Over on the Tony Isabella board Anthony Tollin let us know that "The first issue of DOC SAVAGE MAGAZINE debuted 75 years ago on February 17, 1933." I've read a few of the Doc Savage paperbacks in my time, but I mostly collected them for the James Bama covers, not really caring that much for the stories.
The thing I remember most as a kid about Doc was my father talking about how much he loved the magazine when he was a kid and how much he thought was stolen from Doc when Batman was created. Doc was considered one of the first super-heroes, even when, like Batman, he had no real powers. But he was a millionaire philanthropist who did have his heightened physical strength, his scientist's mind, his utility vest carrying just the thing he needed to get out of the latest jam and a number of cool vehicles he kept in hidden hangers. Yeah, that does sound a lot like Batman, doesn't it.
Doc Savage was created by Lester Dent, who worked under the pen name of Kenneth Robeson. The thing I remember about the few books I read and something I also read in the Steranko History of Comics was that Dent had this really strange formula he used to write his pulp stories and he would, if he could, keep one secret till the very end of the story. Till the very last sentence, and if he could, to the very last word. This required some convoluted structure in both the story and the last sentence, but Dent swears that he sold every story he ever wrote using this formula.
Like I said, it was never quite my cup of tea, but it sure captured the hearts and the imaginations of millions, including a boy from Eunice Louisiana who just happened to on day be my father. Happy Birthday Doc!
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