USA Comics #12
The Toll of Death
While on a leave in London, Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes try to find a seat on a crowded double decker bus. Forced to sit apart, Bucky tries to convince a man to move over so they can share a seat. The other passenger does not want to share and tries to start a fight with the youth, prompting Steve to step in. The man, a German, tries to pull a knife but has the weapon swatted out of his hand by a man in a top hat wielding a cane, prompting the attacker to leap off the bus. Steve and Bucky try to follow him but a young nurse gets in their way trying to get aboard the bus. The young lady, named Martha Vulpe, is concerned that some bells are about to toll and gets onto the upper level of the double decker where she tries to warn a man named Sir Sidney to get to cover before the bells toll. Not only does Sir Percy not understand what she is talking about, but the man who saved Steve from being stabbed tries to stop her from warning the man. Unfortunately, when some nearby cathedral bells begin to ring, Sir Percy drops dead.
When police arrive on the scene the young nurse is blamed for the death, but Steve Rogers and Bucky insist that the officers need to listen to what she has to say. When the man with the cane and top hat offers his help the young nurse recoils away from him in fear. When the police ask her why she is afraid of the man, the nurse cannot bring herself to explain her fear and allows the officers to arrest her.
Made suspicious over the whole thing, Steve and his young ward change into Captain America and Bucky to investigate things further. Going to the police station, Cap and Bucky meet with the chief of police. He tells them that Sir Percy isn’t the only person to die this way and that autopsy reports discovered that all of the victims had been murdered from scratches to their face. In addition, all of the victims were important members of the British war department. Captain America insists on speaking with the young woman who was arrested, confident that she is the key to this mystery.
As they make their way to Martha’s cell, they spot the man in the hat and cane and learn that this man is apparently a barrister who has come to represent Martha in court. Cap finds this suspicious and they stop this man before he can silence Martha in her cell. This man, called the Cane, manages to flee the scene and evade capture. Captain America and Bucky follow are distracted with fighting off Nazi spies, allowing the Cane to escape. Returning to the police station, they learn that Martha is in a coma. Searching police records they discover Martha’s residence and are surprised to discover that her father, Johannes, is not only a German immigrant but also an optometrist and specially appointed to do work for the British crown. Inside, Captain America and Bucky meet with Johannes who, upon hearing what happened to his daughter, tells them that the Cane has been threatening his family for the past two years and forcing them to help with his operations to eliminate high ranking British officials. This involves a convoluted scheme to fit members of the government with glasses that are coated with a deadly poison. This glass, when exposed to the sound waves from nearby church bells cause the glasses to shatter causing the wearer to get cut and fatally poisoned.
That’s when the Cane and his men come barging in and attack Cap and Bucky. Captain America is forced to surrender when the Cane threatens to kill Bucky. The Nazi spy then takes a phone call from Lord Montaigne needs a replacement pair of glasses. The Cane agrees to deliver a pair to the war office in the hopes of killing his lordship. After the Cane has left, Johannes Vulpe helps free Captain America and Bucky and they knock out the Nazi spies and rush to the war office where they manage to remove the killer glasses from Lord Montaigne’s face before the bells toll and kill him. While attempting to flee, the Cane is shot and sent falling through a window to his death. With the Nazi spy ring smashed, Mary Volpe is released from jail and she thanks Captain America for helping her and her family.
Recurring Characters
Captain America, Bucky
The Destroyer
At the Gestapo headquarters, Major Von Glib is furious that his men have failed to capture the masked vigilante known as the Destroyer. Tired of the excuses he ejects his men out of his office and calls for Captain Freitag to come to his office immediately. Grumbling over being ordered around, Captain Freitag is ambushed by the Destroyer who knocks Freitag out and then disguises himself as the German soldier. Meeting with Major Von Glib, “Freitag” is ordered to investigate Fred Kurt, a book maker that is suspected of being a spy for the British. In addition to this, he is also ordered to destroy the Destroyer if the vigilante happens to interfere.
