And the answers are...

"Agent J reports: red star, Dive, Megazine, green shirt on man in lower right, flame, hat on man with blackjack, hat on man in green shirt to the right of the lady with the gun!"

Well done, Agent J.  This was a fun one to do.  Thanks for playing, as always.  Kind of a shame to mess with such a great cover but...

Finished "The Man of Bronze"...

and now am on to

I really wasn't going to jump into another Savage tale but I read the essay on the creation of Doc after "The Man of Bronze" and when I found that Dent was hamstrung with the initial story but was given full reign on the second adventure, "The Land of Terror".  Apparently the prose is very purple pulp and Doc deals justice in a way that The Shadow might cringe from.  We'll see.

What's the Diff... well, it's Friday ain't it

Time for our 70th edition of "What's The Difference"

 

Seven (7) changes to this classic cover from the early days.  Give it a go and enjoy the weekend.

The Wealth Seeker: A comparison

Steranko vs. Rozen!  Excitement vs. Mystery!  Never happened vs. It could have happened!


The scene depicted on the Jove paperback by Steranko never occurred.  I'm pretty sure that a woman was never mentioned, let alone featured, let alone being threatened by a masked gunman who had just returned from a night at the opera.  The Rozen cover is a bit more in keeping with The Shadow's role of keeping hidden from prying eyes.

Do you have a preference?  I know I do.  Sorry Mr. Steranko, I have to give the win to Mr. Rozen.  As usual I would simply Let George Do It when it comes to The Shadow covers.

The Golden Masks... revealed!

"Agent J reports: 1966, The Shadow's eyes, string from mask near Shadow's right hand, mask eye holes, Shadow's finger at top of mask, that's all I can find!"

80 is now 88 and the bar has been elongated.  The lengthened bar is probably a bit sneaky.

I finished "The Adventure of the Peerless Peer" and have started...

The Man of Bronze.  I read the intro by Lester Dent and was a bit taken aback by his obvious jealousy of The Shadow.  Why?  He stated that Doc Savage was the first single character pulp on the market and the most popular.  He never once mentioned The Shadow Magazine or Walter B. Gibson and the impact that the original Dark Knight had on pulpdom and popular culture.

As to the story I'm having a bit of trouble getting into it.  As I've said before, the writing and "The Fabulous Five" have left me cold.  That and the fact that the Ron Ely film opened with the exact scene that starts The Man of Bronze.  Not surprising but I can't get the film out of my head while reading this.  I hope I can get past how I feel about some of these things because I really do like the concept of Doc.

What's the Difference issue #69

Seven (7) changes, agents.  Find them all and feel good about yourself.  Have a great weekend, y'all. 

Has anyone read this one?

I read this decades ago.  Bought it for the cover, most likely.  Gonna give it another go after I finish "The Wealth Seeker". 

Been thinking 'bout reading some Doc Savage

I've always been fascinated with Doc Savage but haven't been able to get into the actual writing.  I'm not into his team of agents.  The Shadow's agents are more believable and I think that's because the writing of Gibson rises far above Dent's.  But that is just my opinion.
The character of Savage is very appealing to me, though.  His moral character and devotion to making himself the best he can be is something I aspire to.  Yeah, I know, rather juvenile in the face of all that the world faces today.  But I think that might just be what this world, this country, needs right now.
Anyhow, I was wondering if anybody could recommend the top 5 stories to read.   I have "The Man of Bronze" and a couple of others.  I would like to read the best to get an idea of why he is so popular.  I've read the two Will Murray Doc/Shadow crossovers.  I liked them but I think that's because of The Shadow's presence.  So, any ideas of what to read?

And pulling the curtain aside on the answers...

"Agent J reports: Upside down NRA, 1933, Navel, The Shadow's ring, collar tip - that's all I can find!"

  Close but you missed the thumb.  A bit sneaky, I admit.  Thanks for playing.

Agent J scores again!

You are absolutely correct.  The H B Jove cover of "Kings of Crime" is the answer to the jigsaw clew.  I have to say I do prefer the Pyramid cover art, though.

What do you say?

What's the Difference episode 68... The Wealth Seeker

There are six (6) changes to this simple yet classic cover.  Find them all and your prize is self satisfaction at completing this mission for The Shadow.
Why did I pick this one?  Because it's the novel I am currently reading.  Been a long time (41 years) since I read this one the first time and probably 25 - 30 years since I last read it.  Both times were the paperback reissue from '78.  We'll revisit that cover at a later date.  In the meantime, good luck.

92nd clew for you

Can you solve The Mystery of the Puzzling Cover?  Of course you can!

Oops... forgot to post this

The answer, courtesy of Agent J, to this clew from a couple of weeks ago.

Well done, Agent J!

"Agent J reports: Waxwell, V4005, dragon's eyes, claw on dragon's right hand, eye on statue, the dragon's whiskers."

Youse got dem all!  Gonna have ta make da next one a bit tougher!

What am I reading now?

And... loving it!

Okay, okay, I'm mixing my pop culture but that doesn't lessen the joy I'm having reading this one.  I haven't read this since the Pyramid paperback.

If you haven't read this make time to do so.  Gray Fist is a blast to read!

Green Eyes is your 67th edition of...

What's The Difference!

There are six (6) changes to this wonderful Steranko cover.  This is one of the times that I have to say the paperback cover is an upgrade to the original Rozen cover.  Good luck and I hope everyone is having a safe holiday.

Racket Town revealed!

"Agent J reports: 1933, Mashes, window shade in window near Shadow's left foot, tip of Shadow's cape near the h, piece of brick or wood below the S - that's all I can find!"

Pretty close.  You didn't spy the second window added on the floor above the window shade.  Ain't I a stinker?

July's Calendar

Summer's here.  Time to Charg ahead and enjoy the nice weather (if that's your thing... I prefer Autumn and the cooler, darker days).