Bulletman (Volume 1) with a cover date of July, 1942.
Synopsis for "The Engraver"
A counterfeiter teams up with two fugitive gangsters to pass a lot of fake money to the public. He dresses as a swami and puts on a stage show, seemingly a bingo game, in which the swami pays out a lot of winners. But, er, he always needs change, at pay-out time. Soon this racket pays off well enough that the gang can recondition a derelict yacht, and turn it into a casino. In the casino, the losers still lose as usual, but the winners get paid off with counterfeit cash.
Jim Barr and Susan Kent attend one stage show, and Susan get paid off in fake bills. Jim analyzes the ink, and identifies the ink supplier (Grand Ink Company). That night Bulletman and Bulletgirl fly to the ink factory, break in, examine the sales records, and find an address for the Engraver. They fly to the counterfeit printing plant in an office building in the city, zoom in, and there's a melee. At one point Bulletgirl gets hit in the head with a very large bottle of ink, and seems stunned, which distracts Bulletman long enough for him to get head-konked from behind, with a steel pipe. They're both trussed up and left, alive and unsupervised, in a room that's filling up with gas. Bulletman finds some glass shards and gets loose, then breaks a window and frees Bulletgirl.
Meanwhile aboard the floating casino, the gang has a dispute about the disposition of their loot, and one of them gets shot dead by the Engraver. That's when Bulletman shows up and tells them how it's going to be. The Engraver shoots at Bulletman then runs away, and ends up in the boiler room, getting punched into an open furnace. He definitely dies, and not quietly.
Appearing in "The Engraver"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Sergeant Kent
Antagonists:
- Engraver (Dies)
- Frank Ronello
- Porky Bleek (Dies)
Locations:
Items:
Vehicles:
- Porky's reconditioned yacht
Synopsis for "Meet the Mocker"
Appearing in "Meet the Mocker"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Sergeant Kent
Antagonists:
- the Mocker
- two hench
Other Characters:
- Nordello, famous actor (Dies)
- Officer O'Callahan
Locations:
- New York City
- 201 Mitchell Street
Items:
Vehicles:
- express train
Synopsis for "The Duke of Burke"
Appearing in "The Duke of Burke"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Sergeant Kent
Antagonists:
- Duke Burke
- his manager
- hired sniper
- six new hench
- his manager
Other Characters:
- townspeople
Locations:
- New York City
- Burke Castle, miles away
- small town nearby
- Burke Castle, miles away
Items:
Synopsis for Private Ward: "The Secret Sub Base Search"
Appearing in Private Ward: "The Secret Sub Base Search"
Featured Characters:
- Private Ward
Supporting Characters:
- Private Enterprise
- Colonel Deakyne
Antagonists:
Locations:
- California coast
Vehicles:
- Japanese two-man submarine
Synopsis for "The Slide of Death"
Bulletman pilots an Army aircraft into a mountain, and not on purpose.
Appearing in "The Slide of Death"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Sergeant Kent
Antagonists:
- gang of German thugs
Other Characters:
- four American generals
- Sheriff Amos Dean
Locations:
- Crag Mountain
- nearby hunting lodge
- Devil's Gorge
- nearby hunting lodge
- Army Airport
Items:
Vehicles:
- U.S.A.A.F. 2-engine cargo planes (two are crashed)
Notes
- The Mocker looks and dresses exactly like the Engraver, same rictus smile, same top hat, same everything.
- In "The Slide of Death" a caption reminds us that Sgt. Kent still does not suspect that Jim and Susan are Bulletman and Bulletgirl.
- Also appearing in this issue of Bulletman were:
- Contents Page
- Chubby, by Tom McNamara
- The Devil of Luzon (text story), by W. David Johnson
See Also