Bored? Unemployed? Why not explore a career in low-tier supercrime?
the ABC Gang:
I must regretfully inform you that the ABC Gang that is described here does not appear in this issue, as Spencer Steel and his pal Doakes instead get sidetracked by a different gang that is looking to rob the bank that they pegged as the logical next target in the ABCs' pattern. This is a real shame, because "gang who robs banks in alphabetical order by name, but only if the town also conforms to alphabetical order" is a 1950s Batman villain-level of crime-as-compulsive puzzle and I would love to see a 1940s interpretation of that.
Logically, Steel and Doakes would pick up the hunt for the ABC Gang in the next issue but no, they are completely forgotten by then. Golden Age comics, baybee! (Fight Comics 011, 1941)
the Vultures:
The Vultures, an elite Nazi air squadron, owe their success to the fact that they get all hopped up on "dope" (weed? heroin? are either of those going to help you do a dogfight? My lack of familiarity with both hard drugs and aerial combat is showing) before taking to the air.
The Vultures show up to defend the German military assets that Chip Collins and what I will charitably still call the Skull Squadron are busy blowing up. Disappointingly, the fact that the Vulture leader is high as hell throughout the ensuing dogfight and parachute duel does not come up at all. (Fight Comics 014, 1941)
the Dust Bandits:
When Professor Fraser's incendiary dust gas bullets are rejected by the US Government for being a horrible war crime, he is determined to destroy the formula rather than, say, selling it to the Nazi Baron lurking in his home. Objecting to this lack of initiative, Fraser's lab assistant and step-daughter conspire to kill him, then hook up with a crooked banker to organize the Dust Bandits, aka the Dust-Gas Gang, for a quick crime spree before taking the Baron up on his offer. As is so often the case with fire-based super-villains they find themselves opposed by a fire-based super-hero, in this case the Flame. (The Flame 007, 1941)
the Leopard Men:
To my shame, this instance of the Leopard Man trope marks the first time that I thought to look into whether there was a reason that it was so common in jungle fiction other than that leopards are cool. It turns out that as has so often been the case a cultural practice among a colonized people was vilified and outlawed as a part of the process of cultural subjugation. Leopard Societies appear to have filled a pretty diverse set of roles across West and Central Africa, ranging from pro-trade fraternal orders to vigilante groups, but thanks to sensationalist reporting and pulp writing we are going to keep on encountering them as generic jungle villains.
This particular bunch is after explorer Buck Johnson for some bullshit reason. (Great Comics 002, 1941)
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