Human Torch #4 (1941)

At the Police Commissioner's request, the Human Torch drops by the precinct to discuss the case of noted criminals who disappear from their usual haunts and cannot be found again. Suddenly, Toro bursts in and informs them that the father of his friend, Jimmy Wilson, recently paroled from prison, has disappeared without a trace after going to New York to see about a job. They fly to Jimmy's home, and witness a policeman arrive, who tells Jimmy's family that the father is dead. The Torch and Toro travel to the hotel and check out the body and discover that the man has been murdered. With this new information, the Torch decides to use Toro as bait to ferret out the true villains involved. Toro will start committing illegal acts while the Torch pretends to ignore the situation. It gets so bad that the Police Commissioner demands the Torch to resign from the department. But the bait has worked, as Toro is visited in his waterfront dive by one of the criminals involved, who wants Toro to join his club of crooks, who steal valuable items, but cannot be arrested for what they do. Toro goes with the thug and the Torch follows from high overhead to a creepy old house, which the Torch burns into, but finds no one. Suddenly he is attacked by another gangster, who is quickly captured, but who suddenly drops dead! The Torch searches the house and finds a compact radio sending set, which blows up in his face, and the house along with it. Meanwhile, Toro has been captured and is being flown overseas, and he is to be used to blackmail the Torch into inaction. The Torch, knowing this, researches the remains of the house and discovers a clue, and then uses a radio transmitter into fooling the thugs to reveal their true location. The Torch finds the ship and attacks it; however, he is captured and held hostage himself until Toro finds a way to free him. The Torch quickly captures the crew of the ship Toro is on and then seeks out the boss, a man named Blackjack. Blackjack hurls a vial of nitrogen at the Master of Flame, extinguishing his flame and blinding him.