| Whiz Comics #2 | |
 | |
| General Information | |
| Series: | Whiz Comics |
| Issue Number: | 2 |
| Writer(s): | Bill Parker |
| Artist(s): | C.C. Beck |
| First Published: | February, 1940 |
| Next Issue: | Whiz Comics #3A |
Whiz Comics #2 was published in February 1940. It notably serves as the debut of Captain Marvel in "Introducing Captain Marvel!", Ibis the Invincible in "Ibis Lives Again!", and Spy Smasher in "The Coming of Spy Smasher". The 7 synopsis long issue was written by Bill Parker and drawn by C.C. Beck.
Captain Marvel: "Introducing Captain Marvel!"[]
Synopsis[]
One evening, a ten-year-old newspaper boy named Billy Batson is hawking newspapers on the streets of New York, when a strange shadowy man in a long coat approaches him. He beckons Billy to follow him and leads him underground into a dilapidated subway station. A driverless subway car, unlike any Billy has ever seen before, roars to the platform and the two get on board. The car speeds off deep underground, bringing them to a vast cavern, inside the Rock of Eternity. Billy disembarks, and both the subway train and the cloaked stranger mysteriously disappear. Before him, Billy sees two rows of statues lining each side of the cavern. Each statue is forged in the likeness of a horrific monster, representing the Seven Deadly Enemies of Man.
At the anterior of the cavern, he finds an old man with a flowing white beard sitting on a stone throne. Above him is a large boulder suspended from the ceiling of the cavern by a tiny, fraying thread. The old man introduces himself as Shazam, the wizard, and tells Billy that he has chosen him to be his champion against injustice. The wizard lights a brazier next to the throne, illuminating the names of six mythological elders inscribed on the wall behind it; Solomon, Hercules, Atlas, Zeus, Achilles and Mercury. He explains that each of these elders will bestow an aspect of their power unto Billy, and all the boy has to do to acquire such power is to speak the wizard's name. Billy shouts the name "Shazam", and a bolt of mystic lightning strikes down from out of nowhere, transforming the ten-year-old boy into a powerful, muscular adult. Shazam christens his new champion Captain Marvel and salutes him.
Moments later, the thread securing the boulder above Shazam's head snaps, and the rock crashes down, killing the wizard. Shazam's spirit rises from the debris and tells Billy that his ghost will always be present inside the Rock of Eternity, should the neophyte hero ever need his guidance. Captain Marvel leaves the Rock of Eternity to begin his amazing career.
In the next morning's newspapers, Billy reads of a threat made by an anonymous maniac, who will soon be revealed as Doctor Sivana, against the entire US broadcasting system. He will use a ray to drive all radio stations off the air unless he gets fifty million dollars. On a hunch, Billy follows two suspicious men to the swanky Skytower Apartments, where he hears one complain about their "maniac scientist" boss. Billy visits Sterling Morris at Amalgamated Broadcasting, where Morris refuses to entertain any belief that a reputable building like Skytower Apartments could host a criminal enterprise. While Billy is shooed out of the office, he does convince Morris to offer him a job in exchange for catching the criminals.
Later that night, Billy, in the form of Captain Marvel, visits Sivana's apartment building, discovering the thugs talking to Sivana over the television. Captain Marvel enters the room and easily takes out the thugs, smashing the radio silencer in the process. While Sivana vows vengeance, Captain Marvel promises to bring the evil mastermind to justice, dead or alive. Billy changes back to his normal self and invites Sterling Morris to see his handiwork. Morris gives Billy the job that was promised. In his excitement, Billy almost gives away his secret identity, but stops himself before doing so.
Appearances[]
Featured Characters:
- Captain Marvel (Billy Batson) (First appearance) (Origin)
Supporting Characters:
- Shazam (First appearance)
Antagonists:
- Dr. Sivana (First appearance)
- Ebenezer Batson (not named) (Flashback only), (First appearance)
Other Characters:
- Sterling Morris (station manager for WHIZ Radio) (First appearance)
- The Elders (Mentioned only)
- Achilles (Mentioned only)
- Atlas (Mentioned only)
- Hercules (Mentioned only)
- Mercury (Mentioned only)
- Solomon (Mentioned only)
- Zeus (Mentioned only)
Locations:
- Earth-S
- Rock of Eternity
- New York City
- Amalgamated Broadcasting Company Building
Items:
- Seven Deadly Enemies of Man
- Sivana's Radio Silencer
Vehicles:
- Eternity Subway Car (First appearance)
Ibis the Invincible: "Ibis Lives Again!"[]
Synopsis[]
In the Egyptian wing of a famous American museum, the 4000-year-old mummy case of the young Prince Amentep, 12th Dynasty, aka "Old Man Ibis," displayed the words: "I will live again!" And at midnight, the ancient mummy stirred and sat upright, and it clasped the Ibistick, "the most powerful weapon ever devised." The talisman jewel at one end enclosed the form of the sacred bird. At Ibis' command, the display-case glass melted, and his linen wrappings were transformed into a black suit and a crimson turban. Leaving the museum, Ibis roamed the city, rescuing a mother's baby carriage from a speeding fire engine, by diverting it into an instantly-created underpass, and performing other helpful wonders for random persons. He then began his search for his beloved Taia, buying a steamship ticket to Egypt ($400) with cash conjured out of thin air. On the voyage, the ship was attacked by a U-boat; Ibis reversed the torpedo's trajectory and destroyed the sub.
