled from Atlantis until he was called back in this story.
Ticket To Hades
Continued form last issue..
Wyatt Varnheim has arrived in Brazil to sell the sun-ray formula to the highest bidder after sending Madeline Joyce with a phony to distract those who seek to steal it from her. As she approaches Buenos Aries she gloats over how she also managed to trick her sister Elise out of the 50% cut that she had promised.
Meanwhile, at the secret hideout of former Nazi Rex Herr, Rex and his goons have brought the unconscious Miss America and shackle her to the wall next to American counter-espionage agent Ted Banning in order to question her for the location of the sun-ray formula. Elsewhere, Varnheim checks into the Casa de Lutrio hotel and signs in under the false name of Jane Rutgers. As she is checking in Peter Carr arrives after a phone call with the Ilses' who are not impressed with his progress of obtaining the formula. As Varnheim pays for her room she drops a personally mono-graphed pencil with her initials. Peter stoops down to pick it up, intending to return it to her when a man confronts him with a gun and takes him away at gun point to the basement of the hotel.
Back at Rex's hideout, Miss America comes around and the former Nazi threatens to kill Ted if she does not reveal the location of the sun ray formula. She tells them that it is in the possession of Madeline Joyce at the Grand Pallazio Hotel. When Rex leaves, Ted realizes that Madeline and Miss America are both the same person. Miss America explains that she told Rex this lie so that they could be left alone to try and escape from their bonds. Back at the basement hideout of James Ilse and his wife. They reveal that they have learned that he is not Peter Carr, but in reality Louis Reimens, a Belgium resistance fighter during the war. When they demand answers from him, he tell them that he came to Brazil seeking Nazi General Eric Kesselwolff, who murdered his parents and sister during the war. He explains that he took on the Peter Carr alias and joined up with the Ilses' spy network in an attempt to locate Kesselwolff. Before he can say anymore, James Ilse knocks Louis out with a black jack. Searching his body, they find the pencil that Varnheim had dropped and believe it to belong to the person who may have the formula and send their men to check the hotel registry.
Finally, Rex and his men return from their wild goose chase more furious than ever. Seeing that the two Americans are of no use to him anymore, Rex has his men take them to a nearby mine. There he straps them into a mining car lined with TNT and sends them on a collision course that will end in a fatal explosion.
This story is continued next issue...
Recurring Characters
Miss America, Peter Carr, Ted Banning, Rex Herr, Mary Varnheim, James Ilse
Puzzle of Evil
With free time on their hands the Young Allies decide to spend it by playing baseball. As they walk down the street, a note flutters down from a building and Knuckles grabs it. It is a drawing of a man tied up with rope that seems to be saying "HEL" as in "Help" and suspect trouble. Rushing into the building they find Moose Mulligan and his men who have a "snoop" tied to a dentist chair and are about to torture him. The Young Allies rush in fighting but Moose douses the lights and he and his gang manage to escape. Untying their prisoner, they learn that he is a police detective named Tom Lanson who has been tracking Moose Mulligan and his gang since they pulled off a bank job the previous month. The Young Allies offer to help Lanson find the gang, and he agrees, suggesting that they split up.
Lanson, Bucky and Tubby search a section of the warehouse where statues are being kept and are jumped bu Mulligan's men who are hiding among them. Elsewhere, Knuckles and Toro hear the commotion and come to their rescue. During the course of the fight the gang is subdued, and one of its members is knocked into a statue of a horse. The horse splits open revealing the stolen money. When the gang is turned over to the authorities, the Young Allies inquire with Tom about the note, but he tells them that he didn't write it. The boys then notices from the building across the way is a man on the phone scribbling doodles as he talks, suddenly the wind gusts blowing his scrap paper out the window for the second time that night, solving the mystery of the strange note.
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.
Twenty-Four Hours of Terror
Stuck on the head, Captain America falls off a balcony at a the Cafe Verasailles. When he comes around he does not remember who he is and as he searches for clues to his identity, he finds a dead man and the murder weapon. As Cap picks up the gun, the police burst in and suspect him of murdering the man, who they identify as Winthrop a wealthy man. Cap has no recollection of who he is or how the man dies, but pleads his innocence. Taken to police headquarters, where the chief of police shows Cap a note written by James Winthorp that states that he intended to meet with Captain America that night. They then bring in a witness named Crystal Green who also places Captain America at the scene of the crime. With no other means of proving his innocence and not knowing who he really is, Captain America tells the chief that he doesn't know what to say.
When the news of Captain America's arrest is broadcast over the radio, Bucky hears the news and rushes to his mentors aid and soon learns of Captain America's amnesia. He then pleads the chief to give them 24 hours to find the real killer so they can catch the real killer. The chief, considering Captain America's previous heroics agrees to let Cap go and try to clear his name within 24 hours. Returning to their home, Bucky has Captain America change into his civilian guise of Jeff Mace while they search for clues.
They first visit the home of the late James Winthrop and question his widow. She has no answers to give them except the fact that he husband was acting strangely the past few days leading up to his death and that he saw a lot of Crystal Green. Realizing that she has a larger connection to Winthrop than originally believed, the two heroes decide to pay her a visit, setting up a trap to learn who the real killer is. Jeff pays a visit to Crystal alone and tells her that he knows who the real killer of James was. Believing her cover blown, Crystal admits to killing James and before Jeff can do anything, one of her thugs knocks him out. As they are carrying Jeff's body out to dispose of it, Bucky attacks.
During the fight, Jeff recovers from his blow and realizes that his memory has been restored and changes into Captain America to lend his sidekick a hand. They make short work of Crystal and her men and then turn them over to the authorities, clearing Cap's name.
Recurring Characters
Captain America, Bucky
Continuity Notes
This story presents Captain America Bucky as though they are the originals, aka Steve Rogers and 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.
