Leading Comics #6 is an issue of the series Leading Comics (Volume 1) with a cover date of March, 1943.
Synopsis for Seven Soldiers of Victory: "The Treasure That Time Forgot! Chapter 1"
Riding the train in his secret identity, Shining Knight's surprised to see a personal ad in someone's newspaper requesting the Seven Soldiers of Victory get in touch with them over a matter of a billion dollars. Quickly donning his armor, he sends carrier pigeons to assemble the rest of the team, but Green Arrow and Speedy don't show up because the one sent to contact them was attacked by a hawk. The heroes receive a reply to go to a certain location and decide they can't wait for their errant teammates to join them. Upon arrival they run into several imposters heading the other way, scared off by dangers like an attacking lion and thugs, and giant crushing jaws that the real Soldiers easily conquer. They're about to drown when they have to swim across a wide lake, but are saved when Green Arrow and Speedy finally show up.
They're greeted by the one who sent the message, a famous archeologist named Milton, who explains the perils they faced were all faked to scare off any respondents but the real Seven Soldiers of Victory. He tells the assemblage of heroes about the story of the ancient Incan ruler Atahualpa who was taken prisoner by Pizarro, who'd release him if an entire room was filled with gold. When Pizarro killed his prisoner anyway, the Incas hid the last of the gold shipment meant to pay the king's ransom. Exactly where they hid it is a secret that's been lost over the centuries, until the only remaining clues are a poem: "He who has eyes can see, but little can he see but the sea! He who has ears can hear, but not what to him is most dear! He who has hands can feel, but cannot tell false from real!" Each having hunches about parts of the poem, the Seven Soldiers split up to investigate. Moreover, they decide to turn it into a competition to see who can find the treasure first.
Appearing in Seven Soldiers of Victory: "The Treasure That Time Forgot! Chapter 1"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- Francisco Pizarro (Flashback only)
Other Characters:
- Scrivener
- Atahualpa (Flashback only)
- Mr. Milton
Locations:
Items:
Vehicles:
- Arrowplane (Mentioned only)
- Star-Rocket Racer
Synopsis for Chapter 2: "Crimes by Proxy!"
After dropping off Vigilante, Star and Stripesy pause on a mountaintop to take pictures of the three mountain peaks marking the area where the treasure's supposed to be hidden. Acting on the first couplet, that they can't see anything because of the cloud cover, except the sea behind them, Star takes pictures with an infrared camera that show a lower range of mountains than the peaks, and decides to search there. Suddenly they find themselves attacked by Indians, but after beating them up, are told that the Indians were warned by "two strangers with arrows on backs" that the duo came to enslave the Indians. This news alarms Star and Stripesy, who worry Green Arrow and Speedy are taking the competition so seriously as to try to kill them.
Meanwhile, the archers find Star's infrared photo and determine he's sussed out the same thing about the lower mountains that they have. However they suddenly find themselves beset by an avalanche, and find a torn scrap of what appears to be Star's costume, making them suspicious. Fleeing a forest fire, they manage to escape, then catch sight of Star and Stripesy. With both duos thinking they've been betrayed, they prepare to do battle, unaware of a shadowy figure gloating that he's managed to set the heroes against each other.
Appearing in Chapter 2: "Crimes by Proxy!"
Featured Characters:
Synopsis for Chapter 3: "A Duel to the Death!"
Vigilante and Shining Knight take alternate routes to a monastery at the foot of the mountains, but almost lose their way when the bell suddenly goes silent. Victory finds the clapper for the bell buried in the dirt, which makes Vigilante suspicious that Shining Knight's deliberately trying to sabotage him. They replace it in the bell, and over the sound of the ringing can't hear anything, realizing the meaning of the second couplet that the thing most dear to a man is the sound of his own voice. Thus, they must be on the right track.
As they pass the cone of an ancient volcano, a killer named Copperhead sets off dynamite and unearths the lava. When Victory flies Shining Knight to safety, they almost leave Vigilante behind, inflaming his suspicions again. This comes to a boiling point when their assailant pistol-whips Vigilante and shoves him off the cliff, and tries to shoot Shining Knight. Convinced the other's trying to kill them, the two heroes come to blows. Vigilante falls again, but Shining Knight saves him. Realizing if Shining Knight really was trying to kill him, he would've just let Vigilante fall, the gunslinger hero voices his suspicions and they figure out someone's been playing them. A plane approaches, and the henchman is relieved, as it's his boss come to oversee things personally.
