Mastermind Excello

Earl Everett -- Also know as Mastermind Excello -- is returning to the Untied States from an assignment in Europe when he overhears spies plotting against the United States. Spotted by the spies he is taken with them as they leave the sail ship aboard a boat that has come to pick them up. While tied up, he overhears their plans to go to New York and collect their vital papers before meeting Dr. Marko at the "super-power plant".

Excello breaks free just in time to see the spies leave the ship on a plane, fighting through the remaining operatives, Everett boards a second plane and follows after them. Everett tracks that spies to an office building where he gets the drop on them and knocks them out. Disguising himself as one of the spies, he flies to the super-power plant to meet with Dr. Marko. Marko explains that the dynamos in his super power plant will bring a surge of electricity to major cities across America setting off explosives that have been placed. Before he can throw the switch the set off the explosives Excello reveals himself and the two struggle with each other.

Excello knocks out Marko and gets past the guards. Once he gets outside of the plant he tosses in an explosive that destroys it. With the plot ruined, Excello contact intelligence and tells them the location of the enemy ship (which is sunk) and the spies he left tied up in the office building. When officers arrive on the scene they find Excello's calling card which reads "America first and always".

Recurring Characters

Mastermind Excello, Nazis

Flexo the Rubber Man

The Williams brothers have just finished their designs for a torpedo repeller, and Joel flies off to deliver it to Washington D.C. Along the way his plane's engine is killed by a special weapon used by spies who then steal the prototype when Joel is forced to land. They then tie Joel to a tree and leave him for the wolves that roam the forest at night. Far from helpless, Joel uses his radio signal to call Josh, who comes to his rescue with Flexo. Saving Joel from a pack of wolves, the two brothers then set off to find the stolen plan with their robot.

Getting the robot to help them take off, they fly around the area using a special detector to track the energies given off by their invention. Tracking the spies to a mine, they descend into it with Flexo who sends the spies fleeing. They don't get very far as they are soon stopped in their tracks by Flexo, who sends their car falling off the side of a cliff -- but not before Flexo can recover the torpedo repellent.

Recurring Characters

Flexo, Joshua Williams, Joel Williams, Nazis

The Dynamic Man

After a series of successful sabotage attempts, the FBI sends Curt Cowan to investigate. The explosions are caused by Dr. Vee, who's next target is the Westbound Express. Cowan decides to scan the area in his identity as the Dynamic Man and his enhanced vision find the bomb set on the tracks, removing it before it can go off and derail the train.

Tracking down the men responsible, the Dynamic Man beats them all into submission and forces one of them to drive him to their bosses headquarters, unaware that a hidden microphone is tipping off Dr. Vee to his arrival. When the Dynamic Man arrives, he is rushed by Vee's minions keeping him occupied that he can't avoid a blow to the back of the head from Vee, which knocks him out. When the Dynamic Man revives he finds himself trapped in a room with spiked wall that are crushing in on him. Unphased by this, the Dynamic Man flies through the roof of the house and to freedom.

He then chases Dr. Vee and his men as they have just got aboard a vessel that is on a course outside of the country. Stopping the vessel, the Dynamic Man beats Dr. Vee's men into submission until the police arrive to handle them. Catching up to the mastermind, the Dynamic Man then tosses Vee into the ocean before leaving.

When he returns to his civilian identity, he is informed by his superior at the FBI that Vee was recovered, half drowned, by the authorities and confessed to everything.

Recurring Characters

Dynamic Man

Space Rangers

By the year 2300 space travel has become possible and as a result crimes in space have become commonplace. In order to combat this, the Space Rangers have been formed to enforce the laws of space. Two of these Space Ranges are Bob Raleigh and his sidekick Nibbs. After a series of robberies of merchant shuttles where the rare element Plinium has been stolen Raleigh and Nibbs are sent to investigate.

Noting that the robberies happen near a meteor that is not far from the planet Mercury, they decide to investigate there. While on the meteor, the evil Blackhawk is the man responsible and he is preparing for another raid. When he notices his daughter spying on him, he warns her against disobeying his wishes and tells her to stay out of his way.

When the Space Rangers land on the meteor, they are attacked by Blackhawks minions. Without weapons to defend themselves, they are easily overpowered and taken prisoner. Left tied up in a room they are visited by Blackhawk who warns them against meddling in his affairs. Left alone, the two Space Rangers manage to free themselves, and with the aid of Blackhawks daughter are led back to their ship.

Chased by Blackhawk in a ship of his own, the Space Ranger duel it out with him, and win -- destroying his cruiser and killing him -- ending the raids.

Recurring Characters

Space Rangers (Bob Raleigh, Nibs)

Continuity Notes

• Space Ranger stories happen in an alternate reality. Per the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A-Z #2 designates this as Reality-4096.

Blue Blaze

Hearing a radio report about a mine cave-in, the Blue Blaze rushes off in his roadster to see what he can do to help. Investigating the scene of the cave in, he finds that all the minors inside are dead and the remains of a bomb. When the structure caves in more, the Blue Blaze calls on his powers to pull himself out of the collapsed mine.

Taking his evidence to the mine superintendent he arrives just as a man named Barko who was once more attempting to sell a device that will prevent cave ins. The Blue Blaze tells the superintendent about the bomb that was placed in the mine and both wonder if Barko has anything to do with it. The Blue Blaze then goes to investigate the next mine that could be targeted. Along the way, Barko attempts to kill the Blue Blaze but each attempts fail until Barko attacks him with his freeze guns trapping the hero in a block of ice.

