Story #2Chapter II: The Human Torch
Writer:
Roy Thomas. Penciler/Inker:
Alex SchomburgSynopsis
The
Human Torch flies to a military hospital in upstate New York where he interviews an injured soldier.
Private Pierce relates how he and another soldier were driving a medical supply truck through the hills when they ran off the road to a fiery crash. The road had been rerouted by the laughing villain, the
Hyena, who left Pierce alive to deliver the message to the authorities. The Torch announces his plans to get a good night’s sleep before tackling the mission. A spy in the hospital sends word to the Hyena who targets another supply truck. His forces ambush the truck by threatening to push boulders down into the road. To his surprise, the Torch is hiding in this one (it was a trick all along) and the hero melts the falling rocks. He defeats the gang and ppursues the fleeing Hyena into a barn—and lands in a tank of water, extinguishing his flames. He wakes up a prisoner, with the Hyena drawing a sample of his blood for
Nazi scientists to try to duplicate his powers. With his real objective attained, the villain fires a shot at the helpless hero—but the Torch suddenly fades away before his eyes….
Story #3Chapter III: Captain America
Writer:
Roy Thomas. Penciler/Inker:
Don RicoSynopsis
Captain America meets his contact at the base of the
Statue of Liberty. The strangely-acting
FBI man tells Cap of the menace of
Agent Axis, three enemy spies—one German, one Italian, one Japanese—who were fused into one man by a freak lightning bolt, which gave him triple the intelligence and strength of a normal human. This enemy is so creepy that even Hitler fears him and so the
Fuehrer dispatched him to America, not caring whether he succeeds or fails. Cap’s contact collapses suddenly, and Agent Axis steps out, revealing the FBI man was under his control. The enemy spy is holding Cap’s original triangular shield (which he stole) and offers to trade it for the improved circular one. Cap refuses and the two men fight. Agent Axis flees to the Statue’s torch where he awaits an autogiro coming to pick him up. Cap hurls his shield at the villain and, to his horror, the shield is caught by a magnet and drawn to the aircraft. His objective achieved, Agent Axis escapes in the gyro. Cap vows to recover his property and suddenly finds himself fading away…then falling through limbo with the
Human Torch….
Story #4Chapter IV: Sub-Mariner
Writer:
Roy Thomas. Penciler/Inker:
Lee EliasSynopsis
Namor, the
Sub-Mariner, flies his flagship to find the British freighter, the enemy saboteur the
Shark has vowed to destroy. Leaving his craft on autopilot he dives into the sea and boards the craft. As he ponders the mystery of why a top saboteur would target such an ordinary ship, he spots a torpedo racing toward the craft—one shaped like a giant shark. He heads out to intercept the weapon but as soon as he touches it he is electrocuted into unconsciousness. Namor awakens in chains aboard the Shark’s ship, where he learns the villain has stolen his swim trunks (and provided him with replacements resembling those in the comics). The entire plot was a scheme to gain the trunks which will be analyzed by Nazi scientists to learn their properties for improving Nazi underwater gear. Shark also reveals how Namor’s partners were lured into similar traps to gain Cap’s shield and the Torch’s blood. And now Namor has been dried out, weakening him for the kill. Subby goads a janitor into throwing a bucket of water at him; he regains his strength and beats up the Nazi agents. Before he can deal with the Shark, however, he fades into the air. The Sub-Mariner finds himself falling through limbo with
Captain America and the
Human Torch and they materialize in Nazi-occupied Paris in 1941. They face a trio of costumed figures they assume to be fascist super-heroes….
Story #5Chapter V: Endgame, Part II
Writer:
Roy Thomas, Sam Kato. Penciler:
Frank Robbins. Inker:
Frank SpringerSynopsis
…but the Invaders’ opponents are not Nazis, they are three members of the Avengers—Black Panther, Yellowjacket, and the Vision—who have been hurled back in time by the machinations of their archenemy Kang the Conqueror. The two trios of heroes fight to a draw until the Vision is able to pass through the Invaders’ bodies in semi-solid form, weakening them. With the Wartime heroes unable to fight, the Avengers take the time to explain how they are from the future, being used as pawns in a game between Kang and the Grandmaster, who is using the Invaders similarly without their knowledge. When Cap asks them to reveal his future, they decline…and are suddenly swept away by Kang for their next challenge. A squad of Nazis shows up to investigate so the heroes respond to this more familiar situation, with their fists. The Grandmaster draws them out of this time, and, as a reward for their performance, sets them back in their own year.
The three Axis spies are in Shark’s speedboat, heading for a rendezvous with a U-boat to take them to Germany when the three heroes suddenly descend on them and beat their enemies. Namor’s trunks and Cap’s shield are recovered and the vial of the Torch’s blood is lost overboard. Namor tows the sinking boat to shore while the Human Torch signals a US Navy destroyer to pursue the U-boat. As they stand on the shore, Cap ponders the news that there will be a team of superheroes called the Avengers in the future—and wonder if they would accept an old guy like Cap….