Whiz Comics #2 (#1) (Fawcett Publications, 1940) CGC FN/VF 7.0 Off-white to white pages....

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Whiz Comics #2 (#1) (Fawcett Publications, 1940) CGC FN/VF 7.0 Off-white to white pages. Shazam! Captain Marvel (Billy Batson) and his archenemy Dr. Sivana make their first appearances here in Whiz Comics #2 (#1). Bill Parker and C. C. Beck's new character was an instant success, quickly becoming the most popular hero of the Golden Age of Comics. His first appearance issue reportedly sold over 500,000 copies and future issues of Whiz and Captain Marvel Adventures consistently outsold Superman and Batman throughout the 1940s. Despite the incredible popularity of this issue, the CGC census currently lists only 66 total copies, of which just 33 are unrestored.
One of the top four CGC-certified copies, this is the highest-graded unrestored copy we've ever encountered. The book's brightness cannot be overstated; the front and back covers appear so vivid that a novice collector could easily mistake this for a modern-day facsimile reprint! This FN/VF 7.0 copy has incredible eye appeal, with almost all visible wear contained to the upper edge and minor color breaks along the spine. The central image area appears unmarred and the back cover ad is incredibly white, making this as sharp as just about any Golden Age book we've ever seen. We previously sold this stunning copy in June 2024 for $288,000, the second-highest price ever recorded for this issue.
Created by Parker and Beck, Fawcett's boyhood hero was immediately put in conversation with Superman. Beck's cover for Whiz Comics #2 echoes Joe Shuster's cover for Action Comics #1, albeit in a more animated mode of superheroic car-crashing. This proved the fatal flaw of the Big Red Cheese, with DC Comics (National Comics Publications) beginning a multi-year lawsuit against Fawcett in 1941. Despite the central transformational conceit of shouting "Shazam" offering a playful twist on the budding superhero mythos of the 1940s, DC proved successful after years of litigation and appeals; in 1953, Fawcett settled with National Publications, paying $400,000 in damages and discontinuing all publications of the ever-popular Marvel family. "Captain Marvel" remained a hotly-contested title for decades, with multiple later Marvel heroes adopting the name in contrast to DC's rebranding of "Shazam".
Even without the first appearance of Captain Marvel, this would be an extremely important book for Fawcett; it also features the first appearances of Golden Arrow, Dan Dare, Lance O'Casey, Spy Smasher, and Ibis the Invisible, who would all become recurring heroes for the publisher. This also represents the first Fawcett brand emblem and the first "A Fawcett Publication" / "10¢" logo. All of these factors contribute to placing this book at #10 on Overstreet's list of Top 100 Golden Age Comics, the highest-ranked and most valuable comic not released by either DC or Timely (Marvel). Overstreet 2024 FN 6.0 value = $118,800; VF 8.0 value = $237,600. CGC census 5/25: 2 in 7.0, 2 higher.

View the certification for CGC Certification ID 4406321001, including grader's notes if available and a link to the latest full census report for the issue.*

*All information listed is intended to be as accurate as possible, but errors are possible. No item may be returned or refused based on this information, which is provided as a service to our clients. Feel free to contact each data source directly to determine the accuracy of this information.

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