Landing in Egypt, Ibis proceeded to the now-ruined site of Thebes, once the Queen City of the ancient world. Taia's mummy had been excavated and exported to a European city; Ibis arrived there during a terrific air raid. Ibis formed a bombproof transparent dome over the city, repaired all the buildings and streets, and replenished all the food supplies, then got directions to the city's museum from a shady-looking character, and went there, followed by the same guy. In the museum, Ibis restored Taia to life. But before she could leave the electrically-wired unbreakable glass case, the thug snatched the Ibisstick and raced for the door, pursued by Ibis.
Appearances[]
Featured Characters:
- Ibis the Invincible (First appearance)
Supporting Characters:
- Taia (First appearance)
Antagonists:
- Thief (First appearance)
Locations:
- Earth-S
- large American city (not named)
- war-torn European city (not named)
- Thebes, Egypt
Items:
Spy Smasher: "The Coming of Spy Smasher"[]
Synopsis[]
The Navy's newest ships and airships and submarines are being burned and stolen and sunk, costing millions of dollars and hundreds of lives. Clearly some very capable spy is directing an efficient program of sabotage. In his Washington, D.C. home, Naval Intelligence officer Admiral Corby discusses this problem with his daughter Eve and her fiance Alan Armstrong, in front of their Filipino houseboy Zambo, who speaks no English. Alan takes his leave and returns to his Virginia estate.
The Mask has an estate in Virginia, and a team of saboteurs, whom he directs to steal a set of plans for a new model of naval mine layers, from a safe in Admiral Corby's big old house, to which the Mask has a pass key. Two burglars crack the wall safe, and then are in the process of murdering old Corby, when a phantom figure appears in the window. They recognize him as the Spy Smasher, and flee in terror. Spy Smasher ensures Corby's safety, then climbs to the mansion's roof and boards his Gyrosub, and flies the super-craft, in absolutely silent pursuit of the fleeing burglar team's car. It crosses the Potomac into Virginia, soon arriving at an imposing country mansion. The burglars hurry toward a pier on the river, where an amphibious airplane is idling and their impatient boss is yelling at them to hurry up. As soon as the plane takes off, a terrific explosion destroys the mansion!
Spy Smasher follows the plane, out to sea, where it makes contact with a dirigible, which he recognizes as having recently been stolen from the U.S. Navy. Unobserved, he lands his weightless super-craft atop the dirigible, and enters the airship's superstructure, then makes his way down to the gondola, where he encounters the Mask and his crew. There is a brisk fight, in which Spy Smasher subdues the entire crew, recovers the blueprints, and returns the airship, while The Mask escapes in a light airplane.
Soon a messenger leaves an envelope at the Admiral's mansion, and Zambo delivers it to the Corbys. It is the recovered mine layer plans, with a note from Spy Smasher.
Appearances[]
Featured Characters:
- Spy Smasher (First appearance)
Supporting Characters:
- Admiral Corby (First appearance)
- Eve Corby (First appearance)
Antagonists:
- The Mask (First appearance)
Other Characters:
- Zambo (Corby's Filipino houseboy) (First appearance)
Locations:
- Washington, D.C. Area
- Admiral Corby's mansion, in Washington DC
- The Mask's mansion, in Virginia, not far from Washington DC (Destroyed)
- Alan Armstrong's mansion, in Virginia, not far from Washington DC
Vehicles:
- Spy Smasher's Gyrosub (a super-craft combining the functions of an airplane, autogyro, speedboat, and submarine) (First appearance)
- Mask's Amphibious Airplane
- Stolen Navy Dirigible
- Mask's Lightweight Getaway Airplane
Other synopsis[]
To be added
Notes[]
- This series was published by Fawcett Publications. All characters and likeness(es) thereof associated with the Captain Marvel family of titles became the legal property of National Periodical Publications (DC Comics) in 1991.
- Whiz Comics was published by Fawcett Publications. The series actually begins with issue #2.
- The character of Captain Marvel was originally to be named Captain Thunder for the first issue of Thrill Comics. Thrill Comics would have taken the #1 slot for this series, but it was never published, beyond a single ashcan preview edition.
- The entire issue was reprinted in Famous First Edition #F-4, Millennium Edition: Whiz Comics #2 and Facsimile Edition: Whiz Comics #2.
- "Introducing Captain Marvel" was reprinted in:
- Shazam!: From the 40's to the 70's
- The Shazam! Archives Vol. 1
- Shazam!: The Greatest Stories Ever Told
- Shazam!: A Celebration of 75 Years
- Secret Origins of the Super DC Heroes
- According to Shazam! #20 the Messenger who meets Billy Batson is Mercury.
- In his long career in Whiz Comics, Ibis, the Invincible does relatively little killing, but in this inaugural story he kills a complete submarine crew.
- Of the seven series beginning in this issue, only three will still be in the line up at the final issue of Whiz Comics, #155: Captain Marvel, Ibis the Invincible, and Lance O'Casey.