Nick Peron

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Young Allies Comics #10

Credits

The Horror of the Devil-Doll

Whitewash Jones’ father returns home from his job as a porter for the House of Representatives absolutely certain that someone is using black magic. He tells how in the middle of a speech Representative Morton suddenly started screaming before collapsing to the ground. Although nobody knows what happened, Mr. Jones is certain that man has had his soul stolen by a practitioner of black magic using so-called devil-dolls. Whitewash rushes over to the Young Allies clubhouse where he tells his friends what he had heard. Unfortunately, the Young Allies can’t believe such a wild tale.

However, the threat of the devil-dolls is very real as a Nazi operative named Malapo is using his black magic skills against his next target, General Wiley. The next day, the Young Allies happen to see General Wiley just as Malapo steals his soul and collapses in the street. Whitewash once again tries to convince his friends that this is the work of black magic, and they are just starting to believe it. Overhearing this, Malapo considers Whitewash a threat and decides to make the youth his next victim. The next day, Malapo uses his devil-doll to steal Whitewash’s soul in the middle of a baseball game being played by the Young Allies. Seeing their friend suddenly collapse to the ground finally convinces them of his claims, but they don’t know what to do next.

For help, they pay a visit to Mr. Adams the curator of the Museum of Mythology. Mister Adams confirms what they have already been told and is too afraid to get involved, but the Young Allies drag him to their clubhouse anyway. While at his hideout, Malapo demands his victims to do his bidding or their loved ones will also have their souls trapped in devil-dolls as well. Meanwhile, Bucky and the others have brought Whitewash back home and tells his father what has happened. Mister Jones tells the boys to be careful and gives them a mystical rope that will protect their souls from being stolen by the devil-dolls. Later, the devil-doll containing the soul of Representative Morgan has infiltrated the Young Allies hideout. There he finds Bucky and knocks the masked hero out and has him taken back to Malapo’s lair.

When Bucky awakens Malapo gloats over his scheme. He explains that he has been hired by the Nazis to use his black magic to take over America. However, Malapo sees this as a means to an end as he intends to double-cross the Nazis and take over the world for himself. He also reveals that Malapo is actually the minion of someone else. Unfortunately, before Bucky can learn who that is, he is placed under a hypnotic spell and is strapped into a chair that will also transfer his soul into a devil-doll.

Meanwhile, Mister Adams has determined that their mystery foe would have set up operations in a haunted location. Checking the history of Washington, D.C. he determined that when Pierre L’Enfant designed Washington, one of his assistants grew jealous of the designer attempted to kill him by planting a bomb in L’Enfant’s residence. This backfired when the bomb went off prematurely, killing the bomber instead. It is said that his ghost now haunts the home which is located off Cantburn Avenue. With this information, the rest of the Young Allies rush to the address. Although Mister Adams is still reluctant to help but accompanies them as they go inside. Searching the house they find Malapo hidden in the basement. Seeing the intruders in his home puts Malapo in a state of fear as, in a surprise twist, Mister Adams is actually his master. Losing his meek demeanor, Adams uses his hypnotic powers to incapacitate the rest of the Young Allies. While everyone is distracted the devil-doll of Whitewash Jones breaks free from his containment and tries to attack Mister Adams. This frees the Young Allies from his hypnotic control. However, they are too late to stop him from imprisoning their souls in devil-dolls. Now at the advantage, Adams threatens to destroy the dolls which in turn will kill the Young Allies.

To teach the youths a lesson, Adams then decides to destroy Whitewash’s devil doll. However, before he can Mister Jones arrives and reveals that he too can command black magic. Haven gotten over his fear of these supernatural abilities he unleashes a magical attack that frees the Young Allies. In response, Adams and Malapo summon demonic forces, but Mister Jones summons creatures of his own to fight these monsters off. With the monsters destroyed, Adamsi stripped of his powers and is rendered helpless. With the battle over, the Young Allies rush back to the Jones house where they find Whitewash is back to normal and acting as though nothing had happened.

