Marvel Mystery Comics #9
The Battle of the Comic Century!
Continued from last issue...
Following his first encounter with the Human Torch, Namor the Sub-Mariner vows to defeat his foe and continue his acts of vengeance against the city of New York. Swimming out to where he has his air-sub parked, he takes a canister of compressed air to use against the Torch, taking it to his hideout at the Statue of Liberty. When the Torch arrives, Namor manages to knock the hero into the harbor with a blast of compressed air. In the water, Namor is able to knock the Torch out and decides to take him back to Atlantis to figure out how he works. However, when preparing to leave, the Sub-Mariner accidentally turns on his cylinder of compressed air, trapping the Torch in an air bubble. Attempting to grab the Torch fails and the android manages to float to the surface where he manages to get free of the water and escape with his flame powers. Although his enemy has escaped, the Sub-Mariner begins plotting anew.
The Torch returns to police headquarters, where he reports back to his commander. Once more Betty Dean tries to convince the Torch that the Sub-Mariner is not truly evil, but when a television broadcast of the Sub-Mariner warning the Torch to stay out of his affairs, the Torch flashes off to the television station to stop him. There, they engage in a brief battle, Where the Torch chases the Sub-Mariner to the city reservoir. The Sub-Mariner plays into the Torch's hand when he dives into the water and is weakened by the chlorine used to clean it. Before he can escape, the Human Torch places flames over the water and calls for a military plane to bomb the water.
However, the explosions only succeed in knocking the Sub-Mariner out of the water leading to another clash between the two super-humans. The Sub-Mariner's ankle wings are burned in the battle making it impossible for him to fly, however he manages to take control of the military plane, tossing the pilot out. As he attempts to flee back to the water front, the Torch destroys the plane, but Namor manages to escape once more. Both men come up with ideas to stop one another.
The Torch returns to the police station where to the chemical lab where the scientist on duty tells the Torch that sulfuric acid may be powerful enough to stop the Sub-Mariner, telling him that the Toprey Chemical company has a large supply. Rushing there, the Torch is surprised to find that the Sub-Mariner has come here seeking a chemical means to stop the Human Torch as well. A battle breaks out, however the Sub-Mariner manages to keep the Torch distracted by setting a case of Nitro to explode. While the Torch is busy trying to put out the flames, the Sub-Mariner finds what he is looking for: a translite case.
Taking it downstairs, the Sub-Mariner uses it to encase the Human Torch, cutting him off from the air he needs to ignite his flame. The Torch is unable to shatter the case as it is composed of a rubber like material. However, the Sub-Mariner soon learns that there is no way to remove the Torch from the premises as lifting the case would expose the Torch to the air he would need to escape. Caught in a checkmate, the two foes begin to think of ways to get themselves out of their predicaments.
This story is continued next issue...
Recurring Characters
Human Torch, Sub-Mariner, Betty Dean
Continuity Notes
The battle between the Human Torch and the Sub-Mariner in this story is revisited in Marvels #1
The Angel
The Angel has come to the small European town of Carlburg on the feared "night of the vampire" where the townspeople lock themselves up for fear of supposed vampires that stalk in the night. Finding this warning nothing more than superstition, the Angel decides to investigate when he hears a woman screaming for help. Changing into his costume, he confronts a man who is trying to kidnap a young woman. Fighting the man off, he takes the woman to the nearby inn and tells the keeper to round up the townspeople to help him storm the castle. The inn keeper, fearful of the Angel as well bars the door instead.
When the Angel goes up to the castle he peers inside a window and see that the men inside are not vampires, but minions of a mad scientist who is conducting grisly experiments in an attempt to swap the mind of a human with the mind of an ape. Discovered, the Angel leaps into action and fights off the men and rescues the girl. In the altercation, the ape breaks free and gets tangled in the machinery. The Angel then dives out the window with the rescued woman as the machines exploded killing everyone inside. The Angel tells the girl to return to town and tell them that their nights of terror are now over.
Recurring Characters
Angel
The Masked Raider
The Masked Raider stops the most recent in a string of stagecoach robberies transporting gold into Lawson City. There he meets with his ally Mexican Pete who tells him he overheard a man named Shep Hanson who claimed to have found a gold mine and has kept its location secret.
