Friday, February 11, 2022

"The Living Joss"


 'In some unknown abode, an insidious power dwelt. Who was the power? What was his mission? Only The Shadow, avenger of crime, was able to learn.'  (So says The Shadow Wiki)

This is a Chinatown mystery that, according to The Shadow in Review, is not something that today's "woke" culture would be willing to put up with. The review has this passage...

"This is another of the early Chinatown stories that are so beloved by readers of The Shadow. The Shadow's first visit to Chinatown was in the very first pulp magazine story "The Living Shadow." He was to visit there nearly forty more times during the eighteen-year magazine run. This story is the sixth of those visits that readers were privileged to enjoy.

In many of the Chinatown stories, the treatment of the Chinese was even handed. There were good Chinese, and bad Chinese. The Shadow even had a Chinese agent in Dr. Roy Tam. But Dr. Tam does not appear, here. In fact, he wouldn't even be introduced to the series until two years later in "The Fate Joss."

This is not one of the even-handed Chinatown stories. There are no "good" Chinese in it. In a most politically in-correct story, all the Chinese are evil. All are slinky, yellow-skinned creatures that are barely considered human. Most are either dwarfish, spidery beings or ugly, hulking brutes. This is definitely a story that shows it's age, and reflects the unenlightened times in which it was written." 

But enough of the adventure, let's focus on the wonderful Rozen cover.  A hand!  Yes, my favorite cover designs... a hand with the famous girasol ring prominently featured. Huzzah!

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