I have previously posted on the excellent Doc Savage fanzine The Bronze Gazette, published for 75 issues by Howard Wright since 1990. It outlasted many other print pulp fanzines. Sadly, recently Howard decided to hang it up, and it seemed the end would come to another great fanzine.
However, a trio stepped in to continue the fanzine. Editor Chuck Welch has been running the Hidalgo Trading Company and the Flearun on Facebook. Art director Kez Wilson is probably best known for the fantasy Doc Savage covers that can be seen online. And publisher Terry Allen is the guy behind Fantom Press.
The Bronze Gazette is being published under the PULPlications line, which is putting out some other works as well. There will be two to three issues a year, and like the old Bronze Gazette, subscriptions will be for three issues. Only two issues are planned for 2016, though I believe the intention is to go to three next year.
In the past, I usually waited until the issues for a particular subscription period were out before posting on them, but to help promote this new version, I am posting on the new “first” issue: #76.
Overall you can see a marked change in this version over the last. This issue is the same size, but the cover is coated paper stock, and the zine is now square bound instead of saddle-stitched. There is some color inside.
We get a lot of articles in this first issue. Among them are:
• Will Murray updates us on the plans for Doc Savage (and friends) in 2016 and beyond. Some has been revealed online and including solo Pat Savage and King Kong novels. We get a peak at the cover to the next Doc novel: Mr. Calamity.
• We get a review of the recent Doc novel, The Secret of Satan’s Spine (which I have yet to read myself).
• A different article is provided in a look at a Doc fan.
• Julian Puga provides an interesting look at the connections between Doc and real life adventurer Frank Buck.
• Jeff Deischer gives an overview of Murray’s first set of new Doc novels published by Bantam (now being reprinted by Altus Press and Moonstone).
• On the eve of completing Sanctum Books‘ reprint of Doc Savage, an interview with Anthony Tollin.
• There is a little bit of news on the Doc movie. Hopefully more in the next issue.
• In the area of Doc comics, we get a review of Dynamite‘s recent reprinting of the old Marvel b/w Doc Savage stuff.
• Dare Devlin is a New Pulp hero in the mold of Doc Savage (and a few others), published by PULPlications, and we get an overview article on him.
• And there are a few other interesting items.
Not sure what is in the works for the next issue. I expect more news on the movie, and reviews of the recent Doc comics and the latest Doc works.
I look forward to the next issue, and encourage everyone to subscribe. This is a great continuation of a fanzine.
I’m curious as to your opinions on the upcoming Shane Black helmed Doc Savage movie starring Dwayne Johnson. I know your not a huge fan of reinterpreting the character too far from the source material, which seems to be the way they are going, given Johnson’s statements in interviews that they’re going to play up Doc’s strangeness/social-awkwardness due to his unique upbringing. I’m pretty sure that was only a minor element in the original stories, mostly to do with his inability to understand women.
I think Johnson could be a good movie Doc. Will wait and see how things turn out. Maybe in the meantime he can be educated as to who Doc really is.