Bulletman and Bulletgirl
Encyclopedia
Bulletman was a Fawcett Comics
superhero
created by Bill Parker
and Jon Smalle for Nickel Comics #1 in May, 1940.
Shortly after Bulletman began his crime-fighting career, he created a second helmet for his girlfriend and later wife Susan Kent, daughter of policeman Seargent Kent, who adopted the name Bulletgirl. His formula was shown to make him strong enough to smash a tank. The helmet is shown to be so strong that once when Bulletgirl was run over by a Nazi tank she was only knocked out.
Bulletman and Bulletgirl were Fawcett Comics
' second most popular characters after Captain Marvel
and the Marvel Family
. They were leased by DC Comics
along with the rest of the Fawcett comics stable of characters in 1972. However, the characters lapsed into public domain prior to the said acquisition, which would later allow AC Comics
to reprint their Golden Age adventures.
During this period of time, Bulletman and Bulletgirl appeared with fellow Fawcett heroes to form Shazam's Squadron of Justice against the forces of King Kull, who was trying to wipe out humanity on all three Earths after capturing all the beings who gave the Marvels their powers. Bulletman and Bulletgirl battled villains on Earth-S, the Earth-2 Joker
, Weeper, Shade (comics)
, and Doctor Light
. Their age appeared to be as it was in the 1940s without explanation. They subsequently appeared a few times with Captain Marvel and his family.
Bulletman and Bulletgirl were eventually retrofitted into DC Universe continuity as members of the All-Star Squadron
. For example, it is established that during World War 2, Bulletman met the long-lived Green Lantern
Abin Sur
. In issues #39-40 of Starman (1998) James Barr is accused of being a traitor to the United States. He is seemingly implicated in the Nazi-attack on the Normandie ocean liner in New York. This contradicts what is known by Jack Knight's father, Ted Knight, whose life Barr saved, in Alaska, on the day of the Normandie attack.
Constrained by promises of confidentiality to the same government that is prosecuting him, Barr goes on the run with Ted while Minute Man tries to get the secret oath rescinded. Captain Marvel, currently much younger than Bulletman (than he was back then) fights with Jack Knight in an attempt to arrest Barr. Marvel fails in his mission against Barr, partly because Jack is backed up by human police officers.
superhero of the same name). She teamed up with her father on his last adventure, to rescue Billy Batson, Mary Bromfield and Freddy Freeman from the villain Chain Lightning.
was introduced as one of the Seven in Grant Morrison
's Seven Soldiers of Victory
. She is unrelated to these older heroes, though her costume is to some extent inspired by theirs. In issue #3, Susan Barr appeared in a brief cameo, visiting her successor.
on the newly reborn Earth-S along with the other Fawcett superheroes.
. He was a criminal mastermind and murderer who cried for his victims and caused tragedies wherever anyone was happy. After his death his son, who resembled him, took his name, however it is unrevealed how the first one died. He was a member of the Revenge Syndiate, a group of three villains that teamed up to cause crimes and kill the Flying Detectives. The Weeper II teamed up with the Joker of Earth-2 in Justice League of America #136 to steal jewels, when members of the Justice League visited Earth-S, home of the Fawcett Superheroes due to King Kull's plan to wipe out humanity on all three Earths with villains from all three, but was captured and probably jailed. He is considered their arch-foe and toughest criminal to deal with. Bulletman fought many other foes, see List of Bulletman enemies. Possibly his second most important foe was the Black Rat, a superstrong criminal who wore a Black Rat costume, and was feared by many other criminals. He was another Revenge Syndicate member, but apparently died in All-American Comics #2 when he fell into a vat of molten steel. The other member of the Syndicate was the Murder Prophet, but this was his second and last appearance.
toy company produced an apparently unlicensed Bulletman action figure
as part of its G.I. Joe
toy line. This foot-tall toy was very similar in appearance to the classic Fawcett character, except that it had vacuum metalized silver arms, and bare legs.
Bulletman and Bulletgirl also appeared in Alex Ross
and Mark Waid
's Kingdom Come limited series
.
