Doc Savage — BLOG — ANTHONY R. CARDNO

PulpFest 2025 is officially in the books. Which means so are FarmerCon XX, ERBFest 2025, and DocCon 2025. I had a phenomenal time hanging out with old friends, making new friends, spending too much money, staying up too late, and driving to/from Cranberry PA … but it was all worth it. There were way more than 10 Top Moments of the Con(s), but here are a bunch of them:

BEING MISTAKEN FOR WIN ECKERT’S BROTHER

Win and I have known each other a good few years now. But this is the first time anyone seeing us next to each other has sincerely asked “are you guys brothers?” (In this case, our waitress at Primanti Brothers during our Wednesday night Pre-Con dinner). I, for one, took the question as a compliment. Check out my interviews with Win HERE and HERE to get a sense of why I consider it a compliment.

“Twins” Anthony R. Cardno and Win Scott Eckert

BEING A (SMALL) PART OF THE RETURN OF DOCCON

DocCon (the convention dedicated to all things related to Doc Savage) has a venerable history but has taken a few years off … until Jen DiGiacomo had the idea to revive it as the latest “mini-con” to happen under the PulpFest banner. I was a (very small) part of the planning committee (being perhaps the Least Knowledgeable Doc Savage Fan Ever), my main contribution being a marketing idea (that didn’t happen for this year but may be considered for 2026, so I don’t want to spoil it) and then being the “sub-in” guy at the DocCon tables when the other folks, mainly Ron Hill (who I interviewed HERE), needed to be on panels or introducing the film.

DocCon crew, L to R: Anthony R. Cardno, Anthony Rais, Bill Lampkin, Ron Hill, Scott Cranford

THE EDGAR RICE BURROUGHS INC PANEL

Okay, most of what Cathy Mann Willbanks (ERB Inc’s Vice President of Operations) and Christopher Paul Carey (Vice President of Publishing) announced on this panel had already been announced at San Diego Comic Con … but that didn’t stop me from being excited to hear the details in person. They announced upcoming novels (the next ERB Universe novel from the aforementioned Win Scott Eckert; a new Barsoom novel from Chris L. Adams under the “Wild Adventures” banner; new ERBU novels in the Land That Time Forgot and Monster Men series); a new John Carter and Woola action figure set from Frazetta Girls; and several new animation projects including a Victory Harben ERBU animated series in development! (My Interviews with Christopher Paul Carey HERE and HERE.)

Most of the ERB Inc panel. L to R: Christopher Paul Carey, Henry G. Franke III, Win Scott Eckert, Chris L. Adams, Douglas Klauba. Missing because my phone is a jerk: Cathy Wilbanks. SORRY, Cathy!

THE WICKER MAN

During a conversation with Craig McDonald during which I bought his used copy of the novelization of The Wicker Man, I discovered that not only is there a novelization of the film … the film was also based on a long out-of-print novel called Ritual by David Pinner (and that novel has a sequel, The Wicca Woman)! How out of print is it? So out of print that there’s no English language paperback edition (only a Spanish language version) and the original hardcover is going for over $1,000 on the secondary market. But there IS a reasonably priced e-book version of both of Pinner’s books. Which you know I’ve already ordered. (Interview with Craig McDonald HERE).

FLINCH-FEST

To say that I think highly of Jim Beard and John C. Bruening, co-founders of Flinch! Books, is an understatement. (And no, it’s not just because Jim included my essay on Jack Kirby’s short-lived 1970s DC Comics series The Sandman in his book Jack of All Comics! a few months ago. But why pass up a chance at a shameless plug? Also, HERE’s the Interview about the book with Jim.) Flinch! started ten years ago, and their panel at PulpFest talked a little about that history and featured reading from their new and upcoming releases (Jim’s fourth Sgt. Janus book, and John’s upcoming fourth Midnight Guardian book). These two have such an easy, funny, rapport. They are also great dinner companions and conversationalists. I also probably spent way too much time chatting with them at their table and lost them a few sales. (Kidding.)

L to R: Flinch! Books co-founders John C. Bruening and Jim Beard.

