(1933) (1934) (1935) (1936) (1937) (1938) (1939) (1940) (1941) (1942) (1943) (1944) (1945) (1946) (1947) (1948) (1949)
Moving (glacially) along with the Doc Savage covers:
From previous posts, you already know:
- I'm going through all 181 Street & Smith pulps (by year of pulp publication) and their corresponding Bantam reprints. (The pulps were originally published between 1933 and 1949, and the reprints between 1964 and 1990.)
- Emery Clarke and Walter Baumhofer painted the lion's share of pulp covers, and James Bama and Bob Larkin did most of the paperback artwork. (And of course, Lester Dent did most of the writing.)
- Plot blurbs you see are from the reprints--the pulps had little three or four word blurbs on their covers--and slightly longer ones inside under the story's title--but nothing as blurb-tastic as those the reprints came up with later.
- As far as commentary goes, I'm not doing a ton of it for each cover, but whenever something catches my fancy, I (usually can't help but) mention it.
- You can click through most covers to see larger versions, using your browser's back button or a keyboard shortcut to get yourself back to the full post.
An aside: Last night I spur-of-the-moment-ly pulled out my (recently acquired) Bantam copy of Cold Death and--between last night and this morning--gave it a read. If you've read 1936's post, you know I waxed on about that 1968 Bantam cover's diesel locomotive--would it have been accurate to the 1936 story, did that type of engine actually exist in the mid thirties or would the story have featured a steam locomotive, etc.
Well, I'm sorry to say my re-read of the story has shined very little light on the situation. Dent doesn't mention what type of engine is pulling the train in-story. I researched the train's mentioned schedule name (it was the "Washington to New York Express"), and found there were a couple of real-life trains with that schedule name running between those cities in the mid-thirties.
Those trains were definitely being pulled by diesel engines in the photos I found of them online, but said photos were all late-nineteen-forties-onward and whose to say the same lines weren't running streamlined steam locomotives ten or fifteen years earlier when the story was originally written? As far as I could tell, diesel locomotives were pulling passenger trains at the time, but there were also plenty of steam locomotives in service too, and none of the write-ups I saw broke things down enough for me to tell what type was running when.
In the story, a "youthful fireman" is awed and impressed as Doc swings up into the engine's cab. Now, a fireman was what they called the guy who shoveled coal into a steam locomotive's firebox to keep its boiler hot. "Must be a steam engine after all," I'm thinking. But a few minutes later I'd read online the term "fireman" became a title used to describe an assistant engineer, steam engine or no steam engine, after diesel locomotives became more popular.
So I don't know, guess the jury's still out on what kind of engine Dent was envisioning when he wrote the story in 1936, and whether Bantam's 1968 cover was accurate to that or not. I'm sure a vintage train aficionado would have no trouble at all setting me straight, but until one of them reads this or the previous Doc Savage post and comments accordingly, we shall not know.
Okay. Moving on to 1937.
You'll notice the covers are back to being side by side, despite the extra work involved to get them that way--I just like the look better than Blogger's top to bottom way of doing things. Of course, if you're reading this on a mobile device, Blogger is giving you a top to bottom view regardless of how I've set things to look on a desk- or laptop. Nothing to be done about that.
So on we go.
Land of Long JuJu (January 1937 and April 1970) by Laurence Donovan
The ruthless power of The Shimba threatened to overthrow the good and gentle ruler of an African kingdom — and destroy forever the line of succession. Until the mighty Man of Bronze smashed the jungle menace and solved its terrible secret!
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| Artist: Robert George Harris | Artist: James Bama |
Hmm. Nothing new in the author/artist departments as we start the year off, here, although Donovan has stepped in for Dent again. And I notice there's a slight bit of re-titling between the two printings. (Either that or someone at Bantam somehow turned the original title's last word into two words by mistake.) Regardless of the how or why, Street & Smith's "JuJu" became Bantam's "Ju Ju."
As for the covers themselves, neither strikes me dead, mostly because in spite of my being a towering Tarzan fan, I'm not big on jungle adventures in general (go figure). But if I had to choose, I'd go with Harris's pulp cover: I like the movement going on there--less static than the reprint's cover art. Ol' Doc is on the defensive, that African warrior is poised to strike, and I like that you can see a bit of the plane Doc's just hopped out of--all comes together and gives the cover a little more life than Bama's.
The Derrick Devil (February 1937 and July 1973) by Lester Dent
A mysterious jellylike creature is terrorizing the Indian Dome Oil Field! The Man of Bronze and his five fantastic aides descend upon Oklahoma to do battle with dastardly Tomahawk Tant — and uncover the infernal secret of the weird monster from the depths of the earth.
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| Artist: Robert George Harris | Artist: Fred Pfeiffer |
Heh. Doc and his aides descend upon Oklahoma. Dunno why that strikes me as funny, but it does. Feels like I should be hearing the Movie-Soundtrack-Dire-Warning-Tuba just after: Dunh-Dunh-Dunh!
Anyway, I'm going with pulp art, here too. While Bama's artwork definitely covers (no pun intended maybe just a tiny one) all the story elements--you got your derrick, your requisite jellylike creature and your Man of Bronze--nothing really (other than it being a Doc Savage adventure) says "pick me up and buy me--I'll thrill you to within an inch of your life!"
And the pulp cover doesn't really say that either, but it at least says "Buy me for a little 'unearthly menace,' and to find out what happens to Doc and his valiant female companion." And that works for me, well enough. Once more, it's the color vibrancy and the movement going on with the pulp cover that has me going for it. Sometimes the Bantam Minimal Palette thing wins out, even next to an exciting and colorful pulp cover, but not with this set (or the one before it).
The Mental Wizard (March 1937 and October 1970) by Lester Dent
The massive creature — a mile from head to toe! — sleeps in the steaming jungle. Is the behemoth real, or has the golden enchantress “Z” conquered the magnificent Man of Bronze with the hypnotic power of her superhuman mind? Doc Savage meets his mental match when he uncovers the strange lost kingdom of the deadly Amazon.
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| Artist: Robert George Harris | Artist: James Bama |
Yep. Goin' with the pulp again, but this time it's by a much slimmer margin. I really like that Bama Doc pose--pretty iconic. And the giant statue lying behind him is visually interesting (even if not remotely "a mile from head to toe"). And while this Harris pulp is not one of his strongest (according to my Personal-Interest-O-Meter), it still comes off as more interesting and entertaining than the reprint does. Bombs-a-hurling and so on. So yeah.
The Terror in the Navy (April 1937 and February 1969) by Lester Dent
A bizarre dictator unleashes a deadly force against the United States Navy: the mightiest vessels in the U.S. armada are sunk; warplanes are pulled from the clouds; and Doc Savage’s impenetrable sky fortress is ripped from the stratosphere! And the brash, strutting BRAUN demands one hundred million dollars in ransom from a nation in chaos. Only the Man of Bronze dares challenge the crushing power of this phantom force!
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| Artist: Robert George Harris | Artist: James Bama |
Ooh, things are heatin' up for both publishers, here in April. Two pretty nice covers, I think. As always, nice color-pop going on with the pulp--not a ton of action, but plenty of intrigue and tension in that scene. I like the ships in the background too. Nice detail. But oh, the mayhem afoot in that Bantam cover! That is something to behold. Wow. That's most definitely a pick-me-up-and-buy-me cover, amiright? Worth the click-through to see it close up. (Gowan, do it! You know you want to!)
So what's up with Doc's "impenetrable sky fortress"? Been too long since I read this one to remember what that actually refers to, but I'm getting visions of Nick Fury's Helicarrier in my head. Don't have a copy of this one to flip through and refresh myself on what a Doc Savage Sky Fortress in fact is. (Damn.)
Mad Eyes (May 1937 and March 1969) by Lawrence Donovan
Suddenly the air was filled with a thousand glistening reptiles. Suddenly Doc Savage became the cruelest of mass murderers. Suddenly the world was threatened with extinction by the contamination of its water supply. In the space of twenty-four hours the Earth became a seething storm of agony as the menace of the slithering madness struck in all its fury!
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| Artist: Robert George Harris | Artist: James Bama |
Okay. This cover blurb ROCKS. Not only am I loving that incredibly gratuitous use of the word "suddenly," not only is the promise of glistening reptiles, mass murderers and the threat of extinction totally egging me on, but the phrase "a seething storm of agony" is downright bringing me to my knees. Oh man, blurb-writing-man was in rare form that day.
And both these covers are pretty groovy to boot. Love the lighting on that pulp cover! A creepy cave, Double Doc Danger, and the requisite woman in a red dress (pretty sure it was a law that 90% of all pulp covers featuring damsels required said damsel to be wearing red) all combine to make the pulp cover a standout. And creepy floating Mad Eyes Guy on that Bama cover is, well, creepy! Wish the Bama cover was a little less muddy. I wonder if the original art was any brighter? I'll bet it was.
Over all, the pulp cover wins out for me here. (Way to go, Harris!) Oh, and Donovan's at the typewriter this time around as well.
Land of Fear (June 1937 and November 1973) by Harold A. Davis & Lester Dent
The skeleton death awaits all who come in contact with those from the land of fear — and the Man of Bronze is not immune. He and his dauntless allies pursue the mystery from New York to Africa, doing battle with Greens Gordon all the way.
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| Artist: Robert George Harris | Artist: Fred Pfeiffer |
"Greens Gordon." Heh. Slight name change here, too: Bantam added "the" to the pulp's title (woo!). Harold Davis, who we've seen before, likely ghosted this one for Dent with Dent doing extensive rewrites (far as I can tell, that's what's going on when both he and another author are listed).
So it's weird that last month's pulp featured a Doc twin on its cover, and this month's Bantam has one. You wouldn't think they'd publish two stories in a row with Doc Doubles, would you? And no mention of a double in this one's blurb. Hmm. Dunno.
Anyway, I like this Bantam cover. Nothing very skeleton-y about it, but I like the general feel it has. Alas, clear winner with the pulp (again!), this time. You pretty much can't go wrong with a gun-wielding skeleton on a cover, amiright? That's just awesome, no bones about it. (Hah!)
He Could Stop the World (July 1937 and November 1970) by Lawrence Donovan
The world was imperiled by a terrifying, malevolent force that had the power to change men’s minds. Even Doc Savage’s own men willingly deserted him when struck by the waves of the Mind Changing Monster. High in the Sierras, he lived in an incredible fortress — ruthless, omnipotent, preparing to rule the world. But he hadn’t reckoned on the superhuman powers of the Man of Bronze.
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| Artist: Robert George Harris | Artist: James Bama |
You know, I love giants: stories about giants, pictures of giants, movies about giants. Not a fan of people being small-ified though--never have been. I don't remember if this story actually has Doc's crew meeting up with sundry gigantic things, or if they themselves have been shrunk down to doll-size. Pulp makes it look like the latter. Even so, it's a reasonably hip cover. Cooler than Bama's scene, which doesn't have much going on in it at all.
And it now strikes me I've had wildly differing measuring sticks for these covers, depending on the post, to this point. This time around I'm all about the vivid colors and action (pulps), but I remember in previous posts getting excited about the moodiness and limited palettes of those reprints. That's what happens when you're me I guess. You bounce around as the mood strikes you.
Do I contradict myself?
Very well then I contradict myself;
(I am large, I contain multitudes.)
Ost / The Magic Island (August 1937 and July 1977) by Lester Dent
By night, a fabulous city floats like a phosphorescent fantasy over the watery waste of the Pacific. The awestruck sailors who witness this miraculous sight find themselves gifted suddenly with superhuman powers. But by morning the phantasm — and its magic — have mysteriously vaporized. Stranger still, why are a certain crime kingpin and beautiful but ruthless heiress fascinated by the unearthly event? To come up — alive — with an answer, the Man of Bronze will need all his incredible cunning and towering strength.
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| Artist: Robert George Harris | Artist: Bob Larkin |
Oh-ho! Plenty to mention here! First off, we've got a real change-of-title going on. ...I wonder why? Ost wasn't catchy enough for late-70s hep-cats? I think that's a fine title, myself. Its obscurity and weirdness draw me in. But maybe Bantam thought the masses would be better hooked by promise of a magical, mysterious island. Either one gets the job done, I suppose.
And hey! This is Bob Larkin's very first Bantam Doc cover! How cool is that? I'm a big Bob Larkin fan (you can see some of his work here), and this reprint cover gets points just for being his. It's an interesting cover in its own right--I like the symmetry; I like Doc's overall pose and that fingers-outstretched hand in particular; I don't care much for his ultra-low widow's peak--that thing is almost joining up with his eyebrows. Although, a quick look back shows me pretty much everybody's been painting that peak in pretty low, but it being this low just looks silly to me. Still, cool cover.
And the Bantam cover's symmetry is mirroring the architecture we see in Harris's pulp as well, which is a nice callback. I of course like the color and action going on with the pulp; and those wee blue men who seem not to have lower torsos are cool, too. Hmm. If I had to choose a preference between these two (and I do)... think I'd go with... hmm, they're both nice.
Going with the Bantam, though. Had to be done. It's a slim lead, but I really like the iconic-ness of Larkin's cover. Yay, Bantam! First (no, second) time I've sided with Bantam this whole post. Which thought makes me have to go back right now and...
(..............................)
...find out how I've sided between pulp and reprint in the previous posts:
Huh. Surprised myself. I'd have thought I was preferring the reprints overall so far, and that this year's pulp covers were an anomaly. Turns out, from a total of 46 covers (10 in 1933, and 12 each in 1934, 1935 and 1936), I've sided 25 times with the pulp cover and 21 with the reprint. (Not that I stated a clear preference in every instance--more often than not I didn't--but in those cases I just made a quick decision for counting purposes.) At any rate, I seem to be fairly evenly divided, with just a slight propensity for the pulps overall.
Good to know. (Or is that yet again a tidbit only interesting to me?)
The Feathered Octopus (September 1937 and May 1970) by Lester Dent
Lured into a trap by a bogus appeal to his sense of goodness, Doc Savage saw a dangerous plot to gain control of all the world’s airlines. But the monstrous financial manipulator High Lar, his wife Lo Lar and their gang hadn’t counted on the superhuman strength and cunning of the Man of Bronze to uncover their evil plan!
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| Artist: Robert George Harris | Artist: James Bama |
Okay, Bantam Doc really needs to learn to use a bathing suit. Jumping into the ocean fully clothed is just not the best idea. Two nice covers here though, yeah? Points to the pulp for its more heated action and the fact that Harris's Doc actually looks like he's underwater, holding his breath. Looks like those bubbles next to Bama Doc's head might have been an afterthought. Plus I like Harris's octopus better. But like I say--both nice covers.
Repel / The Deadly Dwarf (October 1937 and September 1968) by Lester Dent
Cadwiller Olden was only three feet tall, but he was the most dangerous man on Earth. With his legion of brutal giants, and control of REPEL — a massive, devastating energy force — the murderous midget began an all-out assault against the defenseless bastions of the free nations. As the entire world huddles in fear, Doc Savage battles against the bizarre doll criminal, and the unleashed fury of his deadly tool of destruction, REPEL!
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| Artist: Robert George Harris | Artist: James Bama |
Okay. Another title-change here, obviously. (I'm preferring the original title, myself.) And that Bama cover is decent (a piss-poor scan but best I could come up with), but not holding a candle to the pulp for me. I realize it's a diving suit and speargun on Harris's cover, but it strikes that 1930s and 40s pulp-mag-spaceman chord that I love so much--it's almost giving me goosebumps. And really, if you took that water away Doc could be holding a ray gun, climbing around the inside of a golden age rocket ship, amiright? Extremely cool.
The Sea Angel (November 1937 and June 1970) by Lester Dent
One by one, the biggest wheeler-dealers in the financial world of New York mysteriously disappeared, never to be seen or heard of again — brutally gobbled up by The Silver Ogre. Until the Man of Bronze took up the eerie trail when the next victim was one of Doc’s own men!
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| Artist: Robert George Harris | Artist: James Bama |
Alright, who's gonna tell me that Bama's cover is not way cooler than its pulp counterpart? I mean, that's a nice figure study that Harris has done--nice we finally get to see Doc's unobscured pulp-era musculature in all its glory--but c'mon, that titular Sea Angel Bama has going is awesome.
You know, I had to double check this was the right blurb for the book--nothing about a Sea Angel at all, and with it calling out what seems to be a completely different villain/monster, I wasn't sure. But yep, that's what The Sea Angel's back cover points out--The Silver Ogre.
The Golden Peril (December 1937 and December 1970) by Harold A. Davis / Lester Dent
Few had known of the ancient Mayan kingdom which provided Doc Savage with billions of dollars in precious gold to finance his unceasing fight against evil. Threatened by The Leader and his international band of cutthroat warriors, the amazing Man of Bronze cunningly battles for the financial security and future peace of the entire world.
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| Artist: Robert George Harris | Artist: James Bama |
And winding things up for the year with a return "to the scene of [Doc's] first adventure." Meh. Neither of these covers is flying my kite too high. Bama Doc looks like he's ready to kick ass and take names, though. If I had to pick a favorite from these two, it'd probably be the reprint for that very reason.
And I think this is the end of the line for Harris--last cover he did for the magazine. I'm looking back and really like several of the 14 he did in total, but my absolute favorite has to be his cover for Mad Eyes. Love the vibrancy of that thing.
Okay, I think that might do it for 1937. (1938 awaits, perhaps even looms....)
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