Who is Bulletman? (Nickel Comics #2)

Weeks after his initial appearance, Bulletman reappears in the offices of the Trumpet newspaper to track down a missing check. That paper had advertised that they would pay $1000.00 to any individual who sent them a picture of this new superhero, which Bulletman happily provided with the condition that they pay this amount the the police pension fund. However, its obstinate publisher Steven Doone was skeptical as to the validity of this picture, which was verified by Bulletman dragging him through the skies above the city in flight. This enmity between hero and newspaper prefigured the dynamic decades later between a spider and an editor. Be that as it may, Doone was secretly the crime lord known as Blackmask whom Bulletman tangled with in his origin tale, and would be a source of trouble now.

Investigating the death of a Doctor Danton, police lab investigator Jim Barr used a powerful chemical to reveal hidden writing on the right arm of the corpse. Although both Jim and Susan Kent saw this, the writing then faded for good before Sergeant Kent could witness this. As always, Kent questioned the usefulness of Jim, while his daughter had unswerving loyalty to the tech, despite Barr's standoffish behavior.

Heading to the bank where the safety deposit box was located, Jim saw a gang of crooks there seeking to steal the contents of that box. Prefiguring an iron armored hero many years later, Barr had his super-suit stored in a handy briefcase, and quickly transformed into the poorly nicknamed "Robin Hood of Crime".

After a standoff between the two, wherein the thugs were locked in a vault after fleeing a Bulletman who ripped a slab of flooring to block their escape route, one hood escaped with a freezing gas which Danton had developed. Flying the locked vault into a nearby river and threatening the well being of its captives, Bulletman obtained from them the location of their leader's lair where the fleeing hood and the gas would end up. Once there, Blackmask himself used the freezing gas to immobilize Bulletman, although the effect was only temporary as the hero activated his Gravity Regulator Helmet to effect an escape.

After briskly responding to an inquisitive Susan, as she sees her love interest investigating this new chemical concoction, Jim used his antidote to the freezing gas as Bulletman to free the paralyzed citizens held under Blackmask's sway. Using his massive strength to bat away the airplane that had sprayed the gas on the city below, Bulletman then retreated to his alter ego.

• Bullet Buddies: Sarge Kent kept up his disbelieving demeanor towards his technician. Was it out of disrespect for the young man, or did Kent sense that his daughter was falling for a frail lad whom her father thought wasn't good enough for her?

• Rocketing Romance: Susan continued to show consistent confidence in Jim while curious about this new helmeted hero whom he dismissed. Could a love triangle soon be forming?

• Bedeviling Bulletman: Blackmask showed his extensive network of knowledge, by rooting out this hidden piece of technology invented by Doctor Danton, and a bit of courage in so far as he was the one to throw this experimental freezing gas at his mortal foe though untested. No doubt he was still stinging at being hijacked from his business and threatened to pay funds he had promised. However, Doone was still not one to back down, stating in an editorial his disbelief in the picture provided to him by Bulletman. As he related to J. Jonah Jameson?

• Powerful Projectile: From his last adventure, lifting a water tower, to pulling out concrete and and entire vault from its moorings, and carrying it aloft for presumably a few miles, is impressive. The controls of the Gravity Regulator Helmet are seemingly activated by Bulletman while he is bound, and have a devastating effect on the roof of Blackmask's hideout.

• Fawcett Facts: How Susan doesn't connect budding boyfriend nicknamed "Bullet" to the fearless flying Bulletman is mystifying.

Is this the last we hear of Blackmask? Will there be any future confrontations between publisher Doone and his city's newest champion? Will Sergeant Kent cut Jim a brake? Will Jim finally take a clue from the fawning of Susan and ask her out? More yet to come...