Fawcett Comics Heroes

This page focuses mainly on the DC Comics history of Fawcett Comics heroes. DC Comics "absorbed" super-heroes from Fawcett Comics in a manner similar to those from Quality Comics. From both, a subset of of characters was chosen and more-or-less canonized.

Both groups were introduced in a similar manner, as part of the annual JLA/JSA team-ups in Justice League of America. Six heroes from Quality Comics were teamed as the Freedom Fighters in Justice League of America #107 (Sept./Oct. 1973).

Captain Marvel, Mary Marvel and Captain Marvel Jr. were reintroduced first (Shazam! #1, Feb. 1973). It was said that they lived on "Earth-S," a parallel Earth. Six other heroes from Fawcett Comics — Bulletman, Bulletgirl, Ibis, Mister Scarlet, Pinky and Spy Smasher — were formally reintroduced in Justice League of America #135 (Oct. 1976). A seventh, Minute Man, showed up the next year.

Ibis' wife, Princess Taia, was a regular guest-star in The Power of Shazam! series (1995).

Only two other non-Marvel Family heroes were ever used by DC. Commando Yank and Phantom Eagle, both military heroes they appeared only once, in a cameo from Power of Shazam! #12 (Feb. 1996).

Bulletman + Bulletgirl

Jim Barr was the son of Sgt. Pat Barr, a policeman who was killed stopping a gangster. This left him orphaned, as his mother had died years before.

Jim vowed to follow in the steps of his father and became a scientist. But he was frail and so he was not accepted as a policeman. Instead, Barr became a brilliant criminologist and chemist. Jim created an 'anti-criminal' serum that was intended to help "bad" people overcome their dark side. He drank the serum himself and went to sleep. The next morning, Jim Barr had grown from five-foot-eight feet tall to six-four! He had gained 60 pounds of pure muscle and with it, extraordinary strength and and enhanced brain.

With his new extraordinary abilities, Jim decided to create a costume to 'terrorize' criminals. He invented a "gravity regulator helmet" that allowed him to fly, and thus he became Bulletman. The helmet also attracted then deflected bullets. Still, those in the police force considered Jim a weakling.

Susan Kent was Jim's girlfriend; her father was Sergeant Kent of the same police force and he was a little disdainful of Jim Barr, but accepted him for Susan’s sake. A year later, Susan also took the serum and became Bulletgirl. She wore a smaller helmet but had a lesser degree of powers. Sgt. Kent ultimately discovered Barr's secret identity.

In one adventure, a young boy named Tod Drake put on a play Bulletman costume and helped his hero in an adventure. The costume even apparently gave him super-strength, and they dubbed him "Bulletboy." (Master Comics #48–49) Their pet, Bulletdog, also flew courtesy of an anti-gravity collar.

During his first years combating crime, Bulletman teamed with the famous Spy Smasher.

Bulletman at DC Comics

The first DC Comics appearance of Bulletman was in Justice League of America #135 (Oct. 1976). He was part of a never-named group of heroic “crusaders” from Earth-S (the parallel universe that was the home of Fawcett Comics characters).

Along with his wife Bulletgirl, Ibis, Spy Smasher, Mister Scarlet and Pinky, he was gathered together by the wizard Shazam and his emissary, the god Mercury. The heroes were mobilized against King Kull, who had imprisoned the Olympian Gods, thus decommissioning the power source of Captain Marvel and his "family."

Mercury gathered more heroes from Earth-One's Justice League of America and Earth-Two's Justice Society of America, who were teamed with the six heroes from Earth-S. (Justice League of America #135)

On Earth-S, an eclipse was created by two of King Kull's agents, the Shade and Doctor Light, who employed special satellites to keep halves of the planet in total darkness and light. Bulletman worked with Hawkman to pursue the Shade into the Louvre, where all the paintings had come to life. Meanwhile, Bulletgirl and Hawkgirl investigated the planet's oceans, which were turning to ice, and its mountains into monsters.

