This starts out much better than your average pulp, i'd describe it more as a pulp-noir. Doc Savage is a pretty interesting character with some unique attributes. There's also some very interesting elements such as someone inventing a laser-pointer which i'm pretty sure they didn't have in 1930.
However as the story progresses it becomes more pulp like and the numerous incidents which pile on top of each start to bore rather than excite.
Overall disappointing after the great opening and i fear that with the novelty of the character wearing off the many subsequent stories might be even more of a let down, but we shall see. ( )

Ah, good ol' Dr. Clark Savage Jr. Imbued with stunning good looks, incredible gold flake eyes, perfect physique, and quite possibly the most perfect brain in the most perfect body ever imagined.

He sees all, knows all, and is endlessly inventive. He is the expert on every major discipline, whether it's medicine, chemistry, engineering...you name it, he's the best at it.

I mean, as near as I can figure, his only flaw (judging from the covers) is that he's incapable of keeping a shirt intact.

And in this inaugural adventure, the full set up is simply to make him and his team unimaginably wealthy, so they can do what they do best: chew gum and kick ass, and right now, they're plumb outta gum.

I first discovered the Doc Savage paperbacks when James Bama's glorious cover art captured my attention in the Coles bookstore in the Oshawa Centre, way back in 1974 or so, when I was a wide-eyed twelve-year-old looking for my next great read. And in Doc Savage's adventures, I found them. I could, even at that age, blast through one of the novels in two or three hours, and then head back to the mall for the next one. I read probably 25-30 of them over the next three years or so, until a certain horror author named [a:Stephen King|3389|Stephen King|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1362814142p2/3389.jpg] (along with [a:Graham Masterton|10275|Graham Masterton|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1250596895p2/10275.jpg]) turned my head and set me down a new path.

Honestly, getting down to brass tacks, the writing is quite dreadful, the lead protagonist completely unbelievable, and the stories implausible...and yet, here I am with only 180 more of them to read, and fully committed to doing so over the next few years. I've restarted and stopped a couple of times in the ensuing four decades, but I've always wanted to read them all. Now, I'm gonna.

This is going to be equal parts fun, nostalgic, and painful. I can't wait. ( )

He's as strong as Superman, as resourceful as Batman, as clever as Brainiac-5. He is physically as impressive as Hercules and as mesmerizingly beautiful as Apollo. He swims faster than Michael Phelps and runs quicker than Usain Bolt. He's a brilliant surgeon/physician. He is Clark 'Doc' Savage Jr.
And he's completely ridiculous, larger-than-life, over-the-top alpha male. But this is grade-A pulp, and it's just too entertaining to be put off by the it's-just-too-much-of-a-good-thing greatness that is the man of bronze.
The novel is non-stop action and running around by Do and his crew (5 men, all the top of their field (archeology, geology, law, chemistry, engineering) only to be surpassed by their fearless leader, and all brawny to boot).

If you're prepared to take this not too seriously, it's a fun read.

favourite quotes:

p10. "Alongside Renny, Doc was like dynamite alongside gunpowder"

p56. "Monk emitted a great howl. Monk's fights were always noisy, unless there was a reason for them to be quiet. Like a gladiator of old, Monk fought best when the racket was loudest." ( )

Man of Bronze by Kenneth Robeson
1st publication March 1933

This is the first, the introduction, the story that starts the legend. Doc Savage, the Man of Bronze and his faithful Five are introduced. Doc with his bronze hued skin and water repellent skin gets thrown into his first official adventure with the assassination of his father. As we run through the adventure first set in New York and then in the country of Hidalgo, we learn that Doc has been trained since birth to help people. Included in this training was medicine hence “Doc” Savage and all other scientific endeavors. No matter what and at times seemingly impossible to fit in, Doc trains for 2 hours every day with isometric exercises, sound frequencies and vials of scents.
His aides include Monk, world renown chemist who has gorilla like features but is also a ladies man. Ham, sartorial dressed lawyer who always carries his cane with a sword concealed in it. Renny, famous engineer with a predilection for punching door panels with his ham sized fist. Long Tom, electrical wizard who appears sickly against the other aides but can hold his own in a fight. Last is Johnny archeologist/geologist who has one bad eye and will eventually be known for using big words when he can.
The story sets up the origin and explanation for Doc’s unlimited funding for all his further adventures. It also allows him to keep away from being a corporate stooge. I’m writing this particular review a few months after reading the first story. In reflection it is functional as an introduction but some Doc elements haven’t quite been established with this first story. Doc is fairly ruthless in dealing with the bad guys using lethal methods with some regularly. The red nails of the natives of Hidalgo seems to stick with the memory. Although Johnny was the man of big words I don’t recall the use of them just yet.
Part of the fun of reading these in publishing order is seeing how the characters and tone of the stories change. It is a reflection of Lester Dent, the main writer of these stories, and his evolution as a writer. It also reflects the times of the stories and even the pressures of the publishers. So the first story is a Doc is rough but the promise of an iconic character is born.

Doc Aides (Monk, Ham, Renny, Long Tom, Johnny) setting {New York, Hidalgo} ( )

Doc savage was my favourite hero during my teens, and I still read (now in english) the stories with pleasure. ( )