In 1990, Bantam Books reprinted the last of the lead novels from Street & Smith’s DOC SAVAGE MAGAZINE. It had taken the publisher twenty-six years to finish the entire run.
As the last of Bantam’s popular omnibus volumes — printing several Doc Savage adventures under one cover — neared, the publisher was approached by science fiction writer and Doc Savage fan Philip José Farmer. He wanted to write a new Savage novel, set during the First World War. It would chronicle the formative years of The Man of Bronze. Farmer’s ESCAPE FROM LOKI was released in August 1991. But Bantam was not finished with Doc and his fabulous five.
When Doc Savage author Lester Dent passed away in March 1959, he left behind unfinished manuscripts and unused outlines. One was for a Doc Savage novel to be called, “Python Isle.” Discovered by Will Murray during a visit to Dent’s home in LaPlata, Missouri, the Doc Savage enthusiast received Mrs. Dent’s permission to write the story, based on Lester’s outline. Bantam Books read it, liked it, and put it on the shelf until they ran out of original Docs to reprint. It would be published in October 1991, just a few months after ESCAPE FROM LOKI. Murray would write six more Doc Savage novels for Bantam before downsizing brought an end to the series.
The cover artist for Will Murray’s seven Bantam Docs was Joe DeVito. The artist maintained the look of the classic paperback Doc Savage popularized by James Bama and other artists, including Bob Larkin. After Murray acquired the license to revive Doc Savage in 2010, he partnered with Matt Moring of Altus Press to reactivate the series. Naturally, they turned to DeVito for the cover art.
On Saturday, August 21, join PulpFest 2021, Laurie Powers, and William Patrick Maynard for “The Wild Adventures of Will Murray,” an interview with the writer responsible for THE WILD ADVENTURES OF DOC SAVAGE and other great pulp heroes. Our interview will take place at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Pittsburgh – Cranberry, beginning at 3 PM. Although artist Joe DeVito had planned to attend this year’s PulpFest, a last-minute conflict forced him to cancel his appearance.
Will Murray has written extensively about Lester Dent’s Doc Savage, as well as countless other pulp and pop culture topics. The literary agent for the Lester Dent properties, he has written over twenty adventures of Doc Savage, a solo adventure featuring Pat Savage, two novels about the Popular Publications hero, The Spider, as well as new adventures of King Kong, Sherlock Holmes, and Tarzan. His non-fiction books include WRITINGS IN BRONZE and WORDSLINGERS: AN EPITAPH FOR THE WESTERN. You can find Will’s “Wild Adventures” books at adventuresinbronze.com.
Joe DeVito has painted and sculpted many of the most recognizable pop culture and pulp icons, including King Kong, Batman, Doc Savage, Spider-Man, Superman, Tarzan, Wonder Woman, and MAD magazine’s Alfred E. Newman. His 40-year career has produced hundreds of book and magazine covers, a multitude of notable posters and commemorative collectibles, numerous trading cards for the major comic book and gaming houses, as well as concept and character designs for the film, television, and entertainment industries.
An avid writer as well, DeVito is the co-author — with Brad Strickland — and illustrator of several novels, among them: KONG: KING OF SKULL ISLAND, MERIAN C. COOPER’S KING KONG, and the two-volume softcover set SKULL ISLAND: EXODUS and SKULL ISLAND: THE WALL. These contain the first true literary prequel-sequels to the original King Kong story. DeVito works in full partnership with the Merian C. Cooper Estate on their uniquely creator-authorized KING KONG OF SKULL ISLAND universe. To learn more about Joe and his work, please visit the King Kong of Skull Island and Art of Joe DeVito web pages.
Laurie Powers is the granddaughter of pulp author Paul S. Powers. She was introduced to the pulp community in 2007 through the publication of PULP WRITER: TWENTY YEARS IN THE AMERICAN GRUB STREET, her grandfather’s memoir of writing for the pulps. She has also edited several collections of her grandfather’s work in various genres, releasing a number of previously unpublished stories. Laurie is the author of QUEEN OF THE PULPS: THE REIGN OF DAISY BACON AND LOVE STORY MAGAZINE, published by McFarland Books in 2019. A resident of Virginia, she was awarded the Munsey Award in 2016.
William Patrick Maynard was born and raised in Northeast Ohio. An avid reader of vintage thriller fiction and a keen student of film and comic art, he has been writing fiction since childhood. Since 2009, he has been authorized by the Sax Rohmer literary estate to continue the Fu Manchu series. In addition to his novels, Bill also writes mystery and science fiction short fiction and screenplays. He has authored nearly 300 pop culture articles and has contributed DVD commentaries for classic films of the last century. In late 2018, Maynard joined the PulpFest marketing department as a writer. Since then, he has contributed significantly to our website. Bill is the convention’s assistant director of marketing and director of afternoon programming.
The general public is welcome to attend our programming events. To learn more about our programming schedule, please click the Programming button at the top of this page.
For those who also want to enjoy our dealers’ room, you can join PulpFest by clicking the Registration button at the top of this page. And don’t forget to book a room at the DoubleTree. They’re going fast!
Artist Joe DeVito has been painting The Man of Bronze since 1991, beginning with PYTHON ISLE. Our featured image, THE FRIGHTENED FISH, is a 1992 painting, while SIX SCARLET SCORPIONS — a Pat Savage Wild Adventure — was done 2016.
Please note that due to scheduling complications, Joe DeVito will not be appearing at PulpFest 2021. Joe hopes that he will be able to attend PulpFest sometime in the near future.
