"Have no fear, the Man of Bronze is Here". I have read all of the paperbacks, singles and the omnibus books. Great. The Fabulous Five were so cool when I was a kid.
Never read a single Doc Savage comic. I did have up to 80 Doc Savage books until a good portion of my collection was lost in a fire. One of my favorite series along with the Tom Swift Jr. books.
Read a lot of Doc Savage novels ( my dad liked them, so they were always around ) and I LOVED the Bama covers! He was to Doc Savage what Frazetta was to Conan! Good stuff guys!
I love Wild Bill's comment about not knowing his first issue was the title's final issue; that was TOTALLY what it was like to collect in the Bronze Age, you didn't even know what was out there, it was pure blind exploration
There was also the 4-issue mini series from DC by Dennis O’Neil and Joe Kubert, which brought Doc into the modern age (late 80’s) and lead to a short-lived series around the same time as Chaykin’s SHADOW run. Great overview, Gentlemen! 🖖♾
DC also published a 24 issue "Doc Savage" series (with art by the Kubert's) from 1988-1990, along with their "Shadow Strikes" series. The cross-over issues are a blast.
I was given Doc Savage paper backs by a janitor when I was working helping him clean the second floor of high school during my Christmas break from Jr college. When I was stationed in Turkey in 71 I would look for Doc Savage at the store on the base.
I also used to collect those Doc Savage novels. Lester Dent usually used the formula of a seemingly magical or supernatural phenomenon that Doc would solve by detecting the villain using a scientific ruse to fool people. But not all the stories followed that map. His strength, I feel, was his talent at drawing and illustrating vivid characters, like Long Tom, Johnny, Monk, Renny, and Ham. They help[ed fill out the cast of characters and provided a good contrast to relieve the rather wooden and unemotional Doc, who was fascinating as a super- scientist and crimefighting genius, but not the most emotionally accessible character. Anyway, those novels really helped me enjoy long summer nights at home with the windows open and the crickets chirping away while I read about the first Fortress of Solitude, an island where a super-rich villain holds hunting contests with humans as the prey, and other wonderful plotlines.
Doc Savage also appeared in Marvel Two in One #21 if your're trying to collect all appearances. I enjoy the show. I also enjoy your music channel. Keep up the great work!!
@@comicbookgeezers He also appeared in Giant-Size Spider-Man #3. Also, quite importantly, Doc, Monk and Ham appeared in the first Rocketeer story. Doc was the original creator of the rocket pack, unlike the movie.
If memory serves me, there were 181 Doc Savage pulps originally published. Bantam book reprinted all 181 however, an author who's name escapes me right now (I think it was Phillip Jose Farmer), was writing a book about Doc Savage and discovered a Doc Savage novel that was rejected by the original publisher as being too controversial at the time (Doc was sent to Russia to find out if they had an atomic bomb). This one also was printed by Bantam under the name of "The Red Spider" bringing the total up to 182.
Its easy to see and hard to understand after looking at all this art work - the shear number of stories on this character gives this characters everything it takes to become one of the greatest comic characters!! All the ground works done so were are the movies and shows!!!
You forgot or missed the Philip Jose Farmer "Biography" of Doc. He also wrote one about Lord Greystoke (Tarzan). I have had the paperback since sometime in the 1980's.
My introduction to Doc Savage was the early 70s Marvel comics. Ate it up. If you haven't read the Ellis/Cassady series PLANETARY - please do so. Great story (incorporating a lot of golden & silver age heroes, both comic and pulp) and fantastic art. You'll love it. Ellis take on the Doc Savage character is handled in an interesting way. I think you'd enjoy the comic.
I'm still a huge fan of Doc Savage. Have all the Bantam Reprints, all the Marvel B&W, all the Sanctum reprints, the Millenium run, The Gold Key comic, the DC First Wave series, and more! Actually think that the Marvel B&W issues captured Doc as best as they could in the illustrated format. Also have the Philip Jose Farmer take... the Mad Goblin and much more! Thanks for the great 17 minutes of talking about Doc! Of course, you now know the "Rock" starring movie treatment is dead and now they're talking TV SERIES!! EXCITING NEWS!
I had the entire run of Marvel Doc Savage comics, as well as all the Bantam paperbacks. A few things you didn't mention were the Doc Savage comic book runs by Dark Horse, Dynamite and Millennium comics. Also, all the original Doc Savage pulp stories were reprinted in magazine format by Sanctum Books from 2006 to 2016. Thanks for the video!
Great video ! I'm collecting the Doc Savage paperbacks from Bantam. I have noticed that the numbers on the books aren't in chronological order so I have the order sequence that they were originally published in to referred to. Any info on why Bantam didn't publish them in chronological order ?
They were going to make a second movie and Philip Jose Farmer was commissioned to write the story. The story novella is published in his Pearls from Peoria hardcover.
What do you guys think about slabs or variants? I don't think I've seen a vid on how you both met. What do you comic rooms look like? How do wife's and girlfriends deal with you guys collections? You should do an explainer vid. Doc Savage books are great, keep workin guys.
I wont speak for Bill, but myself, I could care less about slabbing books. I still love to read and read my collection, so I'd never consider slabs. As we are mostly fans of older comics, there wasn't a lot of variants back in the day. Kind of cool though how they've done a lot of that in recent years. I like your idea of doing a show on our history together, where we keep out comics, etc. Thanks for that!
@@comicbookgeezers I would also like to know the backstory between you guys. I have NO CLUE where my comic book buddies are. Did y'all get around to making that backstory episode?
Hey guys, great episode, Doc Savage has been one of my favorites since I was a kid, & I was introduced to him by the Ron Ely movie! I don't have any of the colour comics, but I do have a full run of the b&w mags. BTW, if you think DC publishing stories which were originally Marvel is weird, check this story out. Back in 2006/7 I was exclusively contracted to Marvel, at that time, the HEROES tv show was popular & the network wanted comic strips to coincide with the show. I was subcontracted out by Marvel to draw the strips. A couple of years later, DC got the rights to publish the stories in a collected format. So, when I drew the strips originally I was paid by Marvel, but when I get royalties on the collection I get paid by DC.... for the same artwork!! Comics is a funny old game.
Pete, between our common interests in rock/metal/prog music and Doc Savage/Conan/Science Fiction comics, I have to wonder if we have some shared genes somewhere. I've enjoyed your videos both on this channel and on the Sea of Tranquility channel. Keep up the good work!
DC Comics also published Doc Savage books in the late 80's! Denny O'Neil wrote a miniseries drawn by Andy or Adam Kubert, and then did another 20 or so issues on an ongoing with a different artist.
Like Superman he was for truth, justice, and the American way. Like Superman, his first name was Clark. Like Superman he had a Fortress of Solitude at the North Pole. Like Superman he had a female cousin (Pat Savage) who joined him on adventures. Like Green Lantern he had an oath. Like Batman he had a father who passed and was an inspiration. Like Batman he was extremely wealthy. Like Batman he was a great detective and inventor. Stan Lee and Jack Kirby based Dr. Doom on Savage's arch nemesis John Sunlight. Doc Savage was all of these things and more before Superman, Green Lantern, and Batman ever saw print.
In the man of bronze, he was described as 6 foot, 200 pounds. Over average at the time, but not the giant he was described as later. I liked dark horse’s illustrations of him as a younger man, as it captured this image more. Think Bruce Lee build but 4 inches taller and 70 pounds heavier.
I always thought the comic book covers were a little off, in that he was typically in a three piece suit or, after being captured, running around in his underwear!
Lester Dent never wrote the Avenger Kenneth Robinson was a house name I think Paul Ernst created the Avenger because Street&Smith wanted a Shadow /Doc Savage character.
CB Geezers let me know what you think about a 21st century reboot. DS needs a 21st century re-boot. Before you prejudge this let me speak. First a lot of reboots frankly suck and destroy the basic concept of the original. Star Trek Discovery is one and the Star Wars Sequels with Fin, Po, Snoke, Kylo, Rey, et al (in my opinion). What I would do is make DS's family history less pleasant. Also place him on the West Coast, Orange Country California just south of LA. They say it will be a Pacific Century with China possibly being a world class power. Make him a man much like Batman, driven to right wrongs and avoid suffering, except righting the wrongs and avoiding the kind of suffering his family caused and profited by. Rather than his father being a saintly man make him a man that grew rich off of illegal, semi-legal, ethically questionable to flat our just bad business decisions and partnerships. The Savage Securities and Exchange, LLC and associated businesses under his father engaged in drug money laundering, illegal money transfers to sanctioned nations, facialted technology transfer to hostile regimes, and funded projects that propped up repressive regimes. Every dollar and cent of the Savage fortune had lots of dirt and blood on it. Wanting to create a dynasty Savage Sr. beat into his son the importance of not so much might makes right but might is right. Does not matter who is right or wrong but who is left standing. The way of nature, eat or be eaten, kill or be killed. The son by his mid-twenties after seeing the carnage both figuratively and literal his father created turns against his father's wishes and secretly agrees to turn evidence against his father to the authorities. This reaches a finale when Clark Jr. testifies against Clark Sr. in court securing a near life sentence against his father for various crimes. Clark Jr. cuts a deal with the authorities that if they allow him to keep his father's wealth but use it to undo the damage of the father he would turn state's evidence. Thus, allowing him to be rich like Midas and to take something bad and turn it into something good. The public face is the Clark Savage, Jr. Foundation which funded schools in the third world, scholarships for disadvantaged kids in the US (especially in Southern California), water projects in the Southwest, solar panels on lower income family's homes, pays off the medical / student loan / mortgage debt of many Americans, etc. The hidden face would be like in the original DS pulps. A group of dedicated men and women (21st century) each with their particular skill. One would be an ex-CIA agent, another an ex-Diplomat with connections and access, one a computer whiz, another ex-Special Forces Navy Seal, and another an expert pilot in all mechanical craft be it on land or air or sea. There would be a resident Doctor that would make sure each was in tip top physical shape and there to sew them up if needed. The nature of the early 21st century would make modern Doc more open to taking life as a last resort (not too far unlike the old one). Less dead bodies less questions. Doc's special drugs would erase the bad guys short term memories of Doc and team and would convince most to admit their crimes to the proper authorities. 21st Century Doc is less concerned and does not have the time nor resources to "reform" criminals. Also, too many people in is orbit would expose them. Today's Doc would be far more secretive and not an international celebrity. Let me know what you think. DS is copyrighted material so one cannot just change things up. But if he were to appear in the 21st century it would be a Doc of a less innocent background and in a less innocent world (when was it ever really innocent but you get my point). Of course, he would have private jets, helicopters, special cars and boats, a submarine, electric powered ultralights for stealth, gas guns, dart guns, and other gizmos and a mainframe computer that puts the world at his finger tips. Maybe a love interest against his better judgement.
