DC Database
Advertisement

"The Trio of Terror": The three Dingling Brothers try, but fail, to hire the Marvels, in order to save their failing carnival business. When that doesn't work out, they steal a book of magic instead. They draw a circle, and summon a Satyr, a Hydra, and Argus, placing them in a cage, and plannin

Quote1 Simple enough! The magic lightning that blasted into the charmed circle just changed Billy, Freddy and Mary back to the Marvel Family! Now you three are going back to the nether world! ZIGGOZ ZARILLY GOOSH ! Quote2
Captain Marvel

The Marvel Family #21 is an issue of the series The Marvel Family (Volume 1) with a cover date of March, 1948.

Synopsis for "The Trio of Terror"

The three Dingling Brothers try, but fail, to hire the Marvels, in order to save their failing carnival business. When that doesn't work out, they steal a book of magic instead. They draw a circle, and summon a Satyr, a Hydra, and Argus, placing them in a cage, and planning to exhibit them. What they do not realize is that the monsters have to return to the Netherworld in 24 hours, unless three replacements are sent. Planning to send back the brothers instead of themselves, the monsters use their supernatural strength to break out of the cage, and are able to fight their way past the Marvels, who by now have come to investigate the spellbook's theft. The Marvels are able to defeat the fiends in their second battle, then take them back to the circle. They transform into their civilian forms, to meet the brothers and get the book back, but when they return to the circle, the Monsters seize them, prevent them speaking, gag them, tie them up, and place them in the circle, hoping to send them back to the Netherworld. However, when lightning comes down to transport them, as the Satyr reads the spell, it instead transforms the kids into the Marvel Family, who send the monsters back to the Netherworld. The brothers then reveal that they took footage of the fight and can use it to make money, which they then do.

Appearing in "The Trio of Terror"

Featured Characters:

Supporting Characters:


Antagonists:

  • three Dingling Brothers
  • Satyr
  • Hydra
  • Argus

Other Characters:


Locations:

Items:

  • book of magic

Vehicles:




Synopsis for Mary Marvel: "Tune Trouble"

Mary Marvel meets two different songwriters, both of whom have just heard their new music being played, despite having told nobody else about it. She goes to visit the mysterious new record publisher "Ace Records", supposedly the composer of the music, and finds that the composers don't really know very much about music. However the men decide to grab her, one covers her mouth and she is taken into the back room, where there is another man. However she breaks free, transforms, and defeats them. She reveals the crooks had microphones in the houses of big songwriters so they could hear the new compositions and record them.

Appearing in Mary Marvel: "Tune Trouble"

Featured Characters:

Supporting Characters:


Antagonists:

  • two professional music plagiarists

Other Characters:

  • Herman Cleff, songwriter
  • Otto Scale, composer

Locations:

Items:


Vehicles:



Synopsis for Captain Marvel, Jr.: "The Flying Eye"


Appearing in Captain Marvel, Jr.: "The Flying Eye"

Featured Characters:

Supporting Characters:

  • Patrolman Jim Bellows
  • Red O'Riley

Antagonists:

  • Sivana, Jr.
  • Man-From-Mars
  • giant monster
  • flying hypnotic giant monster eye

Other Characters:


Locations:

Items:

  • Martian Life Juice

Vehicles:



Synopsis for Peewee Pete: "Easy As Taking Candy from a Baby"


Appearing in Peewee Pete: "Easy As Taking Candy from a Baby"

Featured Characters:

  • Peewee Pete

Synopsis for Captain Marvel: "The Science Crimes"


Appearing in Captain Marvel: "The Science Crimes"

Featured Characters:

Supporting Characters:


Antagonists:

Other Characters:

  • Mr. Cranston

Locations:

Items:

  • "Immovable Object" (a wall made of intermeshed protonic steel)
  • "Perpetual Motion Machine" (fake)
  • "Absolute Zero Chamber" (not fake)

Vehicles:


Notes

  • "The Trio of Terror" was reprinted in Limited Collectors' Edition #C-27 and Shazam!: The Greatest Stories Ever Told.
  • Captain Marvel is impervious to freezing, even at Absolute Zero.
  • Also featured in this issue of Marvel Family were:
    • a Contents page
    • Judge Smudge: "Memories", by Howard Boughner
    • Lazy Lee: "Specifically Speaking"
    • Kanvasback: "Born Athlete"
    • The Marvel Family Puzzle Page
    • The Space Race (text story), by Cy N. Sphixion



See Also


Links and References

Advertisement