Kull then used the satellites to deploy a version of the Earth-Two Joker's laughing gas. It turned people into diamond and Bulletman (in his civilian identity of scientist Jim Barr) analyzed the gas. When the heroes discovered the satellites in orbit, they caused them to collide and all the strange effects were reversed. (#136)

When all the the heroes reconvened from their missions, King Kull used Red Kryptonite to send Superman into a rage. The team summoned Captain Marvel and his kin and all was resolved. Ibis and the other heroes were returned to their home worlds. (#137)

When Captain Nazi attacked with a mind-control weapon, Jim Barr remained curiously unaffected. (World's Finest Comics #253) He wasn't so lucky a second time; Captain Marvel's foe, Satan unleashed Dreamdancer to mesmerize all men in the city.

Bulletman turned on his own wife and Susan Barr contacted Mary Marvel for help. The women worked together, tricking Dreamdancer into performing her hypnotic dance backward, and the men were released. (#255)

Post-Crisis

In post-Crisis continuity, the core Marvel Family members were "new" to continuity. The other Golden Age heroes were said to have began operating during World War II out of "Fawcett City." One presumes that their Golden Age Fawcett Comics adventures stand (more-or-less) in post-Crisis DC continuity.

Wartime

In early 1940, the wizard Shazam came to Fawcett City with the sarcophagus of the mummy of Ibis. He awakened the sorcerer in order to combat Shazam's own evil daughter, Blaze. This activity, at the dawn of World War II, inspired a bevy of super-heroes. Bulletman and his partner, Bulletgirl, were among those who contributed to the effort. They teamed sporadically with other heroes from Fawcett. (Power of Shazam! #12)

In February 1942, Minute Man summoned Bulletman to Alaska for a top secret mission, along with Starman. The flying heroes were racing against the Nazis' rocket-troopers. (#35) They triumphed and made their way to the goal—a sighting of an alien monster! Before they could act, the Green Lantern Abin Sur arrived on the scene and subdued the monster. Sur plucked an alien worm known as Mister Mind from inside the monster and then used his ring to erase the heroes' memories of having seen him. (#36)

Bulletman did not know that there were other events occurring in New York simultaneously. The Nazi Edouard Laslo, aka the Poser, had disguised himself as Bulletman and led a successful attack on the U.S. warship, the SS Normandie. Footage of this (shot by Johnny Chambers aka Johnny Quick) would surface decades later. (#35)

In June 1945, Bulletman and Minute Man rescued Spy Smasher from Captain Nazi. This was the end of the war; Hitler had just died and the three heroes escaped in Spy Smasher's Gyrosub. They did not realize that the ship they were after (which sank) contained a chamber that housed the body of Adolf Hitler! (Power of Shazam! #8)

Postwar

After the war, Bulletman and his compatriots aged slowly in Fawcett City. This phenomenon was the result of Ibis, who cast a protective spell over Fawcett City before returning to his slumber. (Power of Shazam! #12)

Decades later, Jim Barr and his old friends Alan Armstrong (Spy Smasher) and Jack Weston (Minute Man) had gone public with their alter egos and they sat for an interview on the local radio, WHIZ. A new generation of heroes had emerged in Fawcett City, also linked to the wizard Shazam. Unbeknown to them, one was young Billy Batson, who was secretly Captain Marvel — whom they met at the radio station. The elder heroes knew Billy's father, C.C. Batson and offered to tell Billy stories about him. (Power of Shazam! #8)

Billy's sister, "Mary Marvel," reawakened the slumbering Ibis when she and Captain Marvel were fighting Blaze and her henchman, Black Adam. Ibis gathered a group of seven heroes to fight, including Bulletman. (#11) The heroes imprisoned Blaze inside the Rock of Eternity and send Black Adam to a distant star. (#12)

By this time, Jim's wife Susan had passed on. (Power of Shazam! #43) They had a daughter, Major Deanna Barr, who became a test pilot for the Air Force. Deanna met Captain Marvel when her plane, the Windshear, was brought down during a failed maneuver. ("Windshear" was also the codename used by Barr.) When they parted, she gave Cap a kiss — not knowing of course that he was a teenager. But Billy was smitten with her and agreed to a "date" with Deanna, as Captain Marvel. (#32)

When Captain Nazi returned, he organized a smear campaign against Bulletman based on restored footage of the sinking of the Normandie. It showed Bulletman clearly flying in cahoots with the Nazi saboteurs. But Bulletman could not tell the public about his alibi because his mission in Alaska was top secret. Deanna Barr enlisted help from Captain Marvel and the new Starman (Jack Knight).

