| Type | Commercial Merchant and Exploration Ship |
| Location | San Burpo, Mobile |
| Owner(s) | Marco Loco, Christopher Plopp (formerly) |
| Featured in | Marco Loco: Adventurer |
The Golden Herring is a merchant ship featured in the 1943 comic book series Marco Loco: Adventurer by Carl Hubbell, having first appeared in issue #42 of Pep Comics.
Overview[]
The first Golden Herring
The Golden Herring was the most famous merchant vessel in the seaport city of San Burpo, commandeered by its most famous noble and explorer, Captain Christopher Plopp, whose name alone could make his fans "plop" to the floor in amazement, and this impressive sailing ship was even fully endorsed by the king and queen of the land who personally funded each of its voyages, as Captain Plopp always returned with great treasures and goods from afar which helped San Burpo to prosper.
In truth though, Captain Plopp was not as noble as he presented himself, for while he did indeed provide San Burpo with vast prosperity and even gave money away freely to others, he was in fact a crooked and villainous thief while out at sea who was more of a privateer for his country, going to different lands to steal and smuggle as many goods and treasures as he could while treating his crew like abused dogs, barely even feeding them through his voyages while spending most of the journey wallowing in his bunk with seasickness. It was even implied that part of his success was due to having an affair with the queen herself.
However, the crooked golden age of the Golden Herring would one day come to an end on the day of Captain Plopp's mysterious disappearance, where from then on his ship was commandeered by the unwilling and well-meaning imposter, Captain Marco Loco, who would become everything that Plopp presented himself as, a noble hero and kind captain who would go to great lengths to find adventure and fortune wherever he could, and would even attain his own ship, a second Golden Herring after the original sank into the sea.
Unfortunately, while Captain Loco did find some success during his career, he was never as successful as his predecessor, and his adventures often led to more losses and troubles for both himself and his crew, leading Loco to never being able to return to San Burpo during his long voyage.
History[]
The Fall of Plopp and the Rise of Loco[]
Captain Plopp had served as the captain of the Golden Herring's crew for many years, and his long career had been marked by his many achievements and successful trading ventures, feats which were in fact achieved through crooked privateering. Captain Plopp's career though would eventually come to an end on the day when he literally ran into the cart of poor fishmonger, Marco Loco on his way out of the Ye Cozy Inn, causing him to reek of fish, and ordering Loco to have his clothes cleaned before he set out on his voyage. The incompetent Loco though did no return with Plopp's clothes in time, forcing Plopp to return to his ship without them before he was late. When Loco did return though, he still wished to return the clothes to Plopp, and so made his way to the Golden Herring, but decided to wear Plopp's outfit while doing so, having always wished to know what its like to be a famous nobleman.
Unknown to both Plopp or Loco though, at around this same time, the disgruntled crew of the Golden Herring was secretly plotting a mutiny against Captain Plopp for all the years of abuse they had endured with him and having grown tired of his constant seasickness, planning to trick Plopp onto a lookalike ship in the harbor which was in fact a slaver ship which would take Plopp far to the ends of the world, hoping that Plopp would never be seen again.
When the crew of the Golden Herring put their plan into action, they were successful in fooling Plopp, and because he lacked his noble vestments, he ended up captured and shanghaied as a vagabond. Before the crew of the Golden Herring could celebrate the 'tragic' loss of their captain, just then they heard a crowd of ignorant onlookers cheering for "Captain Plopp's" arrival onto the pier, who was none other than Marco Loco in Plopp's clothing, having been telling ignorant people in town that he was Plopp himself and enjoying the attention and brief moment in the spotlight the suit gave him, although he was still planning on returning the suit to its rightful owner, completely unaware of what had befallen Plopp.
The panicked crew's plans of commandeering the ship for themselves were ruined by the arrival of the new "Plopp" and his crowd of onlookers, and not wishing to arouse suspicion from the citizens or the authorities, they played along with the ruse and escorted Loco on board as their captain, but as Loco was about to reveal his real name and purpose aboard the Golden Herring, he was immediately silenced by the crew and shanghaied, ordering Loco to keep posing as their captain as San Burpo bid farewell to the Golden Herring one last time.
The Second Golden Herring[]
Once out at sea, Loco seemed satisfied about his new role as captain, now finally having a greater purpose. Unknown to the poor Captain Loco though, the corrupted crew planned to dispose of him as well for having ruined their plans, concocting all manner of horrible ways to finish him. Fortunately for Loco, before bloodthirsty mutineers could put their plans into action, the Golden Herring was besieged by pirates, sparking a great battle between the two ships.
It was during the battle that the perplexed Loco was approached by the ship's cook. Snooch the Cook, who not wishing to be caught up in the bloody battle aboard the Golden Herring, escorted Loco onto the deserted pirate ship, the Emrods. Once on board, Snooch admitted that he actually liked Loco's character and told him of his crew's plan to kill him off, not wishing to see Loco suffer a grim fate. The duo then decided to raid the pirate ship's food stocks, but they soon discovered a prison full of prisoners the pirates kept around simply to torture for fun. Feeling pity for these victims as the pirate prison guard tortured an old man, Snooch and Loco worked together to defeat the brute and free the prisoners who then swore loyalty to Loco.
With a new crew and a ship to call his own, Loco and his new crew began removing the grappling irons connecting both the Emrods and the Golden Herring as Snooch made a hole in the side of the Golden Herring, causing it to sink as the Emrods sailed away from the doomed ship while both the pirates and Plopp's old crew remained oblivious to the whole thing due to their fighting, but once they began to feel the water on their feet, it was too late and they found themselves abandoned at sea with a single lifeboat left behind by the kindly Captain Loco.
With a new crew and the Emrods by his side, Captain Loco christened the former pirate ship, the new Golden Herring and would continue his merchant voyages upon it from then on in the pursuit of wealth and adventure.
Crew[]
Captain[]
Captain of the Golden Herring, Marco Loco
Captain Marco Loco is the jovial and adventurous leader of the crew of the Golden Herring who serves as both its captain and navigator, having obtained his position after having been forced to take on the role of the ship's original captain, Christopher Plopp, before eventually making a name for himself and becoming his own man famed for his comical adventures and brave exploits.
Marco Loco was once a humble fishmonger in San Buerpo before the fateful day he literally ran into Christopher Plopp and unintentionally stole his identity in the ensuing misunderstanding. Initially, his first days as captain of the Golden Herring were mired by difficulties, mainly Plopp's old crew wishing to do away with him, but after forming a friendship with the ship's cook, Snooch, they were able to thwart the traitorous crew and group of pirates that attacked them as well, with Loco and Snooch commandeering the pirate vessel and its prisoners, and even sinking Plopp's old ship along with his mutinous crew, christening the pirate ship the new Golden Herring.
Although successful in avoiding a mutiny and commandeering his own ship, Loco found himself in trouble with his new crew as well due to his own incompetence as a helmsman and navigator, which frequently led to the ship becoming lost, which almost led to another mutiny. Fortunately, Loco and Snooch were able to win back the loyalty of their men after leaving the ship for a few days and thwarting the traitorous Captain Thud.
After the incident, Loco improved his sailing skills and over the next five years, he became a more competent ship's captain with a faithful crew who defeated any challenge that came his way, either through quick-thinking or just plain dumb luck.
Cook[]
Cook for the Golden Herring, Snooch the Cook
Snooch the Cook is the lethargic and unenthusiastic cook and de facto first mate for the Golden Herring, having served aboard the vessel since the days of Captain Plopp, and would be the only member from Plopp's original crew to continue sailing under Marco Loco, who he formed an instant friendship with and proved instrumental in not only saving Loco's life but also ensuring his rise to captain with a new ship.
Snooch served as cook for the Golden Herring under Plopp for an unknown period, but when Loco found himself forced into Plopp's role by the ship's mutinous crew, Snooch was the only one who held no ill-will towards Loco, and even befriended the captain and plotted their escape. When pirates arrived, it was a golden opportunity for them, with Snooch and Loco taking the pirate ship for themselves along with its freed prisoners.
