When I was a kid I thought that Bulletman had a much higher profile than he actually did. I mean, he had his own action figure after all! Alas, I only got to see him in action in a few Shazam-related guest appearances over the years. I still thought he was pretty cool, though, and always got a kick out it when he would indeed show up in a story.
This cover has all the feel of a 1940s - early 1950s period piece. Sensational!!
ReplyDeleteWhen did Bulletman get an action figure? Was that under Faucet comics?
It was a slightly different version from Hasbro, they tied him in with the G. I. Joe line
ReplyDelete@Detective Tobor: he was part of the GI JOE ADVENTURE TEAM line of toys back in the late 1970's. The last set of foot-tall Joes prior to the reboot that also introduced the Hydra wanna-be's known as Cobra Command. That Bulletman, however, was more similar to the live-action Ultraman from Japanese TV. At least with regard to the red tank-top and silver helmet with metallic visor (including two eyeholes).
ReplyDeleteThose henchmen look like AIM goons wearing kryptonite-coated hazmat suits. Makes me wonder if they were expecting Superman to come to the rescue.
ReplyDeleteIs the woman just some random victim or is she someone we should know about?
ReplyDelete@Emsley Wyatt: it could be Susan Kent. Daughter of a police officer killed in the line of duty and love interest of police scientist James "Bulletman" Barr. If the original artwork was related to the story inside the actual Golden Age comic (rather than just the illustrative version of click-bait), she was either working undercover or it was just before she got her own anti-gravity suit (thereby becoming Bulletgirl).
ReplyDelete@Carycomic: if my first guess is correct, then maybe these guys were expecting Susan's cousin Clark to contact Superman! That sure is a family connection that DC should have canonically established after buying most of Fawcett's intellectual property.
@Anon1019: good point!
ReplyDeleteGot to love a good all-Golden Age cover! Nicely done, Ross!
ReplyDeleteGreat image! How about a team-up of Bulletman and The Torpedo?
ReplyDeleteLove It !
ReplyDeletei have the Bullet man reprints and the golden age human torch archives ,
this time we can dream of what and how the story progresses…
The commercials for the action figure sliding down its line are some of my earliest memories of American TV.
ReplyDeleteWasn't he featured in that famous All Star Squadron issue that had all the heroes of WW2 (Earth 2) finally meet in the Perisphere at the World's Fair? That was the first part of the multi-issue adventure where they had to help Uncle Sam and the Freedom Fighters. Roy Thomas outdid himself with that classic story.
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