Top 10 Characters of Pulp Fiction Magazines

[@dwightfuhro9215]

Tarzan in 1912: All Story pulp magazine John Carter: 1912 All Story pulp magazine. To note the shadow was the top selling Hero pulp Magazine of all time . For 10 years it sold 400,000 copies every two weeks that's 800,000 copies a month. Combine that with one of the highest rated radio shows programs which reached millions of people and ran for 20 years, add to that the movies as well in the 1930s and 40s. Much more prominent, then any other pulp hero. Also, as explained by Jim Steranko and Bill finger, the story from Detective 27 was swiped from the 1936 shadow novel, the partners of peril along with interior illustrations and many of the character traits lifestyle, and gadgets that we used for the Batman. By far the most influential pulp character of all time.

[@MattWoodsComics]

The pulp era was so unique in the development of American Literature. It allowed so many talented writers to get a start and spin wonderful act of fiction.

[@MichaelRBrown-lh6kn]

Overall a decent video. However, one big mistake is that The Spider has NO superpowers. He was given the tagline "master of men" but he has no mental powers to control villains. He is more a pulp vigilante in a weird menace world, and was inspired by The Shadow. Batman actually was also inspired by The Shadow, and its been shown that several early Batman comics were based on Shadow novels. The idea of the Shadow faking his death came much later in the series. Him having aliases came earlier and you didn't know who he was.

[@MattWoodsComics]

Thank you for pointing that out. This was a very solid comment. Thank you for helping out.

[@hydrolito]

Batman was also inspired by Zorro novel 1918 Rich playboy that put on dark costume with mask with weapons hidden in cave. The Bat 1926 serial film which had dark automobile, climbing rope, Bat signal he shined, Bat Face mask (The Cat also called Cat woman wore similar Cat Face mask in first appearance). The Phantom 1936 has cave to hide costume and weapons, used dog to track criminals before Ace the Bat hound and Robin wears a similar mask.

[@MichaelRBrown-lh6kn]

@@hydrolito all true, but its been shown that many Batman storylines were lifted wholesale from Shadow pulp stories

[@thegreyman]

Great history lesson mate, I think I discovered some new pulp characters there, most I had heard of though, cool to get a refresher too. Good job

[@AnachronicComics]

Great video. Was thinking of a doc savage story after seeing your Conan video. I think I have some of the paperbacks in NY. Keep up the great content.

[@AnachronicComics]

@@MattWoodsComics yes. Agree. Once I get back to NY I’ll share some info I have in my topics folder.

[@chillispulllist]

I appreciate the history lesson Matt! The more things change, the more they stay the same! ☕💥✝️

[@pulsarstargrave256]

No John Carter Of Mars? The original strange visitor from another planet (Earth) who came to Mars with powers and abilities far beyond those of ordinary Martians?!

[@MattWoodsComics]

John Carter was one that I would have choose, but panel of voters are the people who decided the top ten.

[@milobarasorda4594]

The Spider DID NOT have any mental powers. Do your research.

[@MattWoodsComics]

😂😂 thanks for watching

[@frankkay625]

Wish they would make more movies to these characters and give us a break from Marvel:DC. Well I did here they are making a new Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers so we will see.

[@MattWoodsComics]

This is the first that a I’ve heard about a new Flash Gordon and Buck Roger’s movie! That is the best news ever. Thanks! 👊

[@KitKrash]

Tarzan?

[@dougbratton7309]

Awesome video, Matt! Incredibly informative. Makes me want to learn more about the Pulp magazine market. Does CGC grade them? Is there a service like GoCollect with values and first appearances? Seems like a cool market that comic collectors might want to know more about - the historical and DNA connections are all right there. Thanks for educating me, sir!

[@best9642]

Great video, I absolutely love the way you tell stories, and yeah wonderful history lesson.