Snooch was eventually made both cook and de facto first mate for the crew aboard the new Golden Herring, unfortunately for the new crew, they soon discovered the Snooch was a rather bland cook, as all he could make were pancakes and flapjacks, having been forced to eat them and nothing else for weeks while Loco's incompetent sailing led them to near doom, eventually leading to another mutiny and forcing Loco and Snooch to flee for a few days. Once they returned though, they discovered that the crew was in an incredibly sorry state and in desperate need of food, and when the crew saw them, they had long since forgotten about the mutiny and just wanted their captain and chef back, pancakes and all.
Fortunately for everyone, Snooch revealed that he had learn to make other kinds of meals while away, having learned recipes from a nearby tribe of cannibals, which at first made the crew terrified, but eventually it became clear that Snooch's new style of cooking did not incorporate any cannibal elements.
Astrologer[]
Astrologer for the Golden Herring, Merlin the Astrologer
Merlin the Astrologer is the mystic and oldest member of the Golden Herring, serving as the crew's overall master of various subjects, such as the arcane, astrology, alchemy, chemistry, and meteorology, having been the first member to be saved and recruited by Loco after being freed from pirates and Loco's takeover of the pirate ship, the Emrods.
During his time under Captain Loco's command, Merlin's main job was to provide weather forecasts for the crew to ensure sailing conditions were right, but Merlin dedicated most of his efforts into unlocking the secrets of alchemy, mainly the process by which he could turn base metals into gold. Most of his research into producing gold though proved fruitless.
On one particular adventure, Captain Plopp made his return to exact vengeance on Loco, with Plopp posing as Loco and running amok as a pirate to ruin Loco's reputation which led to Loco's arrest for the crimes Plopp had committed. Determined to save their captain, Merlin and his comrades concocted a plan rescue him from the gallows by having Merlin distract the guards and the crowds with gold, having apparently finally unlocked the secret of the Philosopher's Stone. When Merlin distracted the crowds with the nuggets of gold he produced, the crew was able to free Loco and force Plopp to confess, absolving Loco of all his crimes.
A grateful Loco later thanked Merlin and congratulated him for finally discovering the Philosopher's Stone, unfortunately, Merlin revealed that his discovery was actually an error on his part, as the gold fillings in his brittle teeth had finally fallen out in his absent-mindedness and landed in his chemical brew, making him mistakenly believe that the stones had been transmuted into gold when in fact they were just coated in his melted fillings.
Lookout[]
Lookout for the Golden Herring, Flim the Lookout
Flim the Lookout is a young member of the crew who serve as the lookout for the Golden Herring, always keeping an eye out for signs of land or enemies while faithfully serving Captain Loco.
When Captain Plopp returned to exact his revenge on Loco by posing as him and engaging in pirating activities, Loco became a wanted man which nearly put the whole crew in danger but they remained oblivious to this fact until the day when Loco alongside Flim spotted a distress signal on a nearby island. As Flim and Loco went to investigate, young Flim was shot through the chest by Captain Plopp's pirate crew and left for dead while they kidnapped Loco, planning to hand him over to the authorities for execution as part of Plopp's plan.
Though things seemed grim for Flim, by lucky twist of fate he had in fact survived Plopp's assassination attempt, and the brave lad overcame his wound and swamp back to the Golden Herring to tell his comrades of what had happened to Captain Loco, leading to the crew to form a rescue plan alongside Merlin, and together they were able to free Loco and convict Plopp for the crimes he had committed.
Doctor[]
The Doctor for the Golden Herring
The Doctor is the unnamed physician for the Golden Herring, an older gentleman who is never shown speaking but does his best to care for ill members aboard his crew.
When Snooch fell ill for several weeks and had to be kept off duty, it was the doctor who was tasked with taking care of the ill first mate's needs, who made sure that Snooch remained in bed at all times. It was this experience which convinced Captain Loco that his crew really needed an assistant cook.
Volunteer Trio[]
Volunteer trio, Gilly, Peg-Leg & One-Eye
Gilly, Peg-Leg & One-Eye are the three most distinct members of the many deckhands serving aboard the Golden Herring who may accompany Loco during more dangerous adventures and can use their unusual features, or lack thereof, to Captain Loco's benefits.
