Doc Savage - Part 2 Paperback Pulchritude

Continuing a repost from April 2010. Yesterday, I briefly traced the pulp magazine origins of Doc Savage. Today, let's look at the gorgeous painted covers that graced the popular Bantam paperback series which ran from the 1960s through the 1990s.

As I mentioned yesterday, Doc often was depicted with a ridiculously torn shirt barely covering his massive heaving manboobs.

 Though at times, the climate called for more appropriate attire, as seen above.

Or sometimes less clothing was required, as in the case of The Frightened Fish!

So apparently Doc took on Hiltler, Hercules and some frightened fellow, all of whom cause him to thrice again tear his shirt apart. What was this guy's clothing budget?

Here Doc looks like he's waiting for someone to, ahem, bow down before him, and then he meets his torn shirt-wearing twin in The Land of Fear!

Here Doc experiences deja vu as the cover painting is recycled. At this point the story titles seem to have gotten a bit silly as well: The All-White Elf?, The Angy Canary?, The Running Skeltons? and The Swooning Lady?

Yikes! What the hell is that bird creature? And just who is The Metal Master? Ozzy?

Before you know it, Doc is back underwater and then he's fighting off a giant case of the crabs.

At times he even explored religious and mystical themes such as resurrection and black magic.

And finally Doc took some shirt-busting disaster movie plots. I wonder how I would look on the cover of a Doc Savage novel...

Now I know. If I haven't frightened you away, come back tomorrow for a look at Doc's comic book career.

Doc Savage - Part 1 Bronze Skin & Torn Shirts

Back in April 2010, DC Comics was about to launch a new DOC SAVAGE comic book series. I asked my readers if they were wondering..."who is Doc Savage?"

The character, Doctor Clark Savage Jr., first appeared in 1933 in a series of pulp magazines from publisher Henry W. Ralston, editor John L. Nanovic and author Lester Dent.

Doc has often been noted as being one of the possible inspirations that led Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster to create Superman.

After all, Doc was called a "superman," his name was Clark, he was dubbed "the man of bronze" and he had a secret headquarters called The Fortress of Solitude. Coincidence? I think not,

Unlike the last son of Krypton, Doc was an Earthling whose only "costume" was his khakis and torn off-white shirt.

Doc somehow managed to always appear either shirtless or in a terribly mangled shirt that emphasized his bulging biceps.

 

 And sometimes Doc even appeared...well, you know...

...naked! Talk about pulp fiction!

Things got a little creepy at times for Doc,

but this Savage always knew how to get his man.

Mystery on Happy Bones? I'm not even touching that one! Come back tomorrow when I take a look at the swinging, sexy paperback novel covers that made Doc a sensation and pop culture icon all over again in the 1960s.

The Fifth Day of Christmas

"It hadn't taken Julia long to fall in love with Ivo van den Werff – but she had better fall out of love equally quickly, she decided, when she met Marcia Jason and realized just how much stronger a claim the other girl had on Ivo's affection."
That's the description on the back cover of THE FIFTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS, a 1971 Harlequin Romance by Betty Neels. I'm not sure what this book has to do with Christmas, but it appears that Ivo's got a small package (5 Golden Rings, perhaps?) and he's all ready to share it with our heroine, nurse Julia - not to be confused with the other nurse JULIA. The author Betty Neels, a retired nurse, wrote an astounding 134 novels between 1970 and 2001 (when she was well into her 90s) - with about a half-dozen published posthumously. Some intriguing titles include AMAZON IN APRON (1970), VICTORY FOR VICTORIA (1972), COBWEB MORNING (1976) and HILLTOP TRYST (1990). Her work lives on in a new 2008 Harlequin holiday collection, CHRISTMAS DREAMS.

Some of Nurse Betty's other holiday romance titles include ROSES FOR CHRISTMAS (1976), WINTER WEDDING (1980),  A CHRISTMAS WISH (1995), MISTLETOE KISS (1997), MISTLETOE MAGIC (2000), A CHRISTMAS PROPOSAL (2001), A CHRISTMAS ROMANCE (2001) and CHRISTMAS WISHES (2003). Who knew that there was such a niche market for Christmas-specific romance novels? I guess the tradition lives on in the slew of cheesy ABC Family, Lifetime and Hallmark Channel movies that we are bombarded with each December.