Fawcett Comics
Fawcett Comics, a division of Fawcett Publications, was one of several successful comic book publishers during the Golden Age of Comic Books in the 1940s...
superhero
Superhero
A superhero is a type of stock character, possessing "extraordinary or superhuman powers", dedicated to protecting the public. Since the debut of the prototypical superhero Superman in 1938, stories of superheroes — ranging from brief episodic adventures to continuing years-long sagas —...
created by Bill Parker
Bill Parker
William "Bill" H. Parker, Jr. was an American comic book writer and editor. He is best known for creating Fawcett Comics' most popular character, Captain Marvel, in 1940, along with artist C. C. Beck....
and Jon Smalle for Nickel Comics #1 in May, 1940.
Fictional character biography
Jim Barr was the son of a police officer who was killed and as a result took it upon himself to fight crime. He was rejected from the police for physical reasons, but got a job in ballistics. Like many characters of the time, he used chemistry to develop powers for himself; in his case greater muscle mass and brain power using his 'crime cure'. He also invented a Gravity Regulator Helmet (which was bullet shaped and gave him his name), which allowed him to fly and deflect bullets. His first case involved capturing a gangster in his hideout.Shortly after Bulletman began his crime-fighting career, he created a second helmet for his girlfriend and later wife Susan Kent, daughter of policeman Seargent Kent, who adopted the name Bulletgirl. His formula was shown to make him strong enough to smash a tank. The helmet is shown to be so strong that once when Bulletgirl was run over by a Nazi tank she was only knocked out.
Bulletman and Bulletgirl were Fawcett Comics
Fawcett Comics
Fawcett Comics, a division of Fawcett Publications, was one of several successful comic book publishers during the Golden Age of Comic Books in the 1940s...
' second most popular characters after Captain Marvel
Captain Marvel (DC Comics)
Captain Marvel is a fictional comic book superhero, originally published by Fawcett Comics and later by DC Comics. Created in 1939 by artist C. C. Beck and writer Bill Parker, the character first appeared in Whiz Comics #2...
and the Marvel Family
Marvel Family
The Marvel Family is a group of fictional characters, a team of superheroes in the Fawcett Comics and DC Comics universes. Created in 1942 by writer Otto Binder and Fawcett artists C. C...
. They were leased by DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
along with the rest of the Fawcett comics stable of characters in 1972. However, the characters lapsed into public domain prior to the said acquisition, which would later allow AC Comics
AC Comics
AC Comics is a comic book publishing company started by Bill Black.AC Comics specializes in reprints of Golden Age comics from now-defunct companies whose properties lapsed into public domain and were not reprinted elsewhere...
to reprint their Golden Age adventures.
During this period of time, Bulletman and Bulletgirl appeared with fellow Fawcett heroes to form Shazam's Squadron of Justice against the forces of King Kull, who was trying to wipe out humanity on all three Earths after capturing all the beings who gave the Marvels their powers. Bulletman and Bulletgirl battled villains on Earth-S, the Earth-2 Joker
Joker (comics)
The Joker is a fictional character, a comic book supervillain published by DC Comics. He is the archenemy of Batman, having been directly responsible for numerous tragedies in Batman's life, including the paralysis of Barbara Gordon and the death of Jason Todd, the second Robin...
, Weeper, Shade (comics)
Shade (comics)
The Shade is a comic book character developed in the 1940's for National Comics. Debuting as a villain, the Shade was best known for fighting against two generations of superheroes, most notably the Golden Age and Silver Age versions of the Flash...
, and Doctor Light
Doctor Light
Doctor Light is the name of various fictional scientists.* Doctor Light , the DC Comics supervillain* Doctor Light , the DC Comics superheroine* Doctor Light , the Mega Man character Thomas Light...
. Their age appeared to be as it was in the 1940s without explanation. They subsequently appeared a few times with Captain Marvel and his family.
Bulletman and Bulletgirl were eventually retrofitted into DC Universe continuity as members of the All-Star Squadron
All-Star Squadron
The All-Star Squadron is a DC Comics superhero team that debuted in a special insert in Justice League of America #193 . Created by Roy Thomas, Rich Buckler and Jerry Ordway.-The concept:...
