Saturday's random pulp cover: Argosy : "Don Peon"_August 22, 1936

 Nicely painted decorative cover for the magazine that started it all.  I couldn't tell you what Zorro-land is, but I would have given it a read.

ON THE AIR: May 8, 1945

 

 

 

 

Ep_30_Murder One Million BC

 

The Shadow #1 "The Doom Puzzle" page 20

 

HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA

Pulpfest featuring The Shadow Con is here!

 

featuring

 Stop by our table and say "The Sun is Shining" and we'll know who's an agent.  If you haven't been to a Pulpfest before this is the year to give it a go.  We neighbor up with super pulp aficionado and prolific author, Will Murray.  Drop in and say hi.

The Shadow #1 "The Doom Puzzle" page 19

 

"One who loathes small, greedy creatures who prey on decent men--"

The Shadow #1 "The Doom Puzzle" page 18

 

"The Shadow never fails!"

The Shadow #1 "The Doom Puzzle" page 17

 

"Any idea why bedlam broke loose, Cap'n?"

The Shadow #1 "The Doom Puzzle" page 16

 

KA-WHUMP

 

The Sunday Comics: The Shadow "The Incredible Alliance Between Shiwan Khan and Atilla the Hunter"

 

Let's start issue #6.

 

Saturday's random pulp cover: G-8 & His BATTLE ACES : "The Squadron of Death Flies High"_December, 1942

 I'd love to love this cover, but I just can't.  Exciting?  Undoubtedly.  Enticing?  For sure.  So why don't I like it?  The figure at the bottom of the cover is just that, riding the bottom edge of the cover.  The parachute lays up against the left edge of the cover.  It stops the action and it no longer feels like they are falling out of the sky.  This is painted well enough, but the design is severely lacking.  This feels like an art director told the artist to include all of these elements and despite several thumbnail sketches that were far superior the guy behind the desk kept pushing for a large figure in front, a significantly sized airplane and a hero diving to his possible death.  That's how I see this one coming together.  I could be wrong but I'd like to give the artist the benefit of the doubt.

ON THE AIR: May 1, 1945

 

 

 

 

Ep_29_The Man Who Played Dead

The Shadow #1 "The Doom Puzzle" page 15

 

"Recall the puzzle, Margo!  A submarine...a sea-captain...the George Washington Bridge--"

The Shadow #1 "The Doom Puzzle" page 14

 

"Our work is finished, Shadow?"

The Shadow #1 "The Doom Puzzle" page 13

 

"FOOLS!  Weak...pathetic...FOOLS!"

 

The Shadow #1 "The Doom Puzzle" page 12

 

"Whatever it is, it's gotta mean trouble!"

The Shadow #1 "The Doom Puzzle" page 11

 

"The final pieces of the puzzle are in place, Shrevvy!"

 

The Sunday Comics: The Shadow "The Menace of Radiation Rogue!" pages 24 - 25

 And this brings to a conclusion the fifth issue of Archie's ill-advised treatment of The Shadow.

The Shadow Con is almost here

 

If you are attending PulpFest July30 - August 2, make sure to stop in a say hi to Tim, Sam or myself at our table.  We are launching the first annual con within a con dedicated to The Shadow.  This year marks 95 years since the pulp debut of that greatest of all characters.  Be sure to pick up an "Agents of The Shadow Con" membership card and bring it with you each year through 2031 when we will be celebrating 100 years of The Shadow.  Anyone who comes to 5 or 6 of the cons will be eligible for a drawing of an original painting by me.  And, please, if there are ideas you have for future events, let us know and we'll try to make each successive con better than the previous.

Saturday's random pulp cover: G-8 & His BATTLE ACES : "Death to the Hawks of War!"_January, 1941

 Let's continue with the Hawks and Death titles.  This cover may actually have too much going on.  The giant grappling hook dominates this composition and, unfortunately, the bi-plane on the right is a victim of a tangency... a cardinal sin in art.  If Mr. Blakeslee had just moved the plane down even a quarter inch then the top wing wouldn't look so static and the plane would look even more like it is in the background.  Still, that bad guy is pretty awesome to look at.  So, all is forgiven.