Selections from My Library: CHERRY GROVE

In honor of Gay Pride, I've been reposting a bunch of queer stuff from over the years, But here's one paperback novel I don't think I've shared before...

Love how there's just one, lonely, but safe woman in a bikini tucked away in the corner. Looks like Bravo has found it's next reality show.

I may just have to read CHERRY GROVE - or at least find the logo font.

Selections from My Library: GAY BOY

I can't get enough of these books. Here's a real classic–Edward R. Jacob's Gay Boy aka Nite Time Original #123. Ninety-five American cents worth of perverse, strange and anguished desires.
Wow. It always amazes me how homophobic these books were. It was like they were written by guys who were gay, but hated every moment of it- and they wanted their readers to get off and hate themselves for it. Also, I love how they try to pass the book off as a "probing study". I guess in case the guy's wife or girlfriend found the book, he could always shrug it off as a college text book for a human sexuality course. And it's not ALL gay cause there's a busty woman pictured on the cover. Right.

Selections from My Library: ARCHIE BUNKER'S FAMILY ALBUM

Selections from My Library: GOD, MAN & ARCHIE BUNKER

Selections from My Library: THE SERIAL

THE SERIAL: A YEAR IN THE LIFE OF MARIN COUNTY was a novel written by Cyra McFadden, first published as a book in 1977, after first being serialized as a newspaper column a year earlier, much like Armisted Maupin's TALES OF THE CITY. A film adaptation, titled SERIAL was released in 1980. The cast included Martin Mull, Tuesday Weld, Sally Kellerman, Christopher Lee, Bill Macy, Peter Bonerz, Nita Talbot, Pamela Bellwood and Tom Smothers. I remember seeing the film in a theater back in the day and liking it tremendously. I forgot that it even existed until I came across this paperback. I think I need to revisit SERIAL very soon.

Selections from My Library: RITUALS

RITUALS was an attempt to create a successful syndicated daily soap opera. It premiered on September 10, 1984 and ran for exactly one year. Charlene Keel's novel was loosely adapted into the series, which boasted a cast that included a James Bond, Ginger from GILLIGAN'S ISLAND, Mary Hartman's husband, Ronald Reagan's daughter and Freddie "Boom Boom" Washington! Top that, CELEBRITY APPRENTICE!

That's right, George Lazenby, Tina Louise, Greg Mullavey, Patti Davis and Lawrence-Hilton Jacobs joined daytimers Christine Jones, Kin Shriner, Mary Beth Evans and Philece Sampler in an ambitious attempt to bridge the gay between daytime and prime-time soaps. Well, it didn't last - though it did become popular in France when it resurfaced in 1989 under the title LA LIGNE DE CHANCE ("CHANCE LINE").

Selections from My Library: THE LITTLE GREEN MEN

I love books. I love TV and movies. I especially love books about TV and movies. I'll be sharing a few from my collection over the next few days. Beginning with #4 in the fine THE FLYING NUN novel collection, THE LITTLE GREEN MEN.

 Sci-fi, religion and politics collide in this powerful paperback from Ace Books.

The outlandish plot defies commentary, so I'll just make note of prolific author William Johnston, whose name is relegated to the bottom of the back cover. I guess no one went to the bookstore in search of the latest William Johnston tome - they went looking for a book about Sister Bertrille. For more on Mr. Johnston, the "go-to guy for sitcom-based tie-ins, go here.

Everything you need to know...Part 2

The illustrations from Everything You Need To Know About Cheerleading and Baton Twirling are entertaining on their own - but I've decided to caption them for the hell of it. Let me know if you guys enjoy these - there's plenty more where these came from.

Everything You Need to Know About Competition: 

Everything You Need To Know About Beauty:

Everything You Need To Know About Attraction:

Every Thing You Need To Know About Accessories:

Every Thing You Need To Know About Sharing:

Every Thing You Need To Know About Popularity:

Every Thing You Need To Know About Diversity:

Every Thing You Need To Know About Chastity:

Every Thing You Need To Know About Careers: