Damn Fool Idealistic Crusader | The Shadow #1 The Living Shadow by Walter B. Gibson-Book Review and Sanctum Books reprint @DamnFoolIdealisticCrusader | Uploaded October 2024 | Updated October 2024, 1 day ago.
#theshadow #pulpfiction #walterbgibson #superheroes #batman #booktube #bookreview
I read and review the immortal debut of the most legendary of all superheroes: The Shadow. 1931’s The Living Shadow was the first of the 325 novels that crystallized everything people think of in regards of hero and vigilante fiction.
With this one novel Street and Smith took a character who was merely the host of a radio anthology series and using the brilliance of writer Walter Gibson, created an entire industry in the world of pulp magazines. These were quickly mined by the emerging comic book industry at the end of the decade, and there is virtually not one aspect of comic book heroes that does not draw or borrow something from The Knight of Darkness. Batman fans who have never read a Shadow novel owe it to themselves to do so as the core DNA of Batman is The Shadow. Batman began life as a Shadow clone in an unauthorized adaptation of one of the novels.
Gibson himself was not just a brilliant writer, but someone who had the ability to write intricately crafted stories under unbelievable constraints and still kept up an astounding work effort. The Shadow novels are entirely different to the iconic radio series. The novels are truly literature and deserved to be studied as such.
I also review the beautiful reprint found in Volume 47 of the Sanctum book series. In addition to the wonderful scholarly and historical articles, beautiful reprinting and original artwork reconstruction – the sanctum volume reprints the entire text of the novel which is otherwise only found in the original 1931 issue of The Shadow Magazine. 
Try to find a copy of Volume 47 if you can here and on ebay: abebooks.com/9781608770489/Shadow-Double-Novel-Pulp-Reprints-%2347-1608770486/plp
00:00 Introduction to the pulp character and series
07:47 The never ending influence of The Shadow-the character who birthed
the hero pulp and comic books
14:09 The Living Shadow novel discussion
25:26 Sanctum Book reprint Volume 47 with full novel text
32:29 Final Summary
#theshadow #pulpfiction #walterbgibson #superheroes #batman #booktube #bookreview
I read and review the immortal debut of the most legendary of all superheroes: The Shadow. 1931’s The Living Shadow was the first of the 325 novels that crystallized everything people think of in regards of hero and vigilante fiction.
With this one novel Street and Smith took a character who was merely the host of a radio anthology series and using the brilliance of writer Walter Gibson, created an entire industry in the world of pulp magazines. These were quickly mined by the emerging comic book industry at the end of the decade, and there is virtually not one aspect of comic book heroes that does not draw or borrow something from The Knight of Darkness. Batman fans who have never read a Shadow novel owe it to themselves to do so as the core DNA of Batman is The Shadow. Batman began life as a Shadow clone in an unauthorized adaptation of one of the novels.
Gibson himself was not just a brilliant writer, but someone who had the ability to write intricately crafted stories under unbelievable constraints and still kept up an astounding work effort. The Shadow novels are entirely different to the iconic radio series. The novels are truly literature and deserved to be studied as such.
I also review the beautiful reprint found in Volume 47 of the Sanctum book series. In addition to the wonderful scholarly and historical articles, beautiful reprinting and original artwork reconstruction – the sanctum volume reprints the entire text of the novel which is otherwise only found in the original 1931 issue of The Shadow Magazine. 
Try to find a copy of Volume 47 if you can here and on ebay: abebooks.com/9781608770489/Shadow-Double-Novel-Pulp-Reprints-%2347-1608770486/plp
00:00 Introduction to the pulp character and series
07:47 The never ending influence of The Shadow-the character who birthed
the hero pulp and comic books
14:09 The Living Shadow novel discussion
25:26 Sanctum Book reprint Volume 47 with full novel text
32:29 Final Summary