[@hydrolito]

Hugo Hercules comic strip could lift steam powered train engine off track and pull rest at train speed in story strip ran 1902 to 1903. Popeye comic strip in newspaper started in 1929 powers of strength, speed and toughness could survive bullets. 1930 Novel: The Gladiator had proportional strength of an ant. 1930 Radio program Chandu the magician. Serial film Chandu 1932 and sequel Chandu returns 1934. Nighthawk British comic book character wore mechanical wings in 1931. Mandrake the magician comic strip in newspaper in 1934 also had Lothar in it an African prince with powers of super speed, strength and invulnerability. Flash Gordon comic stripe 1934 spaceship traveled faster than speed of light had Hawkmen in story in 1935. Wore red and yellow electrician outfit in 1939 Captain Marvel and Flash later wore similar costumes with similar yellow lightning symbol. The Phantom 1936 comic strip. Action Comics 1938 Superman with powers similar to Hugo Hercules, Popeye, and Lothar. Also, in Action comic #1 Zatara the Magician similar to Chandu and Mandrake. Zatara dressed similar to Mandrake.

[@tinakaranson6964]

Great follow up to your Robert E Howard video! 👍

[@cliffwoodbury5319]

I wish someone did a deep dive on all these characters

[@MattWoodsComics]

So many classic characters and stories

[@FreeKeyLoowee]

Domino lady sounds Awesome Pawsom 🤣💯 Great comic book history my friend, always love hearing about what came before 🔥🔥💯🙏

[@SithLordly]

Bro, that was fun! Especially hearing about my native Los Angeles.

[@ClimbingComics]

Great video Matt! Such cool history behind so many characters 👍🏽 I would put doc Savage up there too!

[@maxpayne2574]

Yes Doc Savage is my absolute favorite read all the books several times. Great choice, Doc Savage should get a modern movie. What they did to the character in that horrible camp crap film was unforgivable.

[@MattWoodsComics]

Doc Savage is a character that has been around for a long time but has so much potential for future story telling.

[@brianmurphy250]

I love Doc Savage….but right now Hollywood hates everything about Doc Savage. If they did Doc Savage now……they would either make him into a her…or swap out his race/ gender.. Or worse…they would just make him a “toxic male”idiot and have the female sidekicks come to his rescue. Check out the Rageaholics video title “Reject Modernity Embrace Pulp”

[@bjbell52]

I would also like to see modern movies of 1) The Avenger. 2) A Shadow movie that follows the original ideas from the early pulp Shadow magazines and NOT the radio version (although it looks like the pulps started incorporating some of the radio ideas. I haven't read all the 300+ stories. I have many of the reprints and found a website many years ago that had 266 Shadow pulps converted to TXT files.

[@davidlsmith3864]

The list was going along fine (although a bit out of order; The Spider under Phantom Detective and Black Bat ???) until Number 5. After The Spider, Phantom, and Black Bat I was thinking, "Who's the Top 5.... Tarzan, Shadow, Doc Savage, Conan, perhaps G-8 or even Captain Future." And then there was "Domino Lady".... A Nobody !!! A character that only had 5 very minor stories in a very minor "Spicy/Saucy" magazine in 1936. She influenced NOTHING. Her only claim to "fame" was being in a "Spicy" title and being seductively painted on the covers by Norman Saunders, which make those issues now expensive to purchase. Nothing more.

[@MattWoodsComics]

Those Domino Lady covers though,… are very highly sought after. Truth be told, she isn’t one of my favorite characters. This list was made up by a group and I presented the list. But as with every list there is room to debate. Thank you for taking the time to comment.

[@ronalramirez5469]

I just found this Adventure Pulp/Magazine Sep 1 1929 Vol. 71 #6 GD/VG 3.0 in good condition

[@MattWoodsComics]

So hard to find these old magazines let alone in a good shape. Well done 👊

[@atompunk5575]

Currently reading Doc Savge, Red Snow

[@MattWoodsComics]

Doc Savage is a great read. Love these 1930’s pulp fiction stories.

[@sergehenderson302]

You mean duck Rogers just like Daffy Duck would say

[@eyesofmyheart7246]

Great video Matt!!! Really enjoy learning more about the comic world...through your eyes. 😎💯 I was just talking about Matt Murdock last night with J.