During the crew's brief journey in China, they helped their new crewman Sum Bum Chow return home to his fiancee who had been taken by the terrible tyrant Genghis Khan who demanded Sum bring him the jeweled eye of the dragon idol of Pooh in exchange for her. To ensure the success of the mission, Loco personally selected the trio of Gilly, Peg-Leg & One-Eye to come with him due to Snooch being out of commission because of his illness.
The party of Loco, Chow, and the misfit trio soon made land and rented rickshaws from a local shop which took them to Chow's village. On the way there though, they were stopped by local customs inspection officers who demanded the crew be inspected to prevent smuggling of opium or jewels into the Puh Province. Fearing the jeweled eye would be taken by the officers, One-Eye acted swiftly and took the eye from Marco and placed it in his empty eye socket, fooling the officers into thinking it was a glass eye.
The clever One-Eye would return the jewel to Loco and Chow upon arriving at Chow's village who then presented it to Genghis Khan, thus freeing Chow's wife from Khan's clutches.
Assistant Cook (former)[]
Former assistant cook, Sum Bum Chow with his lovely bride
Sum Bum Chow the Assistant Cook was the assistant cook and brief replacement cook for the Golden Herring, having been a humble man of the orient who found himself as a castaway at sea and tormented by a giant sea serpent until he was saved by Captain Loco who took him in as their new assistant cook after Snooch became ill, with the crew quickly growing fond of their new friend and his amazing cooking skills during his short but memorable stay with the crew.
After having spent several happy weeks with the crew, Chow had become very depressed which had effected his cooking skills. A concerned Loco inquired Chow about the cause of his grief, to which Chow revealed that he hailed from a village in the province of Puh and that his beloved fiancee had been taken from him by the terrible tyrant Genghis Khan who sought to marry her, but he gave Chow a sporting chance, telling him that he could have his fiancee back if Chow brought him the sacred jeweled eye from the dragon idol of Pooh within one month. It was Chow's search for this eye which led to him becoming stranded at sea, and while he was happy with the crew, his month was almost up. Not wishing to see Chow suffer and Khan get his way, Captain Loco made arrangements to set sail for the province of Puh immediately.
Days passed and they reached province on the last day of the month. With only hours remaining, Loco, Chow and three of Loco's trusted crewmen, Gilly, Peg-Leg and One-Eye, rented two rickshaws and made their way to Chow's village as quick as the wind. As they arrived, they were confronted by customs inspectors who were confiscating any contraband from travelers, including opium and jewels. Thankfully, they were able to get the jeweled eye of Pooh passed the inspectors after One-Eye hid it in his empty eye socket.
The crew then quickly made their way to Chow's village but just as they arrived, the father of Chow's fiancee revealed that she was already getting married to Khan at that very moment. A bold Loco quickly rushed over the site of the wedding and disrupted the affair, confronting Khan directly and handing him the jeweled eye personally, informing him that Chow kept his word, forcing Khan to reluctantly honor his word as he left the wedding furious. Chow and his fiancee were then happily married and thanked Loco for his efforts as they parted ways.
Loco's adventure with Chow would go on to inspire Loco to find a wife of his own to settle down with, often daydreaming of the day and poorly attempting to woo different island girls and even a mermaid.
Second Cook (deceased)[]
The unfortunate second cook for the Golden Herring
This unnamed crewman served as the second cook of the Golden Herring during Loco and Snooch's brief departure from the crew after word of a another mutiny began to spread, with the second cook assuming Snooch's role.
However, the second cook did not live up to the expectations of the crew and apparently hung himself in shame, with his body later being discovered by Snooch shortly after his and Loco's return to the crew, still hanging around in the galley.
Once Snooch resumed his duties, he prepared a feast of stew for the crew to celebrate his and Loco's return, with the crew giving beaming compliments to the chef, declaring Snooch's stew to be the best ever and asking him where he learned the recipe. Snooch then explained he learned the recipe from a tribe of friendly cannibals who lived on the nearby island he and Loco had been staying at. After hearing Snooch's words, the crew paused for a moment and stared in horror at the stew as they remembered the poor dead cook who hung in the galley and immediately went on deck to puke, believing they had eaten the remains of their former shipmate.
