Doc Savage and the Shadow return to print

Post by **doc** » June 23, 2006, 01:29:41 PM

The Shadow and Doc Savage are returning to thrill fans old and new. Anthony Tollin has acquired the license to reprint the original Shadow and Doc Savage pulp novels, and will be publishing trade paperback reprints in partnership with Nostalgia Ventures, Inc., a leader in the field of radio and television nostalgia. These Shadow and Doc Savage volumes are officially licensed by Condé Nast, the owner of the famous properties. "This is a dream come true for me," proclaims Anthony Tollin, the former DC Comics professional who is also a leading pulp and radio historian. Tollin co-authored Walter B. Gibson's The Shadow Scrapbook in 1979, and has long desired to get Gibson's Shadow novels back in print. "We're reissuing the classic pulp stories with the original covers and interior art, with the type reset for clarity. We're initially releasing the stories in a double-novel format. Our first volume, already at the printers, reprints Walter Gibson's 'Crime, Insured' and 'The Golden Vulture,' a Shadow novel that Lester Dent wrote in 1932 that was later revised by Gibson and published in 1938. This is the Shadow novel that won Lester Dent the Doc Savage contract. Our first story, 'Crime, Insured' is recognized as Walt Gibson's greatest action thriller, in which a criminal organization penetrates The Shadow's operation and captures his major agents, and The Shadow is trapped as the entire New York underworld invades his sanctum." This series of trade paperbacks is the first licensed publication of The Shadow novels in 22 years, and the first authorized reprinting of the original Doc Savage pulp novels in 15 years. The Shadow Magazine debuted in 1931 and launched the 1930s hero-pulp boom, inspiring dozens of characters including the Phantom Detective, the Spider, the Avenger and the Green Lama. Bob Kane and Bill Finger cited The Shadow as a major influence on the creation of Batman, while Clark Savage Jr., the Man of Bronze, was a major influence on the creation and development of Clark Kent, the Man of Steel. "If Street & Smith had not published The Shadow and Doc Savage, there might never have been any Superman or Batman," observes popular-culture historian Will Murray, who collaborated with Lester Dent on seven posthumous Doc Savage novels. "Between them, Walter Gibson and Lester Dent created the archetype of the superhero, and most of the fiction formulas and trappings of the eternal battle between superhero and supervillain that has come to dominate popular culture in the last 75 years. I like to call Lester Dent 'the Father of the Superhero' because, while Superman and Batman had other influences, both borrowed liberally from Doc Savage, the original owner of the Fortress of Solitude."

Post by **Robert_Moriyama** » June 23, 2006, 05:01:37 PM

The funny thing is that Doc used brain surgery to turn bad guys into productive (maybe not too bright, but productive) members of society, and everybody thought that was just swell. Contrast that with the mayhem in a recent Justice League of America story arc where it was revealed that the League had wiped the memories of a number of villains who had discovered the secret identities of several members (and "suggested" that Catwoman should use her talents for good instead of fun and profit). Villains who regained their memories were unamused (homicidally so), and some of the Leaguers were not that much happier. On another note: Which movie adaptation was more palatable: the George Pal 'Doc Savage', starring Ron (Tarzan) Ely, or the Alec Baldwin version of 'The Shadow'? Robert M.

Post by **doc** » June 23, 2006, 07:54:53 PM

Pardon me while I whoop with joy and dance the Snoopy Dance of long-awaited-pleasures-finally-come-to-pass!!!!! Grin

Doc *and* the Shadow back in print? Oh! I love this timeline!

Yes! Yes! Yes!!! Yes! Yes!! Oh my God, YES!!!!!

You know I posted this here primarily for you? :)

Which movie adaptation was more palatable:

the George Pal 'Doc Savage', starring Ron (Tarzan) Ely,

or

the Alec Baldwin version of 'The Shadow'?

Or shall we admit the larger truth: they were both masterpieces next to the Billy Zane adaptation of "The Phantom"?

Aphelion

Doc Savage and the Shadow return to print

Doc Savage and the Shadow return to print

Re: Doc Savage and the Shadow return to print

Re: Doc Savage and the Shadow return to print