Barr called a news conference where Ted Knight (Starman) vouched for their whereabouts, but the public was unswayed. But the culprit, Eduoard Laslo, had just been released from prison, and he was not keen on Captain Nazi. Laslo exonerated Bulletman by confessing to the ruse caught on film. (#35–36, Starman vol. 2 #40)

Deanna Barr became a costumed fighter as well when the heroes were battling Mister Mind. As Windshear, she donned her mother’s old Bulletgirl uniform and confronted a villainess called Chain Lightning. Bulletman joined her. (#43)

Jim and Deanna later attended a celebration following the Marvel Family's victory over Blaze, Black Adam and Sivana. (#47)

Powers

Bulletman's gravity helmet enables its wearer to fly, and also has the property of attracting to itself any bullets that are fired at its wearer; the bullets bounce harmlessly off. Jim Barr can produce the gravity helmet instantly, at any time.

Other Appearances

GI Joe and Kingdom Come

In 1975, Hasbro issued a Bulletman action figure as part of the GI Joe line of toys. Much later, this figure inspired the look of Bulletman in DC's Kingdom Come.

Versions of Bulletman and Bulletgirl appeared in Kingdom Come #2–4 (1996), a series set in an "Elseworlds" future. The Revelations supplement to the series describes them as looking like a "modern steel-coated human bullet" and remarks that Bulletman's uniform design was an homage to the steel-armed look of the G.I. Joe Bulletman doll.

Convergence

In the "Convergence" event (2015), it was revealed that Brainiac had saved cities from various points in time and reality. One of them was the pre-Crisis Earth-S. All super-powers had been nullified, so Bulletman and Bulletgirl (with their technology-based powers) became the city's primary protectors instead of the Marvel Family. (Convergence Shazam #1–2)

Bulleteer

   

The Bulleteer was a woman named Alix Harrower. Her husband Lance was obsessed with developing technology that would give him super-powers. He perfected a "smartskin" that would transform one's skin into something stronger than steel. Lance hoped that he and Alix would become the modern-day successors to the original Bulletman and Bulletgirl, but the smartskin reacted badly on him. When he touched Alix, its effect spread to her. Lance died at the hospital and Alix's life was ruined.

Alix even entertained suicide, but the task was literally impossible. Alix was invited by the Vigilante to join a new group of Seven Soldiers, but she got cold feet at the last moment and did not go. (Seven Soldiers: Bulleteer #1) All the heroes who did show up that day were massacred. (Seven Soldiers #0)

The Bulleteer never knew that she was also the direct descendant of Earth's first super-hero, mighty Aurakles. After acquiring super-powers, she consistently refused her destiny as a hero. As it was, she became the so-called "spear that was never thrown" in the war with the evil Sheeda. Despite her reluctance, she took on investigatory work, and came to visit the Soldiers' old enemy, the Hand (Ramon Solomano) in prison. She interrogated him about the return of the terrible Nebula Man. (Seven Soldiers: Bulleteer #2)

Alix appeared at a super-hero fan convention, where she met a mysterious woman named Susan Parr; who claimed to have worked with Bulletman. (#3)

Her roommate, Sara Smart (#3) turned out to be a villain called Sally Sonic — and also her husband's mistress! They fought while driving through Manhattan (#4) and in the scuffle, their car was launched into the air and came crashing into the horrible Sheeda Queen, killing her for good. (Seven Soldiers #1)

The Bulleteer was later recruited by Firehawk to form a team that called itself "the JLA." This failed concept was doomed and appeared only once. (52 #24)

Bulletman Appearances

 

Commando Yank

Commando Yank was a masked, non-super-powered hero who was a master of disguise. He first appeared in Wow Comics #6 (July 15, 1942). The character was apparently created by Charles Sultan under the employ of Chesler studios. The strip later featured art by Carl Pfeufer and Dan Barry.

In the beginning, this red-blooded American solider led a small band of English fighters. He wore a gray tunic and pants, a blue weapons belt, black boots with red-and-white socks, and a blue hood with a built-in mask. On his chest he wore a large emblem of a blue star.

On a solo reconnaissance mission in Norway, he disguised himself as an old fisherman to root out some Nazi troopers. When they found him on his disguised speedboat, Commando Yank battled his way free and took off for the British coast.

