Whiz Comics #121 is an issue of the series Whiz Comics (Volume 1) with a cover date of May, 1950.
Synopsis for Captain Marvel: "Captain Marvel and The Wonder Alloy!"
Professor Ezra Steele, metallurgist, invents an extremely lightweight metal, and builds some large objects out of it, which then blow away in a windstorm, and cause problems here and there around the world, and in orbit also. Captain Marvel rounds up all the stray items. Captain Marvel returns and tells Prof. Steele that he could still make tons of money using this for aircraft… only to find that Prof. Steele in a disgusted fury destroyed the formula to it. Billy later signs off, saying that Prof. Steele is trying to replicate it and didn’t mean any real harm by it.
Appearing in Captain Marvel: "Captain Marvel and The Wonder Alloy!"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- The Mayor of Dinkville
- African Natives
Other Characters:
- Professor Ezra Steele, metallurgist
Locations:
- Earth-S
- New York City
- Earth Orbit
- Steele's private research laboratory
- Dinkville
- Africa
Items:
- Steele's Wonder Alloy formula (Destroyed)
- Wonder Alloy skyscraper, twice the height of the Empire State Building
- Wonder Alloy bridge
Vehicles:
- Wonder Alloy giant locomotive
Synopsis for Freshman Freddy: "Freshman Freddy and The Show Must Go On!"
Freshman Freddy finds they’re doing Spring Follies at the local Podunk U Little Theatre and is a little amiss to find that likely all the good roles are taken. Inside, the director Mr. Thespian is angry with Ace and Stooge being bad actors and throws them out, ordering them not to come back until they’re better actors. He tells the two to get out and not let anyone else in, since he’s in too bad a mood to see anymore auditions. The two bullies decide to trick Freddy into bothering Mr. Thespian and Freddy runs in, accidentally toppling a stage curtain that took Mr. Thespian a whole day to put up (though not securely enough.) When Freddy says Ace and Stooge told him to audition, Mr. Thespian realizes they were playing a prank on him too and retrieves the two bullies, forcing them to put up the curtain again, but tells Freddy he has work for him too. Mr. Thespian tells him since Ace and Stooge told him there was one big part for him… he’s combined Ace and Stooge’s roles into one part just for Freddy, making him the star!
Appearing in Freshman Freddy: "Freshman Freddy and The Show Must Go On!"
Featured Characters:
- Freshman Freddy
Antagonists:
- Ace
- Stooge
Other Characters:
- Mr. Thespian
Locations:
- Earth-S
- Podunk University
- Podunk University Little Theater
- Podunk University Little Theater
- Podunk University
Synopsis for Golden Arrow, The Robin Hood of the West: "The Bank Deal"
Golden Arrow is out at Rattler's Haven when two outlaws, Gruff and Blackie, decide to go visit the Sheriff there, openly telling him they're going to rob the bank tomorrow and they don't want anyone in their way and shoot him, then run off to the hills to meet with Banker Gray, worried that Golden Arrow is due to return tomorrow. Once there, they discuss how Banker Gray has embezzled a large amount of money from his own bank and that he needs them to rob his bank to cover this up and so they can split it among the three of them. The next day, they use a tripwire attached to an arrow to capture a Pony Express rider and steal his mailbag while Banker Gray uses this to claim that Golden Arrow did it and that he killed the Sheriff, forming a posse to lynch him. That night, he goes to find what Banker Gray is up to, only for Gruff to knock him out from behind. They plan on leaving his golden arrows at the scene of the bank robbery to implicate him while Banker Gray watches over him at a hideout in the hills. However, when the two outlaws return, they decide they don't want to split it three ways and try to shoot Banker Gray with a golden arrow too. Golden Arrow manages to free himself and fires another to intercept it, wrenches the two outlaws off their horses and punches them out swiftly, then leads the three criminals back to go to jail as the townspeople of Rattler's Haven apologize for doubting him.
Appearing in Golden Arrow, The Robin Hood of the West: "The Bank Deal"
Featured Characters:
Antagonists:
- Banker Gray
- Blackie
- Gruff
Other Characters:
- Sheriff (Dies)
- Pony Express rider
Locations:
- Earth-S
- American Old West
- Rattler's Haven
- American Old West
Animals:
Synopsis for Lance O'Casey: "Frame Up"
Still at Port Dulac, Lance and Mike are trying to make some more easy money by winning at fights, Mike fighting better now with Lance's training. One night, he tells Lance that known gangster "Slick" Bevins tried to demand he throw the match for $1,000, but worries that he doesn't want Lance to get into trouble. Lance has Mike reports Bevins to the Boxing Commissioner, but goes off to find Bevins himself, knowing he'll need to find him to beat him. He tracks Bevins down to his hotel and pretends to be a bellhop knocking at his door, confirming that Bevins is planning to skip town, then threatens him into coming down to the Commissioner's office. One of Bevins' goons, Pug, hears them on the way out. However, that night, Mike doesn't show up to corroborate the accusation and Bevins claims that Mike tried to pay him to throw the match, afraid of losing, though Lance correctly surmises that Pug has intercepted Mike. The Commissioner decides to go with Bevins' completely baseless testimony and suspends Mike for now, so Lance decides to look into things further. Outside, Lance rents a bike from a young boy for $20 and uses it tail Slick, finding out that he's got Mike bound to a chair in an abandoned gym, punching Mike to demand he sign a confession. It isn't working. Lance runs in when he hears blows, but accidentally runs headfirst into a punching bag, but still easily punches out Bevins and Pug, then demands that Bevins sign the confession. Later, the suspension is lifted with Bevins and Pug being kicked out of boxing for good.
