Rather be flying?
Put down that copy of Lone Eagle. There’s work to be done. Missions to be flown. Enemy to be shot down. So grab that mouse and take off into the Crimson Skies. MORE …
Finding your group
If you’re looking for more pulp discussions that what you find in Internet newsgroups, then check out the offerings at Yahoo Groups. MORE …
Wearable pulp
Doc Savage’s multipocketed utility vest is always a hot topic over on the alt.fan.doc-savage newsgroup. What’s in it? What does it look like? And, most recently, was it ever damaged and what happened? So, we’ve got a question: Could you use one? Well, it may not have as many pockets as Doc’s vest, but the SCOTTeVest v.1 gives you 15 to hold all the gadgets and snacks for your next pulping adventure. There’s a v. 2, which is more of a jacket than a vest and has 17 or 19 pockets (depending on style); and the v. 2.5, which sports 22 or 24 pockets. The only thing missing: a special pocket for money orders for all of those eBay pulp purchases. Prices range from $80 to $140. For more details, check out the SCOTTeVest Web site.
What was when
So, did “The Spook Legion” actually happen before “The Secret in the Sky”? If you’re constantly wondering about the order of events in Doc Savage’s adventurous life, then Jeff Deischer has the answers for you. He’s compiled “The Adventures of Doc Savage: A Definitive Chronology,” a 200-page resource for avid Doc readers. The paperback is available for $16.95 (plus $4 shipping) from Green Eagle Publications, 2900 Standiford Ave. 16B, PMB #136, Modesto, Calif. 95350. (While you’re at it, the next issue of Bronze Gazette, also a Green Eagle publication, should be released shortly. A one-year, three-issue subscription is $18.)
Pulp Q&A
I know Lester Dent didn’t write The Avenger even though it’s signed Kenneth Robeson. What else did Dent write besides Doc Savage?
You’re right. Kenneth Robeson was a house name that appeared on both The Avenger and Doc Savage magazines, but there was no such person. Dent’s Doc Savage work accounts for a great deal of his published writing. Prior to the first Doc Savage novel in 1933, Dent had written nearly four dozen pieces for pulps such as Western Trails, Top-Notch Magazine, War Aces and Detective-Dragnet Magazine.
Even while doing Doc Savage, Dent continued writing for other pulps, including The Phantom Detective magazine. His real goal was to get published in the slick magazines. In 1948, he had “River Crossing” published in Collier’s. He lived for only about 10 years after the last Doc came out in 1949. But he published three novels – “Lady So Silent,” “Cry at Dusk” and “Lady in Peril” — during that decade, as well as articles in two other slicks – Nation’s Business and the Saturday Evening Post.