Recurring Characters

Young Allies (Bucky, Toro, Knuckles O’Toole, Jeff Vandergill, Tubby Tinkle, Whitewash Jones),

Horatius at the Bridge

With classes dismissed for recess, the teacher tells the children can go out and swim. All except for Tommy Tyme who is being forced to stay after class until he can tell his teacher what made Horatius famous. With no clue, Tommy once more relies on his Clock of the Ages to travel back in time to Tiber circa the year 506 BC. At the bridge the Tiber Bridge, Tommy Tyme decides to take the opportunity to take a swim. His fun is interrupted when a pair of Etrurian warriors come and start gawking at the boy’s strange clothing and slingshot. Tommy fights them for his clothes and then tries to flee but is captured. One of the warriors is about to run Tommy through when the other warns him against killing an unarmed child. Instead they are taken to King Lars Rosena who is amused by the strange boy. He tells Tommy about he and his men are going to cross the Tiber bridge and ransack Rome. Suddenly, Tommy remembers that Horatius was best known for preventing the invasion of Rome from the Eturians. Escaping the Eturians and flees across the bridge to Rome.

On the other side Tommy manages to get an audience with Horatius and tells the warrior that the best way to repel the coming invasion is by barring their passage across the bridge. Tommy joins the armies of Horatius in fending off the invaders from Eturia. When the tide of battle begins turning against them, Tommy convinces Horatius and his men to destroy the bridge. Sure enough, with the the main path cut off, King Rosena and his men are forced to flee. With the battle over, Tommy is transported back to the year 1943 where he is able to tell his teacher all about Horatius. However when he is given permission to go out swimming, Tommy declines the offer, telling her he has done enough swimming for one day.

Recurring Characters

Tommy Tyme

The Coils of the Python

The Young Allies are visiting Bombay, India where the Maharajah is throwing a parade to generate interest in the Allies effort in the war. They decide to go up to the palace to get a better view of the parade. Along the way they Bucky almost runs into a man carrying a camera. They are shocked to discover a man who has been fatally stabbed who claims his camera was stolen by his killer. That’s when Bucky realizes the man he bumped into had a Japanese accent and realizes that a spy is up to something. As it turns out, the spy has rigged the camera with a gun and is attempting to assassinate the Maharajah. Thankfully, Bucky arrives in enough time to knock the assassin aside with a single blow. That’s when the serpentine performer known as the Python kills the assassin. The rest of the Young Allies then spot more would-be assassins attempting to drop grenades on the Maharajah but are quickly stopped by Toro.

That evening, while the Young Allies fall asleep the Python is furious that his assassin failed. As it turns out, he is the mastermind behind the scheme and is working with the Japanese in an attempt to take over India. However, the Python intends to betray his Japanese masters as the Python intends to take over the world and rule it for himself. Later, the Young Allies are awoken when someone attempts to light their cabin on fire. Getting out unscathed, the young men are invited to spend the rest of the evening in the Maharajah’s hunting cabin. The next day, the Python sabotages the howdah’s on elephants the youths are riding on so they are dumped from the elephants when a tiger is set loose. This scheme also fails, prompting the Python to push ahead for his next plan, a full scale attack. However, this discussion is overheard by Whitewash Jones who goes and tells his fellow Young Allies.

While Bucky, Knuckles, and Whitewash take out the Python’s radio operator, Toro takes Tubby and Jeff to keep an eye on the Python himself. However, they are quickly discovered and tossed into a pit full of snakes. That’s when Bucky and the others come to the aid of their friends, but they too are tossed into the pit. In order to keep the snakes at bay, Toro uses his flame but quickly exhausts his power. Thankfully, the Maharajah and his guards arrive with guns blazing, saving the boys. They then take a secret tunnel to the Maharajah’s hunting cabin where they load up with weapons to fend off the Python’s invasion.

Although everyone is pinned down, Bucky and Toro help Jeff get to the radio transmitter and call for reinforcements. Although the Young Allies and the Maharajah’s army try their best, the numbers against them are too great. Thankfully, just when everything seems lost, Allied fighter planes arrive and decimate the Python and his armies. A few weeks later after their victory, the Young Allies return home to America with some young lion cubs that they have no idea how to raise.

Recurring Characters

Young Allies (Bucky, Toro, Knuckles O’Toole, Jeff Vandergill, Tubby Tinkle, Whitewash Jones), Imperial Japan (Python)