Mary, you fly to the airport and check on the planes! I'll scout around in the forest over which the planes pass! We've got to separate this way in order to nab both Riddle and Weeper! 
Mary Marvel #8 is an issue of the series Mary Marvel (Volume 1) with a cover date of December, 1946.
Synopsis for Mary Marvel: "Mary Marvel and the Riddles of Death!"
Susan Kent (a.k.a. Bulletgirl) attends Mary Batson's high school graduation. While the two young heroines are walking a noose is thrown around Susan's neck from a second-story window. Susan is pulled into the window by her old enemy Dr. Riddle and his new ally, the son of the Weeper! Mary says her magic world, transforming into Mary Marvel, and flies through the window, stopping the Weeper from stabbing Susan. Riddle fires at her, but finds she is bullet-proof. However Susan is still caught in the noose and the villains escape while Mary frees her. Susan changes to Bulletgirl, and the heroines find Doctor Riddle has left a riddle on a post. They deduce the answer is an asylum, but can't find the villains at the local asylum. However they realise the riddle refers to an abandoned asylum on the outskirts of town. However they suspect a trap, and Bulletgirl decides to go in first, while Mary waits outside. Mary decides to change back so she can pretends to be just a girl picking flowers. The Weeper sees Bulletgirl outside, but Riddle said that was part of his plan. The Weeper goes went into another room with a straitjacket while Riddle waits for Bulletgirl. Bulletgirl enters and knocks Riddle over, not noticing the Weeper moving towards her from behind. She decides to look for him, but the straitjacket is placed over her from behind. With Riddle's help she is tied to a chair and gagged. The villains tell Bulletgirl they know that Mary is here, and Bulletgirl wishes she could yell and warn Mary. Mary is worried about Bulletgirl's long delay and enters the asylum. She sees the villains and Bulletgirl, but the Weeper stops her speaking with a hose. She is gagged and while he ties her up the Weeper says he weeps for Mary. The two villains carry the two heroines into a cell which they seal, hoping the girls will suffocate. However Bulletgirl is able to remove Mary's gag with her helmet. Mary transforms into Mary Marvel, frees Bulletgirl and breaks out of the cell. The two superheroines find another riddle in the asylum and decipher it. They realise the Weeper and Riddle plan to rob a plane carrying gold bullion, one waiting on the ground for the gold. Mary Marvel flies after the plane. Riddle hides on the plane and knocks out the two pilots. Mary gets to the plan though Doctor Riddle drops the gold and parachutes down, while Mary saves the plane. Bulletgirl encounters the Weeper but is knocked out when Riddle lands on her. However Mary flies down and defeats Riddle, while Bulletgirl gets Weeper. The villainous duo are jailed.
Appearing in Mary Marvel: "Mary Marvel and the Riddles of Death!"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- Doctor Riddle
- Weeper II (First appearance)
Other Characters:
- Mary Batson's graduating high school class and school faculty
- Capt. Hank
- Capt. Hank's Copilot
Locations:
- Earth-S
- Mrs. Bromfield's House
- The City Asylum
Items:
- A Gold Shipment
- A Parachute
Vehicles:
- A Gold-Delivering Plane
Synopsis for Mary Marvel, the World's Mightiest Girl!: "Mary Marvel and the '5 Terrors'"
Mary Marvel punches out some bank robbers and soon returns to being Mary Batson. She decides to have a relaxing and quiet night at home. Mrs. Bromfield tells him that their neighbor, Mrs. Crane needs someone to watch her quintuplets, known affectionately as “The Quints,” which Mary thinks will be a fun idea. Mary soon meets Johnny, Ronny, Lonny, Donny and Bonny and tries to read them a story, but they quickly become bored and leap into the trees to play “eagles.” The kids break on the higher branches of the tree and Mary calls SHAZAM to become Mary Marvel and catches them all. Mary returns to normal and tries to read them another story, only to fall asleep and wake up finding that Lonny and Donny filled the bathtub over the brim to float boats in it while Johnny and Ronny have started a fire with their father’s chemical set. Mary Marvel spanks the unruly children and finds that Bonny has lured many cats into their house with a fish on a string and starts chasing all the kids out. She returns to being Mary once more and asks what the kids want to do and learns they want to play Cowboys and Indians, which is shorthand for tying her to a tree, gagging her and then leaving to bother a bull in a pen nearby. The Quints immediately upset the bull and it attacks them, while Mary slips her gag and calls SHAZAM. She punches the bull in the head and drags it back a ways to stake it in place. However, when Mrs. Crane arrives home, she is aghast to find her children are dirty and chastises Mary for not reading them fairy stories… but does ask for her to come back and watch them anyways. Mary pointedly decides to stop listening to her offer and goes home to rest away from the Quints.