Gloating at the Blue Blaze's defeat, Barko and his mean head off to plant a bomb in the next mine, however the Blue Blaze manages to break free. Confronting Barko and his men, he beats them into submission and puts out their explosive before it can go off. Afterward, Barko is sent off to an insane asylum.

Recurring Characters

Blue Blaze

Taxi Taylor and his Wonder Car

Jim "Taxi" Taylor has finished modifying his new all purpose vehicle that can travel on land, sea and air, hoping that the government will take the designs and use it to defend America from it's enemies. However, when he presents the idea at a government office, he is laughed off as though he is some kind of crack pot and sent away.

Undaunted, Taylor is determined to prove to the government that his new device is ideal for their use and decides to take the special vehicle out during his regular shift as a taxi driver. Picking up two diplomats from the nation of Swastika, he overhears them talking about derailing the signing of neutrality legislation allowing them to plant mines.

Dropping the men off at their destination, Taylor drives around back of the property and uses his cabs built in surveillance equipment to listen in an learn more about this dastardly plot: Picking up a radio graph signal he intercepts a message on how mines will be planted out near Liberty Island to destroy two vessels the Normandie and the Queen Mary.

Deciding to stop this from happening, Taylor converts his taxi to flight mode and flies off back toward the city. Spotting some Swastikans planting the mines, he switches to submersible mode and tracks down the mines via radar, using a magnetic ray to render them useless. Attacked by the enemy boat, Talyor must go out and make repairs when he is attacked by a Swastikan scuba diver. Taylor cuts his attackers air hoses leaving him to drown at the bottom of the water. Then using his taxi's defensive capabilities sinks the Swastinkan boat.

Rushing back to the enemy hideout to get their evidence, he arrives just as they are fleeing the house, which they have set ablaze to destroy the evidence. Taylor then uses his taxi's fire equipment to put out the blaze and recover the files. After which he tips off the authorities and reads in the paper the next day that the spies had been caught.

Recurring Characters

Taxi Taylor

Continuity Notes

• This is the only Golden Age appearance of Taxi Taylor. He resurfaces again in All-Winners Squad: Band of Heroes #2.

The Invisible Man

Dr. Gade is busy at work on a new invention that will be for the benefit of mankind. However, his opponent, the greedy George Sporvan has hired a man to assassinate Dr. Gade. Gade is pushed into his chemical furnace, but instead of burning alive the combined chemicals cause him to turn invisible instead. Utilizing a special vibration machine he learns how to make himself turn visible and invisible at will and decides to go after his would be killer to see who hired them.

Tracking him to Sporvan's office invisibly, Gade attacks them directly, frightening them with the sight of being attacked by an unseen attacker. When Sporvan and one of his associates try to hide in another room by locking themselves in, Gade makes his presence known and takes the key. When Sporvan tries to shoot him, Gade turns invisible again and steps out of the way, causing the bullet to strike Sporvan's henchman. Fleeing the police, Sporvan rushes back to Gade's lab hoping to gun him down there.

When Gade returns he is made visible by his device making him a sitting duck for Sporvan. However, as the two fight one-on-one, Gade throws himself back into his device becoming invisible again. Then, as police arrive on the scene to arrest Sporvan, he tosses his would be killer on a disintigrator, causing him to be disbursed into atoms, leaving the puzzled police officers to wonder what happened.

Recurring Characters

Invisible Man

Zara of the Jungle

Captain Jeff Graves, the commissioner of the territory is attempting to learn why the tribes in the area keep on breaking out into violence with each other. After dealing with a lion and coming across a village that has been slaughtered he is greeted by a white woman named Zara. Zara explains to him that her father brought her into the wilderness as a young girl to get away from crime and raised her to live in the jungle and taught her to uphold truth and justice. She warns him that to go further into the jungle is dangerous, not willing to shirk his duty, Jeff thanks her and continues on.

He is soon attacked by a group of natives who easily subdue him and take him to their leader, a white man named Bwana Gombo, who seeks to sow distention amongst the tribes in the area so that he can take over them all and rule the jungle. Before they can shoot Jeff, he is rescued by Zara who sets him free and easily stops Bwana, leaving him to face justice for his crimes. While Jeff takes him away, Zara stops the warring between the tribes, informing them on how they had been tricked.

Later, when peace has been restored, Jeff asks Zara to accompany him back to civilization. She refuses, telling him her home is the jungle.

Recurring Characters

Zara, Jeff Graves

Dakor the Magician

Dakor travels to Singapore to meet with the British Consolate to learn that one of their people, Murdock, has been captured by Chinese bandits and asks for his help in recovering him. Disguising himself as a Chinese boat merchant, Dakor sails to the bandits island and is almost attacked by them when he explains that he has come to "join them". Tricking their leader Mungo, he accepts his offer.

Soon, Dakor tracks down where they are keeping Murdock prisoner and advises him that he has come to rescue him. However, this blows his cover and Dakor is soon captured. Tied to a tree, he is about to be struck with arrows, but Dakor uses his magic to turn them into into corn stalks and breaks free. Fighting his way through the bandits, Dakor frees Murdock and they manage to get away, transforming his sailboat into a motorboat for a speedy getaway.

Recurring Characters

Dakor