This is an in-universe article with out-of-universe material.
Whiz Comics #111 is an issue of the series Whiz Comics (Volume 1) with a cover date of July, 1949.
Synopsis for Captain Marvel: "The Marvel Delivery Service"
Billy Batson is admiring a fountain of a naked boy holding a fish until he hears gunshots and finds a nearby jewelry store is being robbed. Calling SHAZAM, Captain Marvel lands in front of their yellow sedan to stop them, but they swerve into the fountain instead. Captain Marvel angrily punches out the three goons for endangering civilians and drops them off with the police. Returning, he is furious with himself that the fountain was destroyed, saying he should be the one who pays for it. A cop at the site says that the City will be sure to cover it, but Captain Marvel refuses, saying that he won't burden the taxpayers with his carelessness, resolving to fix it himself due to his rigid code of honor and integrity. Thus, Captain Marvel decides to get a job of his own, but worries that he can't really get any job that takes a while to earn money at. Thus, he decides that Billy can make an announcement on his broadcast, which it's time for just then anyways, calling SHAZAM to let him do so. Billy calls out the thieves working near the Fountain Square. On the radio, underworld czar Mordon Grabbitt is furious to hear his ambitions are being held back, as this is the third gang he's lost to the World's Mightiest Mortal as Billy says Captain Marvel insists on paying for it himself and asks for any open legal offers for Captain Marvel to raise money for it! Grabbitt decides he'll use this to his advantage and puts in a call to see him later. Captain Marvel soon rejects someone before seeing Grabbitt, who offers he start a “Marvel Delivery Service,” capable of flying faster than anything else on Earth, but also that he doesn't want to do it for the money himself, only the publicity, but thinks on how he only really wants revenge and he's got plans for that!
The next day, he opens the Marvel Delivery Service and soon Captain Marvel gets orders to move grand pianos and elephants. While flying the piano, he decides to play a little tune on it while flying. Next, a trainyard hires him to dump a locomotive to the dump to be scrapped. Doing so quickly, Grabbitt next offers him a very small package that needs to delivered and he's elated to find that it's a wedding ring that a young woman is deciding her husband about. Grabbitt next gives Captain Marvel a package for the Vanderban Estate, which he thinks to himself is a bomb. Seconds later, Captain Marvel brings it to Mr. Vanderban at his fine home, but he says he didn't order it, prompting Captain Marvel to unwrap it quickly and throw it into his swimming pool, disarming it before it can go off. Captain Marvel apologizes, but Vanderban is fine with it. He soon demands that Grabbitt tell him who sent that package, but Grabbitt claims it was brought by a messenger boy and therefore can't be traced, then mildly shakes the next package for him to deliver, confirming it doesn't sound like a ticking bomb. Captain Marvel soon delivers what he believes to be a new hat to a young man in a blue suit, but he finds a black King Cobra in it instead, which Captain Marvel crushes to death with the Strength of Hercules. Returning to Grabbitt, Captain Marvel makes it clear that he won't pull this three times, but finds when he breaks open the package he has, it seems to just be an ordinary clock. He then tries to have him deliver a smaller bottle to someone, feeling ashamed at having accused Grabbitt. He worries it's making a noise and remembers that delivering alcohol is illegal, but instead finds this is far more illegal nitroglycerin, which Captain Marvel figures he'll have to be incredibly careful with or it will explode in the middle of New York City! Grabbitt begins to gloat until Captain Marvel walks in with the bottle in hand. Cowering under a rug, Grabbitt admits it'll explode, only for Captain Marvel to kick him in the rear hard enough to smack his head into the wall and reveals that the bottle is empty, that he returned the explosives to the factory they were sold at and Grabbitt caves. Later, Billy signs off saying that Grabbitt is now in jail along with his gang, Mr. Vanderban covered the cost of the fountain, which worked out for restoring the honor of Captain Marvel, which is also his integrity and his life!
Appearing in Captain Marvel: "The Marvel Delivery Service"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- Mordon Grabbitt
- Jewelry Thieves
Other Characters:
- Mr. Vanderban
- Hubert's Fiancee
Locations:
- Earth-S
- New York City
- WHIZ Radio
- The Vanderban Estate
- New York City
Items:
- A King Cobra (Dies)
- A Grand Pianoforte
- A Disused Locomotive
- An Expensive Wedding Ring
- A Time Bomb (Destroyed)
- A Normal Clock (Destroyed)
- A Flask of Nitroglycerin
Vehicles:
Synopsis for Freshman Freddy: "The Dribble King"
Ace shakes Freddy awake in his room and says he heard he wanted to be on the basketball team, though Freddy points out he's rather short. Ace claims to be on the team himself and that he could get a good word in for him if he acts as his valet. Freddy thinks for a moment on how he's likely being tricked, but he figures he may still get on to the basketball team. Later, Harriet catches him shining Ace's shoes and tells her all about it. She tells him Ace likely won't speak on his behalf, so he should instead just go down to the gym and talk to the Coach himself instead. Shortly after, Freddy emerges from the locker room to talk to the Coach, who isn't there. Stooge points him out and Ace assures Freddy he did talk to the Coach about him, then smacks him in the face with a basketball, demanding to see him dribble and shoot. Dizzied, Freddy manages to move unpredictably, shoot the ball into Ace's face in return. Before Ace can attack him, the Coach rebounds a basketball off Ace's head and into the basket and tells him to stand down. He offers Freddy go for real now and Freddy worries he can't replicate it with clear vision. He manages to run through two sets of legs, then rebounds off of Ace's head into the basket again, prompting Ace to later shine Freddy's shoes while Harriet swoons over him. The story then stops, since this was all a dream that Freddy had. Ace wakes him up with a “terrific idea,” only for Freddy to smash a pitcher into Ace's head, shattering it to pieces. Ace professes he didn't do anything, but Freddy insists that he's getting even in advance for a change!
Appearing in Freshman Freddy: "The Dribble King"
Featured Characters:
- Freshman Freddy
Supporting Characters:
- Harriet
Antagonists:
- Ace
Other Characters:
- Stooge
- The Coach
Locations:
- Earth-S
- Podunk University
Items:
- Basketballs
Vehicles:
Synopsis for Golden Arrow, the Robin Hood of the West: "The Polo Menace"
On the plains of Dry Gulch, Golden Arrow gets involved in what he thinks is a fight, but is actually a rousing game of polo. The Robin Hood of the West points out they don't have a ball to play polo with and they admit their inexperience. He asks why people care about polo and he finds from a townsperson that a Championship Eastern Polo team is touring the west and paying $500 to any team that can beat them, which he hopes to Kindly "Ma" Shepps, a widow in dire straits. Golden Arrow decides this is a good cause and writes for a rule book and equipment in the mail. Some days later, Mrs. Shepps becomes their referee, who explains that there are teams of four and the object is to knock the ball into a specified goal. After some weeks, Golden Arrow is an ace and the Championship Eastern Polo Team arrives in Dry Gulch.
The next day, the Eastern Team note that Golden Arrow is carrying the team and one of their members, Curtis, admits that they might be a challenge! The day after that, the game is set, but that morning, Golden Arrow is knocked out with a polo mallet, grabbing his attacker's shirt and tearing it. Minutes later, the assailant dumps him on to White Wind and then leaves him bound and gagged in a barn a mile away. The game starts with Golden Arrow's replacement, Bumpy, running into one of his teammates, but Curtis admits that they'd be tied otherwise. Golden Arrow cuts himself free with a scythe and finds his gag is the piece of cloth he tore off his assailant's shirt, finds White Wind nearby and rides into the game in the last minute of the last chukker. Curtis manages to block him for a shot and then manages to block him with by dipping off to White Wind's side. Curtis manages to crash into him to stop him from scoring and Golden Arrow accepts this as a natural injury of the sport... until he sees his shirt is torn and Curtis admits that they'd never been beaten and he couldn't take the idea of not still being the best. He tries to gallop off, but Mrs. Shepps gives Golden Arrow his bow and he ricochets one off the crossbar of the goal post to knock him from his horse. The other members of the Eastern Team apologize for Curtis' actions. Later, Ma Shepps accepts the money and Golden Arrow tells her she can thank them by always being so kind and understanding as always.
Appearing in Golden Arrow, the Robin Hood of the West: "The Polo Menace"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- "Ma" Shepps
- "Bumpy"
Antagonists:
- Curtis
Other Characters:
- The Championship Eastern Polo Team
- Adams
Locations:
- Earth-S
- American Old West
- Dry Gulch
- American Old West
Items:
- A Scythe
- Polo Equipment
- The Dry Gulch Gazette
Vehicles:
Synopsis for Lance O'Casey: "The Stolen Starfish!"
Lance O'Casey & 1st Mate Mike Bellew are in a fistfight with "Singapore" Sal's pirate crew on their ship while Sal sneaks below the deck of the Starfish and hides a chest in the bottom of their locker, then dives off. Lance and Mike soon finish swabbing deck of pirates as Sal swims to the rocks nearby, blaming that she could have caught the Starfish if her crew weren't holding her back! She naturally is dismayed this means she can't this close again, since they'll watch her their ship like hawks. Later, Lance heads into port with their cargo and Mike decides he's all set for a spell of riot. He thinks on how Lance is too hard-working until he runs into a woman who drops her handkerchief. She butters him up about all that she's heard of him and Mike offers they have a dinner date at the Cafe Royale nearby. She thinks about how she has a secret identity that he doesn't know yet. Later that week, Lance finds he hasn't really seen Mike around lately and goes to find his "sea-mate." Tailing him, he realizes that Mike is in love with a woman who compliments him and also can watch a baseball game. Lance asks what's the deal with her, but finds Mike is sullen, claiming that she "doesn't like sailors" and decides he's retiring to get a shore job to be with her, saying he wants his share of the Starfish! Lance points out he rather needs the ship to get any income for either of them, but Mike doesn't know what to do about it otherwise. Accepting, Lance decides he'll put the Starfish up for auction in the newspaper and does so. An auctioneer tells him one person bid twice as much as the others with the buyer, "Miss Dorothy Brown," demanding that he buy it as it stands (meaning without them taking anything off the ship.) Lance, under the impression that there's nothing of particular value left onboard, he agrees to it and it's sold to a man representing Miss Brown. Heading back to see Mike off, Lance finds out that "Dorothy" is also the person that Mike is getting married to and that she's not meeting him at the airport, but is likely just leaving with the Starfish. On the way, they figure that "Dorothy Brown" is likely just "Singapore" Sal, who is an "artist at makeup." The two seamen are distraught to see their ship has sailed already. Onboard, Sal reveals the chest is full of a Queen's Ransom of stolen jewels and that they can start spending it on guns, ammo and a general campaign of razing, pillaging and destruction to inspire fear in others. However, they soon find Lance and Mike have already started a donnybrook on the top deck. She throws a gun to her helmsman, only for Mike to shoot him in the hand. Lance shatters Sal's cutlass in battle once more. Lance offers she should get a crew that's good at fighting, only to find that she's trying to tell Mike she was "forced" to toy with his heart and that Mike is definitely buying it. Lance decides to "work fast" to solve this and we flash forward to see Mike at the helm wearing horse blinders so he'll keep his eyes away from Singapore Sal!
Appearing in Lance O'Casey: "The Stolen Starfish!"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- "Singapore" Sal
Other Characters:
- An Auctioneer
Locations:
Items:
Vehicles:
- The Starfish
Synopsis for Ibis the Invincible: "Ibis the Invincible and The Ghost Train"
Joshua Doane and his gang dynamite a lonely stretch of railroad, derailing the Speedon Limited and looting half a mil from its safes. When one of his cohorts asks if he doesn't feel anything at all about what he did, killing everyone onboard the train, Doane laughs he's not afraid of ghosts. Ironic, as shortly thereafter, multiple news reports of a ghostly version of the train are made. When Taia brings this up to Ibis, he admits he's seen so many incredible supernatural things, he's sure there's some truth to the reports. She's glad to hear he plans to investigate, because she figured that out and packed for them to go out and visit the location two days ago!
Meanwhile, Doane's returned to the scene of the crime with his two flunkies to prove to them there's nothing to this "ghost train" business. Only for it to thunder by right then, hitting one and killing him without leaving a mark, and driving the other insane with fright. The second one flees to a train station, and in trying to get away accidentally boards the very train he was trying to escape. Ibis magically teleports himself and Taia aboard the ghost train, only to find the man having just shot himself to escape his tormentors. That would be the ghostly conductor, who returned to get revenge on the three crooks who destroyed the train. At that moment, Doane's trying to lose a state trooper when he crosses the tracks the ghost train's coming down. In the spectacular crash that follows, Ibis and Taia are able to escape as one of the doors is blown open by the impact. Its vengeance achieved, Ibis is sure that's the last they've heard of the ghost train.
Appearing in Ibis the Invincible: "Ibis the Invincible and The Ghost Train"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- The Conductor of the Speedon Limited (Destroyed)
- Joshua Doane (Dies)
- Two Unnamed Train Robbers (Dies)
Other Characters:
Locations:
Items:
Vehicles:
- The Ghost of the Speedon Limited (Destroyed)
Trivia
- Despite the cover, Captain Marvel doesn't wear a small delivery man's hat while delivering things. He does deliver both a grand pianoforte and a tiny package of great importance, but not at the same time.
- Further, their slogan of "We Deliver Anything Anywhere" on the cover is also different from the one in the story: "We Deliver Anything Big or Small to Any Destination Far or Near"
See Also