DC, via their blog the Source, has given an enigmatic look at a classic character:
Yep, that would be Doc Savage, pulp hero of the ’30s and ’40s. This polymath adventurer shares a lot of qualities you may see in heroes such as Superman, Batman, Captain America, or Mr. Fantastic: the so-called Man of Bronze was trained by scientists from birth to be a superior man, with advanced strength and endurance, as well as photographic memory and a keen understanding of science and the martial arts. And best of all, Green Lantern fans, he even had an oath:
Let me strive every moment of my life to make myself better and better, to the best of my ability, that all may profit by it. Let me think of the right and lend all my assistance to those who need it, with no regard for anything but justice. Let me take what comes with a smile, without loss of courage. Let me be considerate of my country, of my fellow citizens and my associates in everything I say and do. Let me do right to all, and wrong no man.
Sounds a little less Abin Sur and a little more Benjamin Franklin, but I dig it.
This character, meanwhile, has jumped from pulisher to publisher, ranging from Marvel to Comico to Millenium Publications. DC last tried a run on this character with a 1987 limited series as well as a 22-issue run from 1988 through 1990. Dark Horse was the latest publisher to have tried their hand on the Doc, trying out a solo limited series as well as a team-up with the Shadow in 1995.
DC thus far has given no word about a possible title for the returning character — but (UPDATE) eagle-eyed readers Adam Richards, DJ, and Kretch noted that the image is actually a portion of a nearly year-old image Brian Stelfreeze posted on his blog back in August 2008 (below). That’s right: it’s looking like a crossover between the Man of Bronze and The Spirit, with some Blackhawk thrown in. And looking at the upper image again, the female character and panther has been Photoshopped out, with her silhouette remaining.
May 6th, 2009 at 1:04 pm
From the looks of it, I see the shadow of The Spirit on the far right….
May 6th, 2009 at 1:32 pm
Doc’s Code sits above my desk at work, as it has at every place I’ve worked in years.
Next to it – the Webb Wilder credo.
http://twitpic.com/4oc0h
May 6th, 2009 at 2:03 pm
Good eye, therewasme. I think you’ve just nailed it. This Doc looks a bit Young Indiana Jones to my eye.
May 6th, 2009 at 2:31 pm
Good call “therewasme”.
That most definitely looks like the Spirit’s shadow on the far right…
May 6th, 2009 at 3:00 pm
I don’t think that’s the Spirit–but rather, the Renee Montoya Question. That looks like Hamner’s art, and he’s drawing the Question co-feature.
May 6th, 2009 at 3:11 pm
Sorry, Max, looks like the Spirit… There’s a somewhat noticable “spit curl” under the hat.
May 6th, 2009 at 3:16 pm
I think you nailed it with the Spirit, therewasme. A while back someone asked Didio if there was going to be any Spirit team-ups. He said the Spirit would not be integrating with the DCU anytime soon, but he would be having a team-up that people wouldn’t expect to see.
May 6th, 2009 at 3:28 pm
Definitely not the Shadow. The Shadow’s hair doesn’t fall down in front of his eyes. Plus, he has a scarf that covers his mouth, so you wouldn’t see his lips. On this shadow you can. Also the wrong shape hat.
May 6th, 2009 at 3:30 pm
I think Cully Hamner is a good guess … it looks a bit like what Rick Leonardi has been drawing of late too.
May 6th, 2009 at 3:59 pm
I ventured this guess over at the Source blog itself as well, but this looks like the work of Brian Stelfreeze to me.
May 6th, 2009 at 4:05 pm
I still think it could go either way, but I do see the curl you’re referring to, Kevin. You’re probably right. Good catch.
May 6th, 2009 at 4:28 pm
That’s Brian Stelfreeze art. It’s from a larger image with The Spirit and Black Hawk:
http://stelfreeze.blogspot.com/2008/08/thats-spirit.html
May 6th, 2009 at 5:00 pm
Like most people Chris Sprouse was the first person who came to mind. Hamner’s a good guess as well. I also seem some Brian Stelfreeze, especially in Doc’s face and body.
