The Hidden S has a few thoughts about the best new release so far this year...
When I was a young boy, I discovered all manner of pulp heroes through the comics (this kind of thing goes in waves I think). It so happens that I caught a wave of a minor resurgence of pulp superheroes filtered through the mainstream comics. In the 70's a lot of the great comic pioneers were in the middle age of their lives (like Stan Lee, Steranko and some others) and had been influenced by the pulps growing up. With the return of heroes like Doc Savage, The Shadow and The Avenger to their own titles in the mid to late 70's it signaled a kind of full-circle move by the major creators of the (then) two major comic companies. Also, the 70's were a particularly rocky time for comics (especially DC) and there was a sense of recklessness that is often born out of dire straits.
These heroes influenced me in particular ways even though they were already 40-50 year old creations. Why? Hard to say.
The Shadow for instance seemed so much cooler than Batman then with his .45's, powers of invisibility and God-like instincts. He even had not one but two great secret identities: Kent Allard, a former World War I ace and Lamont Cranston, a playboy, man-about-town type. Doc Savage was possibly the prototype for superheroes who were human but on the cusp of being something close to superhuman. There was much to admire in his mastery of nearly every art, science, physical skill and intellectual discipline. Not to mention his great HQ at the top of the (thinly disguised) Empire State Building. As for the Avenger, he was a slightly less steroidal version of Doc Savage with his own (less flamboyant) superteam, supreme set of skills and supernatural drive.
My favorite pulp hero was a less well-known, but in some ways more influential figure, than the Shadow, Savage or the Avenger and that was The Spider. Created in 1933 as a competitor for the Shadow's audience, the Spider was Richard Wentworth, a wealthy man-about-town type (all superhero types were playboys until Clark Kent became a working man superhero in the late 30's). He had spent much time in the Far East mastering all kinds of exotic skills and had a Sikh manservant name Ram Singh who was quite adept at throwing knives. He also had loyal drivers and informants in his employ as well as working for the police. The Shadow is often considered a direct influence on Batman, but the Spider's influence is probably more direct and obvious since Wentworth/The Spider is more of a split personality and is more ruthless and driven than the Shadow. Think of the Spider as the Vertigo comics version of the Shadow: darker, less appealing and far more troubled.
Even more impressive to my impressionable 14-year-old self was the fact that he was a brilliant, concert level violinist and had a chic girlfriend with the name Nita Van Sloan. This was a nice touch on the part of the Spider's creators for a couple of reasons. One, it gave Wentworth a sense of his own identity and specialness and two, it gave The Spider series a sense of the high life of Manhattan in the 30's. Some of the illustrations of Wentworth and Van Sloan have the gloss and perfection of some of the great fashion illustrators like Leyendecker. The Shadow, Doc Savage and especially the Avenger did not have this overlay of glamour.
Which brings me, somewhat full circle to the point of this little article. I am not a journalist given to self-indulgence, however, I do have things I am personally proud of and the latest for me is my grand-daughter Sloane. If you notice, her name bears more than a passing resemblance to the Wentworth/The Spider's girlfriend Nita Van Sloan. When I first heard the name "Nita Van Sloane" something was no doubt triggered in my brain to file the name away until the right moment came. For many years the name lay dormant in my sub-conscious until early in 2009 when my daughter revealed she and her husband were going to have a baby in February of this year. A thought flashed across my brain and the name "Sloane" was suddenly new and current awakened from many years of dormancy. Of course at that point, I had no idea if she might have a girl or boy. In time of course, it became known that she would have a girl and names were thrown around. My contribution? Sloane. My daughter and son in law's choice? Sloane...
So it is that comics influence the lives of people. So, Sloane if and when you read this, you will know that your Papa named you after the most glamorous figure he ever imagined as a young boy.
The Hidden S has a few thoughts about the best new release so far this year...
When I was a young boy, I discovered all manner of pulp heroes through the comics (this kind of thing goes in waves I think). It so happens that I caught a wave of a minor resurgence of pulp superheroes filtered through the mainstream comics. In the 70's a lot of the great comic pioneers were in the middle age of their lives (like Stan Lee, Steranko and some others) and had been influenced by the pulps growing up. With the return of heroes like Doc Savage, The Shadow and The Avenger to their own titles in the mid to late 70's it signaled a kind of full-circle move by the major creators of the (then) two major comic companies. Also, the 70's were a particularly rocky time for comics (especially DC) and there was a sense of recklessness that is often born out of dire straits.
These heroes influenced me in particular ways even though they were already 40-50 year old creations. Why? Hard to say.
The Shadow for instance seemed so much cooler than Batman then with his .45's, powers of invisibility and God-like instincts. He even had not one but two great secret identities: Kent Allard, a former World War I ace and Lamont Cranston, a playboy, man-about-town type. Doc Savage was possibly the prototype for superheroes who were human but on the cusp of being something close to superhuman. There was much to admire in his mastery of nearly every art, science, physical skill and intellectual discipline. Not to mention his great HQ at the top of the (thinly disguised) Empire State Building. As for the Avenger, he was a slightly less steroidal version of Doc Savage with his own (less flamboyant) superteam, supreme set of skills and supernatural drive.
My favorite pulp hero was a less well-known, but in some ways more influential figure, than the Shadow, Savage or the Avenger and that was The Spider. Created in 1933 as a competitor for the Shadow's audience, the Spider was Richard Wentworth, a wealthy man-about-town type (all superhero types were playboys until Clark Kent became a working man superhero in the late 30's). He had spent much time in the Far East mastering all kinds of exotic skills and had a Sikh manservant name Ram Singh who was quite adept at throwing knives. He also had loyal drivers and informants in his employ as well as working for the police. The Shadow is often considered a direct influence on Batman, but the Spider's influence is probably more direct and obvious since Wentworth/The Spider is more of a split personality and is more ruthless and driven than the Shadow. Think of the Spider as the Vertigo comics version of the Shadow: darker, less appealing and far more troubled.
Even more impressive to my impressionable 14-year-old self was the fact that he was a brilliant, concert level violinist and had a chic girlfriend with the name Nita Van Sloan. This was a nice touch on the part of the Spider's creators for a couple of reasons. One, it gave Wentworth a sense of his own identity and specialness and two, it gave The Spider series a sense of the high life of Manhattan in the 30's. Some of the illustrations of Wentworth and Van Sloan have the gloss and perfection of some of the great fashion illustrators like Leyendecker. The Shadow, Doc Savage and especially the Avenger did not have this overlay of glamour.
Which brings me, somewhat full circle to the point of this little article. I am not a journalist given to self-indulgence, however, I do have things I am personally proud of and the latest for me is my grand-daughter Sloane. If you notice, her name bears more than a passing resemblance to the Wentworth/The Spider's girlfriend Nita Van Sloan. When I first heard the name "Nita Van Sloane" something was no doubt triggered in my brain to file the name away until the right moment came. For many years the name lay dormant in my sub-conscious until early in 2009 when my daughter revealed she and her husband were going to have a baby in February of this year. A thought flashed across my brain and the name "Sloane" was suddenly new and current awakened from many years of dormancy. Of course at that point, I had no idea if she might have a girl or boy. In time of course, it became known that she would have a girl and names were thrown around. My contribution? Sloane. My daughter and son in law's choice? Sloane...
So it is that comics influence the lives of people. So, Sloane if and when you read this, you will know that your Papa named you after the most glamorous figure he ever imagined as a young boy.
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