The Complete Adventures of The Domino Lady

by Lars Anderson, Tom Johnson (Introduction)

“Compliments of the Domino Lady!” In order to avenge the murder of her father, socialite Ellen Patrick donned a domino mask, an evening dress and packed a .45. Running for six rare stories in mid-1930s pulp magazines, these stories remain elusive. Now, these are collected in an affordable edition, complemented by an all-new Afterword by pulp historian Tom Johnson.

Genres: Superheroes

176 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2014

Reviews

[Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Domino Lady was the hero of six stories in the pulp magazine hey-day of 1936. The stories were attributed to Lars Anderson, and no one now seems to know for sure if that was simply a pseudonymous house-name of the publisher, a real person, or the pseudonym of an individual. The book has an afterword that's neither very helpful or informative. This book collects all six of the original stories, the first five of which appeared in Saucy Romantic Adventures and the final one in Mystery Adventure Magazine. The word "Saucy" in the title indicated that the publication was intended for adults only, usually sold "under the counter" by request, though there's no content even close to objectionable that I could find in any of the stories. The Domino Lady and her alter-ego Ellen Patrick are described as being very attractive, of course, but there's no erotic content at all. The first five stories are simply standard pulp mystery/adventures of a much higher caliber than the average, featuring a young woman whose father has been assassinated by a criminal syndicate that controls unethical politicians; Ellen has assumed the Domino Lady persona and mask and costume, vowing to bring the criminals to justice. (Remember this was a few years -before- Bruce Wayne's parents took him to the movies!) The last story, The Domino Lady's Double, is longer than the others and was the one that was printed in a different magazine. I suspect it had a different author, or at least far more (or less) editorial influence. The word patterns, choice of vocabulary, and turns of phrase are all quite different than the first five. For example, instead of giving her date a quick kiss goodnight, in this one we are told: "The tall sleuth's masterful arms went around her palpitant figure, and his seeking lips found the damp grotto of her warm mouth. Hungrily, he tasted of the cloying sweetness of her hot, crimson lips." Palpitant? Damp grotto? Eww, somebody was getting paid by the word, weren't they? And, eww... The Domino Lady was one of the most clever and courageous female heroes of the pulps, always winning the day with her brains and on her own terms. Perhaps that's why she is both not as well known, but much admired by those who have discovered her. Anyway, the Domino Lady's career didn't last long, just those six stories from 1936, until she was revived both in comics and prose in the current century. I enjoyed reading the original.

[Little Timmy · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of, if not the, first women pulp heroes. Nice read of her original stories. Recommended

[Literary_Octopus · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Domino Lady is 1930's sexism repackaged as modern day empowerment. These stories themselves are relatively harmless and uneventful, but eventually lead to the current series where the heroine injects men with a knock-out drug while sleeping with them.

[Jeff J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Collection of the pulp stories from the 1930's featuring the Domino Lady. It's a shame there were only six stories, these were a lot of fun!

[Hunter · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Domino Lady is one of the few costumed female heroes of the pulp era, and likely the most popular. All 6 of her short stories, penned by “Lars Anderson,” are found in this collection. The character is given an intriguing backstory. Ellen Patrick’s father is a tough politician who is murdered by an assassin. Ellen is convinced that a corrupt state political machine is behind her father’s death, and swears her life to being the proverbial thorn in the side of shady California politicians.

Unfortunately, the plots are rather pedestrian. Of the first four stories, two involve blackmail and two involve a jewel heist. It’s not until the fifth and sixth stories where things begin to pick up momentum, and The Domino Lady finds herself dismantling an organized, politically motivated kidnapping and murder ring. The final story is the longest and most interesting, as a mysterious woman masquerading as our heroine steals important papers from a foreign embassy and frames her for the crimes.

The writing is passable, though since the Domino Lady was published in the “spicy” magazines there are long descriptions of Ellen’s womanly assets that do little to advance the characters or the plot. And there is usually at least one scene of Ellen being romanced by a strapping police detective or sea captain.

The Domino Lady is an interesting and relatively unique character, but this collection is best kept for those of us exploring the variety to be found in the old pulps rather than a general audience.

[Mark Phillips · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the few original female pulp heroines, The Domino Lady only ran for the six stories contained in this edition. Interestingly, textual continuity references in the last story clearly indicate that there is a missing story between "The Black Legion" and "The Domino Lady's Double" It would be really cool if someone could find it. I thoroughly enjoyed these stories. Ellen Patrick has no special skills to fight corrupt politicians and blackmailers other than a little pistol, a hypodermic full of knockout drugs, and a lot of pluck. Since she steals from the corrupt and gives most of the proceeds to charity, she is perhaps most similar in formula to The Moon Man. Since The Domino Lady character is in the public domain, she is popular with New Pulp authors.

[Egghead · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sexy masked hero
Always getting out of clothes
And into tight jams.