Appearing in Mary Marvel, the World's Mightiest Girl!: "Mary Marvel and the '5 Terrors'"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- A Bull
- The Crane "Quints"
- Mrs. Crane
- Johnny Crane
- Bonny Crane
- Lonny Crane
- Ronny Crane
- Donny Crane
- Mrs. Crane
Other Characters:
Locations:
- Earth-S
- Mrs. Bromfield's House
- Mrs. Crane's House
Items:
- A Tree
- A Chemistry Set
Vehicles:
Synopsis for Mary Marvel, the World's Mightiest Girl!: "the 'Horrid Hermit!'"
Mary Batson is out on the town with her best friend Freckles in her small hometown. Mary is staying over with an overnight bag and sees that Freckles has a basket of food she is taking to an elderly hermit who lives on the edge of town. Some people say he’s a sorcerer who uses black magic… but he at least is rude enough to tell Freckles to basically get lost after she brings Old Ike his food, slams the door in their faces and then brandishes a shotgun at them. When Freckles is stunned, Mary calls SHAZAM to become Mary Marvel and drags Freckles to safety, then reason that he’s just a mean old man after all. They decide to go see a movie instead. Nearby, a goon blackjacks a bank guard, cracks their vault and then drags out two large money-bags, only for Mary and Freckles to find him immediately and for Mary and “Freckles Marvel” to show up. The bank robber clobbers Freckles Marvel with a bag of money, knocking her for a loop, but does nothing to Mary Marvel, who does the same to him, but when Mary Marvel goes to check on Freckles Marvel, the bank robber scarpers into the swamp. They try to ask Old Ike if they saw him, but he throws a can at them and then throws Freckles into the swamp! Freckles and Mary Marvel find Old Ike and accuse him of attacking them, but he points out he’s been out picking mushrooms the whole time. Returning to Old Ike’s shack, they find that the robber was wearing a mask with brown hair (like Old Ike’s) and he had dressed like him. Old Ike is now kind and offers they stay for tea and cake. Mary Marvel notes that the stories about him weren’t true and he’s a nice man. Later, Mary goes back home as Freckles remains in her hometown.
Appearing in Mary Marvel, the World's Mightiest Girl!: "the 'Horrid Hermit!'"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- Impostor Old Ike
Other Characters:
- "Old" Ike
Locations:
- Earth-S
- Freckles' Hometown
- A Swamp Outside Freckles' Hometown
- Freckles' Hometown
Items:
- A Basket of Mushrooms
Vehicles:
Synopsis for Freddy Freshman: "On the Road to Adventure"
Ace and Stooge are in the junk yard and drag a destroyed motorcycle that Ace decides he’s going to sell to Freddy Freshman, claiming it will make him famous on campus and only costs $5, which is all of Freddy’s allowance. Freddy drives it to the Library where Harriet bluntly tells him that he’s been made a fool of and to get rid of his broken motorcycle, only for Prof. Little to dash out and say he needs a ride to an important Chemical Society Meeting! He weaves through a copse of trees and Prof. Little falls off the back halfway, threatening to have Freddy clean test tubes for months. Freddy drives him to the Chemical Society Meeting, but as they arrive, there’s a sudden explosion! Prof. Little is shocked that this accident saved him from being in a chemical explosion that has disoriented several men and blown out their windows, so he gives Freddy $25 and he takes Harriet out to the Ice Cream Shop. Stooge points out to Ace that Freddy made $20 and he’s in good with Harriet and he’s in good with Prof. Little too! Ace tells him to shut up.