Inside a dilapidated fishing shelter, the Yank descended a secret stairway that led to an underground tunnel — to the secret Base 33. He and his men made plans to return to Norway, destroy radio and supply lines, and take German prisoners if they could.

In beetle boats, the commandos invaded the Norwegian coast accompanied by two British destroyers and air cover by a wing of Hampden bombers. Commando Yank was hit by a sniper's bullet in the shoulder but fought fiercely, killing the sniper with his own pistol and proceeding to defend himself hand-to-hand against Nazi troopers. The commandos won the day and returned to England.

His first few adventures were very similar, featuring different European locales and resisting Hitler's crew. In Holland, Commando Yank disguised in wooden shoes and a cap. He narrowly prevented Baron Glutz from causing a disastrous hole in the dike facing the Zuider Zee. (America's Greatest Comics #7)

Commando Yank's real name was not revealed for almost a year, in Wow Comics #13 (May 7, 1943). He was Chase Yale, a reporter working for the American Broadcasting System and using shortwave to broadcast across the channel to occupied France and beyond. He used a speedboat to slip through the Nazi coastal patrols into France. There he met with underground leaders and plotted the disruption of German plans.

Yale resided in the Hotel Aster, where his room was directly across from the Commando Yank's secret headquarters. Chase would simply leap from one window to the other. Yale pretended to disbelieve the rumors of the masked Commando Yank, the terror of the Nazis. And the Nazis almost caught the Commando because of Yale's broadcasts.

The writing of this feature was unoriginal. Commando Yank fought the dread Black Dragon Society in Wow Comics #18 (Oct. 1943). Minute Man previously fought the Black Dragon Society in Master Comics #22 (Jan. 1942). The art in this story (perhaps by Phil Bard) was plainly modeled on the style of Jack Kirby. Also, the name of the evil Society was probably lifted from DC's All-Star Comics #12 from the previous year. And repeatedly, Chase was referred as Carter Yale.

In the tale itself, Yale learned about the plight of Americans living in a section of Tokyo called Little America. The Chinese and American forces were helpless to save them from execution at the hands of the Black Dragons —who intended to throw them into the volcanic Mount Fujiyama.

Commando Yank parachuted onto Mount Fuji, dispatched the Black Dragons and rescued the Americans. Incredibly, he captured the Japanese Emperor and forced him to free the Americans. After this was accomplished, the Commando fought for his own escape. During this, the Emperor ordered a second attack on Pearl Harbor! But American forces were prepared and the Japanese fleet was easily destroyed. In the end, the Commando Yank left the Emperor alive to avoid creating a martyr. (Wow Comics #18)

His missions shifted more into the Pacific theater, where he continued his newsreel coverage of the war. Commando Yank aided General MacArthur in liberating the Philippines, destroying a Japanese munitions plant and freeing Filipino slave-laborers. (MacArthur does the heavy lifting of freeing the island at the end.) (#36)

Perhaps Fawcett had stockpiled stories during the war (when creators were being lost to military service) because the Yank's wartime tales continued for a while after V-E Day and V-J Day, as "Official War Archives." These feel rather recycled: Commando Yank battled Doctor Yaki on a secret volcanic island base. Yaki invented a serum that made men into brutal, giant gladiators. (This same idea was used many times by Gardner Fox, whose Professor Hugo Strange and Mister Who both used similar formulas.) Our Yank infiltrated the base and blew the whole thing to kingdom come. (#40)

The Commando Yank's postwar tales became a spy-game where Chase Yale traveled the world for his newspaper and moonlighted as the costumed freedom fighter for the advancement of the United Nations. For example Chase was summoned by his editor from Brazil to Cuba. A cryptic note led the Yank to prevent an assassination plot on a young woman who was set to assume the throne of Slovenia. He freed her from handcuffs and narrowly avoided a collision between two boats. (#47)

The final "Commando Yank" strip appeared in Wow Comics #64 (Mar. 1948).

At DC Comics

Commando Yank has never made a full, in-story appearance at DC Comics. He was shown in a flashback to the 1942 formation of a group of Fawcett City heroes. (Power of Shazam! #12) Considering his wartime career abroad, it seems unlikely that he could have teamed with them very often.

