Lucifer and the Blue Devils (Nickel Comics #6)

Our sixth tale in the life and times of Jim "Bullet" Barr aka Bulletman starts with a request for him to take a vacation. It seems "Bullet" has been particularly obsessed with his career as a police lab technician ever since he concocted and digested his "anti germ" serum. Perhaps, beside increasing his physical and mental attributes, it has an addictive side effect not unlike another costumed crusader on another Earth at this time in Hourman. Was Jim's serum and "Tick Tock" Tyler's Miraclo pill made of similar chemical properties? While there isn't a record of Barr having to take this sensational solution again, and in fact he destroyed  it in order to prevent it from falling in the wrong hands, it seems to have made him as obsessive as Hourman.

Back to the story, Susan is pleading her boyfriend objection of affection to accept her father's request that Jim take a leave of absence. However, when Barr approached his supervisor, Sergeant Kent is saddened by the news just received of his former patrol buddy Hanigan having been gunned down in Eagle Valley. Sensing a new case, Jim accepts the vacation request.

Arriving in Eagle Valley aka Pleasantville, Jim decides to ask random individuals in the community about a tip the Sarge heard as to the culprits of this heinous crime, the Blue Devil. Yet none have heard of them accept for newspaper editor Elsa Martin and attorney Stuart Vinton, who themselves are threatened by a man who claims association with this crime gang.

Donning his crime fighting costume, Bulletman jets into a fray with the Blue Devils attempting to extort money from residents of this town. However, one of their number corner him with a gun, at which point the hero says he can't dodge bullets! What???

Perhaps he's luring them in a trap, as Bulletman beats his opponents and track down atop a dam the rest of the gang and their leader Lucifer attempting to execute Elsa and other citizens who oppose his Devils. How to safe them? Bust a hole in the dam, so all the water is released. Then the hostages won't drown when they fall into the water. No, instead they will die from sudden impact with an unforgiving ground!

However, it appears that the gangsters are a bit slower at the uptake than Bulletman himself, as they flee and find their roadsters drowning in the flood torrent the hero unleashed. As to any downstream who may be affected due to our Fawcett Fighter's folly, there is no indication of any deaths or property damage. So apparently, the dam was just there to store water for the town, perhaps?

Cornering Lucifer himself, Bulletman unmasks the crimelord as... Vinton himself! What, the attorney is the crook? Wonder if this was something unexpected back in the 40's? 

Returning to his hometown, Barr resumes his civilian career and mentions to Susan that his vacation was nothing out of the ordinary.

Bullet Buddies: We are starting to see a crack in the sarcastic demeanor of Sergeant Kent, as he confides in his underling whom he once mocked and ridiculed. Perhaps his daughter's obvious flirtations of his employee is starting to wear him down and accept the meek scientist.

Rocketing Romance: Susan appears to have a scheme whereby if she can just draw Jim away from the lab, maybe he will begin to notice her? Guess her crush on Bulletman has worn off.

Bedeviling Bulletman: Lucifer and the Blue Devils are one-and-done gangsters with only stylized costumes to distinguish them from more common crooks.

Powerful Projectile:  Ripping a tree from the ground! Smashing a whole into several feet of concrete, bursting a dam! His strength continues to ramp up steadily episode by episode. However, the bullet bouncing abilities of Bullet's Gravity Regulating Helmet are not fully defined as yet.

Fawcett Facts: These stories were published in late 1939/early 1940. Thus the art and print quality are not up to bar, and are still a year ahead of the Mister Scarlet tales we've also been chronicling. Once Bulletman makes the jump to his new publishing home magazine, this will improve greatly.