Wow Comics was an Anthology Comic published by Fawcett Comics from December, 1940 to August, 1949, totalling sixty-nine issues. After issue #69, it was retitled Real Western Hero, and six issues later became just Western Hero, which would be cancelled with issue #112 (March, 1952).
Wow Comics featured super-heroes (mainly Mary Marvel, but also Atom Blake or Diamond Jack) and action heroes (Mister Scarlet, Commando Yank, Phantom Eagle...), soldiers (Rick O'Shay) or detectives (Jim Dolan). The magazine also offered adventure stories (Shipwreck Roberts, the White Rajah...), humor strips and Western tales (like Lucky Lawton), the latter ones eventually overtaking the magazine.
The magazine also worked as a second home for Captain Marvel's sister Mary Marvel, who had a regular strip from issues #9-#58 (January, 1943-September, 1947).
In 1991, the magazine was acquired by DC Comics when DC bought Fawcett's comic book assets.
As most of Fawcett's Golden Age comics, the magazine has fallen in the Public Domain and some issues can be read in Comic Book+
-a public domain comic book archive-, here.
Tropes:
- Anthology Comic: Wow Comics published stories of super-heroes (mainly Mary Marverl), action, adventure...before becoming exclusively focused on Westerns.
- Brandishment Bluff: In #11 "A Telegram to Adventure", Mary Batson's butler Jives is caught by some thugs who he is trying to rescue Mary from. Jives swiftly "warns" he has a pistol in his pocket and he will shoot if they move. However, Mary Marvel realizes that Jives is lying about being armed, and one of the thugs is calling his bluff, so that she quickly knocks all thugs down and out.
- Davy Jones: In #25 "Mary Marvel Dives to Davy Jones' Locker!" Mary befriends Davy Jones. This Jones is a 3000-year old survivor of Atlantis. At the time, the Atlanteans invented artificial gills to breathe underwater and they even could return life to a recently drowned person. However, the gills are permanent and prevent the wearer from breathing air. In the past millennia Davy Jones has been running an organization, his famed locker, to save and house drowned people. He uses sunken ships and their cargo to create more living space. Recently, two saved souls have been sinking ships to get a starting fortune with which to return to the surface, unaware that they can't breathe air anymore. It makes it a simple case for Mary.
- Earthquakes Cause Fissures: In #13 "The End of the World", a sudden earthquake strickes a farmstead, a massive crack splits the ground, and the whole farmhouse falls into the rift. Fortunately it is lifted back to the surface by Mary Marvel.
- Electronic Telepathy: In #22 "The Machine that Steals your Thoughts!", mesmerist Svengolly builds the "Thought Stealer", a portable device which can read minds and convert their thoughts into sound.
- Enchanted Forest: In #21 "The Revolt of the Plants", the Black Woods are an old, sinister wood inhabited by the Smoke Demon, a wicked smoke creature who kidnaps children to feed them to his henchmen— giant, mobile plants (trees, giant fungus, massive venus-fly traps...) who come to life with one touch, gleefully ready to do his bidding and kill humans.
- The Fair Folk: In #14 "Mary Marvel Goes over the Rainbow", Mary finds Rainbow City, a city built on top of the rainbow and inhabited by human-like, brightly-dressed sprites who are governed by King Color and make the world's all colors. Throughout her adventure, Mary Marvel meets Jack Frost and Aurora, the Spirit of Dawn.
- Forgot About His Powers: In #9 "The Night Before Christmas", Mary Batson (who has just become Mary Marvel) and her mother are trying to buy a toy, but the clerk becomes violent and tries to scare them away with a bat. Mary thinks of getting help before remembering she is now a super-hero.
- Hate Plague: In #17 "The Wickedness Makers!", a coven of witches is poisoning dairy products to make people evil, wicked and hateful.
- Honorary Uncle: In #18 "Mary Marvel Meets Her—Uncle Marvel!", Uncle Dudley is a Lovable Rogue who tries to exploit Mary but develops a soft spot for the Marvel Family, becoming their Team Dad.
- Long-Lost Relative: Subverted in #18 "Mary Marvel Meets Her—Uncle Marvel!" when Mr. Dudley introduces himself to Mary Batson, claiming to be his old uncle from California. Mary initially believes him, but she eventually realizes that he is a fraud. However, Mary realizes that he is only a -mostly- harmless, obsessed Marvel-fanboy in love with the idea of being a Marvel and going on adventures with them. And since Dudley in fact put his life on the line to save people, Mary pretends to buy his hoax.
- Mook Horror Show: In #10 "Country Club for Kids", Mary Batson convinces her mother to buy an abandoned, run-down building with the intent to reform it into a summer home and playground for underprivileged city children. Unbeknownst to Mary, a bunch of thugs are using the building as hideout, and they are not happy to see a bunch of kids snooping around. Nonetheless, every time they try to hurt or scare the kids away, they are stopped and beaten up by a red-clad little girl who shows up out of nowhere is inhumanly strong and cannot be hurt. At the end, they break their whole arsenal out, and watch in terror how she shrugs machine-gun fire off as striding towards them.Narrator: Desperately, the criminals hurl an inferno of exploding death at the advancing girl...but unfalteringly, she stalks on!
Doc Durgo: "Jumpin' fireballs! She just keeps coming!!???"
Mary Marvel: "It's not enough, boys! Not nearly enough to stop me!" - "Open!" Says Me: In #28 "Who Can Defeat Mr. Question? Answer, Mary Marvel!", masked criminal Mr. Question kicks one door down to flee from Mary Marvel and vigilante Pinky.
- Our Mermaids Are Different: In #15 "The Mermaid in Central Park", Mary meets Lorelei, a blonde, fishtailed mermaid who usually lives in Aegean Sea. Although her harp's magic music is irresistible to men, Lorelei claims she doesn't cause shipwrecks, but she lures men close to her and away from shoals and reefs.
- Pirate: In #19 "Mary Marvel Reforms a Ghost", Mary Marvel travels to the year 1680 to fight the crew of Captain Hubert "Black" Falcon. Black Falcon and his pirates are blood-thirsty brutes who walk around half-naked, and want nobody more than killing, stealing gold and getting drunk.
- Shooting Superman: In #24 "The Return of Uncle Marvel", a crook pretending to be a construction worker tries to crack Mary Marvel's ribs with a riveting hammer, and gets shocked when it is his hammer what gets crushed against her invulnerable body.
- Silicon-Based Life: In #16 "The Stone Men of the Moon", Mary Marvel explores the Moon and meets an aggressive race, whose bodies are made of dark-grey rock, who hate all organic life.
- That Was Not a Dream: In #20 "The Frustrated Phantom", Mary Batson is reading a "Ghostly Stories" book when it is stolen by a tall, lanky, black-suited, silent ghost who vanishes when Mary tries to tackle him. Mary goes back to her bedroom, wondering whether it was just a dream caused by her book when she realizes that said book is gone.
- To the Future, and Beyond: In #23 "The Riddle of the Romper Revolution", Mary Marvel is dragged to the year 2.999 AD.
- Trojan Horse: In #12 "The Anxious Auctioneer", a crime boss wants to steal a relief charity auction, but the auction house is being guarded by cops; so he poses as a philanthropist aristocrat and donates a big chest, inside which are hidden his three minions.
- Turned Against Their Masters: In #26 "The Revolt of the Machines", Dr. Rudi Eldritch drives all machines across USA to revolt against the humans.
