IBIS THE INVINCIBLE COMPILATION (FROM WHIZ COMICS #2-6 -- FEBRUARY 1940 to JULY 1940)

Amentep was a prince of Egypt some four millennia ago.  His love was the beautiful Princess Taia of Thebes, but palace intrigues and evil neer-do-wells worked against them.  Taia was kidnapped and poisoned while Amentep was imprisoned.  Luckily Amentep was given the magic Ibistick*, an ancient "get out jail free card" with almost unlimited power (as we soon see, it can turn a plane into a falcon, then turn the falcon into a horse).  Before Taia dies, Amentep put her in suspended animation and then puts himself in suspended animation so that some time in the future they can renew their love.

Okay, so there's not much logic going on there.  Why didn't he just use the Ibistick to cure Taia and to defeat all the bad guys?  Well, logic in a 1940 comic book is pretty much a rarity.

Anyway, to strain credibility further, flash forward to present day (1939-1940-ish) and Amentep's mummy is resting comfortably at a museum in a major American city.  And then, Shazaam!**, the mummy comes to life!  And he happens to have the magic Ibistick with him, which he uses to melt the case which holds him and to change his mummy swaddling into modern day clothing.  And he speaks English.

Now known as Ibis, he does a number of good deeds as he roams through the city.  Then he travels to Egypt, where (surprise, surprise) he doesn't find Kaia.  He does find that Kaia's mummy is in Europe, so off he goes.  While there, he saves and completely restores a bombed-out city.  Eventually he finds his love and brings her back to life -- and in a sexy Egyptian costume, to boot!  They head off to the Egyptian desert where he recreates the ancient city of Thebes.  Of course, a desert ruler kidnaps the Princess to use her to trade for the Ibistick.  But it's not nice to fool with Ibis the Invincible and the bad guy is soon turned into a pig.

More adventures lay ahead, including a face-off with Murder Malone, the leader of an illegal munitions gang who had taken control of Boysville, a city comprised of orphaned American boys.  Through it all, the Ibistick does its job at a rate of about three miracles a page.

Ibis continued his career through Fawcett Comics' Whiz Comics #155 (June 1953) and even had his own title for six erratic issues spreading from 1942 to 1948.  He was picked up briefly by Charlton Comics for at least one appearance in 1955.  The character eventually was sold to DC Comics, which basically used him for cameo appearances since 1976.  He should have used the Ibistick to create a better comic book career for himself.

Enjoy 

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*  I'm a little confused about the Ibistick.  Shouldn't it be Ibisstick?  Or Ibis Stick?  Let's face it, Ibi- stick makes no sense and Ibis-tick is just plain disgusting.  I'm just going to have to give creators Bill Parker and C. C. Beck one demerit.

** I can use the word because the very same issue of Whiz Comics included the origin story of Captain Marvel.