Whiz Comics #143 is an issue of the series Whiz Comics (Volume 1) with a cover date of March, 1952.
Synopsis for Captain Marvel: "Captain Marvel and the Mystery of the Flying Studio!"
Billy Batson is broadcasting, but not from the Station WHIZ Building, but a gigantic zeppelin nicknamed “the WHIZ Zep,” with a gondola large enough to house a broadcasting studio. He reports that Mr. Morris came up with that idea and that, since the Hindenburg disaster of 1937, zeppelins aren’t made anymore and is filled with perfectly safe helium. The WHIZ Zep is run by one of the last zeppelin pilots in existence, Captain Oscar Hugo. Finishing his broadcast, Billy and Mr. Morris go see Capt. Hugo who is worried about gremlins, which he blames for most zeppelin crashes and shows them a framed picture of Zeppy, leader of the Gremlins, though Mr. Morris says it sounds like superstition. Later, Billy starts up another broadcast while across the Atlantic when the engines stop, leaving them drifting northward into the frozen tundra! Billy calls SHAZAM to summon Captain Marvel, who removes the ice on it and drags it back south a few hundred miles to a temperate climate. When he returns to the gondola, he finds a written message from Zeppy the Gremlin, panicking Capt. Hugo who has been waiting 15 years to pilot a zeppelin again. Captain Marvel assures him he’ll figure this out and looks around for a supposed stowaway, but finds no one there.
Approaching fog, Capt. Hugo tries to turn on the radar, but finds that Zeppy also has disabled their radar to crash them, forcing Captain Marvel to fly them over the mountains by hand. Returning again, Capt. Hugo shows the last message from Zeppy, claiming he destroyed the Hindenburg and that there’s a “Jonah” aboard, demanding he be thrown out to his death or face more gremlin meddling. Capt. Hugo has a breakdown thinking he’s the Jonah, an unlucky person aboard and leaps out of the gondola! Captain Marvel flies down and puts him back and continues watching the zeppelin fly into the night. As dawn approaches, Mr. Morris reveals a note from Capt. Hugo, has has leapt overboard himself, but also that Zeppy has seemingly stolen the payroll they were keeping on the craft (in a box labeled “WHIZ Payroll.”) Zeppy leaves a note saying he destroyed their $25,000 payroll as a parting prank. Captain Marvel now understands this and finds that Capt. Hugo has actually just taken a parachute out of the zeppelin and stole the payroll for himself and that all of the “Zeppy” messages were from him. Capt. Hugo mocks that he left a time-bomb on the ship, only for Captain Marvel to drag him into the sky and land the WHIZ Zep easily in seconds, much to Capt. Hugo’s chagrin. Later, Billy signs off from jail saying that they’ve got a new crew for the WHIZ Zep and the real gremlin was arrested!
Appearing in Captain Marvel: "Captain Marvel and the Mystery of the Flying Studio!"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- Captain Oscar Hugo
Other Characters:
Locations:
Items:
- The Station WHIZ Payroll
Vehicles:
- The WHIZ Zep Zeppelin
Synopsis for Golden Arrow: "Golden Arrow and The Harvest Rustlers!"
Golden Arrow is riding to visit his friend Fred Palmer when he spots a farmer being harassed by outlaws. The outlaws quickly scatter and the farmer, Hank, thanks Golden Arrow for his help, but admits there's likely no tracking them now. He soon meets Fred at his wheat farm, but reveals that due to the heavy harvest, he's had to hire the Toweler Brothers, who are convicts and likely still rotten. Fred says he needs all the help he can get, but he's almost done, since the payroll has come in for the harvesters. Golden Arrow voices worry that the amount of strangers and outlaws around may put him in danger, but Fred is confident that his two guards can hold things down. That night, two men pistol-whip Golden Arrow when he shows up to make sure Fred's payroll is delivered, waking up bound a ways away. He notices wagons that certainly aren't Fred's rolling in to his granaries and manages to quickly free himself. Hearing gunshots, he runs in and dashes in the back door to tell Fred and his men that the outlaws are there. Golden Arrow soon figures out that these gunmen are a diversionary tactic while the outlaws steal all the wheat. Golden Arrow backs out with some of the men and hides behind wheat stalks to get closer and then shoot open the grain chute to drown the gunmen in grain. The Toweler Brothers are soon defeated and Golden Arrow finds the guards were able to stop the other gunmen and have saved Fred Palmer's farm.
