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Will Murray's Pulp History
Dark Avenger: The Strange Saga of The Shadow
THE DEEPEST SECRETS OF THE MASTER AVENGER REVEALED AT LAST!Dark The Strange Saga of The Shadow documents the enigmatic character's transition from mysterioso broadcaster to a crime-fighting detective who rivaled Sherlock Holmes and inspired Batman, as well as numerous others in all media. Packed with numerous quotes from the creators responsible for bringing The Shadow to life, this book explores and illuminates his legendary history.
In this volume, all of The Shadow's secrets are finally laid bare. Or are they?
Many believe him to be millionaire world traveler, Lamont Cranston. But the master avenger also claimed other identities, and there were whispers that he may have been someone else entirely.
For only The Shadow truly knows….
Dark The Strange Saga of The Shadow is the companion volume to Master of The Rise of the Shadow.
In this volume, all of The Shadow's secrets are finally laid bare. Or are they?
Many believe him to be millionaire world traveler, Lamont Cranston. But the master avenger also claimed other identities, and there were whispers that he may have been someone else entirely.
For only The Shadow truly knows….
Dark The Strange Saga of The Shadow is the companion volume to Master of The Rise of the Shadow.
- GenresPulp
311 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 31, 2022
About the author
Will Murray
703 books77 followersWill Murray was an American novelist, journalist, and short-story and comic-book writer. Much of his fiction has been published under pseudonyms. Will is the author of over 50 novels in popular series ranging from “The Destroyer” to “Mars Attacks”. Collaborating posthumously with the legendary Lester Dent, he has written to date nine Doc Savage novels, with “Desert Demons” and “Horror in Gold” now available. For National Public Radio, Murray adapted “The Thousand-Headed Man” for “The Adventures of Doc Savage” in 1985, and recently edited “Doc Savage: The Lost Radio Scripts of Lester Dent” for Moonstone Books. He is versed in all things pulp.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
March 11, 2023
If, like me, you happened to read Will Murray’s Duende History of the Shadow Magazine back in the ‘70s, it no doubt left you wishing you had access to some of the many, many intriguing stories he described. It was a bit frustrating, because most of them were impossible to find.
Now, with Dark Avenger, a revised and expanded version of the Duende History, the Shadow’s world is a much different place. All but a few of his pulp adventures are readily available, and the biggest frustration is finding time to read them all.
Amazingly, Mr. Murray seems to found the time to read and study all 325 of those babies, and broken the 18-year run down into seven distinct phases. It’s a fascinating journey. We see our hero undergo the gradual change from a mysterious crime fighter to a guns-blazing avenger - to an urbane detective who hardly bothers to don a disguise - and finally back to some semblance of his old self. We see his true identity shift from a delicious mystery to adventurous Kent Allard, then to sophisticated Lamont Cranston, finally landing somewhere in between. And it’s not only the Shadow’s role that changes, but the identities and functions of vast cast of agents.
Equally fascinating are the forces behind the scenes, notably editor John Nanovic and others at Street and Smith, nudging Walter Gibson in different directions in an effort to please the changing market and address the changing times. We see the coming and going of Black Mask writer Theodore Tinsley (who wrote 28 of the 325) and the odd tenure of Bruce Elliott (who did 15), then coming full circle back to Gibson.
I was surprised to learn how late in the series super-villains like Shiwan Khan made the scene, and how late the radio show began to infect the magazine (1937). The Great Shadow Boom of 1940 was another revelation, spurred by the Victor Jory serial and spilling over into the comic strip and comic books.
The book’s narrative is a mystery and adventure in itself, and a real page-turner. I was itching to discover what changes the writers would come up with—or have forced upon them—from one phase to the next, making it hard to put down.
I came to identify closely with Walter Gibson (who was of course closest to it all, writing 268 of the suckers) and Will had me cheering his all his triumphs and feeling his pain when things went sour.
The wealth of information and detail here is truly staggering. I came away with at least half a dozen adventures I’m itching to read right away, and host of others on the back burner.
Dark Avenger is a must-read for pulp hero fans, and anyone interested in the history of the pulps in general. Get yourself a copy quick, or the Shadow will know.
Now, with Dark Avenger, a revised and expanded version of the Duende History, the Shadow’s world is a much different place. All but a few of his pulp adventures are readily available, and the biggest frustration is finding time to read them all.
