Sub-Mariner Comics #21
The Card Killers
One night the notorious Ace Gang complete their latest caper: stealing $20,000 payroll from a company, killing the night watchman in the process. The next day they gloat over another robbery netting them even more money when they are called by their leader the Queen who tells them their plans for the next job.
Meanwhile, Betty Dean calls the Sub-Mariner and invites him to accompany her to a party aboard Louise Judson's yacht for her brothers birthday. Namor declines the offer telling Betty that he's busy helping the police trying to track down the Ace Gang. Later, Namor goes over the various robberies and finds that all the locations are along the waterfront and decides to patrol the waters to see where the Ace Gang will strike next. As Namor searches, the Ace Gang heads toward their next target: Louise Judson's yacht, in order to rob the rich party goers. When the Ace Gang begins robbing the patrons they attract the Sub-Mariner who attacks them. However, Namor is quickly knocked out when a heavy trunk is thrown on him and the Ace Gang succeeds in robbing the party goers. When Louise's brother Clarence tries to stop them, one of the Ace Gang shoots him dead and they flee
When Namor recovers he finds out what happened he finds the remains of one of the gangs walkie-talkies that was smashed in the fight. Finding the address of the manufacturer, Namor pays a visit to the owner of the company to find out who ordered the devices. But, before the owner can tell him who purchased the walkie talkies he's killed by a shot fired from the skylight. Rushing to the roof of the building Namor confronts the shooter, tossing a barrel over him. Unfortunately, the shooter then stumbles off the roof and falls to his death. When mulling over how the Ace Gang could have possibly deduced his move, Namor realizes that the only people he told were Betty, and Louise and then rushes off to find a phone book.
Meanwhile, at the Judson home, Louise convinces Betty to leave and she rushes to her yacht. As it turns out she is the Queen of the Ace Gang and is secretly married to their leader Ace, she takes her boat to their secret hideout. After Louise arrives, Namor appears and attacks the Ace Gang. The hero is knocked out by massive playing cards that are dropped on him. When Namor revives he finds himself tied to a post and Ace sets a motorized razor sharp playing card to inch toward him. Left to die, Namor manages to grab a broken chair leg and get a flame from the fireplace to burn through his bonds and free himself. Namor then trashes the Ace Gang's yacht, capturing the entire gang and turns them over to the authorities.
Recurring Characters
Sub-Mariner, Betty Dean
The Tiger Queen
A friend calls on Namor to search for two missing explorers who went missing at sea when travelling to India from some tropical islands, Namor agrees and swims out to the last place they were seen. Arriving on the island, hear learns from one of the natives that it is ruled by the evil Morla the Tiger-Woman, who apparently has the ability to transform into a live tiger and has forced her people to constantly pay tribute to her by giving her their valuables and warns Namor to leave the island.
Namor refuses and goes to Morla's palace and witnesses as one of her subject, having nothing to give Morla, is killed when Morla seemingly transforms into a tiger and attacks him. Namor tries to interfere but Morla's loyal guard outnumber him and he is forced to flee back to the ocean under a hail of spears. With the guards believing him drowned, Namor secretly overhears some of them talking about the stranger that they are holding prisoner. Namor rushes to the jail where the stranger is and rescues him from a lashing from one of the guards. It turns out to be one of the missing explorers, the lone survivor, but he is fatally wounded. Before dying he tells Namor to save someone named Tryla. One of the guards walks in on Namor, and before the Sub-Mariner can escape he is knocked out and brought before Morla.
Morla is impressed by Namor's strength and offers him the chance to be her king. This upset her advisers, two criminals from the mainland who have been manipulating Morla in the hopes of stealing her cache of wealth when she is not looking. Deciding to eliminate Namor, the two then trick Namor into thinking that Morla has allowed Namor to go free. However, Namor is soon captured and the advisers convince Morla to lock Namor up in the dungeon but warn her to keep him away from water. With Namor locked up, the two advisers then recommend that Morla to lead a war party to pillage the neighbouring island of it's wealth and she agrees to do so, leaving the crooks an opening to rob Morla blind.
In his cell, Namor hears the singing of a girl named Tryla, who turns out to be Morla's twin sister. Namor gets her to toss her jug of water through the window onto him, revitalizing his strength allowing himself to break them both free from the jail. He learns that Morla apparently gained her powers when she drank the blood of a tiger that she had killed herself. Hearing the advisers the two duck into the bushes and overhear how they are escaping the island in a boat with the stolen loot. Namor rounds up the crooks and realize that they helped Morla create the illusion that she transformed into a tiger with smoke bombs and having her aid Amlor dresses in a tiger costume.
Namor then brings the two crooks back to the island and have them confess their scheme to the people angering them into joining Namor in a revolt when Morla and her war party return. Namor assists the islanders to overthrow Morla, who falls to her death. After the battle is over, Tryla takes Morla's place and Namor leaves the island.
