“Lester Dent died thinking his name and works belonged to a pulp past destined to be forgotten. Just a year before his passing, he scoffed at the mention of his old Doc Savage novels, saying, “They would be so outdated today that they would undoubtedly be funny. Hell, when I wrote them, an airplane that could fly 200 miles per hour was science fiction. They would be of no interest any more.” Five years after his death, Bantam Books released three Doc novels to test a market in which pulp reprints of Edgar Rice Burroughs’ Tarzan of the Apes were selling briskly. Thanks in part to James Bama’s powerful monochromatic covers, Doc Savage sales surged and surged until millions of copies were sold, making “Kenneth Robeson” one of the best-selling authors of the 1960s—a posthumous vindication which, for all his imaginative powers, Lester Dent himself never envisioned.”
Not only did his works survive, they inspired pulp creators of new generations. Never believe that your work has no value, or will fade and disappear with time. If you strive to capture the human spirit in strength, mystery, complexity and hope, your creations will live on.
“Doc Talos Cityscape” portrait by R. Paul Sardanas, modeled in pre-AI 1999 vintage Poser, with finishes in Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, and hand painting.
Doc Talos 