ON THE AIR: April 24, 1945

 
 

Ep_28_The Ghost Ship

The Shadow #1 "The Doom Puzzle" page 10

 

"Quite a temptation... for a thief!  Aren't you worried?"

The Shadow #1 "The Doom Puzzle" page 9

 

"Speak!  Bare your thoughts!"

The Shadow #1 "The Doom Puzzle" page 8

 

"For two such as these?  It would be like using a regiment to defeat a pair of mice!"

The Shadow #1 "The Doom Puzzle" page 7

 

"I'll persuade 'im clean to death!"

The Shadow #1 "The Doom Puzzle" page 6

 

BUDDARUP

The Sunday Comics: The Shadow "The Menace of Radiation Rogue!" pages 22 - 23

 

Saturday's random pulp cover: G-8 & His BATTLE ACES : "Wings of the Hawks of Death"_April, 1943

 In the grip of DEATH, it would seem.  This is a really great looking cover that is very well composed and designed.  Every angle leads to the victim being held by the skeleton.  The bayonets all point at him.  The soldiers are all looking at him.  The planes are seemingly diving straight towards him.  And the condemned man is basically backed against the edge of the cover, nowhere to go.  Nicely done.

ON THE AIR: April 17, 1945

 
 

Ep_27_Dead Man's Paradise

The Shadow #1 "The Doom Puzzle" page 5

 

"Harry... you're wicked!"

The Shadow #1 "The Doom Puzzle" page 4

 

"To the Cobalt Club, Shrevvy!"

The Shadow #1 "The Doom Puzzle" page 3

 

"What are we waitin' for?  GUN 'IM!"

The Shadow #1 "The Doom Puzzle" page 2

 

"That laugh--! It's like... ice!"

The Shadow #1 "The Doom Puzzle" page 1

 

  Ah, the beauty that is old newsprint and four color printing.  Perfectly suited for The Shadow.  Over time I have come to appreciate M W Kaluta's art more and more.  It felt crude and less than stellar when I came across this 50+ years ago, but I was comparing it to superhero comics.  Aparo, Adams, Kane, Romita and Buscema.  I didn't appreciate the need for the period and the genre to have a different look and feel.  Kaluta was that look and feel.  There have been others who have tackled this historic character, but I don't know that any of them made it feel like they actually loved The Shadow and the world he inhabited.  Kaluta most definitely did!

The Sunday Comics: The Shadow "The Menace of Radiation Rogue!" pages 19 - 21

 

Saturday's random pulp cover: Dime Detective Magazine : "Shadow of the Vulture"_November, 1931

 Okay, I have no real love for this cover but found it interesting as it relates to The Shadow.  What struck me first of the cast shadow and the, ugh, red scarf.  Then the title, "Shadow of the Vulture" and finally, the fact that it was published just months after "The Living Shadow".  Fun series of coincidences (at least to the way my mind works).  BTW, the story was written after the author saw the cover.

Happy 250th Independence Day

 Let Freedom ring, this 4th.  Never take for granted what those who came before us fought so hard to achieve.  Have a safe and wonderful Independence Day, agents.

ON THE AIR: April 10, 1945

 

Ep_23_When Killers Meet

Time to go back to where my comics ties to The Shadow began... The Shadow #1 "The Doom Puzzle"

I appreciate what Kaluta accomplished more as time goes by.  The detail he put into this book is astounding.  Especially at a time when reference was not available via a simple Google search and there was no easy fix with Photoshop.  All done with paper, pen, brush and ink.  All by hand.  Enjoy this trip back to the past that was already a trip back to the past.

Midnight in Moscow #6 page 20

 

The End

Midnight in Moscow #6 page 19

 

"...The Shadow has a long-standing reputation of vanishing at just the right moment."

Midnight in Moscow #6 page 18

 

"It's a rare treat to be given the opportunity to represent the instrument of divine irony."

 

Midnight in Moscow #6 page 17

 

"I gather the United States owes you a debt of gratitude as well."

The Sunday Comics: The Shadow "The Menace of Radiation Rogue!" pages 16 - 18