[@philtasticcomicsandart]

Very interesting, Matt. Did not know a lot of these characters. I remember the Shadow and the Phantom because of their movies in the 90s but that is it.

[@davidlsmith3864]

Different PHANTOM here....Not Lee Falk's Ghost who Walks from the Jungle.

[@ObscureBookAdventures]

Last year I discovered the fun of reading those old pulp magazines. A lot of them are reprinted now. I don't read many American Comics, but I'm a long time collector of European comics and graphic novels. Every Thursday I talk about them on my channel.

[@MattWoodsComics]

Thanks for letting me know about your channel. I just subscribed.

[@ObscureBookAdventures]

@@MattWoodsComics Thanks.

[@cliffwoodbury5319]

wish your time stamps were correct - lol - thanks for the info as i learned some new things about characters im starting to take an interest in

[@MattWoodsComics]

Sorry about that, I don’t think I put any time stamps in this video. Lots of great pulp fiction characters. That was an unique form of literature that many writers took advantage of.

[@knyght27]

No Tarzan, John Carter or Conan in the top five???? 😳😳😳

[@MattWoodsComics]

Right? Those three could easily be included in the list. Plus quite a few other characters could have been included.

[@laverdadescatolica5]

They should do a cinematic universe of PULP characters. Doc Savage: The Hunt for The Shadow 😀

[@MattWoodsComics]

That would be so fun to watch!

[@laverdadescatolica5]

@@MattWoodsComics it should culminate with Doc Savage vs The Shadow answering the question: WHAT IS JUSTICE? 😀

[@sammygreen9652]

I have a few trade paperback graphic novels of these characters and a lot of them are my personal favorites.

[@MattWoodsComics]

Amazing stories.

[@sammygreen9652]

@@MattWoodsComics Yes they most certainly are and very inspiring for my own personal work.😃.

[@bathombre9739]

Cannot believe conan is not on this list 🙄

[@MattWoodsComics]

Easily could be on the list. While Conan was popular at the time the character was being printed in the 1930’s the character gained the most fame when they used the Frank Frazetta covers on the soft cover books that were printed in the 1950’s and 60’s.

[@ProtectorEnforcer]

33:888 you are super 🆒️

[@MattWoodsComics]

Thanks 🙏

[@sergehenderson302]

LOL Matt Woods duck Rogers from Daffy Duck

[@hydrolito]

1903 Play called Man and superman about Don Juan. 1907 German term Uber Mench is translated as Superman. 1912 Tarzan of the apes is called Superman by Jane. 1933 Pulp magazine Doc Savage named Clark. Strong fast enough to dodge bullets. Fortress of Solitude in the artic. 1934 Advertisement Superman Doc Savage master of mind and Body.

[@MattWoodsComics]

You got it! These characters really evolved over time to what we know them as today. There was a lot of borrowing ideas in the American literature scene in the first half of the 20th century

[@oliverortiz8507]

Love hearing more about these pulp heroes.

[@ProtectorEnforcer]

Just found you today at age 67. Very knowledgeable 👌

[@MattWoodsComics]

I’m glad you found the channel. We like to have a lot of fun around here.

[@stevenschaller1672]

Good info!

[@DCPatrol]

You rock Matt. Great stuff!

[@MattWoodsComics]

Not sure how I missed this comment from months ago. But you my man Rock as well! 😂

[@DCPatrol]

I'll never forgive you for this!!! ;)

[@MattWoodsComics]

@@DCPatrol 😂😂 my bad 🤣

[@allantidgwell5624]

The actual first superheroes in comics debuted in the same comic; Doctor Occult and Rose Psychic both debuted in New Fun Comics #6 (both characters created by Siegel & Schuster) in October of 1935 Fun fact; Doctor Occult's initial design was a blue costume with a red cape

[@MattWoodsComics]

Well done! I had to look that up. I doubt most people know that information about this comic book. Thank you