Nemesis, Inc. was a long-running pulp fanzine that started off as the Doc Savage Club Reader in 1977. Twelve issues came out under that name before it became Nemesis, Inc. It was published by Frank Lewandowski. I believe this was due to him wanting to do articles outside of Doc Savage.
The zine would last for 30 issues, until 1990 (the last three issues dragging out at a rate of one a year). All issues were printed offset and saddle stitched on good grade paper and, at one point, covers went to a heaver stock from the interior. Issues were about 60 pages (about twice the size of the Doc Savage Club Reader), with one issue being about 80 pages.
Most issues have reviews by Link Hullar, and a column by Nick Carr and Hullar called “Some Pulp Contemplations.”
One aspect of the zine was that it reprinted fiction, sometimes pulp hero stories serialized over several issues. A major coup was the publication of the previously unpublished fourth Harold Ward Doctor Death novel in the last three issues. We wouldn’t see that again until Altus Press (now Steeger Books) reprinted the whole Doctor Death series.
While I don’t have the prior Doc Savage Club Reader, I do have a complete set of Nemesis, Inc. and here are the highlights of those issues.
#13 (Fall 1982) kicked off with an article by Dafydd Neal Dyar on the origin of Doc Savage (more recently reprinted in The Savage Dyaries, his collection of Doc articles). Robert Sampson wrote about Scarlet Adventuress, a short-lived pulp magazine focused on exotic adventuresses. Tom Johnson and Nick Carr take a look at Dusty Ayres’ associates. And from a trio of pulp researches, we get a trio of short articles on The Shadow. And this issue kicked off a four-part reprint of Secret Agent X #16, “The Golden Ghoul.”
#14 (Winter 1983) gives us another article by Dafydd Neal Dyar, this time on Pat Savage. Nick Carr looks at Eric Gordon, G-Man, who was a secondary character in Dr. Yen Sin. Joseph Lewandowski (who is not related to Frank, but also had published his own fanzines) has an article looking at Max Brand‘s short-lived series of Anthony Hamilton, a spy character that hasn’t been reprinted. Tom Johnson looks at The Green Ghost. And Rex E. Ward has an article, “The Trail to Zero,” on the decline and ending of the pulp hero.
#15 (Spring 1983) has Frank Lewandowski conducting an “interview” with Doc Savage at age 80. Some might like some of the new elements he adds, such as new aides and his new location. Joseph Lewandowski gives an article on the German Black Bat stories from the 1960s and ’70s. I don’t think these have been translated into English. Tom Johnson this time looks at The Avenger and his aides. Dafydd Neal Dyar has an article on what brought Doc’s aides together.
#16 (December 1983) Rex Ward provides an interesting article on the joys of reading The Shadow. Nick Carr tells us his 10 favorite Operator #5 covers. I wish we had better reproductions of them, as they are little better then black and white photocopies. Tom Johnson looks at the ladies who appeared in The Shadow. Will Murray looks at Doc’s lost flame. This is Vanille Weiss who was in the original outline for Jiu San, but didn’t appear in the final work. And Dafydd Neal Dyar provides a look at Doc’s fortress of solitude.
#17 (June 1984) kicks off its fiction with the first of a three-issue reprint of Jim Anthony #8, “Horrible Marionette.” So far, this one hasn’t been reprinted by Steeger Books yet. Will Murray provides two articles. First is on the creation and run of The Avenger. The second on the characters that make an impact on us in our youth. Albert Tonik has an article on the first Jim Hatfield story, a western series character.
#19 (April 1985) has Rick Lai looking at a pair of femme fatales who may be the same person: Nina Valencita from The Shadow (“Washington Crime”) and Velma Thane from the Bulldog Drummond novel series (The Spy Ring), with further connections between the two series. John Wright examines the western novels of J.T. Edson, in which some see inspiration from Doc Savage in his “Floating Outfit” series.
#20 (August 1985) has, instead of a reprint, a new story: Dr. Mark Hazzard in “The Clockwork Phoenix” by Dafydd Neal Dyar. Mark Hazzard is Dyar’s Doc Savage pastiche, which he later reworked as Dare Devlin. For non-fiction, we get an article on Captain Satan (since reprinted by Steeger Books) by Nick Carr. The Ziff-Davis pulp line is examined in another. And Rick Lai looks at the femme fatales of the secret society of the Si-Fan.