Appearing in Freddy Freshman: "On the Road to Adventure"
Featured Characters:
- Freddy Freshman
Supporting Characters:
- Harriet
Antagonists:
- Ace
- Stooge
Other Characters:
- Prof. Little
- The Chemical Society
Locations:
- Earth-S
- Podunk
- Podunk University
- Podunk University Library
- An Ice Cream Shop
- Podunk University
- Podunk
Items:
- A Basket of Mushrooms
Vehicles:
- Freddy Freeman's Used Motorcycle
Synopsis for Mary Marvel: "Mary Marvel and Captain Cligh's Treasure"
At the Seafarer’s Inn, old whalers meet and discuss how elderly Elias Rickney is dead at 76 after falling down the stairs and breaking his neck and how he was best friends with Capt. Cligh and has left him a treasure map! Capt. Cligh says that the treasure is off the Verdes Cape on an island named Santa Isabel. Nearby, Salty and his cohort discuss telling Cap’n MacPherson, who has been looking for Santa Isabel for years. Soon, Captain Cligh tells Mary that he can’t have dinner at her mother’s house an hour ago because he’s got treasure to find! The two salts try to attack him on the streetcorner only for Mary to call SHAZAM to become Mary Marvel, but finds that they’ve already left. She offers he go lay down and a few days later, she finds that he’s still getting together a crew and that MacPherson is joining it. Mary recognizes Salty from when he tried to steal a treasure map from them and hides her hair under a newsie cap and joins the crew herself as a Messboy. Capt. Cligh hires “him.” Mary recognizes this is a poor craft and will probably break down in the first hard storm, so she calls SHAZAM when that arrives and becomes Mary Marvel, pushing the hulk right again, much to MacPherson’s shock. Mary returns to being a kid and spots MacPherson going to have his goons stab Capt. Cligh, but just before she can call SHAZAM, the ship is struck by a rogue sperm whale. She quickly calls SHAZAM to become Mary Marvel and rides the whale out like a rodeo until Capt. Cligh harpoons it. Mary Marvel tries to subtly warn Capt. Cligh that his crew is going to mutiny and steal his treasure, but he tells to basically shut up and gets into a diving suit to go retake the treasure. When MacPherson and Salty try to get in the way of things, Mary Marvel whips Salty into one of the other men and tackles MacPherson by the legs, making him hit his head on the ground, defeating him.
However, when Capt. Cligh opens Elias Rickney’s Treasure, he finds it’s paper money and has so much water damage that it’s worthless now. Mary Marvel notes that Elias probably knew this as well and was probably why he never gave it to anyone. Another sailor dashes in and tells them they’re all rich because the whale they caught is full of expensive ambergris, a heavy-smelling waxy matter found in the small intestines of 1/100 sperm whales that can be aged into lady’s perfumes. Capt. Cligh thinks about using the money to buy a better ship and perhaps get back into whaling, though Mary Marvel suggests a middle-aged man of 80 that he is, he might consider retiring.
Appearing in Mary Marvel: "Mary Marvel and Captain Cligh's Treasure"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Captain Cligh
Antagonists:
- Cap'n MacPherson
- Salty
- A Violent Sperm Whale (Dies)
Other Characters:
- Elias Rickney (Mentioned only)
Locations:
- Earth-S
- The Seafarer's Inn
- The Verdes Cape
- Santa Isabel Island
Items:
- Ambergris
- The Treasure of Elias Rickney
Vehicles:
- Capt. Cligh's Hulk
Notes
Reprinted in Shazam!: From the 40's to the 70's.
Trivia
- Despite the cover, this issue has no consistent holiday theme whatsoever and there is no reference or wintery theme in any of the stories within. The only thing remotely Christmas-related factor would be it being released in December.
- Susan Kent and Mary Batson know the secret of each other's dual identities. Dr. Riddle and the second Weeper also know that Kent is Bulletgirl.
- The Weeper first establishes here that he's the Son of the original Weeper, who has very sadly died while in prison.
- The "Quints" were a popular name for the The Dionne Quintuplets
See Also
