The Man of Bronze | Doc Savage #1
Kenneth Robeson | Bantam Books | 1975 | 170 pages

“There is not a thing he can’t do, I reckon.”

Fisticuffs! Shootouts! Airplane dogfights! Proto-typical superhero Doc Savage and his band of adventure-seeking super scientists propel themselves through what amounts to an origin story, all told in a breathless style simply describing the action. With exclamation points! Lots of exclamation points!

After surviving an attempt on his life by an unknown, red-fingered assassin, Doc discovers a bequeath by his late father, granting him a significant land holding in the Central American country of Hidalgo. Doc’s father instilled an unmatched drive and sense of discipline in his young son, whose years of mental and physical training have developed his mind and body into an unprecedented paragon of human perfection. That very perfection also undermines almost all suspense, because Doc will surely pull upon his unlimited knowledge of chemistry, biology, archaeology, engineering, law, medicine, or surgery to overcome any obstacle in his way, not to mention his seemingly superhuman physical prowess.

Doc’s team of all-star scientific experts—Johnny, Renny, Long Tom, Ham and Monk—are rarely called upon to exert their (alleged) collective genius, reduced to providing support by punching walls, firing off pistol rounds, ribbing each other, or shouting exclamations.

“We’re sitting pretty!”

“Knock on wood, you lunk!”

“Fooey–we’re lost!”

Originally written in the thirties, the story displays the inherent racist and colonial attitudes characteristic of the day. Condescending views towards Latin America, lazy or corrupt local citizens and officials, and an endless stream of swarthy villains all contrast the perfection of our intrepid band of white explorers. Even the gold resources of a lost kingdom are all served up to these new conquistadores in their pursuit of global adventures. Lacking details regarding his heritage, Doc’s status of exemplar of his race is still curious, particularly given his dark (albeit metallic) complexion; Chalcolithic-American, perhaps?

After accepting Doc’s naturally bronze skin and golden eyes, perhaps the most difficult question to answer remains, “What’s the story with his waterproof hair?”