Meanwhile, Snooch and Loco exchanged confused glances at one another over the crew's odd behavior.
Third Cook (deceased)[]
The late third cook of the Golden Herring, Jeremy Bloog
Jeremy Bloog the Third Cook was once the crew's third known replacement cook following an incident five years prior to the crew's last known voyage when Snooch accidentally overslept and forgot to board the ship during a brief stay at a port, leading to Captain Loco to temporarily hire Mr. Bloog to serve as the crew's new cook until they found Snooch again some time later, with Bloog eventually leaving the Golden Herring after his terrible cooking almost poisoned the whole crew, but despite his awful cooking, he was still fondly remembered by the crew as a good and friendly shipmate.
Five years after parting ways with Mr. Bloog, the Golden Herring found itself lost in the frozen north and trapped in its ice where Snooch one day found a frozen message in a bottle. A month after it thawed out, they discovered that the message was a cry for help from none other than their old comrade Jeremy Bloog who had become stranded on the ice floes and was in desperate need of aid, slowly freezing in a cave. Wishing to save their old friend, Captain Loco formed a search party to explore the icy north in search of Jeremy.
After several days, they finally found the cave where Jeremy had been in, but it was too late, as poor old Mr. Bloog had frozen to death, stiff as an icicle. Not wishing to abandon their comrade's body, the crew decided to give him a proper burial, but after realizing the surface was frozen over, they decided to cremate him in the ship's boiler room. As Snooch carried out the ceremony for Bloog, he suddenly noticed something horrifying and ran back up on deck to Captain Loco, finding himself speechless. The confused Loco then went down to the boiler room only to find himself paralyzed with fear at the sight of Jeremy Bloog himself, somehow alive and casually sitting on the flaming coals inside the boiler from where he casually greeted Loco, who then ran away for dear life as the amicable Bloog attempted to talk about old times with him.
What seemed to be Bloog then began chasing the captain as Loco ran off deck and into the frozen ice below, instantly breaking the ice that had kept the Golden Herring trapped, allowing them to escape the frozen north. However, Loco refused to go back aboard his ship, fearing the "thing" Jeremy had become, but once his crew forced him back aboard, they revealed that Jeremy Bloog had mysteriously melted and disappeared as soon as Loco hit the ice and freed the ship, leaving nothing behind but a small puddle.
The horrified crew immediately set sail after their encounter with the specter of Jeremy Bloog, and although they greatly feared the experience, it was because of the specter that they were ultimately able to come out of the frozen north alive.
Other Members[]
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Disgraced Members[]
Ex-Captain[]
The disgraced ex-captain and former owner of the Golden Herring, Christopher Plopp
Captain Christopher Plopp was the original captain and owner of the first Golden Herring and was once the most celebrated merchant and explorer in all of San Burpo whose journeys were spoken of in awe and who always brought back great fortunes after every one of his trips, even freely throwing gold coins to the masses of San Burpo while enjoying his fame.
Despite his image as a celebrated sea captain, Plopp was in truth a flop, with his crew having actually done most of the work for him while he often locked himself away in his bunk due to his seasickness and was known to treat his men terrible, often beating them or barely feeding nothing but bread and water while only supplying them with half of their deserved rations. Even many of the fortunes he acquired on his voyages were in truth stolen or pillaged, as Plopp was actually more of a privateer in service to the king and queen, the latter of which he apparently carried an affair with.
Captain Plopp's fame and days of corrupt fortune would come to an end when he first met with Marco Loco outside the Ye Cozy Inn, which not only led to Loco posing as Plopp, but Plopp's own crew betrayed him by tricking him onto a slaver ship, ruining Plopp's career as he was shanghaied by the slaver ship and had his ship, identity and fortune unwittingly taken from him by Marco Loco.
This would not be the end of Plopp though, as he would eventually escape his captors and secretly plot the downfall of the man who ruined his life. Having acquired a new ship and crew, Captain Plopp now lived as a pirate, sinking and raiding any vessel that came his way, but as part of his plot, he made sure his ship was constructed to be an exact double of Loco's own ship and he declared to all of his victims that they had been attacked by "Captain Loco", leading to Loco being incriminated for all of Plopp's dastardly crimes, becoming the most wanted man in the sea.