In post-Crisis continuity, the core Marvel Family members were "new" to contemporary continuity. The other Golden Age heroes were said to have began operating during World War II, out of "Fawcett City." One presumes that their Golden Age Fawcett Comics adventures stand (more-or-less) in post-Crisis DC continuity.

Powers

Commando Yank was an ordinary soldier without any super-human abilities. He was a skilled hand-to-hand combatant, and a master of disguise.

It was suggested that he was a fair linguist and was able to speak many different languages including French, Dutch, Chinese and Japanese.

Appearances of Commando Yank

Ibis the Invincible

Prince Amentep, was the son of an Egyptian Pharaoh in the 12th dynasty — more than 4,000 years ago. The prince became a sorcerer but he was no match for the evil Black Pharaoh, who imprisoned him. A relative of the Prince managed to give him the Ibistick, a powerful magical wand with near limitless power. Amentep escaped and created a sword and shield to finish his enemy.

But during the heat of the battle, his beloved Princess Taia of Thebes was slain by an arrow. Ibis cast a powerful spell to save Taia. She would be restored by sleeping for the next 40 centuries; he joined her in this suspended animation.

By the 1940s, his sarcophagus found its way to an American museum where they dubbed him "Ibis" after of the native bird inscribed on its surface. The Prince somehow awoke on his own and quickly made his way back to Egypt in search of his lost bride. He produced the money and possessions he needed with a mere wave of the Ibistick.

He learned that Taia's mummy had been unearthed and shipped to Europe. But immediately upon freeing her from slumber, a crook swiped his Ibistick. Despite his wielding unlimited power, it could be easily taken from him. (Whiz Comics #2 [1])

The couple created a new home for themselves in the United States where they began a quest for justice, battling mystical enemies who threatened world peace.

DC Comics

Prince Ibis and Princess Taia actually made two reprint appearances before their formal DC reintroduction. The first was in Detective Comics #441 (June/July 1974), which reprinted an Ibis story from Whiz Comics #95 (Mar. 1948). And the entire contents of Whiz Comics #2 [1] (Feb. 1940) was reissued as a tabloid-sized edition called Famous First Edition #F-4 (Oct./Nov. 1974).

The first actual DC Comics appearance of Ibis was in Justice League of America #135 (Oct. 1976). He was part of a never-named group of heroic “crusaders” from Earth-S (the parallel universe that was the home of Fawcett Comics characters).

Along with Bulletman and Bulletgirl, Spy Smasher, Mister Scarlet and Pinky, he was gathered together by the wizard Shazam and his emissary, the god Mercury. The heroes were mobilized against King Kull, who had imprisoned the Olympian Gods, thus decommissioning the power source of Captain Marvel and his "family."

Mercury gathered more heroes from Earth-One's Justice League of America and Earth-Two's Justice Society of America, who were teamed with the six heroes from Earth-S. (Justice League of America #135)

Ibis worked with two Green Lanterns to intercept Mister Atom's attack on a model city in Montreal. They traced the source of Atom's aura to a spaceship manned by Brainiac. After disabling Brainiac's power, Ibis sent Mister Atom into space.

When all the the heroes reconvened from their missions, King Kull used Red Kryptonite to send Superman into a rage. The team summoned Captain Marvel and his kin and all was resolved. Ibis and the other heroes were returned to their home worlds. (#137)

At this time, Ibis and Taia (who appeared briefly) were preparing to move in to a new suburban home outside New York City.

Post-Crisis

In post-Crisis continuity, the core Marvel Family members were "new" to contemporary continuity. The other Golden Age heroes were said to have began operating during World War II, out of "Fawcett City." One presumes that their Golden Age Fawcett Comics adventures stand (more-or-less) in post-Crisis DC continuity.

Prince Amentep of ancient Egypt was chosen by Thoth (the god of wisdom) to bear the Ibistick, a magic wand which could grant its owner's every wish. Amentep and his lover, Taia Toth, had everything their hearts desired but they were oppressed by Amentep's cruel uncle, the Black Pharaoh. Using the Ibistick, they put themselves under a spell of sleep and vowed to wake in "more interesting times." Believed to be dead, their mummified bodies were later found by archaeologists and brought to separate museums. In the 1940s, Amentep's sarcophagus was acquired by the wizard called Shazam and ended up in Fawcett City.

