Big Shot Comics #1 is the debut issue of Columbia Comics' flagship Golden Age anthology, published on-sale the week of April 14–20, 1940, with a May 1940 cover date at $0.10. The 68-page full-color issue contains both original superhero features and syndicated newspaper-strip reprints: the lead story features the first appearance and origin of Skyman [Allan Turner], a scientifically perfected aviator-hero who fights crime from a high-tech airplane called the Wing, created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Ogden Whitney; the first appearance of The Face [Tony Trent], a radio announcer who dons a grotesque green horror mask to terrify criminals, created by Mart Bailey; and the first appearance of Marvelo, Monarch of Magicians, a turban-wearing spell-caster created by Fred Guardineer. Also beginning their series runs in this issue are Spy-Master (The Cloak), Rocky Ryan, and Tom Kerry, District Attorney — all original characters. The McNaught Syndicate newspaper strips Joe Palooka (Ham Fisher), Charlie Chan, and Dixie Dugan, plus The Bungle Family, round out the 68-page package. The cover by Ogden Whitney depicts Skyman in a dynamic aviation scene with supporting character vignettes.

Columbia Comics Corporation entered the field in April 1940 with Big Shot Comics #1, a series debut with an impressive array of creative talent, assembled by editor Vin Sullivan. Sullivan had been the foundational DC Comics editor who acquired Superman for Action Comics #1 and asked Bob Kane to develop a superhero character for Detective Comics — leading to Batman. After leaving National/DC in 1940, Sullivan tapped his industry contacts for Columbia, bringing in Gardner Fox, Creig Flessel, Fred Guardineer, Ogden Whitney, and others to build Big Shot's roster. The publisher was a partnership between Sullivan, the McNaught Newspaper Syndicate, and the Frank Jay Markey Syndicate — giving the title access to established newspaper-strip properties alongside its original superheroes.

Today, Big Shot Comics #1 is a significant Golden Age key issue for two overlapping reasons. As the first appearance of both Skyman and The Face, it carries genuine key-issue status: Overstreet 2020 VG 4.0 value is listed at $600, with a high-water auction price of $2,390 for an 8.5 graded copy (February 2018), and the CGC census as of mid-2021 recorded 16 total copies, making it a genuinely scarce book. Equally interesting is the editorial backstory — Sullivan's role in acquiring Superman and developing Batman at DC has been widely noted by comics historians, and Big Shot #1 is his first major creative contribution after leaving the company that launched the superhero genre. The full run of 104 issues is in the public domain in the United States and freely accessible through Comic Book Plus and Digital Comic Museum.