. For example, it is established that during World War 2, Bulletman met the long-lived Green Lantern
Green Lantern
The Green Lantern is the shared primary alias of several fictional characters, superheroes appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. The first Green Lantern was created by writer Bill Finger and artist Martin Nodell in All-American Comics #16 .Each Green Lantern possesses a power ring and...
Abin Sur
Abin Sur
Abin Sur is a fictional character and a superhero from the DC Comics universe. He first appeared in Showcase #22 : "SOS Green Lantern". He was a member of the Green Lantern Corps and is best known as the predecessor of Green Lantern Hal Jordan, whom Abin Sur's power ring chose as his replacement...
. In issues #39-40 of Starman (1998) James Barr is accused of being a traitor to the United States. He is seemingly implicated in the Nazi-attack on the Normandie ocean liner in New York. This contradicts what is known by Jack Knight's father, Ted Knight, whose life Barr saved, in Alaska, on the day of the Normandie attack.
Constrained by promises of confidentiality to the same government that is prosecuting him, Barr goes on the run with Ted while Minute Man tries to get the secret oath rescinded. Captain Marvel, currently much younger than Bulletman (than he was back then) fights with Jack Knight in an attempt to arrest Barr. Marvel fails in his mission against Barr, partly because Jack is backed up by human police officers.
Windshear
In The Power of Shazam #32 (November 1997), James Barr and Susan Kent were given a daughter named Deanna Barr, who donned her mother's helmet and operated briefly under the name Windshear (not to be confused with the Marvel ComicsMarvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
superhero of the same name). She teamed up with her father on his last adventure, to rescue Billy Batson, Mary Bromfield and Freddy Freeman from the villain Chain Lightning.
Bulleteer
In 2005, a new Bulletgirl known as BulleteerBulleteer
Bulleteer is a fictional character and DC Comics superheroine, a member of the Seven Soldiers. She debuted in Seven Soldiers: The Bulleteer #1 , and was created by Grant Morrison and Yanick Paquette...
was introduced as one of the Seven in Grant Morrison
Grant Morrison
Grant Morrison is a Scottish comic book writer, playwright and occultist. He is known for his nonlinear narratives and counter-cultural leanings, as well as his successful runs on titles like Animal Man, Doom Patrol, JLA, The Invisibles, New X-Men, Fantastic Four, All-Star Superman, and...
's Seven Soldiers of Victory
Seven Soldiers of Victory
The Seven Soldiers of Victory is a fictional team of comic book superheroes in the DC Comics universe...
. She is unrelated to these older heroes, though her costume is to some extent inspired by theirs. In issue #3, Susan Barr appeared in a brief cameo, visiting her successor.
Infinite Crisis
Bulletman and Bulletgirl later re-appeared in the pages of Infinite CrisisInfinite Crisis
Infinite Crisis is a 2005 - 2006 comic book storyline published by DC Comics, consisting of an eponymous, seven-issue comic book limited series written by Geoff Johns and illustrated by Phil Jimenez, George Pérez, Ivan Reis, and Jerry Ordway, and a number of tie-in books...
on the newly reborn Earth-S along with the other Fawcett superheroes.
The Weeper
Bulletman and Bulletgirl had many bad guys during their Fawcett Comics run but only one would follow them to DC Comics. His name was WeeperWeeper
The Weeper is the name of two fictitious comic book supervillains, originally published by Fawcett Comics and today owned by DC Comics. The original Weeper first appeared in Master Comics #23 in February 1942....
. He was a criminal mastermind and murderer who cried for his victims and caused tragedies wherever anyone was happy. After his death his son, who resembled him, took his name, however it is unrevealed how the first one died. He was a member of the Revenge Syndiate, a group of three villains that teamed up to cause crimes and kill the Flying Detectives. The Weeper II teamed up with the Joker of Earth-2 in Justice League of America #136 to steal jewels, when members of the Justice League visited Earth-S, home of the Fawcett Superheroes due to King Kull's plan to wipe out humanity on all three Earths with villains from all three, but was captured and probably jailed. He is considered their arch-foe and toughest criminal to deal with. Bulletman fought many other foes, see List of Bulletman enemies. Possibly his second most important foe was the Black Rat, a superstrong criminal who wore a Black Rat costume, and was feared by many other criminals. He was another Revenge Syndicate member, but apparently died in All-American Comics #2 when he fell into a vat of molten steel. The other member of the Syndicate was the Murder Prophet, but this was his second and last appearance.
