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Doc Savage Runthrough

Introduction

Since I discovered that Doc Con existed and had an amazing time there in 2015, filling in most of the gaps on my bookshelf in the process, I felt driven to revisit the Doc Savage novels. I adored them when I was younger but hadn't read them in years and, however many I had read, I certainly hadn't read all, perhaps even most, of them.

As I've been reviewing books for The Nameless Zine over the previous couple of years and they post monthly, the same frequency as Doc Savage Magazine published, this project leapt at me fully formed.

Put simply, I'd re-read them in the order of their original publication in that pulp magazine, one per month, so that I could see how they progressed over time, and review them at the Nameless Zine from that perspective. This is an active project and I'm still writing these for the Nameless Zine and then consolidating them here.

To read the reviews here, just click on the pulp covers below or the titles below them. These reviews also interlink if you want to read through them in order. Links to the original Nameless Zine posts are towards the top of each review.


1933 | 1934 | 1935 | 1936 | 1937 | 1938 | 1939 | 1940 | 1941 | 1942

Covers

Titles

1933
# Month Title Author Cover Artist Bantam
1 March The Man of Bronze Lester Dent Walter M. Baumhofer 1
2 April The Land of Terror 8
3 May Quest of the Spider 68
4 June The Polar Treasure 4
5 July Pirate of the Pacific 19
6 August The Red Skull 17
7 September The Lost Oasis 6
8 October The Sargasso Ogre 18
9 November The Czar of Fear 22
10 December The Phantom City 10

1934
# Month Title Author Cover Artist Bantam
11 January Brand of the Werewolf Lester Dent Walter M. Baumhofer 5
12 February The Man Who Shook the Earth 43
13 March Meteor Menace 3
14 April The Monsters 7
15 May The Mystery on the Snow 69
16 June The King Maker Harold A. Davis 79
17 July The Thousand-Headed Man Lester Dent 2
18 August The Squeaking Goblin 35
19 September Fear Cay 11
20 October Death in Silver 26
21 November The Sea Magician 44
22 December The Annihilist 31

1935
# Month Title Author Cover Artist Bantam
23 January The Mystic Mullah Richard Sale Walter M. Baumhofer 9
24 February The Red Snow Lester Dent 38
25 March Land of Always-Night W. Ryerson Johnson 13
26 April The Spook Legion Lester Dent 16
27 May The Secret in the Sky 20
28 June The Roar Devil 88
29 July The Quest of Qui 12
30 August Spook Hole 70
31 September The Majii J. Allan Dunn 60
32 October Dust of Death Harold A. Davis 32
33 November Murder Melody Lawrence Donovan 15
34 December The Fantastic Island W. Ryerson Johnson 14

1936
# Month Title Author Cover Artist Bantam
35 January Murder Mirage Lawrence Donovan Walter M. Baumhofer 71
36 February Mystery Under the Sea Lester Dent 27
37 March The Metal Master 72
38 April The Men Who Smiled No More Lawrence Donovan 45
39 May The Seven Agate Devils Martin E. Baker 73
40 June The Haunted Ocean Lawrence Donovan 51
41 July The Black Spot 76
42 August The Midas Man Lester Dent 46
43 September Cold Death Lawrence Donovan 21
44 October The South Pole Terror Lester Dent John Philip Falter 77
45 November Resurrection Day Robert George Harris 36
46 December The Vanisher 52

1937
# Month Title Author Cover Artist Bantam
47 January Land of Long Juju Lawrence Donovan Robert George Harris 47
48 February The Derrick Devil Lester Dent 74
49 March The Mental Wizard 53
50 April The Terror in the Navy 33
51 May Mad Eyes Lawrence Donovan 34
52 June The Land of Fear Harold A. Davis 75
53 July He Could Stop the World Lawrence Donovan 54
54 August Ost Lester Dent 89
55 September The Feathered Octopus 48
56 October Repel 28
57 November The Sea Angel 49
58 December The Golden Peril Harold A. Davis 55

1938
# Month Title Author Cover Artist Bantam
59 January The Living Fire Menace Harold A. Davis Emery Clarke 61
60 February The Mountain Monster Harold Winfield Scott 84
61 March Devil on the Moon Lester Dent Emery Clarke 50
62 April The Pirate's Ghost 62
63 May The Motion Menace W. Ryerson Johnson 64
64 June The Submarine Mystery Lester Dent 63
65 July The Giggling Ghosts 56
66 August The Munitions Master Harold A. Davis 58
67 September The Red Terrors Lester Dent 83
68 October Fortress of Solitude 23
69 November The Green Death Harold A. Davis 65
70 December The Devil Genghis Lester Dent 79

1939
# Month Title Author Cover Artist Bantam
71 January Mad Mesa Lester Dent Emery Clarke 66
72 February The Yellow Cloud Evelyn Coulson 59
73 March The Freckled Shark Lester Dent 67
74 April World's Fair Goblin William G. Bogart 39
75 May The Gold Ogre Lester Dent 42
76 June The Flaming Falcons 30
77 July Merchants of Disaster Harold A. Davis 41
78 August The Crimson Serpent 78
79 September Poison Island Lester Dent 57
80 October The Stone Man 81
81 November Hex William G. Bogart 37
82 December The Dagger in the Sky Lester Dent 40

1940
# Month Title Author Cover Artist Bantam
83 January The Other World Lester Dent Emery Clarke 29
84 February The Angry Ghost William G. Bogart 86
85 March The Spotted Men 87
86 April The Evil Gnome Lester Dent 82
87 May The Boss of Terror 85
88 June The Awful Egg 92
89 July The Flying Goblin William G. Bogart 90
90 August Tunnel Terror 93
91 September The Purple Dragon Harold A. Davis 91
92 October Devils of the Deep 123
93 November The Awful Dynasty William G. Bogart 148
94 December The Men Vanished Lester Dent 152

1941
# Month Title Author Cover Artist Bantam
95 January The Devil's Playground Alan Hathway Emery Clarke 25
96 February Bequest of Evil William G. Bogart 173
97 March The All-White Elf Lester Dent 127
98 April The Golden Man 117
99 May The Pink Lady 157
100 June The Headless Men Alan Hathway 124
101 July The Green Eagle Lester Dent 24
102 August Mystery Island 139
103 September The Mindless Monsters Alan Hathway 131
104 October Birds of Death Lester Dent 161
105 November The Invisible Box Murders 160
106 December Peril in the North 118

1942
# Month Title Author Cover Artist Bantam
107 January The Rustling Death Alan Hathway Emery Clarke 132
108 February Men of Fear Lester Dent 140
109 March The Too-Wise Owl 167
110 April The Magic Forest William G. Bogart 149
111 May Pirate Isle Lester Dent 115
112 June The Speaking Stone 116
113 July The Man Who Fell Up Charles DeFeo 112
114 August The Three Wild Men Emery Clarke 121
115 September The Fiery Menace 122
116 October The Laugh of Death 119
117 November They Died Twice 105
118 December The Devil's Black Rock 164


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Last update: 14th April, 2025