National Comics #40 (1944)

Uncle Sam is called in by the War Production Board after a string of diamond heists cripples the war effort, only to be felled in a shocking ambush at Crayley’s Jewelry Shop—sparking national outrage. Meanwhile, a notorious outlaw named Fingers Mawrtle, believed to be the killer, is tracked to a pawnshop, where he’s unexpectedly captured not by police, but by a mysterious figure who reveals himself as the leader of the Crime Syndicate.

Jo, a perpetually exasperated friend, confronts his uncle, who claims to have invented a machine that bores through the Earth at fifty miles an hour—only to admit he was mistaken for a gopher and attacked while returning to the surface. When Jo remains skeptical, the uncle’s wild tale takes a sudden turn as a poster for the "Underground Bandit" appears, hinting at a real crime tied to the tunnels.

In the storm-lashed China Sea, the American destroyer 171 is caught in a typhoon while locked in a deadly duel with a Japanese light cruiser, its guns crippled by sabotage and its crew struggling to survive. As tensions rise among the men, suspicion grows over a new petty officer, and a hidden fire threatens to doom them all—just as the ship’s fate hangs in the balance.

Policewoman Sally O’Neil accepts a weekend cruise invitation from wealthy playboy Jerry Jerome, hoping to escape the city’s crimes—only to find herself entangled in a web of deception aboard the yacht. When a diamond bracelet goes missing and a crew member is murdered, Sally must unravel the mystery behind a glamorous guest and her mysterious aunt, both hiding secrets that could cost more than just a fortune.

Chic Carter investigates a bizarre murder case when millionaire Higby is reported dead—only to appear alive and unharmed, claiming he was the victim of a prank. As the police scramble to make sense of a killer who announces murders in advance, Carter uncovers a web of deceit tied to a fraudulent gold mine and a vengeful former stockbroker.

When a blackout in a summer evening sparks a wave of home invasions, the mysterious G-2—disguised as a soldier named Don Leash—steps in to stop a gang of looters preying on the city’s fear. As the criminals divide their stolen goods, G-2 exposes their true allegiance to the enemy, turning the tide with a daring intervention.