Doc Savage was truly a renaissance man. Born Clark Savage, Jr., “Doc” was placed into the hands of scientists assembled by his father to train his innate physical and mental abilities to that of almost super-human. He grew to possess great strength and became extremely agile. He trained his mind to acquire a photographic memory and he became a master of martial arts. Due to his peak physical and mental abilities, Doc dedicated his life to stopping criminals and defending those that cannot protect themselves. It is because of his skin that Doc Savage became known as the “Man of Bronze.”

Doc Savage, the Man of Bronze, is the genius hero of 181 pulp novels which ran in his own pulp magazine from 1933-1949. All the stories were reprinted by Bantam Books as paperbacks, beginning in the early 1960s. But did you know that Bantam also published a far more unheard of story, The Red Spider? It featured an older and more passive Doc, who is portrayed as more man than champion super-hero. However, fans declared that they wanted more of the original Doc back, so Bantam tailored an additional eight novels based on notes or outlines left by series author Lester Dent.

Lest Dent, who wrote Savage’s character under the pen name, Kenneth Robeson, gave Doc’s character a love for equipment, which he sometimes used to get out of unfortunate predicaments. He wears a unique vest covered with pockets in which he can carries equipment to deal with almost any situation he may encounter. This equipment ranges from high explosives to knockout gas.

He also carts equipment besides that carried in the vest. At times, Savage may clutch a rope with a grappling hook and has been known to have various other articles hidden on his body. For additional defense, Savage frequently sports a bullet proof chain mesh undergarment and has also been known to wear a skull cap. Some of the gadgets described in the series became reality, including telephone answering machines, the automatic transmission, night vision goggles, and hand-held automatic weapons.