Amazingly, Mr. Murray seems to found the time to read and study all 325 of those babies, and broken the 18-year run down into seven distinct phases. It’s a fascinating journey. We see our hero undergo the gradual change from a mysterious crime fighter to a guns-blazing avenger - to an urbane detective who hardly bothers to don a disguise - and finally back to some semblance of his old self. We see his true identity shift from a delicious mystery to adventurous Kent Allard, then to sophisticated Lamont Cranston, finally landing somewhere in between. And it’s not only the Shadow’s role that changes, but the identities and functions of vast cast of agents.
Equally fascinating are the forces behind the scenes, notably editor John Nanovic and others at Street and Smith, nudging Walter Gibson in different directions in an effort to please the changing market and address the changing times. We see the coming and going of Black Mask writer Theodore Tinsley (who wrote 28 of the 325) and the odd tenure of Bruce Elliott (who did 15), then coming full circle back to Gibson.
I was surprised to learn how late in the series super-villains like Shiwan Khan made the scene, and how late the radio show began to infect the magazine (1937). The Great Shadow Boom of 1940 was another revelation, spurred by the Victor Jory serial and spilling over into the comic strip and comic books.
The book’s narrative is a mystery and adventure in itself, and a real page-turner. I was itching to discover what changes the writers would come up with—or have forced upon them—from one phase to the next, making it hard to put down.
I came to identify closely with Walter Gibson (who was of course closest to it all, writing 268 of the suckers) and Will had me cheering his all his triumphs and feeling his pain when things went sour.
The wealth of information and detail here is truly staggering. I came away with at least half a dozen adventures I’m itching to read right away, and host of others on the back burner.
Dark Avenger is a must-read for pulp hero fans, and anyone interested in the history of the pulps in general. Get yourself a copy quick, or the Shadow will know.
February 15, 2023
Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men?.......The Shadow knows, is a phrase many people are familiar with either through memory of the radio shows or in recent times a myriad of pop culture references. They have a vague idea of who or what the character actually was. Most do not know the origins of the character nor the literary legacy of the character at the pen of Walter Gibson guided by his editors. To paraphrase Lester Dent- The Shadow was just a voice until he was handed over to Walter Gibson.
The Shadow as a nemesis to crime has had 4 incarnations in different media. First was the pulp hero, second the radio show, third movies and fourth in comic books. Each incarnation keeps similar elements but also unique to themselves. This is a character that has survived in our culture to present times with a recent revamping by James Patterson
The Dark Avenger chronicles the history of the Shadow, the first masked crime fighter of the Golden Age of pulp magazines. Starting with his transformation from being a “host” to a detective radio show into a pulp magazine hero that transformed the pulp magazine industry.The Shadow debuted in his own magazine published by Street & Smith for a run of 325 issues over the next two decades. The Shadow’s success heralded a new phase in the pulp magazines with new titles being created to jump on the super heroic action adventure bandwagon. Street & Smith itself would follow up with Doc Savage and The Avenger among others.
The appeal of Murray’s Dark Avenger to me is threefold. As a literary historian, I was interested in the history of the character and his evolution. Murray gives an overview of many of the novels without giving away details of the stories. Interwoven with this is a history of the magazine, the writers, the editors giving the reader an idea of who these men were and their impact on the stories and the direction the stories went. Also interwoven in this tale of The Shadow is the impact of the culture and history of the times on the stories and magazine itself.
The book should appeal to those interested in this fascinating character, those interested in the pulp magazine phenomenon that peaked in the 1920s and 1930s and those who are intrigued by the origins of pulp culture. It’s an easy read, not a dry recounting of history. More like a discussion of the events with insight given by those involved at the time.
Highly recommended for Shadow fans, Pulp fans and those who are curious about our world 90 years ago.
The Shadow as a nemesis to crime has had 4 incarnations in different media. First was the pulp hero, second the radio show, third movies and fourth in comic books. Each incarnation keeps similar elements but also unique to themselves. This is a character that has survived in our culture to present times with a recent revamping by James Patterson
The Dark Avenger chronicles the history of the Shadow, the first masked crime fighter of the Golden Age of pulp magazines. Starting with his transformation from being a “host” to a detective radio show into a pulp magazine hero that transformed the pulp magazine industry.The Shadow debuted in his own magazine published by Street & Smith for a run of 325 issues over the next two decades. The Shadow’s success heralded a new phase in the pulp magazines with new titles being created to jump on the super heroic action adventure bandwagon. Street & Smith itself would follow up with Doc Savage and The Avenger among others.
The appeal of Murray’s Dark Avenger to me is threefold. As a literary historian, I was interested in the history of the character and his evolution. Murray gives an overview of many of the novels without giving away details of the stories. Interwoven with this is a history of the magazine, the writers, the editors giving the reader an idea of who these men were and their impact on the stories and the direction the stories went. Also interwoven in this tale of The Shadow is the impact of the culture and history of the times on the stories and magazine itself.
