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Publishers & history

Fawcett Publications and the Marvel Family: a collector's overview

Published Sep 14, 2026 · Updated Sep 14, 2026 · 1 min read

Short answerFawcett Publications, the Minneapolis magazine house behind Captain Billy's Whiz Bang, entered comics in 1940 with Whiz Comics #2 and Captain Marvel, who became the best-selling superhero of the 1940s. Fawcett's line — Whiz Comics, Captain Marvel Adventures, Master Comics, Wow Comics — was ended by a copyright suit from DC that Fawcett settled in 1953. DC later licensed and then acquired the characters, publishing them as Shazam.

The line

TitleYearsNotes
Whiz Comics1940–1953Captain Marvel's home; #2 is the first appearance; #25 first Captain Marvel Jr.
Captain Marvel Adventures1941–1953Solo title; #1 drawn by Jack Kirby; reached bi-weekly at its peak
Master Comics1940–1953Captain Marvel Jr.'s feature from #23
Wow Comics1940–1948Mary Marvel joined with #9 (January 1943); the Marvel Family's other home
Marvel Family1945–1954Team title

C. C. Beck's clean art, Otto Binder's scripts and Mac Raboy's Captain Marvel Jr. defined the house style, which was gentler and funnier than DC's or Timely's.

The lawsuit

National (DC) sued Fawcett in 1941, claiming Captain Marvel infringed Superman. The case ran for over a decade; after an appeals court ruling against Fawcett in 1951 and with superhero sales falling, Fawcett settled in 1953, paid damages and stopped publishing the characters. DC licensed them in 1972, published Shazam! from 1973, and later bought them outright. See First appearance of Captain Marvel (Shazam).

Collecting Fawcett

Whiz Comics #2 is a top Golden Age key; Captain Marvel Adventures #1, Whiz Comics #25, Master Comics #21 and Wow Comics #9 are the other major issues. Fawcett printed on decent paper and many books survive in mid grade; high-grade copies are scarce. A Wow Comics #16 in CGC 9.0 is in the store. Browse Fawcett Publications in the store.

Written by the Rare Comics Collectors grading team. Spotted an error or have a question this guide does not answer? Tell us.

In the vault right now

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Key issueLast copy

Fawcett Publications · Golden Age

Wow Comics #16

CGC 9.0 · Universal Blue

Mary Marvel cover — double-cover copy

(0)
$1,599
Key issueLast copy

Fawcett Publications · Golden Age

Whiz Comics #2

CGC 3.0 · Universal Blue

First appearance of Captain Marvel (Billy Batson / Shazam)

(2)
$115,000

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