We here at BOOKGASM have nothing but love for the pulps. And on the rare chance a book comes out dealing with the pulp authors and their adventures, even better. That book is Paul Malmont’s THE CHINATOWN DEATH CLOUD PERIL, probably the best book of 2006 for me. Hell, I actually bought a copy in hardcover – something I rarely do. But don’t just take my word for it: Read our editor Rod’s official review and his interview with Malmont.

Onto my usual blabbing: I’ve been meaning to do a column just staring the two of the bigger pulp heroes and after reading PERIL, I felt it was time. I grew up reading various Doc Savage omnibuses, which were popular back in the day, but never got exposed to the Shadow stories until now. I’m kicking myself for that fact. These four books below were written by the original writers Walter Gibson and Lester Dent (and, yes, I know that Maxwell Grant and Kenneth Robeson were house author names).

But if you read PERIL, you may be saying, “Hey, what about those other authors that are prominent in it?” They won’t be covered and here are the short answers why: I read all of H.P. Lovecraft’s work during high school; this is not a sci-fi column, so that counts out Robert Heinlein; and L. Ron Hubbard was just a hack who thought religion was a better way to make money. And was right.

THE SHADOW: HIDDEN DEATH by Maxwell Grant – Long before Batman was solving crimes, there was another enigmatic figure all in black and hidden away: The Shadow, aka Lamont Cranston. From 1932, HIDDEN DEATH starts out with a mysterious note arriving at a police station, telling of a person that is dead, yet revealing only his initials and that he was just the first of many murders to come. The police are baffled and it’s up to Det. Joe Cardona and Prof. Rodger Biscayne to solve. But The Shadow is there lurking and hiding, usually a few steps ahead of the police. The homicides get more frustrating and the notes keep coming.

This is pulp at its best, folks, plain and simple. You have an eccentric genius behind the whole scheme, the whole crime world laying in wait to take out The Shadow and bizarre contraptions to boot – what else could a pulp reader need? Well, sorry: No girls are even mentioned in this book. I really did not know what to expect from HIDDEN DEATH and was just loving every page of this tale. The Shadow really is just Batman without the flashy car or the weird villains. He seems to have a mind up there with Sherlock Holmes. I’m glad I never sold off the few Shadow paperbacks I have that have been collecting dust.

THE SHADOW: THE DEATH GIVER by Maxwell Grant – Another tale about the man who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men. From 1933, THE DEATH GIVER opens with Det. Cardona investigating three mysterious deaths (I guess people used to just drop like flies back in the day) meant as warnings to wealthy businessman in a bizarre blackmail operation, run by a man who calls himself Thade the Death Giver. (I mean, is this guy fronting a black metal band in Norway or something?)

Thade has control over people, acquiring henchmen by blackmail also and showing what happens if you cross him. It’s not a pretty sight being left in a glass coffin, slowly being poisoned over time. The Shadow has his crew of informers doing some of the leg work, and one of them runs into a henchman who thinks he’ll take care of this intruder by using an item Thade gave them to protect themselves. But lo and behold, the item actually is designed to kill the henchmen. Using his master of disguise abilities, The Shadow takes the place of an upcoming target, and also learns of Thades’ master plan to be the biggest example of how much of a death giver he can be.

I won’t ruin it for you, but some smart folks will get this: death by Lawrence Welk stage props. (And I’m not talking about an accordion.) The only minor complaint I have about this book is that the cover shot does not take place at all. Sucking me in with a half-naked women and a guy wearing a gas mask with a blowtorch and then denying me that is cheap, but at least that snazzy/manipulative cover is done by none other then Jim Steranko.

DOC SAVAGE: THE SPOOK LEGION by Kenneth Robeson – The best way to describe a Doc Savage book: Imagine Reed Richards a little stronger, but without stretching abilities. That’s the mighty Doc Savage and his trusted gang of five (even if it always seems that only two hang around). In 1935’s THE SPOOK LEGION, Doc, Ham and Monk are a bit stumped, as Doc receives a bizarre telegram sent by no one. This leads him to take a plane from Boston and run into a group of men looking for something mysterious. These guys are lead by Telegraph Edmunds, so named due to the fact he can communicate with the slightest of gestures.

That I have to hand to Lester Dent: He always comes up with interesting names. It seems Telegraph has discovered a way to make his gang (or “spooks,” as he calls them) invisible. The gang goes on a crime spree, even framing Doc in the process; in the course of the book, Doc and Monk both go invisible for a good portion of the book. That requires them to be naked, so just think: Most of the men in this story are running around naked while committing crimes. That’s just plain bizarre. I mean, where do the hide the jewels or money? Yes, there are scenes of things floating around – oooh, scary! – but it mainly played to throw off the victims. This is just pure fun and escapism, an above-average adventure to make the time fly by, so break open a Doc Savage book and just enjoy the non-stop ride.

DOC SAVAGE: THE CZAR OF FEAR by Kenneth Robeson – In 1933, Doc Savage was on the run from the law in THE CZAR OF FEAR, one of the first tales that would deal with the subject and it’s a great one. It opens with a trio of people – Alice and Jim Cash and Aunt Nora – on their way to contact Doc for some help. But along the way, they hear a mysterious green bell., which we find out means someone is going to be killed or made insane. With their car out of gas, Jim goes to fetch some, and this is the last they will see of him.

The story then switches to New York City, where some loathsome types think they can pull a fast one over Doc by hiring him as a goon for The Green Bell. Yeah, that’s the enemy’s name: The Green Bell. As hard as they try, they fail, with Doc figuring them for liars. At the same time, Aunt Nora and Alice turn up with a tale of how their town is being ripped apart by this gang, and two of Doc’s crew come across someone trying to listen in. So Doc and company head to New Jersey to figure it all out. Along the way, Doc is accused of murdering Jim, which really sets the tale in motion.

The story goes on with mysterious meetings, super-cool Savage gadgets and murder attempts after murder attempts on Doc. I figured out who The Green Bell really was early on. Trust me, folks, it’s not that hard. Still, it did not take away from all the fun I had reading it. So go scour your bookstores and try and find some Docs or Shadows or just wait for the new cycle of reprints.

Next week, we feel a need … a need for speed. –Bruce Grossman

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MISS EARLIER INSTALLMENTS OF ‘BULLETS, BROADS, BLACKMAIL & BOMBS’? REGASM THESE:
• #13: Hammer and Tongs
• #12: To Helm and Back
• #11: Don’t Judge a Book by Its Cover
• #10: Spaghetti Westerns, Pulp-Style
• #9: Me Tarzan, You Remo