Before Superman there was Doc Savage. According to Stan Lee, Doc Savage was the prototype for what later became the modern super-hero. Like Conan the Barbarian, Doc Savage was originally the product of pulp fiction literary yarns, but his transition to comic books was so natural and easy that he’s never left, becoming a fixture there ever since.
Created by Henry W. Ralston, John L. Nanovic, and Lester Dent, Doc Savage first appeared in 1933 in the aptly named Doc Savage Magazine #1 (March cover date). From his first appearance he embodied the archetype of the heroic adventurer. Clark Savage Jr. was a physician, a scientist and all around Renaissance man. As a youngster his father gathered a group of scientists with instructions to train him and hone the boy’s physical and mental gifts, in effect making him exceptional in every way.
Originally written mainly by Lester Dent (under the pen name of Kenneth Robeson) Savage was conceived of a ‘punisher of evil doers’ and an enforcer of goodness and justice, but mainly he was an Indiana Jones style adventurer. Doc Savage has also been described as having a combination of: the intuition of Sherlock Holmes, the physical prowess of Tarzan of the Apes, the scientific genius of Craig Kennedy and the noble mindset of Abraham Lincoln. Possessing the strength of ten men, the sharpest of scientific minds and his own 'Fortress of Solitude', in sum: Doc Savage was a super-hero before heroes were ‘super’ and was even frequently called a ‘superman’.
Often travelling the world and exploring ancient sites using his abundant resources, Doc Savage earned his famous nickname form his perpetually bronzed skin. In his stories, Savage also has a series of companions accompanying him as helpers, these includes his five regular helpers: Lieutenant Colonel Andrew Blodgett “Monk” Mayfair (chemist extraordinaire), Colonel John “Renny” Renwick (world-renowned engineer), Brigadier General Theodore Marley “Ham” Brooks (a Harvard graduate and lawyer), Major Thomas J. “Long Tom” Roberts (a wizard electrician), William Harper “Johnny” Littlejohn (expert geologist and archeologist/walking thesaurus), and – in the books- his cousin Patricia “Pat” Savage. While all of the companions had expertise in various areas, they almost always deferred to Savage’s superior knowledge - even in their own fields of expertise- and they also usually ended up needing his help, which made their role somewhat redundant.
Talk of a ‘Doc Savage’ movie has been in the air for years now. Dwayne ‘the Rock’ Johnson is on record as saying he wants to play the classic character, but so far production seems stuck in limbo. Given the iconic status of Doc Savage, and his cross-generational appeal, we shouldn’t write off the eventual appearance in a film too easily.
Shadow Comics v1 #1 (January 1940)
A Golden Age classic with phenomenal returns, Shadow Comics #1 was the first comic to bring all the pulp fiction heroes into the comic book format. Although it’s headlined by the Shadow, this comic also features the earliest comic book tale of Doc Savage as he stops an Afrikaans gun merchant from selling weapons to a local warrior tribe. Only “Monk” Mayfair accompanies him on this adventure. Finding this comic in any condition is like winning the lottery. To give you an idea of its value, a 1.5 graded copy sold on Ebay on May 21st of this year for $1025.00.
Doc Savage #1 [Gold Key] (November 1966)
Doc Savage returned to comics in the 1960s and was originally brought back by Gold Key. This three-color re-launch from 1966 was apparently a one-off. But it featured Doc Savage and all of his companions as they tried to solve the riddle of the ‘thousand headed man’. Mostly strong returns can be found on this Gold Key classic. Best are on 8.0 graded copies with 90.9% over the last eleven years. The last Ebay sale for that grade fetched $119.00.
Doc Savage #1 [Marvel] (October 1972)
It wasn’t long before Marvel comics got a hold of Doc Savage. The series, written by Roy Thomas with art by John Buscema and Ross Andru was short-lived, but the first issue still commands consistently strong returns. Best returns on graded copies over the last three years (at 632.2%) are on 7.5’s, but only due to a signature series sale. Otherwise, stick to 9.6 with 82.1% returns and at $200.00 fair market price a fifth of the price for owning a 9.8 ($1,050.00) of this Bronze Age thriller. If a movie happens, this may see a bump (remember what happened to Star Wars #1 before the Force Awakens?), if it’s a Marvel movie of Doc Savage that happens there’s no telling how high the returns could soar.
