WHIZ was the first station with television, world TV, and color TV! Now WHIZ can pioneer in the use of peacetime atomic power! It will startle the world! Hook it up, Pop! 
Captain Marvel Adventures #131 is an issue of the series Captain Marvel Adventures (Volume 1) with a cover date of April, 1952.
Synopsis for Captain Marvel: "Station WHIZ Gets Atomic Power"
Billy Batson is talking with Pop Smith, Chief Superintendent for Station WHIZ going on 25 years and that he knows how everything works, since Billy is working on a story about how Station WHIZ is run. He remarks at the wonderful system of machines that keep the WHIZ Building alive and running for everyone and that they’re very important for the station. Suddenly a man who looks like Jack Lemmon in a lime-colored suit says that it could all be thrown out and it’s outdated junk. Mr. Morris introduces him as Cyrus Snell, an atomic engineer that claims his Little Giant Atomic Power Plant, which is about the size of a meat grinder, can power the entire Station! Snell offers to Mr. Morris that if he tries it for just 24 hours, he won’t take any money from him for it. Mr. Morris notes that Station WHIZ was the first station to transition to television, have a World Broadcast, and invented color television and is happy to try ou the new “peacetime” atomic power. Pop Smith hooks up the appropriate cords to the Little Giant Atomic Power Plant and it makes noises like a coffee grinder. Pop Smith sees that it starts working into a smoother hum and bemoans that Old Betsy, his most powerful dynamo, could be scrapped so soon…
The next day, Mr. Morris cuts Snell a check for $10,000 as he’s convinced about atomic power! Billy is nervous to announce on WHIZ-TV that WHIZ is moving to atomic power, but Mr. Morris finds that it isn’t nerves, the building is actually overheating! Billy is forced to call SHAZAM to summon Captain Marvel who punches out the windows. He soon finds that the lights are exploding too and Pop Smith soon reveals that it’s actually too powerful and is overloading the boilers, forcing Captain Marvel to crack a main pipe to relieve the pressure. Furthering their worry, Pop Smith finds it can’t be shut off and is stuck on. Pop suggests Captain Marvel not try to punch a small nuclear reactor since it’ll explode. Captain Marvel thinks on how best to fix this and finds an elevator is moving at a dangerous speed now and has to grab the cables to slow it down and tie it down for now. Captain Marvel reasons that Snell definitely didn’t warn about how dangerous his atomic reactor was. Above, their power overcharges and the aerial melts into a searing hot liquid metal that tears through the floor of Mr. Morris’ office. Captain Marvel blows on it really hard, which freezes the metal in place and hardens into a plug in the ceiling. When he gets downstairs again, he finds Pop turned off the Little Giant Atomic Power Plant.
Captain Marvel finds Snell has skipped town with his $10,000 check and repairs the Little Giant Atomic Power Plant to work as it should and that it’s now perfectly functional, though Pop is still leery of this. Soon, Billy is able to announce Station WHIZ is the first atomic powered radio and TV station out there! Snell, hearing that they fixed his supposedly worthless machine, decides to go back and try to steal it back. Snell sneaks into Station WHIZ and clocks Pop and Billy in the heads with a monkey wrench and decides to kill them by using the Little Giant Atomic Power Plant to burn them alive, but when he touches it, it shocks him, a security measure created by Captain Marvel. Billy calls SHAZAM to summon Captain Marvel, who punches out Snell and arrests him. Later, Billy signs off saying that Station WHIZ is now 100% atomic, the power of peacetime and him and Mr. Morris find that Pop now has a more relaxing job and trusts this newfangled atomic power.
Appearing in Captain Marvel: "Station WHIZ Gets Atomic Power"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Mr. Morris
- Superintendent "Pop" Smith
Antagonists:
- Cyrus Snell
Other Characters:
Locations:
Items:
- Old Betsy
- Snell's Little Giant Atomic Power Plant
- Captain Marvel's Improved Little Giant Atomic Power Plant
Vehicles:
- Cyrus Snell's Green Sedan
Synopsis for Captain Marvel: "Captain Marvel and the Fishing Fish Folk"
A fishing merman child, Finny, is going fishing with an older adult friend, Mr. Sharky who calls him Sonny. Last week, Finny was able to catch a fox, but Mr. Sharky says that he caught a real big one, but it got away from him. They do not believe in the ridiculous and mythical concept of “humans,” a mythical species that walk on legs and breathe air. Nearby, Billy Batson is fishing on a pier with Mr. Morris who thinks that merpeople are just a legend and a myth. Suddenly, he is hooked and dragged underwater by Finny as Mr. Sharky helps him. They’re both shocked to find that they’ve found a real human and quickly inflate a plastic air bubble for him to breathe in as Billy calls SHAZAM and summons Captain Marvel, who dives in after him. Mr. Sharky convinces Finny that humans can sell for thousands of clams (or over 4,000,000 clams today!) Captain Marvel reveals he can talk underwater as long as he keeps any air in his lungs (since he doesn’t need to breathe underwater) and punches over Mr. Sharky until he sprays him in the face with a cuttlefish, blasting ink, then scarpers into a kelp thicket. Mr. Sharky quickly shows on a bracer that he has an Air Fishing License, meaning legally, he now owns Mr. Morris as game and sells him to the Underwater Zoo, which keeps tanks of air for land animals. Mr. Morris is soon found, sitting in a small box and Captain Marvel is able to reason with him that humans are sentient and the manager of a zoo promises him that they’ll soon amend air hunting laws to exclude catching humans. They’re forced to leave Mr. Morris there when they hear Sharky is trying to fish lots of people now, only for Captain Marvel to yank his line, drag him on to land, where he punches him back into the water. Later, Mr. Morris is released and he complains that they only charged ten fish eggs to see him, which is way too little. Underwater, Finny goes fishing again and his mother reminds him to always throw humans back!