Immediately upon begin awakened by Shazam, Amentep pined for Taia. He took the name Ibis (as the museum employees had nicknamed him) and set out in search of his lost love. Once reunited, Ibis began operating as a "mystery man" and joined a loose affiliation of heroes who worked with Shazam in Fawcett City. The Black Pharaoh also resurfaced, kept alive by dark sorcery.

After the war, Ibis asked Shazam to return him to mystical sleep. Before doing so, Shazam used the Ibistick to cast a protective barrier around Fawcett City. This magic prevented demons from entering the city and slowed the march of time in various ways. (This explained why Fawcett's wartime heroes aged slowly and why the city retained its classic flavor.)

Ibis remained asleep in the museum for decades, where he was reawakened by Mary Marvel during a battle against Shazam's daughter, Blaze. Ibis helped defeat another son of Egypt, Black Adam. Ibis then chose to become the caretaker at the Rock of Eternity while Shazam traveled for a while. (Power of Shazam! #12)

When Shazam returned to his duties, Ibis left Fawcett City. Mary tried to track him down via his wife, Taia. She was working as a model, and in fact she had encountered Captain Marvel during one of her jobs. (Power of Shazam graphic novel) By the time they found Ibis, his god had abandoned him and his powers were waning; the Ibistick was useless. They returned with Ibis to the Rock. (#31) Both Shazam and Ibis were losing their powers because of the so-called "Genesis Wave" sweeping over Earth. (#29)

Once that crisis was resolved, Ibis taxed his powers to the limit. The Venusian worm called Mister Mind destroyed a Fawcett suburb with a nuclear bomb, and Ibis absorbed much of the bomb's destructive force. (#38) He withered and was severely depleted; using his own talisman drained his physical strength. Taia placed him back in suspended animation. (#43–44)

Taia remained active and attended a celebration following the Marvel Family's victory over Blaze, Black Adam and Sivana. (#47)

Ibis and Taia continued to go in and out of "hibernation." Both of them apparently died on a mission with Zatanna, (Seven Soldiers: Zatanna #1) but they soon resurfaced again.

Ibis II: Danny Khalifa

Whatever the reason, Ibis and Taia were not killed that day. Their last adventure was in service of the helmet of Fate, an artifact of the Lords of Order. After the death of the previous Doctor Fate, his helmet appeared to Ibis and Taia. They tried in vain to keep it away from the dark god, Set. The effort drained them so Ibis placed Taia in deep slumber and reached out to someone who could succeed them in their task.

He found 17-year-old Danny Kasim Khalifa. As Ibis put it, Danny had "the blood of the Hekau in you — the magician kings of old Egypt." Danny unwillingly took up the Ibistick and helped shepherd Ibis and Taia back into deep sleep.

Danny was instructed to find their patron, Thoth. He performed a spell from the Internet and was transported into the god's presence. Thoth transformed Danny into a golden-clad warrior and sent him to get the helmet back from Set. Danny succeeded, then put a new spell on it to ensure that no evil force could retrieve it. Thoth canonized Danny's name in the list of the Ibistick's masters. (Helmet of Fate: Ibis)

During a struggle for the supremacy of Hell, Thoth bade Danny to intervene and sent the power-stealing mystic called Black Alice to recruit him. She betrayed him immediately. (Reign in Hell 2–3) Ibis was soon found by Zatanna (#4), with whom he remained through the rest of their campaign.

Powers

Ibis wields the Ibistick, a wand which enables him to perform magic, warns him of impending danger by vibrating, and acts as a lie detector when Ibis is interrogating anybody. If Ibis loses hold of the Ibistick he loses his magic powers. If someone else gets a hold of the Ibistick and commands it to injure Ibis, however, the stick will inflict upon its holder the injury wished against its true owner.

Others

In DC Comics, there was a space character called "Ibis from Mars" that appeared in Mystery in Space #7 (April/May 1952).

In DC's "Rebirth" era, Ibis was identified as an agent of the Lords of Order. His body was possessed by the Lord named Brother Pattern, via the breastplate of Hoku. (Justice League Dark vol. 2 #8–10, 12)

Appearances of Ibis and Taia