Whiz Comics (Volume 1) with a cover date of March, 1950.
Synopsis for Captain Marvel: "Captain Marvel and The Strange Settlers"
A red rocket ship lands in a spot in the desert as a man in a futuristic dressed man and his family emerge, firing a new weapon at the Earth to destroy a large rock. News soon reaches Station WHIZ as Billy Batson reports on the actions of these supposed alien invaders. Mr. Morris soon tells Billy that they’re definitely invaders from space come to kill everyone and the Army should wipe them out beforehand, but Billy decides to look into things all the same, calling SHAZAM to summon Captain Marvel. He tries to fly out to address the aliens, but they fire at him with a large explosive ray that rather upsets the World’s Mightiest Mortal, who punches their artillery to pieces. The man running things rushes in and apologizes to Captain Marvel, claiming they thought he was some large predatory bird and finds that these are settlers, immigrants from the future who have traveled from the 30th Century where they are ruled by a tyrant using their Time Ship. Captain Marvel accepts their strange but freer lives, but asks why they’re living in the desert, only for the settler to show that the future has created a machine capable of turning sand into water, creating an oasis with a large ornamental fountain and many Quonset huts. They resolve they can use their machines to reverse desertification and Captain Marvel thanks them, saying that they will be regarded well and respected in modern society.
Soon after, a mob of paranoid Americans invade the future refugee camp, certain they are invaders and having formed a posse. Despite Captain Marvel being on their side, the paranoid men assume that Captain Marvel has turned evil until he actively punches most of them in the face and drags the man leading the mob to show that their “weapons” are used to attack cougars to protect their farmland. The posse breaks up quickly after and go home, only for a portly man in a bowler hat to show up, declaring that his name is Ezra Gooch and that he “owns” the area of desert land that has ben settled. Captain Marvel asks what his price is, but Gooch demands a million, which Captain Marvel recognizes as price gouging. Captain Marvel angrily digs five miles deep into the Earth and unearths a giant million-dollar chunk of gold to pay off Gooch and even flies it to his house for him just so Gooch will leave faster. Unfortunately, on his way back to the oasis of tomorrow, he finds a second Time Ship has arrived, run by the fin-helmeted Tyrant of the 30th Century, who orders his minions to destroy the encampment and capture everyone, only for Captain Marvel to throw their launched bombs into the ocean and shoves their warship into the ground, crashing it. When the Tyrant fires on him and finds it yields predictable results, Captain Marvel punches him in the head until he says that he’s renouncing all claim to his future nation and the Tyrant is arrested by the Settlers. However, the Settlers Leader says that with the political upheaval finished, they can return to the future and live peacefully there now. Captain Marvel waves, sad to see them return to the future, but is happy to know this oasis will work to be a home to many other people now!
Appearing in Captain Marvel: "Captain Marvel and The Strange Settlers"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- The Leader of the Future Refugees
Antagonists:
- The Tyrant of the 30th Century
- Ezra Gooch
Other Characters:
Locations:
Items:
- A Sand-to-Water Converter
Vehicles:
- Two 30th Century Time Ships
Synopsis for Golden Arrow: "Golden Arrow, the Robin Hood of the West, and The Battling Sheepherder"
Evil cattlemen are trying to kill off a sheepherder rival by trying to hang them in the woods, only for Golden Arrow to save the man, Buck Carey. Buck reports that Mike Hornsby and his cattlemen goons tried to run him off his land, but he's held up, so they instead kidnapped him while he was asleep and tried to kill him. Mike, meanwhile, plans on destroying all of Buck's sheep by chasing them off a cliff so he won't have to try fighting. That night, Golden Arrow wakes up hearing hooves in the night and wakes up Buck, finding the cattlemen approaching using oily rags and arrows for flares. The outlaws retreat for now, but return the next day, pretending to fight one another until Golden Arrow rides in to assist Mike, who pistol-whips him when his back is turned. Golden Arrow wakes up bound, breaks his bonds on a rough rock and rides on White Wind to get to Buck's ranch and fires a salvo of arrows the stop the sheep from going off the cliffside. Mike goes for his gun as his men retreat, but Golden Arrow fires the gun out of his hand and tackles him off his horse before beating him senseless. Later, Mike is arrested and Buck thanks Golden Arrow for his help and that his sheep will now be safe once more.
