Whiz Comics #5 (4)
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join freeWhiz Comics #5 (cover-labeled #4) arrives just months into Fawcett's fledgling Captain Marvel run and delivers one of the earliest politically charged superhero narratives of the Golden Age: Dr. Sivana's scheme to seize control of the U.S. government by bankrolling his daughter Beautia's presidential campaign. The issue is also the first to explicitly establish that Beautia Sivana is the daughter of the arch-villain — a relationship that would define her morally ambiguous role in the Captain Marvel mythos for years. As a densely packed anthology still carrying all seven original Whiz Comics strips written by Bill Parker and drawn primarily by C.C. Beck, it stands as a snapshot of Fawcett's full Golden Age stable operating at full capacity in only its fourth month of publication.
In "Beautia for President," the bizarre political campaign of the enigmatic Beautia takes a dangerously surreal turn when the sinister Sivana reveals his dark plan: once she’s in power, he’ll eliminate all opposition, seize the nation’s wealth, and destroy the White House—only to replace it with a palace for her. Written by Bill Parker and illustrated with bold, expressive art by C. C. Beck, this 1940 issue of Whiz Comics delivers a wild, satirical take on power and propaganda, all rendered in striking visuals that define the era. The cover, also by Beck, captures the over-the-top spectacle of the moment.
In "Beautia for President," the charismatic Beautia launches a bold campaign to become the first female President of the United States, drawing both admiration and alarm. When the villainous Sivana warns her that her victory would unleash a reign of terror—murdering dissenters, seizing the nation’s gold, and destroying the White House—her dream takes a dangerously unpredictable turn.
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Every story in this issue carries a Bill Parker script credit, making it one of the last issues where Parker's voice dominates the entire anthology before editorial and artistic responsibilities began shifting at Fawcett. C.C. Beck handled the cover, the Captain Marvel lead, and the Spy Smasher strip (with Pete Costanza on inks), while Costanza penciled Golden Arrow solo and Greg Duncan took Dan Dare — a division of labor that reflects the small but expanding Fawcett bullpen of early 1940. The issue's confusing dual numbering (cover reads 'Number 4'; indicia reads '#5') is a direct downstream consequence of Fawcett having accidentally published two consecutive issues both labeled #3 earlier in the run, an error — whether intentional or not — that has created cataloging headaches for collectors and historians ever since.
Trivia · 8 facts
- The cover is labeled 'Number 4' while the indicia reads #5 — a numbering anomaly caused by Fawcett publishing two separate issues both numbered #3 earlier in the series, making this the fourth issue by cover count but fifth by internal indicia.
- Cover date is May 1940; per Library of Congress copyright data, the issue reached newsstands approximately March 27, 1940.
- The lead Captain Marvel story, 'Beautia for President!', scripted by Bill Parker with art by C.C. Beck, is the first story to explicitly reveal that Beautia Sivana is the daughter of Dr. Thaddeus Bodog Sivana — a key piece of the Sivana family mythology.
- Beautia's presidential campaign is depicted as a full propaganda operation using leaflets, handbills, radio, newspaper, and film coverage, giving the story an unusually sophisticated and topical political dimension for a 1940 superhero comic published during a U.S. election year.
- The Spy Smasher strip, 'The Mask Steals a Submarine,' was scripted by Bill Parker with pencils by C.C. Beck and inks by Pete Costanza; it features Alan Armstrong pursuing the Mask after the villain steals Admiral Corby's new-model submarine.
- Golden Arrow's story, 'The Plots of the Braddock Brothers,' was scripted by Bill Parker with art by Pete Costanza; Golden Arrow's civilian name is Roger Parsons, established in the character's origin story in Whiz Comics #2.
- The Ibis the Invincible story, 'The Rescue of Boyville,' features Prince Amentep (Ibis) and Princess Taia traveling to America by magical aircraft to defend a model town for children from a mob-run slave-labor operation.
- Lance O'Casey's entry, 'The Coming of Daniel Doom,' was scripted by Bill Parker; the entire anthology — Captain Marvel, Golden Arrow, Spy Smasher, Ibis, Dan Dare, Lance O'Casey, and a text story — was written by Parker alone, representing one of the final issues of the run under his near-total editorial authorship.
Cast · 14 characters
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Reprinted in The Shazam! Archives #1 (1992)
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