Appearing in Captain Marvel: "Captain Marvel and the Fishing Fish Folk"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Mr. Morris
- Finny
Antagonists:
- Mr. Sharky
Other Characters:
- Finny's Mother
- The Underwater Zoo Manager
Locations:
- Earth-S
- New York City
- Finny's House
- The Underwater Zoo
Items:
- Mr. Sharky's Air Fishing License
Vehicles:
Synopsis for Capt. Kid: "The Bully's Revenge"
Local bully Spike emerges from the Ice Cream Store with two ice cream cones and offers them to Captain Kid. He asks which flavor he prefers, but when Captain Kid says he’d prefer either, he shoves both in his face. Captain Kid gets back at him by shoving him into an open manhole, infuriating Spike. While running away, he runs into a man who offers him a dollar to drive his newly repainted car to Mr. Sloan’s House. The man insists that Spike isn’t the kind of kid who’d fight Captain Kid to get even. He’s craftier than that. Spike waits behind a tree for Captain Kid to drive the car to Sloan’s house and tears the headlights off of the car, throws them through the windshield, shattering it, then throws a match into the gas line, exploding it as Captain Kid pleads for him to listen. When he’s done, Captain Kid points out Spike’s father bought this repainted car and Spike realizes that destroying a vehicle has severe consequences. Captain Kid leaves saying he got what he deserves.
Appearing in Capt. Kid: "The Bully's Revenge"
Featured Characters:
- Captain Kid
Supporting Characters:
- Mr. Sloan
Antagonists:
- Spike Sloan
Other Characters:
Locations:
- Earth-S
- Podunk City
- Mr. Sloan's House
- Podunk City
Items:
- A Broken Headlight
- A Second Broken Headlight
- A Pack of Matches
Vehicles:
- Mr. Sloan's Repainted Car (Destroyed)
Synopsis for Mr. Tawky Tawny: "Captain Marvel and Mr. Tawny's Quest for Youth"
Mr. Tawny is leading a Captain Marvel Club camp meeting, which he thinks will recapture his youth, since he’s been overcome by ennui yet again. Mr. Tawny almost immediately leaps into a ravine not watching where he’s going and Billy Batson calls SHAZAM to summon Captain Marvel to catch him. Once he takes him back, Captain Marvel overhears two of the boys discuss pranking Mr. Tawny for being older than them. Captain Marvel joins the outing and Mr. Tawny offers they just run double-time for 10-20 miles. Although he says he can go for hours, a few minutes later, he’s gassed out and falls over due to his pack feeling heavy. Captain Marvel is upset to find that the two pranksters have put rocks in his pack to weigh him down and Freckles and Red chuckle from a distance nearby. Captain Marvel helps carry Mr. Tawny’s things while offering they put up camp here. The two boys tie their tent to Mr. Tawny’s tail when he accidentally hits his thumb hammering down stakes and a strong wind picks up, dragging him into the sky until Captain Marvel drags him and his tent out of a tree.
Later, Mr. Tawny starts a campfire and the pranksters steal a “No Swimming” sign and try to lure Mr. Tawny into swimming in it, only to find that it’s shallow and full of mud, forcing Captain Marvel to drag him out before he finds the sign warning of the muddy bottom. When Mr. Tawny tries to enjoy swinging from a tree, the pranksters knock down a hornet’s nest and Captain Marvel directs him to jump into the mud again. The hornets attack Captain Marvel, but find he is too powerful to sting and then leave. Captain Marvel calls the boys together and immediately accuses Freddy and Johnny of pulling this prank war, but Freckles and Red show their honor by admitting they did it and express their contrition and newfound respect for him. Mr. Tawny is offered to choose their punishment, but he merely says that when they’re old and find they can’t recapture their youth, this will be the true punishment for them. The next day, Billy finds Mr. Tawny is sore all over from his highly physical day and asks how those boys manage it, but Billy cheers him up by showing him their Chapter gave him a framed award reading “To Tawky Tawny, a Game Guy and a Regular Fellow from Captain Marvel Club No. 7.” Mr. Tawny is proud to be considered regular by others.
Appearing in Mr. Tawky Tawny: "Captain Marvel and Mr. Tawny's Quest for Youth"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Mr. Tawky Tawny
- Captain Marvel Club No. 7
Antagonists:
- Freckles
- Red
Other Characters:
Locations:
Items:
- An Award from Captain Marvel Club No. 7
Vehicles:
Trivia
- Despite what the cover implies, Captain Marvel himself doesn't disarm the volatile Little Giant Atomic Power Plant, but Superintendent of Station WHIZ "Pop" Smith does so instead.
- Even in captivity, tigers only tend to live up to around 20, indicating Mr. Tawny is also likely a teenager, though he is more mature and certainly more easily tired.
See Also
Links and References
