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Captain Marvel Adventures (1941) #121

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"Captain Marvel: "Captain Marvel and Sivana's Time Trap"": Captain Marvel has arrested Doctor Sivana, the World's Maddest Scientist yet again and asks him why he doesn't learn that crime and evil never pay. Doctor Sivana begins ruminating on how Captain Marvel has defeated him every si

What if I met Captain Marvel on the day he was first created? He wouldn't know me from Adam! I could pretend to be good and dupe him into helping me! Heh, heh, heh! It's terrific!
— Doctor Sivana

Captain Marvel Adventures #121 is an issue of the series Captain Marvel Adventures (Volume 1) with a cover date of June, 1951.

Synopsis for Captain Marvel: "Captain Marvel and Sivana's Time Trap"

Captain Marvel has arrested Doctor Sivana, the World's Maddest Scientist yet again and asks him why he doesn't learn that crime and evil never pay. Doctor Sivana begins ruminating on how Captain Marvel has defeated him every single time he's fought him and decides to trick him into helping him and decides to go back in time to ingratiate himself with Billy Batson to gain his trust. Using his special intangibility formula, Dr. Sivana walks out of jail entirely by shifting through the 4th Dimension and goes to pick up a Green, lime-shaped Time Ship from his Secret Cave. He goes back in time to the day where Captain Marvel has arrived according to the World News, since there was an eruption in Java. Billy Batson is approached by a Mysterious Stranger who leads him to a Special Subway Tunnel, past the Seven Deadly Enemies of Man and finds the Egyptian Wizard Shazam, who names Billy as his successor. Being pure of heart, he speaks his name and calls SHAZAM, creating Captain Marvel and crushing Shazam under a large marble block. Lighting the magic brazier, Captain Marvel summons his ghost, which teaches him the powers of his: the Wisdom of Solomon, the Strength of Hercules, the Stamina of Atlas, the Power of Zeus, the Courage of Achilles and the Speed of Mercury. However, when he's done, he calls SHAZAM to return Billy, who goes back about his normal paper route until he sees someone being mugged in an alleyway. Calling SHAZAM, Captain Marvel runs in to punch his gun away and retrieves Sivana's wallet for him. He introduces himself as Dr. Sivana and Captain Marvel is pleased to know that he's a learned man advancing civilization. Captain Marvel is lured into working with Sivana on a “wonderful new machine to wipe out all disease on Earth!” but sees the headlines about the Javan Volcano and closes it, then returns to help Sivana at his laboratory on Chestnut Square. They create the powerful Germ Killer Machine together and Sivana offers that Captain Marvel return Billy to test it out, which he does. Billy has a cold, so he's game for it too. Sivana makes a soft adjustment on the machine so it will not destroy germs, but instead gives Billy hemolytic anemia by destroying all of his red blood cells. Sivana finds out that the machine isn't powerful enough to do it correctly and that only Captain Marvel can make the adjustment needed. However, after he does so, Captain Marvel figures out he never told Sivana his name or Billy's and threatens him into explaining that he's come back in time to try to gaslight Billy Batson into letting him kill him. Captain Marvel breaks his Germ Killer Machine, deeming it too dangerous, and Sivana hits his head in the destruction, getting amnesia so he won't remember anything about having gone back in time to do this in the first place. Captain Marvel sends him back to just after he left and remembers in the present to pick him up there in 1951 and returns him to jail. Sivana goes back to ruminating in his jail cell.

Appearing in Captain Marvel: "Captain Marvel and Sivana's Time Trap"

Featured Characters:

Supporting Characters:

Antagonists:

Other Characters:


Locations:

Items:

  • Sivana's "Germ Killer Machine"

Vehicles:

  • Sivana's Time Ship

Concepts:


Synopsis for Captain Kid: "Captain Kid and the Adventuresome Hike"

Captain Kid notices a meadow he'd sure love to hike up, but finds there's it's on private property. All the other kids refuse to try and Captain Kid offers to take their money to get them all lunch from the store for the hike. Later, Captain Kid gets all the food and hops with all his friends over the fence… finding on the other side is a muddy bog and the food is now ruined. Captain Kid demands they continue for several hours ignoring that they also haven't eaten anything like he promised he'd find for them. They are soon discovered by an elderly man who says he's not upset about them taking a shortcut through his yard, but that he put the sign up more to keep people from having to go through the mud. Unfortunately, unless they go back through the mud, they'll end up going to Pikesville, a different town 20 miles away from Podunk. They walk to Pikesville with only a nickel and his friends tell him he can't bum a free lunch for all of them, using the nickel to place a phone call claiming to be “Mr. Moneybags” who is sending over kids that he wants fed and will pay for later. The Manager accepts this and Captain Kid and the gang all enjoy a fine meal. On the way out, the Manager stops Captain Kid as a hostage until “Mr. Moneybags” shows up to pay his tab. Captain Kid asks what happens if he doesn't show up and the Manager presses him into washing dishes for hours.

