All-Winners Comics #2 (1941)

The Human Torch and Toro decide to take a vacation to Calm Lake and enjoy the ski hills in the area. However, their vacation is cut short when they spot a skier being murdered by a knife throwing lunatic. Chasing after the killer they note that he is horribly scarred and try to capture him. The killer causes an avalanche, burying the two heroes while he makes his escape. Freeing themselves from the snow, the only clue the Torch and Toro can find is a matchbook for a hotel that is sponsoring a nearby carnival, and that the man who was murdered was Price, one of the co-owners. Going to the hotel they interview the carnival co-owner Mr. Howe and ask him if his carnival has any enemies. Howe told them how years ago he and his partner Price owned a vaudevillian theater that included knife thrower Jimmy Mack as one of the act. When a fire in the building left Mack horribly scarred, he vowed to get revenge against Howe and Price after suspicion of arson was ruled out. Deemed to be insane, Mack was locked up in a nearby insane asylum. Calling the asylum the heroes learned that Mack had escaped. Attacked by what appeared to be Jimmy Mack, the Torch and Toro fail to capture him and find Howe wounded with a knife. However, upon finding the same book of matches on Howe, the Torch deduces that Howe was really the one responsible for the murders. Howe confesses, explaining that he helped Jimmy Mack escape and locked him up in his cabin and forced Mack to teach him how to throw knives. Then with a lifelike mask cast to look like Mack, he murdered Price to take over the carnival. Howe attempts to flee the two heroes, however he is caught when he attempts to race across a frozen lake, which the Torch and Toro melt. Going to Howe's cabin, they find Mack chained up and he explains that he was forced to teach Howe to throw knives and all he wanted to do was return to the asylum and get help.