One thing interesting in pulp research is to put forth various works as the antecedent or influences for other stories and characters.
For instance, I know of several stories — some going back to the dime novel days — being suggested as antecedents to The Shadow, the pulp hero that kicked off the “character pulps” in the 1930s. This includes works like “The Man in the Black Cloak” and “Shadow Over Wall Street.”
Another story that might be added to the list might be H. Bedford-Jones (1887-1949) novel, The Shadow. Or maybe not…
Bedford-Jones’ version of The Shadow first appeared in People’s Story Magazine of Feb. 10, 1922. People’s was a popular pulp magazine that ran from 1906 to 1924 and was published by Street & Smith. This novel was reprinted in book form in 1930 by the Fiction League. More recently it was reprinted in High Adventure #116 in 2011. A different cover was used, but I’m not sure of the source. The cover from People’s is reprinted on the back, but it’s for a different story, so the new cover made sense.
So, was this a possible influence? Well, clearly not if you read the story. The Shadow in this story was a villain, the leader of a dangerous gang in southern California. The hero of the story is Dr. Clifford of San Francisco, who witnesses a woman being killed.
He goes up against The Shadow, putting an end to him. And wins the hand of a girl along the way. It’s an interesting Bedford-Jones story, but certainly no Shadow forerunner. It’s also typical of many of his stories where the protagonist overcomes the villain and wins the hand of the girl, and they live happily every after. So if you enjoy his works, get this one. A bonus in this issue of High Adventure is a Sally the Sleuth story.