#21 (March 1986) has the first of a two-part reprint of the first Captain Satan story. Nick Carr takes a look at the Secret Six, since fully reprinted by Steeger Books. Rick Lai takes a look at Carol II of Romania, who was the basis for two characters, one from The Saint series and the other from Doc Savage.
#22 (June 1986) appears under a Captain Satan cover by Frank Hamilton. We get a report by Albert Tonik on Jack Schiff who was an editor at Standard (Thrilling). Rick Lai looks at some femme fatales from Bulldog Drummond and The Shadow.
#23 (October 1986) has a reprint of the first Ki-Gor novel. For non-fiction we get an article on Doctor Syn (probably better know to most people due to the Disney TV series The Scarecrow of Romney Marsh featuring the character) by Nick Carr. Rick Lai looks at yet another femme fatale: Princess Zena from The Shadow. And we get some short articles on Doc Savage.
#24 (March 1987) includes “In the Service of the Czar,” a new piece of fiction by Joseph Lewandowski, who also put out fiction in his short-lived Pulpette fanzine. For non-fiction we get an article on Nick Carter: Killmaster by Will Murray. Nick Carr looks at a particular event during the Operator #5‘s Purple War series. Michael Avallone looks at the older western heroes. And Rick Lai looks at the femme fatale’s from Sax Rohmer‘s Sumuru series.
#25 (Summer 1987) gives us a Philip Strange story, “Skeleton From the Sky.” This one has not yet been reprinted by Age of Aces. Nick Carr had an article that is an addendum to two articles titled “The Fright Syndrome” from two different fanzines. This one looks at various shudder pulps. Doug Ellis gives a good overview of Charles R. Tanner‘s series of about Tumithak of Loor.
#26 (January 1988) has the first of two parts of Dafydd Neal Dyar’s “A Species of Madness,” another Dr. Mark Hazzard story. These Ven (which is a pseudonym of Joseph Lewandowski, who had recently passed) has an article on the chronology for Richard Wentworth/The Spider in a critique of his use in Philip José Farmer’s Wold Newton Family that pulls in other characters. Tom Johnson looks at GX: The Phantom Fed, a character that appeared in Popular’s Ace G-Man Stories. Rick Lai has a work on Sen Ga, Doc’s foe from “The Thousand-Headed Man” and his possible encounter with Hercule Poirot.
#27 (May 1988) has Nick Carr looking at sex and torture in the pulps. Rick Lai has an article on Iris Vaughan, an agent of Dr. Yen Sin. Howard Hopkins looks at Doc adventures set in the arctic. Fran Avallone, wife of Michael, tells what it’s like to be married to a writer. And Will Murray looks at The Phantom Detective‘s greatest mistake.
#28 (December 1988), as noted, kicks off the reprinting of the fourth Doctor Death novel “Waves of Madness,” which would run over the next three issues. As a lead-in to that, we get an article on Doctor Death by Joseph Lewandowski. Rick Lai looks at the connections between the various groups led by “yellow menace” characters like Fu Manchu. Albert Tonik provides an interview with Norm Daniels, author of various pulp heroes such as The Black Bat. He also provides an overview of his pulp career.
#29 (June 1989) has Nick Carr giving an overview of The Moon Man‘s aides and secondary characters. Don Hutchison looks at various pulp aviation heroes and their authors.
#30 (March 1990) has Will Murray looking at The Green Ghost‘s last case, where he was renamed George Hazard instead of George Chance, and didn’t use The Green Ghost alias. Jerry Page gives a review of Fiction House’s Action Stories from Summer 1946.
And that’s that. Like many pulp fanzines, a lot of good works were in this one. I believe Dafydd Neal Dyar and Will Murray’s works have been reprinted in book form, but what about the others? The works by folks like Link Hullar, Nick Carr, Al Tonik, Frank Lewandowski, and Joseph Lewandowski should be preserved and made available to new readers. Please, will someone save these works?
