BEAUOLOGY 101: DOC SAVAGELY GOOD!

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Come, accept My Words!–Beau Smith

by beloved Smith

There’s a great deal to state about living a long life as well as having experience, mainly since you’ve lived a long life, so the experiences stack up.

There’s likewise a great deal to be stated about being young as well as innocent, lacking experience…or being stupid..which most of us have been at some point in our youth.

What I truly mean is that there is a significant pleasure about lacking experience as well as the reward is earning, or gaining, understanding as you roll or stumble along with life.

A part of my younger pleasure came from books, comic books, TV, as well as movies—Popular Culture. A great deal of it ended up being benchmarks in my life that I always have to refer to. One that stands out for me is Doc Savage.

Doc Savage: guy Of Bronze Bantam books Cover By James Bama

In late grade institution I found the Bantam books paperback adventures of Doc Savage. Those novels complied with me all with junior high, high school, as well as even into college. I have to admit that the James Bama covers were what caught my eye as a youngster when I browsed the shelves of Nick’s Newsstand in my hometown of Huntington, West Virginia. Nick’s news was a cornerstone in my life where I discovered as well as bought many of the comic books that would ended up being my career.

If you’re reading this column, then more than likely you understand of the artist James Bama. The Manhattan born artist was incredibly prominent in my life since not only did he paint the incredible, eye catching Doc savage Bantam book covers, he likewise did tons of industrial paintings for toys, models, as well as other pop culture products of my youth in the 1960s. I was familiar with his Western Art as well. As a kid, his cowboy as well as western paintings were just the type of art that held my young eyes captive. It was as if James Bama had the exact same photos in his mind that I did, only he was able to put them to paper as well as canvas. I still marvel at exactly how anybody might ever draw that well. His work has always struck a chord with me, as a youngster as well as as an adult.

I feel he reached an untouched level of greatness with his Doc savage covers. exactly how might anybody withstand buying these books if they saw them on the stands? I couldn’t.

Doc Savage-The Majii as well as The golden Man

The finest part of finding Doc savage paperbacks was that the stories inside similarly matched the painted covers by Bama. The author was listed under the name of Kenneth Robeson, which many years later I found was a “House Name” utilized by different writers in the publisher’s hire. The bulk, if not all, of the Doc savage books were written by Lester Dent, creator of Doc Savage.

Dent’s stories were not written for children, meaning they were not as many of today’s books, dumbed down for kids. I likewise don’t mean they were “Adult” as far as cuss words, sex as well as gore, they were true adventures with action. Yes, there were more times than not that I had to look words up in the dictionary, however Stan Lee had me doing that with marvel Comics of the ‘60s. That’s a great thing.

Lester Dent churned these stories out. I have checked out where he composed a book a month! Each book averaged around 140 pages. There were some events where he did two a month. This is just the Doc savage books. He was likewise composing all kind of other stories as well as prose also at the time. Lester Dent was the meaning of Prolific. Others of that time were, however I don’t believe any type of others had the high material that Dent did. just my opinion.

The Doc savage books got me into the book adventures of The Shadow, The Avenger in addition to the work of Edgar Rice Burroughs. I cannot believe of much better fiction to grow up reading than these. It developed so much of my own composing profession in addition to deep respect of exactly how to tell a story full of character as well as action with intelligence.

I can keep in mind being totally stunned someday when I checked out the copyright to the story I was reading was 1933. WHAT….1933??? That was older than my parents. That got me to do some searching, which was harder method back before the internet. Being young, I was amazed that stories so great as well as so appropriate were written so long ago. Being a teenager, nothing old was cool, however I was provided a lesson in respect that day.

Ron Ely As Doc savage 1975

I cannot tell you exactly how many times I have read, re-read, bought, as well as bought once again these Doc savage Bantam Books. They are a treasure for all ages. I likewise have to tell you that in 1975 when the Doc Savage-Man Of Bronze film was released, I was skeptical. I had already been “tricked” with the 1966 Batman TV show. Tricked meaning I wasn’t expecting the campversion. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed as well as grew to like it of what it was, however I was expecting a serious Batman show, just as James Bond was a serious film.

In 1975 I likewise understood that innovation truly wasn’t prepared to create Doc savage on the level the books had. I understood innovation as a whole truly wouldn’t be able to bring The amazing Four, Superman, or The Avengers to any type of type of level that would be as awe inspiring as the comic books. I still feel I was appropriate in this thinking. The Superman movies were specify of the art for the time in the ‘70s, however even then I understood they weren’t great sufficient to coming close to matching what was in the comic books. I enjoyed them of what they were, however it was more settling for me than a house run. I’m extremely thankful that I have lived long sufficient to see innovation catch up with comic books being able to represent the material on TV as well as the huge screen. even more proud that I might have a development of my own represented on the TV screen in the way I produced it (Wynonna Earp). I cannot begin to discuss that feeling to you.

I recognize I may have rambled a bit in this column this week, however my primary point is that from the 1930s to present day 2018, the Doc savage books are as appropriate home entertainment now as they were so many decades ago. I don’t hesitate in the least to suggest you choosing one up as well as reading it yourself or providing it to a kid of 11 as well as letting them find the exact same thrills people of all ages have for many, many decades.

Doc savage as well as His wonderful Five

I look ahead to the possible upcoming Doc savage film starring Dwayne Johnson. I believe he is a perfect option to play the part as well as I understand innovation is more than ready. My only hesitation now is that I pray they cast his “Fabulous Five” team to match that within the books, particularly the character, Monk.

If you get the chance, discover a copy of a Bantam books Doc savage as well as delight in the very best 140 pages of action/adventure you’ll ever read.

Enjoy,

Beau Smith

The flying Fist Ranch

@BeauSmithRanch on Instagram as well as Twitter