The book should appeal to those interested in this fascinating character, those interested in the pulp magazine phenomenon that peaked in the 1920s and 1930s and those who are intrigued by the origins of pulp culture. It’s an easy read, not a dry recounting of history. More like a discussion of the events with insight given by those involved at the time.
Highly recommended for Shadow fans, Pulp fans and those who are curious about our world 90 years ago.
May 29, 2024
A thoroughly enjoyable, in-depth, and succulent history of The Shadow magazine.
This is likely the most enjoyable non-fiction book I've read in a long time. Will Murray's knowledge of the history of The Shadow magazine is encyclopedic in what occurred in public and behind the scenes.
Yet, this is not a dry academic lecture. Murray's pose is conversational in style and flows easily across the page. I felt as if I was sitting across from Murray as he regaled me with tales of his conversation with Walter Gibson, Nanovick, and Ralston. You can feel the pride and wonder as The Shadow soars in the public gestalt and his sadness as the Dark Avenger fails to defeat the unstoppable forces of the passage of time and editorial dictates.
If you are interested in how The Shadow went from a creepy announcer voice on the radio to a household name across America, this is the book for you!
This is likely the most enjoyable non-fiction book I've read in a long time. Will Murray's knowledge of the history of The Shadow magazine is encyclopedic in what occurred in public and behind the scenes.
Yet, this is not a dry academic lecture. Murray's pose is conversational in style and flows easily across the page. I felt as if I was sitting across from Murray as he regaled me with tales of his conversation with Walter Gibson, Nanovick, and Ralston. You can feel the pride and wonder as The Shadow soars in the public gestalt and his sadness as the Dark Avenger fails to defeat the unstoppable forces of the passage of time and editorial dictates.
If you are interested in how The Shadow went from a creepy announcer voice on the radio to a household name across America, this is the book for you!
September 27, 2026
I had previously read the first incarnation of this book in the early 1980s (The Duende History of The Shadow Magazine) and ate it up because there was so little information available on The Shadow pulp magazine. Since then many of the stories have been reprinted, and many books about the Shadow (including others by Will Murray himself) have appeared. Consequently, my opinion of this work has changed somewhat, but then, so has my opinion of the character and the stories in general.
For anyone interested in the behind-the-scenes history of how The Shadow came to be, and an arc of his transformation from mystery man to dilettante criminologist I'm sure you won't find anything better. It can feel a bit dry and repetitive at times, but then Walter Gibson was doing the same thing twice a month for almost 2o years. I think the Master of Mystery: The Rise of the Shadow was a better book in terms of entertainment value. I plan on tracking down Knight of Darkness: The Legend of The Shadow so I can complete the trilogy.
For anyone interested in the behind-the-scenes history of how The Shadow came to be, and an arc of his transformation from mystery man to dilettante criminologist I'm sure you won't find anything better. It can feel a bit dry and repetitive at times, but then Walter Gibson was doing the same thing twice a month for almost 2o years. I think the Master of Mystery: The Rise of the Shadow was a better book in terms of entertainment value. I plan on tracking down Knight of Darkness: The Legend of The Shadow so I can complete the trilogy.
January 16, 2024
The Shadow Knows
Will Murray has become the go-to writer of new stories featuring heroes from pulp magazine days, but here he does non-fiction research into perhaps the most influential pulp magazine character, The Shadow. Here you learn much about Walter Gibson, who wrote the seminal Shadow tales, but also others who wrote under the Maxwell Grant pseudonym. We learn of what influenced the character’s formation and how that character helped shape others, mainly Batman. This is a treasure trove of fascinating data.
Will Murray has become the go-to writer of new stories featuring heroes from pulp magazine days, but here he does non-fiction research into perhaps the most influential pulp magazine character, The Shadow. Here you learn much about Walter Gibson, who wrote the seminal Shadow tales, but also others who wrote under the Maxwell Grant pseudonym. We learn of what influenced the character’s formation and how that character helped shape others, mainly Batman. This is a treasure trove of fascinating data.
July 6, 2023
Interesting history of The Shadow magazines and books
For a true fan of The Shadow magazines and books, this history is a must. Those who are not fans will find it to be an interesting history of a small slice of popular literature.
For a true fan of The Shadow magazines and books, this history is a must. Those who are not fans will find it to be an interesting history of a small slice of popular literature.
November 2, 2023
A great history of pulp hero The Shadow and creator Walter Gibson.
April 4, 2026
A collection of entertaining articles about the history of The Shadow.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews