Pulp's Heroes
From the radio in the 1920s, an eerie voice rang out, captivating the audience with “Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men?”
And from the pages of the pulps came the replies.
“The Master of Men.”
“The Man of Bronze.”
“The Knight of Darkness.”
“The Man of Tomorrow.”
…and a host more. A legion of heroes appeared to evict evil, to rain vengeance, and to terrorize terror itself.
Doc Savage. The Spider. The Phantom Detective. The Avenger. The Black Bat. The Whisperer. Operator #5. Captain Future. The Moon Man.
The Shadow.
Each appeared at the head of a network of agents, supporters, and assistants, delivering vicarious vengeance on behalf of a readership wracked by the lawlessness of Prohibition Chicago and New York. Some, like Doc Savage and his boys, would try rehabilitation, using the purest cutting edge science to convert criminals into citizens. Others would seek a more instant and permanent solution.
The first of these pulp heroes is by far the greatest: The Shadow. His mocking laughter, dark silhouette, red cape, and slouch hat reigned over pulps, comics, and the radio in such a fashion to make today’s ever-present Batman and Marvel Cinematic Universe blush. And in doing so, he set the pattern for the heroes to come. A master of psychology, of science, of stage magic, and misdirection, the Shadow would infuse his mimics with a mastery of gadgetry, of disguise, and of an Eastern-tinged mesmerism. All designed for one purpose: to terrorize terror itself. Justice meted out by twin .45s and, as the censors of radio weighed in, through delicious irony and by the criminals’ own hands.
Let me mention the misdirection once more. Walter Gibson, the writer behind penname Maxwell Grant, was an accomplished magician, as were many of the pulp masters around him—including one Isaac Asimov. Gibson, a prolific pulpster, was just as prolific in writing stage magic books. And he infused the Shadow with that necessary and vital showman’s tool. Some writers would tell their readers to pay no attention to the man behind the curtain; Gibson would instead capture your attention with a colorful mob goon bumbling at the center of the unraveling plot, only to reveal that the goon, who toppled the empire he supposedly served, was no one else—but the Shadow! This penchant for a showman’s presentation, along with false identities, networks of agents, and rough justice, were passed along to the copycats. Even those dark reflections, like Weird Tales’ own Doctor Satan, gleefully plundered from the Shadow.
And then there was the Man of Bronze.
Clark “Doc” Savage, Jr. is a renowned adventurer, scientist, and detective, raised from birth to fight crime by his father. With the help of five war buddies, each an expert in their own field, Doc Savage solves enigmas and super-science mysteries that the various police cannot handle. While he shares some aspects with the Shadow, including a mysterious Central America fortune funding their efforts, Doc Savage is the polar opposite of the Shadow. Where the Shadow is retribution, Doc is rehabilitation. To mysticism and misdirection, the bright light of science. And where the Shadow is filled with the abhorrence of evil, Doc Savage instead relies on his code:
Let me strive, every moment of my life, to make myself better and better, to the best of my ability, that all may profit by it.
Let me think of the right, and lend all my assistance to those who need it, with no regard for anything but justice.
Let me take what comes with a smile, without loss of courage.
Let me be considerate of my country, of my fellow citizens and my associates in everything I say and do.
Let me do right to all, and wrong no man.
And by doing so, this Man of Bronze in his Fortress of Solitude, this Clark, becomes the model for those heroes who would be exemplars instead of avengers, such as Captain Future and, yes, even Superman himself. Today’s superheroes and their movies have a direct link to the pulp heroes of yore.
But DC’s debt to the pulps is a series all of its own.
And there is still life in the pulp hero tale, as recent Shadow, Avenger, Doc Savage, and Spider comics and novels prove, alongside such homages and evolutions as The Destroyer and Dirk Pitt. Perhaps it is no coincidence that, as the streets become unsafe once more, these pulp heroes fuel a pulp revolution, alongside a men’s adventure renaissance, as good men and women dream of fighting back.
Make no mistake, these pulp heroes are back, and slated for the disastrous remakes of this age. Fortunately, their stories are coming back to light from a number of pulp publishers, so fans and new readers alike can enjoy the thrills and the feats of the pulp avengers. And there are some writers who still capture the magic of the 1930s, stemming from a raspy voice declaring that “crime does not pay.”