Appearing in Chapter 3: "A Duel to the Death!"
Featured Characters:
Synopsis for Chapter 4: "Winged Masters of the Mountains!"
The mastermind is revealed to be Milton's manservant, Scrivener. He lends Copperhead some of the other members of their gang to ambush Vigilante and Shining Knight before they have a chance to find the treasure. The heroes pause to save a henchman who's acting as bait by pretending to be drowning in the river, but easily escape the hail of bullets that follows. Scrivener throws some eggs out of the nest of a family of giant mountain condors, who snatch Shining Knight off his horse. Vigilante shows his own equestrian skills by lassoing its wing, making the bird drop his teammate, and steering Victory to catch the knight before he hits the ground. With how someone's willing to kill them to stop them from finding the treasure, the heroes worry their other teammates were probably attacked too, and turn back to look for them.
Appearing in Chapter 4: "Winged Masters of the Mountains!"
Featured Characters:
Synopsis for Chapter 5: "The Gold That Failed to Glitter!"
Green Arrow, Star-Spangled Kid and their sidekicks join battle. After many punches and puns, Vigilante and Shining Knight lasso the lot and explain they've been had, and someone else is trying to play them for patsies. Facing the fact that their race has made them forget their teamwork, the heroes vow to work together again.
After escaping a treacherous landslide, they meet Mr. Milton, who's come to warn them some criminal has discovered his plans. The group find a cave emblazoned with an image of the Incan war god, but inside, they find nothing. Someone's beaten them to the treasure and taken it away already.
Appearing in Chapter 5: "The Gold That Failed to Glitter!"
Featured Characters:
Synopsis for Chapter 6: "The Third Treasure Trail!"
Crimson Avenger and Wing trek through a jungle and, after escaping attacks by numerous wild animals, Crim reveals he's doped out the meaning of the last couplet. There has to be a secret cave entrance at the foot of the mountains, which was deliberately covered up to hide the secret of the treasure. They dig through the roots of a tree that grows different from all the rest because of the imported stone it took root on top of. There is indeed a cave underneath, which they find is inhabited by a hostile ape, but after fending it off find the tunnel lets out into a surviving Incan city. The locals prove to be as hostile as the wildlife, and though Crim and Wing put up a valiant fight, they're soon overwhelmed by sheer numbers.
The duo are prepped to be sacrificed to the tribe's war god, but just before they're about to be chucked into a lava pit, Crim uses his flashlight and some of his gas capsules to trick their captors into thinking he's magically protected. Once outside the city, Crim and Wing are ambushed by Scrivener's gang with slingshots. He has their wrists roped to the 300-pound Big Jeep, figuring they'll never get anywhere tied to such a hefty crook. Crim's able to use the fact that they're climbing a slope to their goal against Big Jeep, however, tilting back and letting gravity do the rest. He and wing start cutting themselves free with a sharp rock.
Appearing in Chapter 6: "The Third Treasure Trail!"
Featured Characters:
Synopsis for Chapter 7: "Trail's End!"
Scrivener confronts the rest of the Soldiers in the cave, is angered that there's no treasure after all this trouble, and dynamites the cave with the Soldiers and Milton inside. However, outside Scrivener and his flunkies are pummeled unconscious by the idol of the Inca war god that guards the cave. Turns out Crimson Avenger and Wing were hiding inside.
Inside the cave, Shining Knight drills through the floor with his sword, hoping there might be a lower cavern they can escape into. This not only works, they find the treasure really is still hidden there, just on a lower level than they thought. After getting out, the Seven Soldiers all join in on beating up Scrivener and his men, and use them like pack mules to deliver the treasure back to civilization before handing it over to the war office.
The heroes then urge the reader to support the war effort also, by buying bonds and stamps.
Appearing in Chapter 7: "Trail's End!"
Featured Characters:
Notes
- The Treasure That Time Forgot is reprinted in The Seven Soldiers of Victory Archives Vol. 2.
Trivia
- Crimson Avenger references Superman and his "Up, up, and away!" catchphrase.
See Also
Links and References
