The Saga of Doc Savage's Coat

[lb_lee]

(as told by someone who has never audienced any Doc Savage story except, as a child, the 1975 movie which is apparently infamously terrible)

While doing my noble duty at the sci-fi library (that is, putting call number stickers on book spines), I had the occasion to look over a hundred Doc Savage covers in one go, all reprints by Bantam from the 1970s. Another librarian (cataloging said Doc Savage books) noted that Doc Savage had the exact same torn shirt every single time. This had led to a lively conversation among the librarians: was it the SAME shirt for a hundred books? Did he rip every single one of them the same way? Was the shirt rips editorial mandate, or artist joke? One librarian theorized that Doc Savage was so hard on his wardrobe (and cheap) that he ordered them in bulk from a canny distributor who gave him all the shirts with the same defect.

This led to me looking for every 1970s Bantam book cover of Doc Savage NOT for-sure wearing the ripped shirt. And it is a story of pathos, dear readers. A story of love and loss and fleece.

You see, in Doc Savage #3: The Polar Treasure, Doc Savage has a brown fleece coat... very sensible for a man on an iceberg being menaced by a bear. But it disappears for ten books, and when Doc Savage next has a coat, in Doc Savage #12: Quest of Qui, he has a LIGHT BLUE coat with fluffy epaulets and possibly a hood. (Sci-fi librarians disagree.)

The light blue coat appears again ten books later, in Doc Savage #23: Fortress of Solitude, but this one has darker pockets! It appears that Doc Savage is as hard on his winter coats as he is on his shirts, but cannot get them in bulk. He must use a new coat every time, poor bastard.

Tragedy strikes after the light blue coat's next (and final) appearance in Doc Savage #51: Haunted Ocean! Somewhere offscreen, poor Doc Savage loses all winter coats for forty books! All arctic appearances on covers are only accompanied by his torn shirt. The consequences are obvious, shown by Doc Savage #58: The Munitions Master. He could drill pilot holes with his nipples.

Doc Savage grieves the loss of his coat, as is so poignantly shown in Doc Savage #82: The Evil Gnome. Truly, he is suffering, despite his lantern jaw and magnificent pecs.

But the blue coat rides again! On Doc Savage #100: The Lost Giant, presumably as a gift by his noble teammates who cannot bear to see their leader suffering, he has been given a magnificent royal blue coat! No longer will he freeze, stoic and bare-titted to the elements! He is reunited with a non-ragged wardrobe! Three cheers for the Man of Bronze!

Comments

[conuly]

This is the sort of data-driven content I love, even if I don't care about the fandom.

[lb_lee]

Thank you, thank you. I am glad to make stupid posts on silly things about pulp heroes nobody thinks about anymore.

[sorcyress]

I am going to have to share this post with my mother, who had a great number of doc savage pulps and will probably get a huge kick out of it!

~Sor

[lb_lee]

Thank you. In these bullshit times, sometimes you just need to make a stupid post about a pulp hero of the thirties and his assuredly purple nurples.