So here we are, with a look at the comic which has perhaps the most infamous, and certainly the most infamously stupid, cover gimmick of the 90s, perhaps of all time.

First, however, let’s go over the circumstances that led comic books to this particular point. Comics had been growing up alongside their audience since the 60s; though once a cheap, throwaway form of entertainment for kids, those same kids had, in increasing numbers, been sticking with the art form as they grew up.

Characters such as Peter Parker started aging too, moving from high school to college to the workplace, at a rate not too dissimilar to the audience. As the readership aged, so too did their access to disposable income, and comics moved from inexpensive, cheaply produced, practically disposable entertainment to relatively costly, impressively produced and highly collectible items.

Publishers absolutely cashed in on this newfound desirability among a growing base of adult fans. Every first issue was sold as a ‘collector’s item’. Every 25th, 50th and  hundredth issue, not to mention each multiple thereof, was sold as a milestone ‘anniversary’ issue. Before long, these special issues were sold with variant covers that fans would spend extra for, hunting down each comic with a different cover despite the contents being identical.

Foil, embossed, hologram, die cut and even glow in the dark covers began appearing, adding to the allure and supposed collectability, and therefore value, of each comic.

Comics sealed in bags with free items also became commonplace; a trading card, for example (with fans needing to purchase multiple comics in order to collect the set of cards), or even a black arm band sporting the Superman logo when the hero’s death became mainstream news.

Of course, it all got way out of hand, and with the comics selling in such large numbers, they weren’t exactly scarce. This was just one factor that led to the bubble bursting, and many of the companies who’d been doing so well during this boom period couldn’t sustain themselves when the bottom fell out of the market.

It might be hard to believe now, but Marvel Comics itself even filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy in the 90s. Of course, it lived to tell the tale, but many publishers weren’t so fortunate.

Anyway, here endeth the lesson; and now you know why The Protectors #5 has a bullet hole right the way through its somewhat grim, graphic and gory cover. It’s not a real bullet hole, for the record; it’s die-cut. Though you might think that’s obvious and something I wouldn’t need to clarify, there is a comic out there which was genuinely shot with actual firearms, resulting in a real bullet hole in each issue (that comic is humour title Jab #6, and it’s one I’m still on the lookout for!).

Truth be told, it was this infamous gimmick that got me reading The Protectors in the first place, so I guess it did its job, albeit 30 years or so too late.

The issue itself is genuinely excellent; though I found the first four issues variable at best, they build issue 5’s story very well indeed, and the story itself is told with a mounting sense of tension and foreboding, especially as we know from the cover that one of the team isn’t going to survive by the end of the issue.

It’s got one hell of a final splash page too; it’s absolutely shocking, even now. Writer R. A. Jones does a fantastic job throughout, with the faulty communicators, seeming like an insignificant detail in previous issues, suddenly becoming a vital plot point that leads to the team losing a member. The Protector who doesn’t survive is, or was, one of the best and most relatable characters from the series up to this point, making it even more of a ballsy move.

What lets it down is that stupid bullet hole, which it seems was a last minute decision on the publisher’s side. No one seems to have told the artist, as the panels are frequently interrupted and obscured by a missing piece of art; I suspect that the companies who paid for advertising must have been absolutely livid when they saw this issue in print too.

It even goes as far as removing a piece of text on the letters page, which seems especially stupid and again reinforces the idea that this wasn’t planned, even shortly before the issue went to print.

It’s even more stupid when you read the comic and realise that the character who dies isn’t even shot by a bullet!

However, The Protectors #5 is a comic that’s still well worth reading, especially as it shows how far comic companies were willing to go to sell their wares in the 90s; not just in terms of the gimmicks, but in terms of more edgy, gritty story material too.

It’s also a fascinating snapshot of a very specific time in comic book history, which is all the more interesting now; having lived through it, and seeing the entire industry rise and fall in real time, it’s incredible to reminisce on just how much fans were caught up in all of this nonsense. Myself included!