Recurring Characters
Sub-Mariner
Sub-Mariner Vs. Green-Out
Namor comes to shore to meet with Betty Dean and learns of a series of strange incidents where robberies are committed during a "Green-Out", reports saying that those present could not see anything amid a bright green light that obscured all vision. Suddenly, a cruise ship is enveloped in a "Green-Out". As Namor swims to aid the ship, a gang of strangely garbed men led by a man calling himself Amkenon board the ship. Although initially blinded by the Green-Out, Namor boards the ship and tries to stop the gang from stealing the cargo on board. During the fight, one of Amkenon's men ends up getting trapped under a crate and they leave him behind. As they escape, Amkenon scolds Mongrel for almost revealing his real name and they flee.
With the Green-Out over, Namor finds the man the gang left behind and as he dies his last words sound like "Charm". Namor searches the body for identification but finds nothing. Noting the dragon emblem on the dead man's uniform Namor dives back into the water and finds Betty to tell her what happened. Eye witnesses give varied accounts, confusing Namor more. Betty decides to leave the mystery for another day and tells Namor that she is going to the Sharmine Electrical Society who are having a meeting that night. Realizing that the dying man might have been trying to say "Sharmine", Namor decides to check out the electrical society. As he enters the building, the hero us unaware that he is being watched by one of Amkenon's men, who is posing as a blind homeless man begging for change.
Inside the society, Namor meets with the head Roger Sharmine and asks him what he knows about he Green-Outs. When he dodges around the questions, Namor grabs his pocket watch and finds the same dragon emblem inside the the case and demands to know what his connection to Amkenon is. Roger explains that his brother Arnold was obsessed with mysticism as much as he was obsessed with science. One day, his brother decided to leave to Egypt where he saved a young priestess from drowning and her ruler gave him a mystical item which created the Green-Outs.
After Simon tells his story, the Sharmine Society is flooded by a Green-Out and some of Amkenon's men attempt to kill Namor, but he manages to avoid their shots. The Green-Out fades and he finds that the gang kidnapped Roger. Namor then maps out the locations where the Green-Out has been used and uses that to triangulate the possible location of the Green-Out device. Namor finds their hideout on the waterfront and storms in just seconds before Amkenon can kill Mongrel, who he blames for allowing Namor to find out his last name. Namor is subdued when the gang uses the Green-Out on him and both he and Mongrel are chained up in the basement and left with a time bomb to blow them up while they commit their next crime. However, in the confusion, the gang forgot to take away Mongrel's gun, and Namor uses it to shoot the wall of the room causing water from the ocean to seep in and restore his strength. Namor then frees himself and Mongrel and they manage to escape just seconds before the bomb explodes.
Turning Mongrel over to the authorities, Namor rushes to the ruins of Amkenon's base and finds a secret tunnel where he finds electronic equipment that is the real cause of the Green-Out and shuts it off. Amkenon and his men are then arrested by the authorities just as Namor arrives on the scene. He unmasks Amkenon, revealing him as Roger Sharmine, and that his entire story about a brother named Arnold was a falsehood.
Recurring Characters
Sub-Mariner, Betty Dean
School For Maniacs
While on vacation in Florida, the Angel is awoken by an intruder breaking into his room. Subduing the intruder, the Angel realizes that the man is Victor Byson a millionaire that was recently committed to an insane asylum. Byson tries to explain that the asylum is a sham, but before he can explain further bullets come in through the window, fatally shooting Byson down. Before Byson dies, he hands the Angel a slip of paper with his sisters address.
The Angel pays a visit to Marsha Byson, and she explains that she and her half-brother Roger signed the papers to have their brother committed. She explains that Victor was committed shortly after he received his inheritance and after he was committed Roger, who was originally left out of the family will, took control of the family money. The Angel decides that he should investigate the asylum in the Everglades that Victor was committed to. The two drive out to the asylum, and the Angel sends Marsha through the front way while he scouts around back. When Marsha is admitted into the asylum Dr. Bogret tries to convince Marsha that she too is insane and escape the asylum. When she resists she is subdued and placed in a room that has seemingly been turned upside down.
Meanwhile, the Angel has sneaked in through a window into the main office and starts looking through the files and learns that other wealthy men were committed to the asylum. The Angel is knocked out from behind and when he comes too, he finds himself chained to a chair with a bunch of the asylums patients. Dr. Bogret then begins lecturing the "class" on how they are insane and creates illusions to try and convince them they are mad. Seeing this as a ruse, the Angel manages to break free from his bonds and knocks out Bogret. He then frees the men, all wealthy people who had been committed, and tells them that they were being forced into insanity so that others could claim their fortunes.
Searching the asylum, he catches Roger Byson before he can kill Marsha and rescues her from the upside-down room. Later at the police, the Angel explains to the chief inspector of the scheme at the asylum and the hero is thanked for his help by Marsha.
Recurring Characters
Angel