Appearing in Captain Kid: "Captain Kid and the Adventuresome Hike"

Featured Characters:

  • Captain Kid

Supporting Characters:

  • Pudgy
  • Other Friends of Captain Kid

Antagonists:

  • Pikesville Diner's Manager

Other Characters:

  • An Old Landowner

Locations:

  • Earth-S
    • Podunk
    • Pikesville
      • Pikesville Diner

Items:

  • A Bag of Lunch Foods (Destroyed)

Vehicles:



Synopsis for Captain Marvel: "Captain Marvel Fights the Perilous Key"

Billy Batson is interviewing a night watchman for a treasury vault named Crandall, who thinks it's an easy job due to it being the most advanced vault in the world and totally dynamite-proof, time-locked and no key can open it. Crandall arrogantly decides to take a nap at work and Billy leaves, but remembers he'd meant to ask how much gold is kept in the vault. When he returns, he hears what sounds like Crandall being attacked and calls SHAZAM to summon Captain Marvel. He quickly finds Crandall dizzied from being hit by someone, but has no idea how someone opened the door, no less while taking out six ingots! Nearby, Captain Marvel finds the ingots were set back down and a note from “the Unlocker” taunts that next week he'll pull an even more ridiculous vault heist. Billy Batson soon reports that this is the tenth time the Unlocker has done this, which is strange since he never really steals anything. That night, Captain Marvel finds the latest note from the Unlocker threatens to open “100 more doors next” and believes it's involved with an elderly miser's mansion with 100 strongly-locked doors to guard his numerous jewels. Entering, the Miser's 100 Doors open automatically and the Unlocker dashes out. Captain Marvel grabs him by the lapels, but the Unlocker reveals he's a locksmith, Peter Dibbs, who has used this crime spree as publicity for his Electronic Key, which can open any door using “powerful electronic rays.” He taunts that in the hands of a real criminal, it would be dangerous, but he intends to sell it to financiers who will essentially pay him to destroy the key for the cost of $50,000,000 in a legally-binding contract. Captain Marvel points out he's definitely got him on breaking and entering, but Dibbs anticipates that he'll only get about 60 days for it. Captain Marvel destroys the Electronic Key, but Dibbs removes a prosthetic finger and uses a backup Electronic Key to break out of prison.

The next day, he sends another letter to Captain Marvel saying he's going to sell the Electronic Key in Finance Square. Captain Marvel flies in a box of advanced locks created by the top locksmiths in all of New York City, but the Electronic Key defeats each one. Captain Marvel flies him back to jail, but Dibbs tells him that he's already sent plans for the Electronic Key to a criminal, but he won't tell him which criminal unless he gets paid in one hour! Captain Marvel shows the Unlocker a new lock that he's created and the Electronic Key fails to open it and that he can use it on any thing that he needs protection from, meaning that his Electronic Key is now useless. Dibbs accepts this and destroys it, saying he sent the plans to “Brute” Bates, the underworld czar. Later, Captain Marvel destroys the plans and reveals that the Electronic Key couldn't unlock the door because it was unlocked the whole time and nothing can unlock an unlocked door!

Appearing in Captain Marvel: "Captain Marvel Fights the Perilous Key"

Featured Characters:

Supporting Characters:


Antagonists:

  • "Brute" Bates (Single appearance)
  • The Unlocker (Peter Dibbs) (Single appearance)

Other Characters:

  • Mr. Crandall
  • An Unnamed Rich Miser

Locations:

Items:

  • Dibbs' Electronic Key (Destroyed)
  • Dibbs' Electronic Finger Key (Destroyed)
  • Dibbs' Electronic Key Plans (Destroyed)

Vehicles:



Synopsis for Captain Marvel: "Captain Marvel Battles the Mysterious Glass-Fogger"

Billy Batson reports good weather in the three-day, but finds he's been made the fool due to a sudden and very thick layer of fog! However, it's being created by a mysterious Fog Maker with a giant Smog Machine, proclaiming it will be the “strangest fog of all history!” The next morning, Billy finds that every window that the fog settled on is now opaque and seemingly cannot be removed, including Mr. Morris' glasses and all their cameras too! Suddenly, the teletype informs Billy that there's a robbery by “Loot” Loogan, who is taking advantage of the easy cover from witnesses and cops now being on foot due to their windshields being fogged. Captain Marvel soon tracks down Loogan, but he admits that he isn't the Fog Maker, but the Fog Maker tipped him off for 50% of his take. Captain Marvel points out how important glass is in modern society and then finds that the only person who could profit from a lack of glass is a plastics manufacturer, who admits he also was tipped off by the Fog Maker. He soon discovers two unscrupulous optometrists, Jones and Henkle, who have the only non-fogged glasses in New York City, having sealed away their stock after being tipped off by the Fog Maker for half of their take. To hide out in the optometry office, Captain Marvel returns Billy, who hides behind a box. The Fog Maker returns and says that he hates glass and decided to just use his glass-disabling glue to capitalize on business profits. Billy hears him openly admit to this, but knocks over a box of glasses, giving away his position and getting punched in the head by the Fog Maker. He wakes up bound and gagged on the floor with the Fog Maker about to stab him to death, so Billy slips his gag on some broken glasses shards to call SHAZAM. Captain Marvel easily throws all the goons into a pile in the corner and notes that it was difficult to think someone who made a useless invention would be able to do something so effective and later Billy signs off, saying that the Fog Maker was forced to release a cleansing agent that undoes the glue-like fog and the weather that night will be clear guaranteed!