May 6th, 2009 at 5:02 pm
Looks like Brian Stelfreeze drew that cover. Just a guess, though. And I think a Spirit/Doc Savage crossover would be really cool.
May 6th, 2009 at 6:46 pm
Looks more like the Doc of the pulps and less like the widow’s peak hairdo guy that adorned the paperbacks.
May 6th, 2009 at 6:49 pm
Actually, I saw this drawing somewhere before, and it was on Brian Stelfreezes’ blog.
http://stelfreeze.blogspot.com/2008/08/acid-wash.html
Looks like there has been some editing since there was a female next to Doc Savage, but it’s the same drawing.
May 6th, 2009 at 7:09 pm
No, that’s a Stelfreeze drawing.. and that’s definitely the Spirit’s profile.
May 6th, 2009 at 7:23 pm
DiDio’s been working on getting ahold of these characters for a few years, Doc and The Shadow. Can’t wait to see how he drains the life out of them the way he’s done to every other DC character.
The piece is by Stelfreeze. And yes, that’s The Spirit. Blackhawk is with him. Give it a week or two, they’ll show the whole piece.
May 6th, 2009 at 7:41 pm
It definitely IS the shadow of the Spirit and the art of Brian Stelfreeze! Just check out his blog! Hopefully this link works…
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_TBv_nR_Lec0/SJMPN2EQASI/AAAAAAAAAPY/Y_nstkNKuMg/s1600-h/DocSpirit+bw.jpg
May 6th, 2009 at 8:03 pm
That looks awesome, can’t wait to see how this one turns out.
May 6th, 2009 at 10:21 pm
Super Mario:
While you may be right about Didio, he may be trying to get the rights back in order to publish trades of the various series they’ve had at DC over the years, some of which I’ve heard are really good.
I wouldn’t mind checking out a Doc Savage series, but I don’t know how well the character would actually translate. I’ve read–or tried to read–a number of stories featuring Savage and the Shadow, and… yeesh. I’ll take golden age comics over those two any day of the week and twice on Wednesday.
May 7th, 2009 at 4:43 am
Isn’t that another period character–Rima the Jungle Girl–with those guys?
May 7th, 2009 at 8:32 am
ok…so this bring up a question. is this taking place in the DCU since the Blackhawks live in the DCU?
May 7th, 2009 at 8:59 am
@Mikishawm
Yes, that’s Rima. She was a character from a Victorian Novel called Green Mansions which DC adapted into a comic heroine in the 70′s. I think she also showed up in a few episodes of the Superfriends.
May 7th, 2009 at 10:00 am
Morrison’s Multiversity?
May 7th, 2009 at 11:12 am
I thought that was Rima – I always liked her!
May 7th, 2009 at 12:50 pm
Let the record show that I would buy the hell out of a Rima comic, particularly a trade collecting the old DC comics, what with the Kubert covers and the Kanigher strips.
May 8th, 2009 at 2:15 am
Do yourself a favour and check out Brubaker’s Incognito.
The article in # 2 tells you everything you need to know about
the man of bronze.
May 15th, 2009 at 3:45 pm
I was at Comic Expo in Bristol, United Kingdom last Sunday and Didio announced Doc Savage but gave no details of creative team. When asked if Doc would be integrated into DCU or given his own continuity he said a character like Doc needs his own milieu in which to function. He elaborated that you couldn’t really have a story in which Doc worked alongside Superman because the difference in powers would leave Supes driving the story. I’m ambivalent about this answer because it doesn’t definitively state Doc Savage won’t be part of the DCU and simply teamed up with / matched against lesser powered characters. When asked if Didio had considered going after the rights to The Shadow, he simply said yes and didn’t elaborate.
I fervently hope that neither character is ever integrated into DCU beyond the two 1070′s Batman / The Shadow crossovers. Both deserve better than running the risk of being single panel bit players in some final ultimate multiple title crossover crisis sales desperation.
I’ll look at Doc Savage when he arrives, but if they get The Shadow, I’ll be buying a DC title for the first time in years. They got it right before. Denny O’Neil and Michael Kaluta on The Shadow and even better, Gerard Jones and Eduardo Barreto on The Shadow Strikes, so they could do it again!