June 1940: Nickel Comics #3

I have just realised that I am covering issues that I already discussed in my Archie/Fawcett/Quality catch-up post.  Honest mistake; I made a miscalculation as to what comic I was up to.  I'm going to press on regardless, and do the ones I already glossed over in proper detail.

Cover by Jack Binder

 

'Bulletman' (by Bill Parker and Jon Smalle): Bulletman tackles his supposed arch-nemesis Black Mask, who is after a diamond shipment.  He's also trying to kill Bulletman, which he attempts with various traps involving poison gas and hydrochloric acid.  It's solid enough, and I'm still a sucker for villains like Black Mask who wear Cobra Commander hoods.  The only inexplicable thing about the story is that Bulletman carries Black Mask's cat around for an inordinate length of time, and for no apparent purpose.

'Jungle Twins' (by Bill Parker and Sven Elven): Bill masquerades as his savage brother Steve, so that he can infiltrate Steve's tribe and rescue his friends. Again, it's solid, but not particularly interesting.  It's nice to see Sven Elven still working, as well, even if his style here is unrecognisable.  He's been a part of this project from the very beginning.

'Warlock the Wizard' (by Creators Unknown): An arsonist disguises himself as Warlock, and frames the wizard for his own crimes.  Magician heroes are always a problem, in that their broad, undefined powers mean they can get out of most situations with little trouble.  The best Golden Age magician strips, like 'Zatara', get around this by making the solutions fun and inventive.  Warlock, on the other hand, just summons a golden hand to smash things over and over again.  It's a little tiresome.