Appearing in Golden Arrow: "Golden Arrow and The Harvest Rustlers!"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Fred Palmer
Antagonists:
- The Toweler Brothers
- Dowd
Other Characters:
Locations:
- Earth-S
- American Old West
- The Palmer Wheat Farm
- American Old West
Items:
- Wheat
Vehicles:
Synopsis for Lance O'Casey: "Lance O'Casey and The Beacon of Death"
Lance and Mike are out off the Coast of the Union of South Africa when they find a beacon light going off wrong, guiding ships towards the rocks and not away from them! They find all hands dead except for one who they dredge into the Starfish. The dying sailor says that he knows that after 30 years of steering these waters, someone switched the beacon, then dies. They head to the island with the beacons on it to see if they can find survivors, but they don't. Suddenly, many goons rush out, believing they're sailors from the freighter and knock them out with sticks. Lance and Mike wake up later in the clutches of "Blackie" Barrat, an infamous pirate who wants revenge on them for getting him arrested for piracy in Mozambique. Blackie says he discovered diamonds on the island and now he's willing to sink ships and kill whole crews to drum out cheap slave labor from any survivors. He admits that he's basically stealing this from the South African Government, so he sends them to be diamond mining slaves. Lance soon finds they have a radio and thinks on using it to contact the mainland. He finds Blackie talking with his men about a liner due to come their way, the Caretania. Disgusted, Lance defeats one of his captors by clubbing them with a shovel and then drops him outside, claiming he collapsed. He makes a break for it and jumps into the ocean to avoid gunfire from the guards, then swims his way back to the Starfish. In Cape Town, he is able to tip off the Caretania from going that way and offers a plan of his own so they don't get suspicious and start killing off their many hostages. Some nights later, Lance leads a small liner filled with sailors to help him and Mike rallies the slaves to break free and capture Blackie. Mike is happy that Blackie is arrested, but he's happier to know he can scrub the Starfish once again.
Appearing in Lance O'Casey: "Lance O'Casey and The Beacon of Death"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- "Blackie" Barrat
Other Characters:
Locations:
- Earth-S
- The Union of South Africa
- Cape Town
- A Diamond-Filled Beacon Island
- The Union of South Africa
Items:
- Shovels
- Diamonds
Vehicles:
- The Starfish
- The Caretania
Synopsis for Ibis the Invincible: "Prisoner on Charon's Ferry!"
Prince Ibis gives a lecture on black magic, showing a book on it called the Necromicon. An audience member John Larko decides to get the book. As Ibis and Taia return from the lecture hall John knocks Ibis unconsciousness. He swiftly overpowers Princess Taia, tying her to a chair and gagging her. Ibis recovers and seizes the Ibistick, but Larko uses his magic to make him disappear, upsetting Taia. Ibis finds himself on a boat being steered by Charon and says he must turn back as there has been a mistake, however Charon says once the Ferry starts across the River Styx it must complete the journey. Ibis punches Charon then uses the Ibistick to bind Charon in chains and make the Ferry turn back. Ibis sees the city and asks the Ibistick to carry him to it, though Charon says he must deliver a human cargo. Ibis finds from a paper that John Larko is about to marry Princess Taia. Ibis finds from the paper almost 3 weeks have passed since he left though it seemed like a few hours on Charon's Ferry. Ibis says black magic must have been used to enslave Taia, Ibis gets to the wedding just before Taia finishes her vows. Larko uses the Necromicon to summon the Vulture that destroyed Prometheus, however Ibis gets an idea from Prometheus bringing fire to mankind and uses the Ibistick to destroy the Vulture with fire. Larko threatens to cast a spell of death over the city but Ibis uses the Ibistick to snatch the Necromicon from his hands, however this causes Larko to fall from the roof. Charon appears and says Larko belongs to him now. Ibis says he's ready to go now but Charon says he is useful on Earth and Larko will be the cargo he delivers to the Land of the Dead. Later Taia is returned to normalcy she says Ibis saved the world from a terrible evil and Ibis says Charon thought so too, or he'd still be a prisoner on Charon's Ferry.
Appearing in Ibis the Invincible: "Prisoner on Charon's Ferry!"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- John Larko (Dies)
- A Promethean Vulture
Other Characters:
Locations:
Items:
- Ibistick
- Book: The Necromicon
Vehicles
- Charon's Ferry
Notes
- Charon and his vessel ferry bear no resemblance to how they were depicted in Whiz Comics #96, now looking like a pale man in a white cloak driving a modern ferry.
- Despite the cover:
- The WHIZ Zep has no magenta trim on its fins or gondola or black lettering. Instead, it's fully gray with gold lettering.
- Golden Arrow doesn't fight evil straw men, instead hiding behind bales of straw himself to ambush outlaws.
- Lance O'Casey doesn't punch a portly bald man with a wide-brimmed yellow hat.
Trivia
- The Necromicon is a clear reference to the Necronomicon, a supposed book of evil first introduced in HP Lovecraft's short story The Hound in 1924
See Also