Whiz Comics #25
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join freeIn "Strongest Man in the World," Captain Marvel races to stop Captain Nazi from hijacking Station WHIZ, scrambling to save Whitey and prevent a deadly turbine from destroying the city. With his powers tested like never before, Billy Batson makes a daring choice that changes everything when he shares part of his strength to save a crippled newsboy. Written by Ed Herron and Bill Woolfolk, with dynamic art by C. C. Beck and Mac Raboy, and a striking cover by C. C. Beck and Pete Costanza, this 1941 classic delivers high-stakes heroism and heart in a 10-cent adventure.
In a 1941 tale of wartime heroism, Captain Marvel races to stop Captain Nazi from silencing Station WHIZ, saving Whitey Murphy in the process. With a deadly turbine spinning out of control and a young newsboy left crippled, Billy Batson faces a choice that tests the limits of his power and courage.
When a burning ship casts Hal and Nero adrift, they’re pulled from the flames by Don Luis—only to face a new threat as the Death Guards snatch Anita and execute her captor, Herculo Svenson. With Don Luis’s help, Hal dons new gear and sets out to track down the Golden Flask, now in the hands of the Death Guards’ master, Black Marco.
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We Buy Collections ▸Trivia · 8 facts
- First appearance and full origin of Captain Marvel Jr. (Freddy Freeman), created by Ed Herron, C.C. Beck, and Mac Raboy; cover-dated December 1941, on sale December 26, 1941.
- Represents the first time in comics history that a story continued from one title into a completely different title: the arc opened in Master Comics #21, ran through Whiz Comics #25, and concluded in Master Comics #22.
- Freddy Freeman's transformation word is uniquely 'Captain Marvel' — not 'Shazam' — meaning he cannot say his own superhero name without changing form, a quirk that became a defining storytelling device for the character.
- Unlike Captain Marvel (Billy Batson), who becomes an adult when transformed, Freddy Freeman stays a teenager in his Captain Marvel Jr. form, a deliberate creative choice by Herron to distinguish the spin-off from its parent character.
- The issue also contains a text story, 'The Origin of Shazam: 1 — Solomon, Wisest of Men,' presenting the first installment of the wizard Shazam's biography; this is also noted as the second comic-book appearance of the wizard Shazam himself.
- Spy Smasher's costume changes from its earlier coloring to green in this issue's Spy Smasher backup story, a visual redesign that defined the character's look going forward.
- Mac Raboy — who went on to iconic work on Flash Gordon — collaborated with Beck on the origin art, then took over Captain Marvel Jr. as his primary artistic domain once the character's regular series launched in late 1942.
- Captain Marvel Jr. appeared in live-action film as part of the DC Extended Universe in Shazam! (2019) and Shazam! Fury of the Gods (2023), portrayed by Jack Dylan Grazer (Freddy Freeman) and Adam Brody (Captain Marvel Jr.).
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Reprinted in Shazam from the Forties to the Seventies #[nn] (1977), The Shazam! Archives #4 (2004), Un Faux Livre #2 (2018), Gwandanaland Comics #1935 (2018)
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