Wow Comics #53 (1947)

Mary Batson and Mrs. Bromfield are on vacation on Tahali Island, in the South Seas, where there are large statues with big heads everywhere. They head to a trading post, but that it's reserved only for Natives. Within, a Native woman buys a mirror. They seem to find that the man is selling only cheap glass jewelry and “gee-gaws” and presume he's a swindler, but he reveals that these bright-colored pebbles are currency on their island and he likes helping along the colored pebble economy. Prof. Planter, a mineralogist who came in on the same ship as Mary and Mrs. Bromfield, leans in and says he wants to study these, but the Trading Post Man says that the Natives aren't very comfortable with that. Unfortunately, Prof. Planter isn't really paying attention and more or less walks off with them to go study them in his room. He quickly discovers that they are painted, but he's suddenly attacked by a Witch Doctor with a machete for trying to find the secrets of the Tahali. Mary spots this and calls SHAZAM to become Mary Marvel and flies over. The Witch Doctor finds throwing his weapon at her doesn't accomplish much and scarpers into a field of stone idols, hiding in one that's hollowed out. Prof. Planter, doddering as always, doesn't even seem to register being attacked. The Man from the Trading Post once again insists Prof. Planter not violate the culture of Tahali Island, but Prof. Planter basically tells him to get lost and goes back to his hotel room. That night, he's attacked by the Witch Doctor again, who knocks him out with a club and carries him into the jungle. Mary, who was worried about Prof. Planter being threatened by a Witch Doctor, calls SHAZAM to become Mary Marvel and go find him, finding that the Witch Doctor is assembled ith other masked Natives and sentence him to Death on the Altar for invading their ancient ceremonies. Some are reticent, but it is what the Ancient Law says they must do. The Witch Doctor approaches to smack him with a spiked club, but Mary Marvel flies in and punches the Altar apart. She scares the Natives by calling SHAZAM to return to being Mary Batson and frees the Professor and they try to run back to the hotel, only to be attacked by a black panther. Mary calls SHAZAM and knocks the beastly cat aside and then takes down the Witch Doctor, discovering that it was the Trading Post Man, Roger Roague! Prof. Planter reveals the “colored pebbles” are actually uncut diamonds that have been painted to hide their true worth and that Roger was stealing them from the island and likely trying to get people killed over it by pretending the Natives did it. She reports that the diamonds will go back to the Natives, who will likely become very rich from them.