Appearing in Lance O'Casey: "Frame Up"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- "Slick" Bevins
- Pug
Other Characters:
- Boxing Commissioner
- A Bellhop
Locations:
- Earth-S
- Port Dulac
- Boxing Arena
- Boxing Arena
- Port Dulac
Synopsis for Colonel Corn and Korny Kobb: "What's Cooking"
Korny is trying to hire a cook for a big dinner party, but Colonel Corn comes over, making many food-related puns. When it becomes clear that he doesn't know what he's doing, Korny finds Col. Corn rubbing butter on his face due to misreading the cookbook he's working from and throws him out, kicking him in the rear for ruining his dinner party.
Appearing in Colonel Corn and Korny Kobb: "What's Cooking"
Featured Characters:
- Col. Corn
- Korny Kobb
Synopsis for Ibis the Invincible: "Ibis the Invincible and The Death Song of the Sirens!"
Prince Ibis and Princess Taia are on a ship nearing Knell Rock in a heavy fog, though they’re confident the Captain can manage it. The Captain notes two Frawnee ships have been lost with all hands dead. They suddenly hear an intoxicating singing that they worry means danger, only moreso when the Ibistick vibrates, confirming it. Due to the alluring music, even Ibis the Invincible finds he cannot wish in time for the ship to crash on Knell Rock. The crash sends the Captain and Taia overboard, so he dives after her, then wishes for a giant net to lift them up and take them to shore. Once there, Ibis offers that these were the Sirens, the women of legend who lure men to their deaths. Ibis hopes to talk to Val Frawnee, owner of the Frawnee Shipping Line, about how Knell Rock is dangerous and cannot be sent near. Ibis does so, but Frawnee is not believing it and claims to have never heard such foolish legends. Ibis is suspicious, knowing a well-read man like Frawnee should have at least heard of the Sirens. What’s more, he realizees that Frawnee is deaf and only reads lips. The Prince of Egypt dashes off to take a motorboat to Knell Rock just in time to stop another freighter from crashing by wishing for giant clapping symbols to keep them from hearing the song, then land aboard Knell Rock itself to find the Sirens. They are amazed by his magical powers and they state that they had retreated to ancient caves on a rocky island, only playing music to drive men away, but they now have a master who does not fear them and could not be affected by their powers, who brought them to Knell Rock. Their master also only told them to sing and sink Frawnee ships specifically, meaning that Frawnee himself is likely in charge. Ibis, having heard enough, wishes himself and the Sirens into his motorboat and drives them back to Frawnee Shipping Line, where Frawnee himself is shocked to find he can hear them singing from outside his high office window, floating in the air. Frawnee, drawn by the song, almost walks off the ledge outside his offie, pleading that he will confess to all his crimes and Ibis wishes the Sirens back to their island, never to bother men again, and Frawnee to a judge where he can do so. Later, Ibis explains that Frawnee Shipping Line was going bankrupt and he was pulling an insurance fraud scheme by sinking his own ships to collect money, but his deafness protected him from the Sirens. He starts to put on some Rigoletto, but Princess Taia says she doesn’t want to hear music for a while.
Appearing in Ibis the Invincible: "Ibis the Invincible and The Death Song of the Sirens!"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- Val Frawnee, shipping magnate
Other Characters:
- steamship captain
- Three Sirens
Locations:
- Knell Rock
Items:
- Ibistick
- A recording of Verdi's Rigoletto
Vehicles:
- Frawnee Shipping Co. steamships
- Ibis' speedboat
Notes
- Captain Marvel: Ezra Steele destroyed his written copy of the formula for his Wonder Alloy, but he's the inventor, so he could just as easily reformulate it. And if not, three very large samples of the metal exist, so it could still be reproduced.
- Further, the citizens of Dinkville seem to pretend that they own the Wonder Alloy Skyscraper despite not owning a deed to it.
- Golden Arrow: This story takes place during the brief time in history when the Pony Express was in business, so either 1860 or 1861.
- Also appearing in this issue of Whiz Comics were:
- Spud and Jud: "Gold Goofs"
- Wicky and O'Shawnessy: "Shotgun at Dawn" (text story), by Rod Reed
- Wilbur the Waiter: "Needs Brain Food!"
- The Culture Corner: "How to Eat in a Theater Seat", by Basil Wolverton
See Also