Upcoming in June of 2023 is the Doc Talos book “Annihilation”, which on the surface is a re-imagining of the classic Doc Savage pulp novel “The Annihilist”…but in actuality takes the basic premise of the original into a far more challenging cultural landscape. Set not in the 1930’s but in the period from 1968-1972, it dives deep into the cultural zeitgeist of that time, using the focal point of the Doc Savage “crime college” to explore the nature of criminal insanity (both of individuals and of society as a whole).
Below is the Foreword from the book, which looks at some of the building blocks of history and philosophy — pop culture in the form of comics and music quite prominent among them — that went into the crafting of this tale.
Doc Talos 
Interesting take. Well researched.
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Thanks Jeff. Sometimes in creating the Doc Talos stories a premise feels like it needs to not only plunge into pop/pulp themes, but explore troubled places in the psyche of both individuals and society. For better or worse, that’s where “Annihilation” goes…and among its sometimes-chilling pages, I hope there is hope to be found as well.
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I was about 11 when I started reading Doc, with no knowledge of the ills of society. I didn’t give the College any deeper thought than I did Doc’s training or his Fortress of Solitude. He will always be seen in the golden glow of childhood by me. So I can’t look back and see say that he was wrong: I take him at his word and he does not do wrong. he makes mistakes but he never knowingly does wrong. But you’re doing your version of him, and anything goes. Good luck with the book.
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That same glow still holds true for me…and even in this tale, there is no doubt that Doc is a good, caring man. He questions himself, but that is something all truly good people do. His last words in the story are a kind of secular benediction and dedication to his life goal of alleviating pain and suffering among those he encounters…he will question, yes, but will always base his actions on that goal. Thanks for your good wishes for the book! It probably raises more questions than any book can answer, but I have faith in the answers people will find for themselves.
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