Nickel Comics #1
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join freeNickel Comics #1 (May 1940) marks the debut of Bulletman — Fawcett's second-most-popular superhero after Captain Marvel — and introduced one of the Golden Age's earliest science-based heroes who possessed the distinct ability to fly with full directional control at a time when even Superman could not yet do so. The issue is equally notable as a publishing experiment: Fawcett deliberately undercut the industry standard ten-cent price point with a five-cent, 32-page biweekly format, testing whether cheaper, more frequent comics could capture a new segment of the market. Though that experiment folded after eight issues, it produced a character with remarkable staying power, as Bulletman headlined Master Comics for nearly a decade before the entire Fawcett stable was eventually absorbed into DC continuity. The issue also introduced Susan Kent — Bulletman's future partner and wife — making this single debut issue the narrative seed of one of the Golden Age's defining superhero duos.
Nickel Comics #1 is an anthology featuring the debut of Bulletman, a costumed hero who investigates a kidnapping involving paralyzed captives held by a super criminal mastermind operating from a secret hideout. The issue also contains a fantasy adventure story in which a character named Bill encounters giant men, a dangerous wizard, and a werewolf while searching for someone called St-Yvah in a mysterious land. A third story features a warlock and supernatural elements, including a princess, magical transformations, and a climactic battle with a werewolf in a haunted castle.
Warlock the Wizard, the last of a long line of white magicians, races to a mysterious castle after his giant raven Hugin senses trouble—only to discover that the dread Baron Gath, a black sorcerer thought imprisoned for two centuries, has awakened with an army of dark servants at his command. As Warlock fights to rescue a young woman named Joan from the Baron's clutches and free a captive named Scott from the castle dungeons, he must match his white magic against the Baron's twisted spells, demonic minions, and treacherous allies. The fate of the village—and everyone caught in the Baron's grip—hangs on whether the wizard's power is strong enough to overcome the forces of evil unleashed within those haunted walls.
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Nickel Comics was conceived by Fawcett Publications as a deliberate structural experiment: half the page count of a standard comic, sold at half the price, and published every other Friday rather than monthly. Writer Bill Parker — who also served as the book's editor — and artist Ed Smalle (Edwin J. Smalle Jr.) created Bulletman, while Jack Binder handled all covers across the run. The format ultimately failed not because of reader indifference but because distributors balked at handling a comic that generated half the profit margin for the same shelf space; after only eight issues spanning May to August 1940, Fawcett folded the title and transplanted Bulletman to Master Comics, where the character replaced the short-lived Master Man as cover feature. A Fawcett ashcan edition had previously been published to secure the title's trademark before the regular series launched.
Trivia · 8 facts
- First appearance and origin of Bulletman (Jim 'Bullet' Barr), created by writer Bill Parker and artist Ed Smalle (Edwin J. Smalle Jr.), published May 3, 1940.
- First appearance of Susan Kent (future Bulletgirl and Bulletman's eventual wife), Sergeant Kent, and villain Blackmask — all debuting in the lead Bulletman story titled 'The Origin of Bulletman!'
- First appearance of Warlock the Wizard and his intelligent raven Hugin, and first appearance of the Jungle Twins — the issue's two backup features, also debuting here.
- Bulletman's Gravity Regulator Helmet granted him fully maneuverable powered flight — a capability Superman had not yet achieved as of mid-1940, making it a notable design distinction within the Golden Age superhero landscape.
- The series ran for only 8 issues (May–August 1940) before Fawcett cancelled it; distributors objected to the halved profit margin from the five-cent price point, a commercial failure that nonetheless preserved the character.
- Cover art for the issue (and the entire run) was by Jack Binder; Bill Parker served as both writer and editor.
- After Nickel Comics ended, Bulletman was promoted to lead feature in Master Comics, where he appeared for 99 issues (through August 1949) and starred in his own solo title, Bulletman, for 16 issues (1941–1946).
- The Bulletman stories from Nickel Comics have been reprinted multiple times in the public domain era, including in The Golden Age of Comic Books (Random House, 1977), Men of Mystery Comics (AC Comics, 2003 and 2009), and Gwandanaland Comics' 'Bulletman: The Nickel Comics Files' collection.
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Reprinted in The Golden Age of Comic Books #[nn] (1977), Men of Mystery Comics #41 (2003), Men of Mystery Comics #80 (2009), Gwandanaland Comics #1132
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