Appearing in Captain Marvel: "Captain Marvel Battles the Mysterious Glass-Fogger"

Featured Characters:

Supporting Characters:

Antagonists:

  • The Fog Maker (Single appearance)
    • "Loot" Loogan (Single appearance)
    • Jones and Henkle, Unscrupulous Optometrists

Other Characters:


Locations:

Items:

  • The Fog Maker's Smog Machine (Destroyed)

Vehicles:

  • Fogged Police Cars

Synopsis for Mr. Tawky Tawny: "Captain Marvel and Mr. Tawny's Diet Dangers"

Mr. Tawky Tawny is singing in the shower because Billy Batson promised him an audition for a new program on WHIZ-TV! However, he finds his collar doesn't fit right anymore and a rude stranger asks if he gained weight recently. Mr. Tawny consults a penny scale and is aghast to find that he has indeed. Mr. Tawny heads to Station WHIZ and meets with Horace Hubb, a clothing sponsor who wants him to show off his suits on television as a male model! However, when he sees that Mr. Tawny is not well-fitted in a tuxedo of his, he angrily shotus at him for this. Another man shoves in and offers a replacement model for Hubb. Billy recognizes this as “the 10% Agent,” Carlton Snodgrass, a crooked talent agent and tries to speak his mind, only for Carlton to shove his hand into a child's face. Billy calls SHAZAM and Captain Marvel scares off Snodgrass and offers that Horace Hubb give Mr. Tawny a week to slim down by 25 lbs to fit a tuxedo better. Hubb agrees to this bet and Snodgrass cringes away in defeat, eager to sabotage Mr. Tawny's progress.

Captain Marvel soon starts Mr. Tawny on a regimen of “reducing pills,” a diet of lettuce on toast, hours on a vibrating belt machine and then a 15 mile run. However, after three days of hard work, Captain Marvel is astonished to find Mr. Tawny's weight hasn't changed at all! Captain Marvel takes Mr. Tawny to the gym to punch a punching bag, use a rowing machine, get massaged by the World's Mightiest Mortal… and still seems to have only lost 1.5 oz! Captain Marvel tries out 30 rounds of boxing with Mr. Tawny, direct body slams and locking him in a steam bath… which somehow gains him five pounds! Captain Marvel is confused as an exhausted Mr. Tawny goes home and dreams of enjoying delicious food. In the night, someone is sneaking food into Mr. Tawny's house and he's sleep-eating all of it in a binge, only for Captain Marvel to snap on the lights and discover that it's Snodgrass, who throws a pie in his face and scarpers out the back door. Captain Marvel tries to get Mr. Tawny back into the mood for three more days of excessive exercise, but the next day, a stationary bicycle collapses under Mr. Tawny, he nearly punches a punching bag with a bomb in it and then spots Snodgrass escaping. He throws his legs into a pair of gymnastic rings, catching him as Mr. Tawny punches him around like a punching bag and does repeated jump rope while Captain Marvel arrests him. By the week's end, Mr. Tawky Tawny is slender enough to win the big contract with Horace Hubb and Billy introduces him on-air as “Mr. 'Well-Dressed' Tawny”!

Appearing in Mr. Tawky Tawny: "Captain Marvel and Mr. Tawny's Diet Dangers"

Featured Characters:

Supporting Characters:

Antagonists:

  • Carlton Snodgrass (Single appearance)

Other Characters:

  • Horace Hubb (Single appearance)

Locations:

Items:

  • Reducing Pills
  • A Vibrating Belt Machine
  • A Bomb-Trigged Punching Bag
  • A Rowing Machine
  • A Stationary Bicycle (Destroyed)
  • A Steam Bath

Vehicles:


Notes

Trivia

  • Despite the cover, Captain Marvel is not shot with a red beam during this issue, Doctor Sivana is not using any form of shrinking power to kidnap people, nor does his plan involve leading Captain Marvel into being shot with a large ray. Instead, he goes back in time so he can try to shoot Billy with a giant ray-gun.
  • This issue marks a return of Sivana's oft-forgotten ability to pass through the molecular structure of solid objects by speaking a complex math equation. He had formerly stopped doing this due to it seemingly killing him.


See Also

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