Other versions
In the late 1970s, the HasbroHasbro
Hasbro is a multinational toy and boardgame company from the United States of America. It is one of the largest toy makers in the world. The corporate headquarters is located in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, United States...
toy company produced an apparently unlicensed Bulletman action figure
Action figure
An action figure is a posable character figurine, made of plastic or other materials, and often based upon characters from a film, comic book, video game, or television program. These action figures are usually marketed towards boys and male collectors...
as part of its G.I. Joe
G.I. Joe
G.I. Joe is a line of action figures produced by the toy company Hasbro. The initial product offering represented four of the branches of the U.S. armed forces with the Action Soldier , Action Sailor , Action Pilot , Action Marine and later on, the Action Nurse...
toy line. This foot-tall toy was very similar in appearance to the classic Fawcett character, except that it had vacuum metalized silver arms, and bare legs.
Bulletman and Bulletgirl also appeared in Alex Ross
Alex Ross
Nelson Alexander "Alex" Ross is an American comic book painter, illustrator, and plotter. He is praised for his realistic, human depictions of classic comic book characters. Since the 1990s he has done work for Marvel Comics and DC Comics Nelson Alexander "Alex" Ross (born January 22, 1970) is an...
and Mark Waid
Mark Waid
Mark Waid is an American comic book writer. He is well known for his eight-year run as writer of the DC Comics' title The Flash, as well as his scripting of the limited series Kingdom Come and Superman: Birthright, and his work on Marvel Comics' Captain America...
's Kingdom Come limited series
Limited series
A limited series is a comic book series with a set number of installments. A limited series differs from an ongoing series in that the number of issues is determined before production and it differs from a one shot in that it is composed of multiple issues....
.
Television
- Bulletman appears in the Batman: The Brave and the BoldBatman: The Brave and the BoldBatman: The Brave and the Bold is an American animated television series based in part on the DC Comics series The Brave and the Bold which features two or more super heroes coming together to solve a crime or foil a super villain...
episode "Joker: The Vile and the Villainous!" voiced by Yuri LowenthalYuri LowenthalYuri Lowenthal is a voice actor that has voiced several anime and video game characters. He also voiced Kamal for the alternate reality game I Love Bees....
. He is featured in a flashback foiling The WeeperWeeperThe Weeper is the name of two fictitious comic book supervillains, originally published by Fawcett Comics and today owned by DC Comics. The original Weeper first appeared in Master Comics #23 in February 1942....
's plot to destroy Fawcett CityFawcett CityFawcett City is a fictional city, and the home of DC Comics' Captain Marvel and the Marvel Family. It first appeared in the graphic novel "The Power of Shazam" by Jerry Ordway in 1994. Its name is derived from the original publishers of Captain Marvel comics, Fawcett Comics...
.
Miscellaneous
- Bulletman appears in the South ParkSouth ParkSouth Park is an American animated television series created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone for the Comedy Central television network. Intended for mature audiences, the show has become famous for its crude language, surreal, satirical, and dark humor that lampoons a wide range of topics...
episode "ImaginationlandImaginationland"Imaginationland" is a three-part episode of the American animated television series South Park.*Episode I*Episode II*Episode III...
".
External links
- Biography of the two heroes
- Toonopedia entry
- Bulletman Chronology
- Earth-S Bulletman Index
- Free Download from Digital Comic Museum
- Golden Age Comics
- Read Bulletman issues at Fury Comics
- Read Master Comics issues at Fury Comics
- Read America's Greatest Comics issues at Fury Comics
- Read Mary Marvel #8, guest-starring Bulletgirl, at Fury Comics