Driven to Fred Kurt’s book store, “Captain Freitag” orders his men to wait outside. When accused of being a spy, Fred Kurt pulls a gun, much to the Destroyer’s surprise. He quickly doffs his disguise to reveal that he is not actually with the Gestapo and convinces the spy to follow his orders. Blowing a whistle to call the Gestapo agents outside, the Destroyer ambushes them when they come rushing into the store. With the Gestapo tied up in the back, the Destroyer then calls Major Von Glib to tell him that Fred Kurt and the Destroyer have been captured.
Falling for this trap, Von Glib shows up alone and is knocked out. The Destroyer then resume his Captain Freitag identity and dressed General Von Glib in his costume. The hero then turns the “Destroyer” over to the Nazis where they unknowingly execute Captain Von Glib instead.
Recurring Characters
Destroyer
Continuity Notes
Per Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A-Z #3, the appearance of the Destroyer here is attributed to Kevin Marlow.
The Jap-Scourge of the Pacific
Jap Buster Johnson arrives at an American airfield in the Burmese jungle to assist the base. Meeting with commanding officers he learns that their transports leaving from China have not reached their destinations, and not even the wreckage of the planes have been found. As this briefing happens the sirens go off and everyone rushes outside. There they witness the horrific sight of the dead bodies from these China runs parachuting to the ground. That’s when they get a taunting radio call from a Japanese operative named the Strangler, who warns that any Americans who try to fly this course will suffer the same fate.
This infuriates Johnson so much he takes off alone and takes on the Japanese fleet that is responsible for attacking the transports in the area. He is forced to retreat due to superior numbers but not before noticing that the enemy had managed to capture American planes without causing any damage to the aircraft. Reporting back to his superiors, Johnson theorizes that the Japanese must have some kind of secret weapon that allows them to take control of American planes either by engine or radio. To combat this, Johnson has a bomber guide a glider back into the area.
He then ambushes the Japanese base, freeing the remaining captives from the Strangler and destroyers their device allowing American bombers to take out the enemy base.
Recurring Characters
Jap Buster Johnson
Sergeant Dix
Sergeant Dix is commanding a unit that has been dispatched to Sunda, a Japanese held island that is preventing American supply runs from reaching their destinations. Among the troops is a cameraman who has been recording the exploits of Sergeant Dix and his men for newsreels to be played back home. While Dix and his men are planning their next move, the camera man goes to film some footage of the scenery around them when he is captured by the Japanese. Although unarmed, the cameraman manages to escape captivity and warn Dix and his men of an ambushed. After the ambush is routed, Sergeant Dix thanks the cameraman for his help, noting that even though he doesn’t typically get involved in combat, his films are vital to gaining support for the war effort back home.
Recurring Characters
Sergeant Dix
King of Speed
While walking the street, Jack Robinson spots that the rope suspending a safe suddenly snaps sending the heavy object falling to the the street below. Changing into the Whizzer, Robinson uses his super speed to push people to safety. Examining the rope, the Whizzer discovers that the rope was intentionally cut. Rushing inside the building he learns that the safe owner, J.P. Reynolds was attacked by a gang of men. Looking out the window they spot the crooks intentionally dropped the safe in order to break it open allowing them to steal the money inside.
When the Whizzer races down the side of the building to catch the crooks, he is too late to stop them from running back inside and using the elevator to travel to the top floor of the building. However, the Whizzer is able to run up to the top floor and meet them when the elevator door opens. The crooks throw the bag of stolen loot in the Whizzer’s face, allowing them to escape once again. After returning the stolen loot to J.P Reynolds, the Whizzer begins searching the building for the crooks since there are many other safes full of money in the building. Catching the crooks trying to rob another safe, the Whizzer tries to stop them. However, their leader pushes the Whizzer into the safe and traps him inside.
They then shove the safe out of the window, hoping that the fall will kill the Whizzer. However, in the split second where the safe smashes against the pavement, the Whizzer quickly jumps to safety, avoiding harm. He then rushes back inside and confronts the crooks again. This time, he rounds up the crooks for the authorities, who was shocked to discover that the leader of this gane was none other that J.P. Reynolds himself.
Recurring Characters
Whizzer
Continuity Notes
The Whizzer’s civilian identity is states to be Jack Robinson in this story instead of Robert Frank. It is later explained in Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: Golden Age 2004, Robert Frank adopted the identity of Jack Robinson as an alter-ego so he could give the Whizzer a “public face”.