Plopp eventually kidnapped Loco himself after luring him into a trap and handed him over to the King of Slomia for the reward, with Slomia's court declaring Loco guilty and sentencing him to be hanged at the gallows. Plopp celebrated his victory as Loco awaited his end, but just then, Captain Loco's crew arrived and freed their captain, with Loco exacting his own vengeance on Plopp and punching him until he confessed that he committed the acts of piracy, thus absolving Loco of any wrongdoing.
The notorious Captain Plopp's fate after his last encounter with Captain Loco is uncertain, but he likely met his end hanged at the gallows of Slomia, ironically the fate which he had intended for Loco.
Fake Captain[]
The traitorous "Captain" Thud
"Captain" Thud was one of the many men who had been held prisoner by the pirates of the Emrods and rescued by Marco Loco who then joined his new crew. However, Captain Thud was himself a pirate, and was likely either the captain of the Emrods who had been betrayed and tossed in the brig by his own men or the captain of a previous pirate crew that had been defeated by the crew of the Emrods. Because of this, Captain Thud was not pleased with serving Loco, seeing him as a buffoon unworthy to hold the rank of captain, with Captain Thud secretly coveting the captain position for himself, even often dreaming of doing away with Captain Loco.
After having had enough of following Captain Loco, Captain Thud decided to abandon ship along with his own stash of jewels he had stolen in the past, with Thud planning to make a quick getaway later in the night in a lifeboat after everyone was asleep. Unknown to Thud though, the crew of the Golden Herring was secretly plotting to overthrow Loco and Snooch after growing sick of Snooch's boring cooking and Loco's incompetent navigation, and Loco and Snooch having become aware of their crew's plot decided to escape while the getting was good by using the same lifeboat stashed with jewels that Captain Thud had been planning to use.
When Captain Thud discovered that Loco and Snooch took his lifeboat and jewels, he immediately swamp to the nearest island hoping to catch them, not realizing that Loco and Snooch had become friends with the island's cannibal tribe after giving them the jewels, a fact which infuriated Thud upon finding them. He attempted to kill Loco and Snooch then and there but was thwarted by them and the islanders who then imprisoned Thud for his crimes.
Later after Loco was forced into a marriage to a homely older woman of the tribe, Snooch freed Thud from his prison to serve as a distraction so both he and Loco could make their getaway. The attempt was successful, but Captain Thud soon began chasing after the duo, but fortunately, Loco was able to throw a pot of boiling stew onto Thud, giving them the chance to escape. What became of Thud after this is uncertain, but he was likely "invited" to dinner by the vengeful cannibals.
Crew of the First Golden Herring[]
Plopp's Crew served as the first crew of the Golden Herring under Captain Plopp until they orchestrated a mutiny against their captain and had him shanghaied onto a slaver ship for his many years of cruel abuse towards them and hoping to take his ship for themselves. What they did not count on was the unexpected arrival of Marco Loco posing as Plopp due to a misunderstanding, forcing them to take Loco along to avoid raising any suspicions.
Although Loco was a kind captain, the hypocritical and now bloodthirsty wished to kill and even torture poor Loco with the exception of the crew's cook, Snooch, who instead felt sympathy for Loco and the two became fast friends following a pirate attack on the ship. The duo then orchestrated a plan to do away with Plopp's crew before they could do away with them, with Loco and Snooch taking pirate ship and its prisoners for themselves while sinking the old Golden Herring along with the pirates and the mutinous crew of Captain Plopp.
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Appearances[]
- Pep Comics
- Issue #42
- Issue #43
- Issue #44
- Issue #45
- Issue #46
- Issue #47
- Issue #48
- Issue #49
- Issue #50
- Issue #52
Trivia[]
- Marco Loco himself is a parody of the famed merchant explorer from Venice, Marco Polo.
- The original name of the second Golden Herring, the "Emrods" is actually an old archaic term for hemorrhoids.