DOC SAVAGE 153
DOC SAVAGE. Among the most legendary and infl uential pulp characters of all time
is Doc Savage, the Man of Bronze. Doc Savage was created in 1933 by the editors of
Street and Smith Publications, popular publishers of pulp fi ction. Th e majority of Doc
Savage’s adventures were written by Lester Dent under the house name of Kenneth
Robeson. Doc Savage is an acknowledged infl uence on superhero comics, in particular
Superman.
Doc Savage, otherwise known as Clark Savage, Jr., was an adventurer and renais-
sance man, a scientist and inventor, and an expert on virtually any topic. Savage was
impressively muscled, with bronze skin, golden hair, and gold-fl ecked eyes. Savage
was joined in his adventures by a group of compatriots who specialized in their own
unique areas, adding to the diverse storytelling possibilities. Th ese included Lieuten-
ant Colonel Andrew Blodgett “Monk” Mayfair, an industrial chemist so nicknamed
for his ape-like appearance; Brigadier General Th eodore Marley “Ham” Brooks, a
well-dressed attorney who wielded a Damascus steel blade dipped in anesthetic hid-
den within a cane; and Patricia “Pat” Savage, a cousin of Doc Savage who shares
many of his physical characteristics. Savage had a number of other regular associates
in his adventures, although in later stories they were increasingly absent as Doc Sav-
age was increasingly the focus of his stories. Savage was independently wealthy, due
largely to his ownership of a Mayan gold mine, which bankrolled his increasingly
fantastic adventures and inventions. Savage’s primary base of operations was on the
86th fl oor of a major skyscraper in New York City, and at times his Arctic Fortress
of Solitude.
Savage’s original adventures were published by Street and Smith from 1933 until
1949; in the final Doc Savage story, Savage battled Satan deep within the Earth.
Doc Savage was a radio feature for several years in the 1930s and 1940s, some of
which featured stories written by Lester Dent. Savage was an infrequent backup
character to Street and Smith comic books, primarily featuring the Shadow,
although Savage never entirely succeeded as a comic book feature. Comics featur-
ing Doc Savage were also subsequently published by Gold Key, Marvel, DC, and
Dark Horse.
Doc Savage experienced a renaissance in 1964, when the publisher Bantam Books
reprinted the original Street and Smith pulp stories in mass-market paperback format.
Bantam kept the paperback editions of Doc Savage stories in print until the 1990s;
these editions are still popular with collectors. Th e cover art for these paperback
editions was created by the illustrator James Bama, who revised Savage’s appearance
from the original look of the character on the cover of the Street and Smith pulps. In
the original pulps, Savage vaguely resembled the actor Gary Cooper and is dressed in a
white shirt—frequently ripped—and khaki slacks. Bama’s revision of Savage was based
on Steve Holland, a brawny actor who portrayed Flash Gordon on television in the
1950s. Bama’s Savage wore a pair of jodhpurs and featured a closer-cropped hairstyle
with a distinctive widow’s peak, with a broader, more muscular physique, more gruff ,
square features.
