Consume All Media! Superman: "The Bulleteers"

Joe Heath is a big fan of comic books and watching things in order. So they made this spreadsheet containing every serial, short, film, television episode, commercial, motion comic, and web series based on a comic book. Now they're watching them all. Previously, Joe watched an animated short about a giant dino. This time, they continue with a Superman animated short about a really cool car.

Superman: “The Bulleteers” - 8:01 (Available on YouTube.)

Film Info

Release date: March 27th, 1942

Studio: Paramount Pictures

Written by Bill Turner & Carl Meyer

Based on the National/DC Comics character Superman created by Jerry Siegel & Joe Shuster

Produced by Max Fleischer

Directed by Dave Fleischer

Writer Highlights

Bill Turner

Other comic book media credits: Writing previous Superman animated short The Arctic Giant (1942) & further Superman animated shorts Volcano (1942), Japoteurs (1942), & Eleventh Hour (1942)

Carl Meyer (1894-1972)

Other comic book media credits: Writing further Superman animated shorts The Magnetic Telescope (1942), Volcano (1942), Japoteurs (1942), Eleventh Hour (1942), & Secret Agent (1943)

Producer Highlights

Max Fleischer (1883-1972)

Other comic book media credits: Previous Superman animated shorts Superman (1941), The Mechanical Monsters (1941), Billion Dollar Limited (1942), The Arctic Giant (1942), & further Superman animated shorts The Magnetic Telescope (1942), Electric Earthquake (1942), Volcano (1942), & Terror on the Midway (1942)

Director Highlights

Dave Fleischer (1894-1979)

Other comic book media credits: Previous Superman animated short Superman (1941), The Mechanical Monsters (1941), Billion Dollar Limited (1942), The Arctic Giant (1942), & further Superman animated shorts The Magnetic Telescope (1942), Electric Earthquake (1942), Volcano (1942), & Terror on the Midway (1942)

A bullet car crashes through a building and the bulleteers say they will destroy more if the mayor doesn’t pay up.

The mayor fortifies the city and says “We won’t be intimidated by criminal threats.” If that sounds familiar, it’s because that audio clip was regularly used in Cartoon Network’s Toonami promos.

The bullet car crashes through a power generator and the power goes haywire all over the city.

Lois goes to get the story, leaving Clark behind. So he once again changes into Superman in a phone booth.

Also, there’s a weird animation error where his “S” flips for a half-second.

Up in the sky! Look! It’s a dird! It’s a qlane! It’s... ƧUPERMAN! (Or maybe the first appearance of Bizarro?)

Lois’s car gets buried in some rubble caused by the bullet car. Superman flies in and rescues her.

Superman grabs onto the rocket car, but it crashes into the treasury building and Superman gets buried in some rubble of his own.

As the bulleteers break into the treasury, Lois sneaks into the bullet car and beats the controls with a wrench.

Get ‘em, Lois.

I assume she just had the wrench on her. She seems like that kind of gal.

However, the bulleteers catch her and the flying bullet car takes off with her inside.

Superman frees himself from the rubble, leaps onto the bullet car, and peels it open like a can opener.

Superman pulls out Lois and the bulleteers. He lets the car crash.

Lois gets the scoop. Clark tips his hat at the camera.

Should you watch it, though? A little less exciting than the others, but still fun. Also, did I mention that Lois destroys things with a wrench?

Also, the bullet car makes an appearance as a trophy of sorts in the 2008 animated film Superman: Doomsday.

I guess Supes must have restored it?

Tune in next time as we take a break from cartoons and smash some spies in the 1942 serial Spy Smasher!

A version of this article was previously published on The Dipp.

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