Northern Exposure!

Just returned from a family vacation up north into the mysterious geography of Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and ultimately Maine. For the first time in many many moons my wife and our two girls headed on a road trip to spend several days on the southern coast of Maine, a beautiful area which was very much as advertised. On the way I wanted to take a tour of New York City, a place I've personally never been and that actual tour was fantastic. A lifelong fan of King Kong, I've always had a hankering to see the Empire State Building and it was a blast to finally see the NYC skyline in its actual glory.

Despite all our plots and plans to the contrary we were sucked into the mammoth traffic, I still ended up having to drive in NYC, and it took the modern miracle of GPS to save us from wandering the confusing streets and avenues until we ran out of fuel. Despite this harrowing adventure we had a good time ultimately, though my wife has limited mobility and getting her around the streets was a significant chore for all of us. Thanks to the exceeding kindness of many New Yorkers, we were able to manage the bus and subway systems and find our way across downtown. We enjoyed especially a beautiful afternoon in Battery Park.

There was little or nothing in the way of comics interest save for two minor roadside attractions as we leaving the area. I actually saw a road sign to Derby, Connecticut (the location of the now defunct Charlton publishing empire) and would've diverted if I'd been alone. Also got a glimpse as we left New York and drifted into New Jersey of the Palisades Amusement Park, which I know from colorful ads in countless DC comics of yore. Aside from these two admittedly minor events, it was a weekend dedicated to the wants and desires of my wife and daughters.

Glad to be back though. Traveling is fun, but being home is better.

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The Shadow Laughs!

"The Shadow Laughs" is the last of the original three Shadow novels penned by Walter Gibson  in his initial surge to create some sort of context for the highly popular character on the radio who was just a fascinating voice. It's the first to get an original cover by Jerome Rozen. The story concerns counterfeiting and pits The Shadow once again against Isaac Coffran, a old and evil man set up to be The Shadow's arch nemesis, but who disappears from the annals after this encounter. Other baddies repeat from the previous stories.

New stuff is the first trip to the Cobalt Club where Lamont Cranston mingles with the rich and sometimes infamous. And Lamont Cranston himself puts in an appearance, the real one, as Gibson does a twist on his revelation from the previous novel that The Shadow's identity was Cranston. Instead we learn that The Shadow merely assumes the guise of Cranston when the peripetetic Cranston is jet-setting around the globe.

Harry Vincent is back as he attempts to solve two murders, which only The Shadow thinks are linked. Harry spends a good deal of time in this one spying on different folks, but frankly seems to have little to do as The Shadow seems to increasingly dominate the story. The action is heady and we see for the first time the matched set of .45 automatic guns come into play. And the hint of the "Yellow Peril" returns.

Nonetheless this installment is the weakest of the three novels. We learn about our hero, who seems to blend into the shadows and emerge from the darkness in an almost supernatural way, but the adventure itself seems rather humdrum after the lurid danger of the previous yarn. There are some weird torture devices, but they lack the verve of the previous threats.

One begins to notice the almost complete absence of women in the stories. We've had three adventures now featuring The Shadow and not a single woman of consequence has been introduced. That's peculiar.

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Eyes Of The Shadow!

Eyes of the Shadow is the second Shadow novel by Walter (call me Maxwell Grant) Gibson. One of his stated goals in this outing was to establish more about the nature of The Shadow himself and to that end he introduced the character of Lamont Cranston, the wealthy millionaire with an avid interest in wireless technology who seems at least to be The Shadow's alter ego.

This is a much more lurid and weird pulp story than the debut story. It concerns a dying man's attempt to share a treasure with six of his compatriots from long ago but his plan goes awry when dangerous men intervene before he dies. His nephew is charged with the mission but needs the extensive help of Harry Vincent and The Shadow to save not only himself but the other men as well. The villains are a heinous lot and among their number is a murderous "ape man" who lurks in the corners ready to pounce. An arch villain of sorts is introduced in the person of the aged and exceedingly evil Isaac Coffran.

I really enjoyed this story, one in which the details of The Shadow's work are just getting developed. We meet The Shadow's ace wireless man Burbank for instance. This isn't quite The Shadow we have become familiar with, but it's getting closer all the time.

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The Living Shadow!

Thanks to the lovely reprints from Sanctum Books, I've been dutifully filling my shelves with scores of Shadow novels by Walter Gibson, under his nom de plume of "Maxwell Grant" of course. Recently I finished once again the debut Shadow yarn, "The Living Shadow" which introduces the macabre world of the secretive crime fighter and introduces the audience to Harry Vincent, an operator plucked from his own untimely demise and literally owing his life to the mysterious Shadow.

Original Source for the First Shadow Cover

In this initial story, the Shadow uses his elaborate network of agents to plumb the mystery of a jewel heist. There is a distinct "Yellow Menace" angle to the tale as a Yang Foo, a fence for stolen goods get lots of attention in the story and is the inspiration for the cover which is borrowed from another Street and Smith publication. There is also a good deal of code breaking as The Shadow both deciphers and sends mysterious messages.

The Shadow in this story is different from the grim avenger we're mostly familiar with. He remains off stage a good deal more and there is not yet any hint of Lamont Cranston in the proceedings,he's just "The Shadow" a mysterious entity who battles crime for unknown reasons. Harry Vincent carries the action while The Shadow lingers in the background emerging from time to time to put his memorable stamp on things.

"The Living Shadow" is a satisfying yarn, but is apparently only one of a trio of stories Gibson cobbled together when given the brief to turn the famous laughing radio character into a viable pulp adventurer.

I read "The Living Shadow" many years ago in the Pyramid paperback format. Anthony Tollin has been thoughtful enough to publish in succession the first three Shadow novels as part of a anniversary celebration a few years back. I've been itching to read them through since and at last got around to doing so.

I'll have more to report later.

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Charlton's Rockin' Team-Ups!

Here are a couple of absolutely delightful creations I found here. These two not-real-but-wish-they-were comics take several of Charlton's genres and blend them for maximum entertainment. Admit it, you'd love to see the stories these hint at.

And here are some of the covers which yielded the original art which went to create these gems.

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The Steam!

Billy, the Norwegian version of Mort Walker's Beetle Bailey got a mention here some days ago. Here we find another cover featuring Beetle ("Billy") and his eternal nemesis Sarge in a pose which  seems weirdly familiar.

It's enough to make you want to...well...scream.

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The Birth Of Buxley!

Billy is the Norwegian version of Mort Walker's long-running comic strip Beetle Bailey. This comic book about the shenanigans of American soldiers is apparently quite successful as the cover feature since the comic has been running for fifteen years.

Needless to say when I stumbled across the image above featuring the voluptuous Miss Buxley, I felt a thrill of recognition (that's what we call it these days). Besides being something of an Easter-theme image it also shows off some other familiar aspects.
 

The artist clearly has taken his inspiration from Botticelli's ultra-famous 15th-century painting "The Birth of Venus".

Gotta' love the classics!

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