USA Comics #6
The Ghost's Gaze of Death
The construction site of an American battleship is the location of the sudden return of what appears to be the ancient Greek creature known as the Medusa. One of the workers in the ship is killed by the creatures gaze and his torch causes a massive fire that leads to the ships destruction. The only surviving worker claims that it was the ancient creature. When news of this strange attack hits the news, Professor Anton Harvey the Professor of Greek History at Carson University tells the listening audience that the Medusa returns every so often all over the world and has apparently returned, this time appearing in America.
Hearing the radio broadcast are Steve Rogers and James Barnes. James is not sure what the Medusa is and Steve tells him an abridged history of the creature's mythical origins and how the creature was originally slain by Perseus in ancient Greece. The two decide to get involved as Captain America and Bucky and pay a visit to Professor Harvey for advice on the subject. The Professor tells the two heroes that that night he found a piece of parchment on his window from Medusa challenging Cap to a battle to the death in Baskerville Graveyard.
Cap shows up at the appointed meeting place and is apparently felled by the Medusa monster. Horrified at the possibility his partner is dead, Bucky attempts to stop the Medusa creature, but it proves to be stronger than the young man and it beats him into submission and flees the scene. Cap survives the encounter and revives Bucky just as Professor Harvey arrives on the scene to check on them.
Having overheard the creature mention attacking dynamos, the two heroes realize that Medusa plans to attack the nearby power house and rush there to stop it. There, Cap and Bucky try to once more stop the supposedly mythical creature, but it douses the lights and manages to get away once more while the two heroes are stumbling in the dark.
Following the creature outside they see it get into a car and speed away and hop a ride in a police car and chase after it. They follow the Medusa back to a den of Nazi spies leading to another confrontation. The heroes are outnumbered and knocked out, then brought to a secret room below where they learn that the Medusa has apparently allied itself with the Nazis. It shows the two heroes what appears to be the dead body of Anton Harvey in a glass sphere, telling them that it will gas the heroes in much the same way.
Captain America and Bucky break free from their bonds and another fight breaks out. While Bucky fights the Nazi spies, Captain America chases after the Medusa to a secret armory. There they fight it out with bayonet rifles, until Cap manages to shoot Medusa in the face, killing it. Cap then realizes that it is nothing more than a costume and when Bucky arrives, they unmask the monster revealing it to be Anton Harvey in disguise and that he did not have a killer gaze at all, but poisoned his victims with a close range blow dart gun.
Recurring Characters
Captain America, Bucky, Nazis
Terror Squad
At a Nazi concentration camp, American soldier Chuck Wilson and Russian soldier Stanisofski are attempting to break out and are caught in a spot light. Fleeing the scene they run into a British prisoner named Twimbly who managed to jump a guard and steal his uniform, sneaking out while Chuck and Stan were breaking out. Deciding to work together they flee the scene. Later when a jeep full of Nazis come upon them, Twimbly pretends to be a Nazi soldier who captured his fellow escapees. This catches the Nazis off guard and they are soon jumped, allowing Chuck and Stan to steal their uniforms and the jeep.
Driving to a German town, they find that there are a trio of British fighter planes that are on display. Despite the fact that they have no weapons on the fighter planes, the trio decide to steal them anyway and escape from Germany. They are dogged by the Luftwaffe, but with the machine guns they stole they manage to defend themselves, even destroying a Nazi fuel convoy before escaping into Russian air space.
Landing safely and welcomed by Stan's cousin, the trio of escapees decide to form together into an anti-Nazi fighting force they call the Terror Squad.
The Den of Horror
Heir Nuisance turns on his dictaphone to make an important dispatch but the device explodes in his face. Seemingly unscathed, he finds the calling card of the Destroyer and orders his men to find the vigilante. When that fails, he orders them to bring the Florence von Banger, the woman who has been caught with the hero previously. Left alone with Nuisance, Florence is surprised to find that it's really the Destroyer in disguise. He explains that he switched places with the real Nuisance (whom he tied up in the closet) in order to rescue two Germans who run an underground press that were recently captured. With this explanation he lets Florence go and gives her a pass to make sure the Nazis outside don't give her any trouble.
Still posing as Commander Nuisance, the Destroyer goes down to the dungeon below where the Nazi torture expert known as the Brander is about to begin torturing the two prisoners in order to learn the secret location of their illegal press. When "Nuisance" tells the Brander that he is releasing the two prisoners so that they can go on a picnic, the Brander is confuse until the Destroyer doffs his disguise.
The Destroyer beats the Brander into submission and when Nuisance (now freed) arrives downstairs with guards, the Destroyer keeps them at bay by tossing a cauldron full of hot coals. He then locks himself in the room with the prisoners he sought to free. Although he unshackles them there appears to be no way out until one of the prisoners shows him a secret passageway they all escape through.
When the Nazis finally break through the door, they find the room empty with no idea where their prisoners had gone. At the end of the secret tunnel, the Destroyer is surprised to find the hidden press machine hidden in the one place the Nazis would never find it: in a secret chamber below one of their own bases. Shown another way out, the Destroyer commends them on their free press and returns to the outside world to continue being a scourge to the Nazi menace.
Recurring Characters
Destroyer
Continuity Notes
Per Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A-Z #3 this appearance of the Destroyer is attributed to Kevin Marlow.
Death In the Coral Sea
The true story of Naval officer Edward A. Flaherty and how he survived a Japanese attack in the Coal Sea that saw the sinking of his ship the Neosho.
The Whizzer
The Whizzer's new sidekick Slow Motion Jones spots two men running down the street shooting at each other, calling the Whizzer the hero races to the scene. There before Jones' astonished eyes the hero takes down one man and learns that he is a Nazi spy. Going to the other, who has been wounded, he finds that he is an FBI agent. Dying the FBI agent warns the Whizzer that the man he was chasing was a spy and then mentions a convoy and a last chance before dying. When the Whizzer goes back for the Nazi spy, he is too late as the man has escaped.
The Whizzer returns to his apartment with Slow Motion to ponder what the dead FBI agent had said and realizes what he had meant: Remembering that there is a military convoy due to leave he also recalls a boat called the Last Chance being out at sea, and realizes that the Nazis must be hiding out on the boat in order to sink the Navy convoy.
The Whizzer then grabs Slow Motion and races out to the ship to warn the captain. The captain tells the Whizzer that the spies had also kidnapped his daughter. The Whizzer then speeds out to the Last Chance and easily beats the Nazis and rescues the admirals daughter. In the aftermath of the fight, the Whizzer realizes he's got five minutes to get to New York City for an important meeting and races off wondering what he's going to do during the four minutes he'll have to spare.
Recurring Characters
Whizzer, Slow Motion Jones, Nazis
Continuity Notes
The depiction of Slow Motion Jones here is… problematic to say the least. All-Winners Squad: Band of Heroes later details that Slow Motion was actually a speedster, just like the Whizzer. The disparity between the Timely era stories and Band of Heroes is explained away as the Timely era stories being “comic book adaptations” of the “real history” of the Marvel Universe.
Sergeant Dix
Sgt. Dix is stationed at an American military base. One day the sentry is harassed by a group of kid armed with sling shots. Dix chases the boys off, but they return later with some men who give them rocks to shoot at the sentry. Dix once more comes by to tell them to scram and after wondering what the harm could be giving children toys to play with, all the men and children comply.
That night one of their ammunition storehouses explodes sending Sgt. Dix out to investigate. As he rushes towards the blaze he steps on some of the pebbles that where shot onto the base earlier that day and is shocked to find that they suddenly burst into flame. Realizing the base has been pelted with incendiary pellets disguised as pebbles, he warns his troops to be careful.
While the soldiers search for the pebbles, Sgt. Dix rushes to one of the homes of the boys that were by the base earlier and learns that the men who gave them the sling shots were all staying at the Town Motel. Overhearing that they are Nazi Fifth Columnists, Dix kicks down their door and takes them all alone, easily beating them into submission before other troops can arrive on the scene.
Recurring Characters
Sargeant Dix, Nazis
Jap Buster Johnson
Aboard a US Navy battleship off the coast of Hawaii, Doug Johnson and his friend Dave are on deck discussing life on the ship when they are suddenly ordered to prepare for battle. Getting into uniform and rushing to their fighter planes, Doug and Dave are ambushed by a Japanese Zero Fighter that guns down Dave. Seeing his friend chopped down before his eyes the horrified Doug vows to avenge his friends death. In his own fighter plane, Doug manages to shoot down all the Japanese fighters on his own.
When he lands he finds that his comrades have recovered a Japanese fighter plane that is still intact. Doug then asks his captain if he can repair the plane and use it to try and find the secret Japanese base that Dave had thought might be in the area. The captain agrees and Doug flies off in the plane. With his Japanese skills he manages to locate the hidden base (which has been painted in such a way to blend in with the island it is on) and manages to work his way to the communications hut.
There he holds the commanding officers on the base hostage with some grenades and orders them to call back all their fighters. After they have done so, Doug then calls in his captain and gives the location of the island. The Japanese soldiers try to attack him but he manages to get away. Given a chase by Japanese forces, he loses them by tumbling the fuel stockpile and getting into a Zero Fighter and flying away. Turning around he fires at the fuel barrels causing a massive explosion. Just then American fighters arrive and Doug is almost shot down but he quickly identifies himself by pulling out an American flag he had hidden in his jumpsuit.
With the Japanese base destroyed, Doug and the other soldiers return to their carrier where Doug is commended on a job well done. A formal funeral is held for Dave, where Doug vows to continue "busting" Japs for his friend.
Recurring Characters
Jap Buster Johnson, Imperial Japan
Continuity Notes
Just like Slow Motion Jones, the depiction of Jap Buster Johnson here varies differently from later appearances in more recent publications. All-Winners Squad: Band of Heroes later details that Jap Buster Johnson was actually an infantry man who had a pathological hatred for the Japanese after the attacks on Pearl Harbor. The disparity between the Timely era stories and Band of Heroes is explained away as the Timely era stories being “comic book adaptations” of the “real history” of the Marvel Universe.
