Whiz Comics #5
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join freeWhiz Comics #5 (June 1940) is a vital early entry in Fawcett's Golden Age anthology, arriving just four issues into one of the most popular superhero runs of the decade. It marks the first appearance of Carol Braddock — the niece of the Braddock brothers and a recurring figure in the Golden Arrow strip through issue #25 — making it the earliest charter issue of that supporting cast to introduce a new character. As one of the very first monthly installments of a title that would go on to outsell Superman at its peak, the issue also documents the rapid week-by-week world-building of Fawcett's interconnected universe of heroes: Captain Marvel, Spy Smasher, Ibis the Invincible, Golden Arrow, and Lance O'Casey all share a single 68-page package, demonstrating the anthology model that defined American superhero publishing in the early 1940s.
In Whiz Comics #5 (1940), young Billy Batson finds himself in Washington D.C., teaming up with the FBI to stop a mysterious criminal mastermind known only as Dr. Scar, whose shadowy plans threaten to plunge the country into chaos. Written by Bill Parker and brought to life with dynamic artwork by C. C. Beck—both interior and cover—this early adventure showcases the hero’s courage and the crisp, bold style that defined Fawcett’s Golden Age.
In Washington D.C., a young man named Joe teams up with the un-named FBI Chief to unravel a mystery tied to a string of daring robberies, all orchestrated by the enigmatic Dr. Aloysius Lake and his sinister associate, Mr. Scar. As the trail leads to a jewelry store owned by Mr. Levy, the duo must confront the terrifying genius behind the crimes before the nation’s treasures are lost to a plan far more dangerous than anyone imagined.
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Whiz Comics was launched by Fawcett Publications in response to the superhero boom ignited by Superman and Batman; writer Bill Parker conceived the initial roster of characters, with C. C. Beck as the primary artist and cover artist throughout the early run. Parker wrote every feature in the title's first issues — Captain Marvel, Spy Smasher, Golden Arrow, Ibis the Invincible, Lance O'Casey, and others — before the book's success brought in additional writers. Issue #5, cover-dated June 1940 and on sale in April of that year per copyright office records, was scripted entirely by Bill Parker, with Pete Costanza providing inks on multiple strips alongside Beck's cover and Captain Marvel art. The series itself had an unusual numbering history: the first newsstand issue carried the number '2,' owing to Fawcett producing two ashcan editions as '#1' to secure copyrights, and a duplicate '#3' issue further complicated the sequence before the numbering settled with #4 and onward.
Trivia · 8 facts
- Cover date: June 1940; published by Fawcett Publications; cover art by C. C. Beck.
- First appearance of Carol Braddock — niece of villains Bronk and Brute Braddock — in the Golden Arrow story 'Enter: Carol Braddock'; she would appear in the Golden Arrow strip through Whiz Comics #25.
- The Captain Marvel lead story, 'The Slaves of Dr. Scar' (also referred to in some indexes as 'The Slaves of Dr. Lake' due to the villain's dual naming in the script), was scripted by Bill Parker with art by C. C. Beck; it was later reprinted in DC's The Shazam! Archives Vol. 1 (November 1992).
- Spy Smasher's story, 'Schlitzoff's Spy Plot,' pits Alan Armstrong against both Gerald Schlitzoff and The Mask — The Mask being Spy Smasher's recurring arch-villain, established from his debut in Whiz Comics #2 and described by multiple sources as 'the mastermind of a deadly spy ring.'
- Ibis the Invincible (Prince Amentep) appears in the story 'Showdown with Murder Malone,' scripted by Bill Parker with inks by Pete Costanza; the antagonist has kidnapped Ibis's companion Taia and stolen the Ibisship speedplane.
- All scripts in the issue are attributed to Bill Parker, who wrote the entire original Whiz Comics roster before the title's success necessitated additional writers; Pete Costanza provided inks on the Golden Arrow and Spy Smasher strips.
- The Dan Dare story, 'The Great Rollo Mystery,' was deliberately influenced by Edgar Allan Poe's 'Murders in the Rue Morgue,' a rare instance of literary source acknowledgment in a Golden Age anthology.
- The issue is a 68-page, full-color anthology featuring at least seven separate story features: Captain Marvel, Golden Arrow, Lance O'Casey, Spy Smasher, Dan Dare, Scoop Smith, and Ibis the Invincible.
Cast · 9 characters
Full credits
Reprints
Reprinted in The Shazam! Archives #1 (1992), Take That, Adolf!: The Fighting Comic Books of the Second World War #[nn] (2017)
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