Cover: Pete Costanza

Master Comics #7

Oct 1940 · Fawcett · 0.10 USD

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About this Issue

Master Comics #7 (October 1940) marks a genuine turning point in Fawcett's publishing history: it is the first issue in which Bulletman — already proven as the lead feature of the short-lived Nickel Comics — took over as the cover star of a reorganized Master Comics, giving the character a permanent monthly flagship that would run for decades. The issue also inaugurated the full merger of Slam-Bang Comics into Master Comics, consolidating Fawcett's anthology lineup and producing a leaner, more focused periodical that went on to become one of the publisher's best-selling titles. Bulletman's arrival as cover feature is significant because it brought Fawcett's second-most-popular superhero — after Captain Marvel himself — into the title that would later also house Captain Marvel Jr., making Master Comics a cornerstone of the entire Fawcett universe.

Contains 9 stories

The Revenge of Mara Myle

9 pp · Superhero

The Cantrell Gang Strikes

7 pp · Western-Frontier

Buck JonesSilver (horse)Bash Cantrell (outlaw boss)Mesquite Mike (deputy)

Mr. H and the Dope Ring

4 pp · Superhero

Ken Wyman, ace reporter [Devil's Dagger]Mr. H [Holfax] (introduction, villain, identity revealed in issue #20) Jeff Marlowe (villain)

The Menace of the House of Monsters

7 pp · Superhero

Captured by the Cavemen

6 pp · Science Fiction

The Menace of Manfred

7 pp · Aviation

The Sea-Devil

4 pp · Adventure

The Queen of the Elephants

8 pp · Jungle

The Curse of Imelda Loree

9 pp · Superhero

Zoro

ComicBooks.com Value

Our Model is In Beta

Raw (Good) $278

CGC 9.4 · 1 in census $9,196

CGC 9.2 none in existence

CGC 9.0 none in existence

CGC 8.5 none in existence

CGC 8.0 none in existence

CGC 7.5 none in existence

Show all 18 grades ▾

CGC 7.0 · 1 in census $1,456*

CGC 6.5 · 1 in census $1,253

CGC 6.0 · 3 in census $1,057

CGC 5.5 none in existence

CGC 5.0 none in existence

CGC 4.5 none in existence

CGC 4.0 · 2 in census $643

CGC 3.5 · 2 in census $550

CGC 3.0 none in existence

CGC 2.5 none in existence

CGC 2.0 none in existence

CGC 1.5 · 2 in census $234

* estimate — limited direct-sales data at this grade

Our model’s value — refined as new sales data arrives · CGC census counts shown where available

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History

Bulletman was conceived by writer Bill Parker and artist Jon Smalle for Nickel Comics #1 (May 1940), a half-price, twice-monthly experiment that ultimately failed to generate sufficient newsstand profit despite strong reader interest in the character. Recognizing Bulletman's appeal, Fawcett's editors — under executive editor Ralph Daigh — transferred the strip to Master Comics and simultaneously folded the canceled Slam-Bang Comics into the title beginning with issue #7, retooling Master Comics from a large tabloid format into a standard-sized monthly anthology. The cover for issue #7 was drawn by Pete Costanza, with interior Bulletman art by Edwin J. Smalle Jr., and the issue also absorbed Slam-Bang features such as Jungle King and War Bird, while concluding the run of Mark Swift and the Time Retarder.

Trivia · 8 facts

Cover dated October 1940, published by Fawcett Publications; executive editor Ralph Daigh.
First issue of Master Comics to feature Bulletman (Jim Barr) as the cover star, with a 9-page lead story titled 'The Revenge of Mara Myle.'
Marks the formal merger of the canceled Slam-Bang Comics into Master Comics, as acknowledged on the covers of issues #7–9 and in the indicia of issue #8.
First Master Comics appearances of Jungle King and War Bird, both transferred directly from Slam-Bang Comics #7.
Final appearance of Mark Swift and the Time Retarder, a feature that had run across Slam-Bang Comics #1–7 before concluding here.
Cover art by Pete Costanza; interior Bulletman art penciled and inked by Edwin J. Smalle Jr.
Bulletman (Jim Barr) was created by writer Bill Parker and artist Jon Smalle — the same Bill Parker who co-created Captain Marvel — making him the work of one of Fawcett's most important creative talents.
Bulletman would remain the cover feature of Master Comics until issue #22, after which Captain Marvel Jr. (debuting in issue #22) displaced him as the title's lead character beginning with issue #23.