Finding this suspicious, the Masked Raider decides to set a trap for the gold thieves. With the aid of the gold mine, sheriff and gold assayer, they set a trap for the thieves. Putting a lead solution into the next shipment of gold, they send it off on a stage coach without a guard. When it's robbed, the sheriff waits out in the assayer's office for the eventual arrival of Shep Hanson to cash in his ill gotten gold. When they confirm that the gold is that which was stolen from the stage coach, the sheriff attempts to arrest Shep but is knocked out.
As Shep and his goons flee, the Masked Raider and Mexican Pete chase after them, and easily take them down. Beating Shep into submission he turns him over to the sheriff. Later when Shep is locked up, the Masked Raider gladly tells the crook how he was tricked into getting captured.
Recurring Characters
Masked Raider, Lightning, Mexican Pete
Electro
Continued from last issue...
Jago, leader of the Dragon-Men has brought Professor Zog and Electro to the planet Ligra where he tortures the professor into using Electro to help him overthrow the Lion-People and becoming dictator of the planet. Sending one of his scouts to Princess Nara with a message demanding her surrender, she refuses. Jago then forces Zog to send Electro to help his armies battle the Lion-People.
In the course of the battle Jago kidnaps Queen Nara and takes her back to his palace, and then demands to know the location of her royal jewels. When she refuses to tell and his minions fail to turn them up he threatens the queen with his giant octopus. By this time, Professor Zog has manages to escape his captors and uses Electro to turn the tide of battle, fighting off the Dragon-Men and sending them fleeing. Returning to Jago's castle the robot slays the octopus and saves Nara. When Jago and his minions attempt to escape in their rocket ship, Electro captures the ship and tosses it into a nearby lake, sending them to a watery death.
With Queen Nara rescued, she thanks Zog for his aid and he asks her to return him to Earth, however he tells her that should the Lion-People ever need him, he is at their aid.
Recurring Characters
Electro, Philo Zog, Lion-People, Dragon-Men (Jago)
Continuity Notes
This is not the last we see of the Lion-People. A member of their race, named Gur, is seen in Marvel Zombies Destroy! #1
Ferret: Mystery Detective
The Ferret gets involved in the middle of a campaign of terror launched against Stacey Cleaners. During the most recent tactic, the Ferret notices that a man named Frankie is among them even though he recently went clean. While searching for clues at the plant, he looks around while the plant manager Mr. Martin gets a phone call.
Martin comes in and tells the Ferret that Brown, one of the co-owners of Stacey Cleaners had been killed in a bomb blast and fears for his life. Going to the scene of the explosion, the Ferret notices Frankie in the crowd and is soon knocked out by his boss the Hook. Taken to the Hook's apartment, the Ferret is left to die by a bomb, but manages to save him self by folding up the bed into the wall. Free, he chases after the Hook and his men, throwing a rock at their car causing them to crash.
After the crooks are apprehended, the Ferret nabs Mr. Martin, having figured out that Martin staged the whole string of attacks to make it look like the competition was using dirty deeds in order to murder Brown -- who was against Martin being taken on as a partner in the company.
Recurring Characters
Ferret
Continuity Notes
Although this is his last golden age appearance the Ferret’s final fate can be seen in Marvels Project #3-4 . Despite apparently dying in those stories, he appears again Marvel Mystery Comics: 70th Anniversary Edition #1. If the Ferret cheated death or was succeeded by a successor remains unverified.
Adventures of Ka-Zar the Great
Returning to his home, Ka-Zar overhears the scream of a girl and saves her from the claws of N'Jaga the leopard who he sends fleeing into the jungle. He learns that the girl is Rita Grey, the daughter of an explorer who got lost in the jungle after a ride on a raft sent her away from her fathers camp.
After hearing her tale, Ka-Zar agrees to help her find her way back home. Along the way they are attacked by a tribe of evil pygmies known as the Wabis. Sending Zar to locate Trajah the elephant, Ka-Zar takes the girl up the side of a mountain where he holds off the Wabis until Trajah arrives and sends them all fleeing into the jungle.
In the aftermath of the battle, Ka-Zar and Rita ride Trajah back to her fathers camp where father and daughter are reunited. Rita's father offers Ka-Zar the chance to return to their outpost with them, but he declines telling them that his place is in the jungle.
Recurring Characters
Ka-Zar, Zar, N’Jaga, Trajah
