Dynamite seems to be handling their Street and Smith properties right — though there was a bit of Shadow overload. Doc Savage needs solid plotting, and that takes time, especially when you have a good writer with the occasionally quirky sensibility that a pulp hero narrative requires.
Chris Roberson has that — his previous Doc Savage mini-series laid out Doc in various eras, giving himself a big palate to draw from in writing new adventures. With Mark Waid writing Justice, Inc. and Roberson writing Doc Savage, I feel like a kid in Bill’s Drugs again, trying to decide which paperback to choose, and wondering if I could convince my dad to let me buy two.
From Dynamite:
Dynamite Entertainment is proud to announce that the legendary action hero will return in an all-new storyline, debuting in December with Doc Savage: The Spider’s Web #1. Chris Roberson (iZombie, Hellboy), who previously scribed Dynamite’s Doc Savage: Man of Bronze
In Doc Savage: The Spider’s Web, the intrepid explorer and scientist (alongside his trusted team) responds to a devastating earthquake in South America, only to discover that the disaster was no accident… and it seems to be linked to a menace that Doc faced many years before! As his investigation begins, Doc finds that a number of closed cases that he had considered to be isolated threats were in fact part of a larger web that he never suspected before now.
Writer Chris Roberson says, “Working on Doc Savage has been a childhood dream come true. In our previous mini-series Man of Bronze, we laid out a decades’ long career for Doc, one that remained faithful to Lester Dent’s original vision of the characters in the 30s and 40s, but that also bridged the gap from the pulp era to the modern day. With The Spider’s Web, we’re able to use that long history as backdrop, and to tell several different stand-alone adventures that combine into a larger story.”
Readers were first introduced to the pulp action of Doc Savage in 1933, courtesy of Doc Savage Magazine by Street and Smith Publications. His adventures have appeared regularly in a variety of media (including novels, comic books, radio serials, and film) over the eighty years since the character’s inception. Raised from the cradle to be the pinnacle of mental and physical perfection, Clark Savage Jr. travels the world using science and sinews to right wrongs, aid the oppressed, and liberate the innocent. With his team of able associates at their headquarters high atop the tallest building in the world, he is tireless in his pursuit of knowledge and justice.”
Dynamite will celebrate the debut of Doc Savage: The Spider’s Web with several cover options, allowing retailers and comic fans to satisfy their particular pulp action tastes. Wilfredo Torres (Batman ’66, Lobster Johnson) provides Cover A for the first issue, while Marc Laming (Planet Hulk, All-New Invaders) provides Cover B. A “Blank Authentix” edition will also be made available, featuring a blank cover perfect for aspiring artists, convention guests, etc. Finally, Dynamite will create rare incentive variants and high-end collectible editions available through qualifying retailers: Black-and-White and Virgin Art editions by Wilfredo Torres, and a Black-and-White edition by Marc Laming.