Appearing in Golden Arrow: "Golden Arrow, the Robin Hood of the West, and The Battling Sheepherder"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Buck Carey
Antagonists:
- Mike Hornsby
- Other Evil Cattlemen
Other Characters:
- The Sheriff of Dry Gulch
Locations:
- Earth-S
- American Old West
- Dry Gulch
- Buck's Ranch
- American Old West
Items:
- Sheep
Vehicles:
Synopsis for Freshman Freddy: "Freshman Freddy and The Substitute Baby!"
Ace and Stooge find Freshman Freddy reading a copy of Whiz Comics to a child he’s babysitting, so Ace decides to ask Harriet out while he knows he’s busy. Harriet points out she’s already going out with Freddy, or at least she will if he can make enough money babysitting to take her dancing. Ace tells Stooge he’s going to ruin Freddy’s business and heads to the local Podunk Pool Room, looking for a little person around nicknamed “Shorty” and offer he make some money by dressing up as a baby to make $10 and then use that to ambush Freshman Freddy and attack him. Later, Ace hires Freddy to watch his supposed “nephew” as Shorty, dressed as a baby, shoves his lit cigar into Stooge’s mouth to hide it before Ace and Stooge leave. They soon hear in the quad that Prof. Bolley has had his new solid gold pen stolen from a dorm desk and he’s offering a $25 reward to find it. Shorty goes to cold-cock Freddy, but Freddy dodges and Shorty ends up falling out a window and catching his leg on a trellis, dumping out his pockets. People around are at first worried that he’s pushed a child out of a window until they find Prof. Bolley’s golden pen fell out too and that Shorty was the one who stole the pen to start with and was not really a small child, but a small criminal. Prof. Bolley gives Freddy the $25 reward and Stooge points out that Ace spent $10 to Freddy to do this all to start, so he definitely made enough to go to the dance and he looks like a big hero too!
Appearing in Freshman Freddy: "Freshman Freddy and The Substitute Baby!"
Featured Characters:
- Freshman Freddy
Supporting Characters:
- Harriet
Antagonists:
- "Shorty"
- Ace
- Stooge
Other Characters:
- Prof. Bolley
Locations:
- Earth-S
- Podunk
Items:
- Prof. Bolley's Solid Gold Pen
Vehicles:
Synopsis for Lance O'Casey: "The Pan American Bull Session!"
Lance and Mike are nearing Nueva Sierra on the South American coast where they are dropping off a cargo of TVs. Lance meets his old war friend Francisco Seguerra, an "old Spanish fighter" and now an Ambassador. As they head in to town, Lance finds everyone is booing and hissing at them and Francisco reveals that a political rival, Jose Ferrante, has been spreading anti-American sentiments during Fiesta Week. To fight this and establish closer bonds with America, he's created a Pan American Bullfight to broadcast on television, which Lance agrees to help him with. Meanwhile, Jose Ferrante says that if the famed bullfighter Ramon was on their side, they can just murder Francisco and take power by force. Later, Lance and Francisco find Ramon missing and his room ransacked as Jose's men accuse Lance and Mike of being responsible for it. Lance uses a disguise to dress up as Ramon and fight the bull himself and heal Pan American relations. Jose's men try to covertly shoot him in the back during a public bullfight and manage to shoot the bull instead, but the bull ends up jostling Lance, revealing his wig. Jose starts to stir up a lynch mob to kill him as Lance leaps from float to float across the Fiesta Parade and loses the mob. Later, Lance manages to spot and grab Jose and drags him behind a curtain, demanding answers and finding out Ramon is being kept with henchman across a nearby river. Lance soon tracks him down, defeats the other goons when they try to shoot at him and brings Ramon back before the citizens of Nueva Sierra burn down the American embassy. The real Ramon explains that Jose was using them for political gain and they decide to arrest him. The day after, everyone cheers for Ramon and for Pan American relations improving as the National Fiesta ends with Lance sending greetings to the rest of the world.
