Rick Roe

This should really be subtitled “The Strange Saga of The Shadow in pulp magazines” as that is where the majority of the book is focused. Each part covering a particular phase of The Shadow’s history in print.

While it was interesting to read about how editorial changes, and historical events (namely WW2) impacted the way that Shadow stories evolved, I would have liked to learn more about the radio show, movie serials, comics etc. which are only mentioned when they had some bearing on the pulp stories.

If you want to do a deep dive into the character’s pulp roots, and his creator Walter Gibson then this is a great resource.

But there’s more to The Shadow’s story than is told here.… (meer)

Who Knows What History Lurks Behind the Shadows Laugh?... Will Murray Knows.

Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men?.......The Shadow knows, is a phrase many people are familiar with either through memory of the radio shows or in recent times a myriad of pop culture references. They have a vague idea of who or what the character actually was. Most do not know the origins of the character nor the literary legacy of the character at the pen of Walter Gibson guided by his editors. To paraphrase Lester Dent- The Shadow was just a voice until he was handed over to Walter Gibson.
The Shadow as a nemesis to crime has had 4 incarnations in different media. First was the pulp hero, second the radio show, third movies and fourth in comic books. Each incarnation keeps similar elements but also unique to themselves. This is a character that has survived in our culture to present times with a recent revamping by James Patterson
The Dark Avenger chronicles the history of the Shadow, the first masked crime fighter of the Golden Age of pulp magazines. Starting with his transformation from being a “host” to a detective radio show into a pulp magazine hero that transformed the pulp magazine industry.The Shadow debuted in his own magazine published by Street & Smith for a run of 325 issues over the next two decades. The Shadow’s success heralded a new phase in the pulp magazines with new titles being created to jump on the super heroic action adventure bandwagon. Street & Smith itself would follow up with Doc Savage and The Avenger among others.
The appeal of Murray’s Dark Avenger to me is threefold. As a literary historian, I was interested in the history of the character and his evolution. Murray gives an overview of many of the novels without giving away details of the stories. Interwoven with this is a history of the magazine, the writers, the editors giving the reader an idea of who these men were and their impact on the stories and the direction the stories went. Also interwoven in this tale of The Shadow is the impact of the culture and history of the times on the stories and magazine itself.
The book should appeal to those interested in this fascinating character, those interested in the pulp magazine phenomenon that peaked in the 1920s and 1930s and those who are intrigued by the origins of pulp culture. It’s an easy read, not a dry recounting of history. More like a discussion of the events with insight given by those involved at the time.
Highly recommended for Shadow fans, Pulp fans and those who are curious about our world 90 years ago.… (meer)