Doc Savage’s father is mentioned in many of the pulp novels, but only in the context of his strange obsession to turn his son into a superman, trained and equipped to fight the evils of the world. Why would he do such a thing? The concept is intensely extreme…and yet what drove the elder SavageContinue reading “Clark Savage Sr., Idealist or Monster? – Victorian Roots to 20th Century Pulps, Part 2”
Tag Archives: Doc Savage
Straightlaced Savages – Victorian Era roots of 20th century pulps, Part 1
Decades before the 10-cent extravaganzas that were the pulp magazines, the Victorians had Penny Dreadfuls, filled with intense and lurid tales. And it was also a uniquely rich time for novelists and short story tellers like Poe, Stevenson and Stoker, who explored crime and the dark side of human imagination. In real life, Jack theContinue reading “Straightlaced Savages – Victorian Era roots of 20th century pulps, Part 1”
The intimate life of Doc Savage
Intimacy, in the lives of most thoughtful adults, is not just sex. It is a vast and complex landscape that includes affection, bonding, friendship, admiration…a whole host of ways that as human beings, we experience the joys (and sometimes sadness) of touching and being touched. In heroic literature, there are few figures who have aContinue reading “The intimate life of Doc Savage”
Talos Fan Fiction Contest Entry #2 – But Not the Master-Knot of Human Fate
Note from Doc Talos author/contest judge Paul Sardanas: Maxine Vega is an old friend from my days of writing dark poetry that appeared all over the odder corners of the web and in obscure SF anthologies…to my mind, her own poetic talent far eclipses mine. When I told her I was running a fan fictionContinue reading “Talos Fan Fiction Contest Entry #2 – But Not the Master-Knot of Human Fate”
Balancing fun and sophistication – The Inferno Scheme, Part 4
After a masterful buildup, The Inferno Scheme, which appeared in the Marvel magazine Doc Savage #3 (1976) began to unfold its climax. Doc, in the Autogyro, actually wants the mercenaries in the fortress to shoot him down. He has even been circling to make sure they get a clear shot. This (and the clearly-observed parachuteContinue reading “Balancing fun and sophistication – The Inferno Scheme, Part 4”
Balancing Fun and Sophistication: The Inferno Scheme, Part 1
There is an alchemy to strive for in bringing the pleasures of pulp adventure into the 21st century. Part of the pleasure for older readers (of which I am one) in revisiting pulp storytelling is nostalgia. A few are left who fondly remember where they were and what they were doing at a point theyContinue reading “Balancing Fun and Sophistication: The Inferno Scheme, Part 1”
A Feast Unknown: 52 years later – climax and aftermath
Nobody moved. They could not accept what they had seen. And when their senses thawed, they began to realize what they faced. That line from A Feast Unknown could well summarize the experience of reading the novel. It was, in essence, one hammer-blow after another, leaving the reader stunned. This was not just because ofContinue reading “A Feast Unknown: 52 years later – climax and aftermath”
A Feast Unknown: 52 years later – Part 1 of 3
The Philip José Farmer novel A Feast Unknown debuted in 1969, published by Essex House. I’ve told the story before of how I encountered it four years later, in 1973 at age fifteen. At that time I was living in the beach town of Ocean City, Maryland. Strictly speaking, my family was actually homeless, squattingContinue reading “A Feast Unknown: 52 years later – Part 1 of 3”
Doc at the 1939 World’s Fair, Part 4, Farewell to the Fair
Anyone who reads the 1939 Doc Savage novel World’s Fair Goblin will come away with a vivid pulp snapshot of a special time and place in history. In the wonderful book 1939: The Lost World of the Fair by David Gelernter (The Free Press, 1995), there is this opening description about the impact of theContinue reading “Doc at the 1939 World’s Fair, Part 4, Farewell to the Fair”
Doc and the 1939 World’s Fair, Part 2
I had, since first encountering the Doc Savage novel World’s Fair Goblin, daydreamed vividly about going to the Fair. A place of wonders…the World of Tomorrow. As a lover of literature, I was quite moved to see that the site of the Fair was the same place F. Scott Fitzgerald had written of with suchContinue reading “Doc and the 1939 World’s Fair, Part 2”
Doc Talos 