Pulp Power: The Shadow, Doc Savage, and the Art of the Street & Smith Universe

To be fair, I absolutely LOVE coffee table books. Full color, lavish, graphically appealing to the eyes. I find they are the equivalent to slide show presentations you see at film festivals and conventions. This book is no exception and educates as well as illustrates. If you love the old pulp magazines, even if you think this book would include the basics everyone already knows... you will be mistaken. A great book.

Im giving this book 5 stars pretty much just because it exists, is huge, and beautifully made. BUT, it does have some strange choices. I too was disappointed with the reproduction of Bama's Fortress of Solitude. To devote a whole page to it but then blur the details was an absolute crime and totally unnecessary. Given that, there are many, many beautiful cover reproductions of Shadow and Doc Savage pulps as well as numerous interior illustrations. I know this was a Street and Smith focused book but i was glad of the inclusions of the paperback cover contributions of James Bama and Jim Steranko, two of my very favorite artists in any format. These guys helped sell books to young boys that were not even old enough to understand the stories inside. I know because i was one of them! I had quite a boyhood collection of Bantam Doc Savages just because of the covers. Everytime we'd go to TG&Y I'd head for the paperback racks to see if any new Docs were out and then beg my mom to buy me one. Those were all lost to my childhood but today i have everyone of them plus tons more pulp related stuff. I never got to meet Mr Bama (R.I.P.) but did meet Jim Steranko a few years back in Dallas and they dont come any nicer or more talented. I'll always remember our amazing discussion about Walter Gibson, much to the aggravation of the people in line to see him behind me. ANYWAY, sorry for straying off course. This book is ABSOLUTELY worth the money just for the look at Dwight Fuhro's Shadow memorabillia alone. This is not a book that you can read in one sitting but one that should be sipped over time like a good bourbon. Maybe with a slouched Fedora, fire opal ring, and Colt 1911 nearby- just in case!

It's great to have a well produced coffee table book that focuses on the main pulp heroes of Street and Smith. However, some of the artwork has been reproduced with a stylistic blur (see James Bama's "Fortress of Solitude" cover) that robs the viewer of the detailed work that the illustrators brought to the page. Also some of the perspective is strange: A look at the Shadow comics completely overlooks the reintroduction of the character in the 70s by Denny O'Neil and Michael Kaluta like it didn't exist, while the examination of the paperback revival of The Avenger ignores Illustrator Peter Callas' original 8 covers that established the look of the character (along with iconic model Steve Holland) and gives complete attention to the work of George Gross, which, while impressive, clearly was influenced by the foundation Caras built. But I'd rather the book exist in its current state than not at all.

Really appreciated this book. Enjoyed the exploration of pulp hero history and loved all the examples of the art and artists from that era. The obvious connections between Doc Savage / Superman and The Shadow / Batman were explored, with several points of intersection that I was totally unaware revealed. Good book for the pulp fan, with loads of great art examples. The chapters on the paperback book covers by Bama and Steranko really brought back some memories for me from that time. Highly recommended!

For anyone who loves the shadow or doc savage, this is your book. The graphic are beautiful and the background info is awesome.

Great opportunity to see large reprints from George Rosen, Baumhofer, Bama and Gross. Nice history of the characters as they change through the decades!

Packed with quality color plates and fascinating interior illustrations of THE SHADOW, DOC SAVAGE, THE AVENGER and other Street & Smith pulp adventure mags and comic books, their paperback reprint editions, and all their associated memorabilia manifestations. The biggest and most inclusive volume I've seen in all my decades of collecting materials and artwork on these hero pulp characters. Well worth the high price tag.

In terms of the cover art depicted, this book is a must-have. All the Street & Smith covers shown here are fantastically restored and glorious. However, the commentary itself is pretty one-note and not terribly interesting (save the opening section about the origins of Street & Smith as a company). Anybody familiar with The Shadow, Doc Savage, or any others will probably be aware of most of this information, so there's no reason to get the book for historical research. The book also tries really hard to hype up James Patterson's rendition of The Shadow and Doc Savage (which really aren't that good), so one gets the feeling this is as much an advertisement for those books as a faithful recreation of these characters' pasts.

Great book for Shadow, Doc Savage, Nick Carter, the Whisperer, the Skipper and the Avanger fans. Beautiful black & white and color images. Worth every cent.

Just having peeled off the protective plastic that was on my copy that recently arrived in the mail, Pulp Power’ is a gorgeous over-sized book almost too big to comfortably hold in your lap that will be a special treat for old and new fans of of Doc Savage & The Shadow. Detailed essays (which I still have to read) on the publishing history & background material for Doc Savage and The Shadow have accompanying beautiful art. There are lavish full colour full-page illustrations of many of the original paintings which graced the original pulp covers for Doc Savage & The Shadow magazines. Ditto cover art for many of their paperback reprints, comic books and more. Pulp Power also includes clearly reprinted B&W pen art illustrations from the interior of these pulp publications too that are a joy to view. There are also cleanly printed interior ads for the spin-off clubs, radio programs, and more, that once appeared in the original wood-pulp printed magazines dating back almost 90 years ago. The author of this book also includes coverage of other S&S titles, like The Avenger, The Skipper, Nick Carter, the Whisperer, and more, along with representative art for these pulp magazines and reprints too. But it's the rich coverage of lovely cover art for The Shadow & Doc Savage titles that will be of special delight for many fans. ::Brian

Libro magnifico, con molte immagini. Prezzo conveniente.

This book is enormous! Requires TWO coffee tables. The illustrations from the original pulps look fabulous at this size, and the accompanying text is a fascinating history of the key players. If you know what evil lurks in the hearts of men, and who Long Tom, Ronnie, Johnny, Monk and Ham are...this is for you. Not cheap. But worth every penny.

le livre est exceptionnel pour le sujet abordé par contre heureusement que l'emballage d'origine était épais car très abimé ,le livre n'a pratiquement pas été touché ,amazon resté sérieux niveau transport merçi