Appearing in Lance O'Casey: "The Pan American Bull Session!"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- 1st Mate Mike Bellew
- Ambassador Francisco Seguerra
Antagonists:
- Jose Ferrante
Other Characters:
- Ramon the Bullfighter
Locations:
- Earth-S
- South America
- Nueva Sierra
- South America
Items:
Vehicles:
- The Starfish
Synopsis for Colonel Corn and Korny Kobb: "Pigskin Punks"
Appearing in Colonel Corn and Korny Kobb: "Pigskin Punks"
Featured Characters:
- Colonel Corn
- "Korny" Kobb
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
Other Characters:
Locations:
Items:
- Football
Vehicles:
Synopsis for Ibis the Invincible: "Ibis the Invincible and the River of No Return!"
Suddenly in the "Damjali Region", a tumultuous torrent of water gushes it way to freedom", washing away two men who'd been working in the dry riverbed. Stranger still, nets used to sweep the water for the missing men have rotted with age despite only being in the waters a short time. This clues two of the searchers in that this is none other than the legendary River Styx, which legend said would return to their lands one day. Not long after, Ibis and Taia are called for, since the natives are convinced the river's cursed. The heroic wizard agrees to have a look, but gets worried when he gets close to the river and his wand starts twitching as it always does in the presence of evil magic.
He's arrived just in time: that night, Charon the ferryman brings Cerberus and an army of the ghostly dead ashore to bring souls of the living back to the underworld. Charon's also eager for the chance to settle an old score with Ibis, who's used his magic to seal off most of the entrances to the underworld. Charon manages to steal the Ibistick and use it to give himself godly strength, then uproots a tree to try to smash Ibis with it. Unused to such strength and such gigantic weapons, Charon misses by a mile and only hits himself with his improvised club. Ibis uses his reclaimed wand to bind Charon and Cerberus with magic chains, then forces Charon to return his captives and stop the flow of the accursed river. Though greatly reluctant, the ferryman accedes to Ibis' demands.
Appearing in Ibis the Invincible: "Ibis the Invincible and the River of No Return!"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- Charon
- Cerberus
Other Characters:
- A Commissioner of the Damjali Region
Locations:
- Earth-S
- The Damjali Region
- The River Styx
- The Damjali Region
Items:
Vehicles:
Notes
- Ibis the Invincible, Captain Marvel, Lance O'Casey, and Golden Arrow appear together on this issue's cover. In the Golden Age of comics, this was almost never done.
- Despite this, they do not appear together in any way
- Also appearing in this issue of Whiz Comics were:
- Bigsby the Boss: "Philosophic!"
- The Captain Marvel Club (advertisement): "Bigger! and Bigger! and Bigger!"
- Comix Cards: "Bill Boyd"
- The Culture Corner: "How to Block a Back Slapper's Sock" by Basil Wolverton
- Doc Sorebones: "Is a Big Help!"
- Judge Bacon: "Hyar's yore next case, Judge Bacon!"
- A Wicky and O'Shawnessy Story: "Wicky Sees Stars" by Rod Reed
- Wilbur the Waiter: "A Dark View!"
Trivia
- The unnamed Tyrant of the 30th Century carries some resemblance to former blowhard tall-tale teller Colonel Porterhouse, a former feature in Whiz Comics.
- Similarly, all of his minions seem to wear the classic Bulletman costume (when he still wore a red cowl instead of a bandana.)
See Also