CHRISTOPHER LEE

During that conversation with Craig McDonald about The Wicker Man, our friend Kim Turk mentioned having seen some anthologies with Christopher Lee’s name on the cover as Editor, and I went to check out them out. Kim patiently waited for me to notice the real prize she’d already seen … a hardcover copy of Lee’s memoir … signed by the man himself! Reader, you know I bought it immediately.

MARK WHEATLEY AND DOUG KLAUBA

It is incredibly fun to sit in a room and watch two amazing artists, both of whom have drawn Tarzan and other Edgar Rice Burroughs characters, talk about all the great artists who have drawn the Lord of The Jungle over the years, including what they admire about those artists’ work. (Click on their names to find my interviews with Mark Wheatley and Doug Klauba.)

DOC SAVAGE, THE JLA, AND THE JSA

Did I mention that I spent too much money? I’m not going to post pictures of every book, magazine, and print I bought … but along with the Christopher Lee book, the other Most Pricey purchases including six original Doc Savage pulps (I’ll post 1 or 2 of their covers below) and four Silver Age Justice League issues featuring the annual crossovers with the Justice Society. (I was also eye-ing a Golden Age issue of The Black Knight, but it was way outside my price range.)

FARMERCON DINNER AND LOBBY HANGOUTS/CHATTING AT DEALER AND AUTHOR TABLES

The reason I started attending this convention was to meet in person my fellow Philip Jose Farmer fan friends, who had been so welcoming to me in various online forums, and hanging out with them at dinner(s) and in the lobby after even programming ends is always one of, if not THE, highlight of the weekend. It was no different this time, even though our numbers were slightly smaller than usual thanks to scheduling conflicts and other things. There is such a big overlap between PJF, ERB, and Doc Savage fans at this convention that most of the people I’ve mentioned above, and many I haven’t, were present at all times. And visiting with authors like Glen Held, Brian K. Morris and Charles F. Millhouse and artists like Don Simpson and folks like Henry Franke of the Burroughs Bibliophiles at their tables is always fun as well. (Interviews with Glen, Henry, Brian and Charles at the links; interview with Don coming soon!)

L to R: Anthony R. Cardno, Brian K. Morris, Charles F. Millhouse (The “Middle Initial Squad”)

For those interested, my report on PulpFest 2024 can be found HERE. And my interview with Mike Chomko of the PulpFest committee can be found HERE.

For the first day of PulpFest, I’m happy to have a chance to chat with author Craig McDonald.

Craig McDonald is an award-winning journalist, communications specialist, and author of the acclaimed Hector Lassiter series. His debut novel, Head Games, was nominated for the Edgar, Anthony, Gumshoe, and Sélection du prix polar Saint-Maur en Poche in France for best first novel. More recently, Craig launched his Zana O’Savin series of literary thrillers in which classic pulp magazine heroes literally come to life. Craig serves as PulpFest’s assistant director of marketing. His primary responsibility is the PulpFest YouTube Channel. You can learn more about Craig’s Zana O’Savin, Hector Lassiter, and other novels on his website.

Hi Craig! Thanks for taking some time to chat.

Truly my privilege, Anthony. Thank you for the opportunity.

At Pulpfest this week, you’re debuting your fourth Zana O’Savin novel, The Night Shepherd. Tell us about who Zana is and what the series is all about.

Zana is a pastiche version of Doc Savage’s cousin Patricia Savage. The Zana O’Savin series is a kind of pulp magazine version of the Justice League Unlimited cartoon series in which pastiche versions of Pat and Doc, his aides, The Shadow, The Avenger, and public domain characters like the Domino Lady join forces. The distinction between this series and most other pulp pastiches is these classic heroes, in recognizable form, are moving in our time and world, and confronting many of the same challenges and threats we face. In the manner of much of my earlier fiction, there is also often a historical element or event informing each book.

What adventure is Zana embarking on in The Night Shepherd, if you can tell us anything without spoilers?

This novel involves a kind of suicide-murder cult called Nada, first introduced in my Hector Lassiter historical thriller, One True Sentence. That novel was set in 1924, when Paris was preparing to host the Summer Olympics. The new Zana is set in summer, 2024, when Paris is deep in the throes of hosting another series of Summer Games. Zana becomes the target of Nada’s cult-like leader, a sadistic hypnotist of considerable skill, with hidden ties to my pastiche version of The Shadow. There’s actually been considerable overlap of my two series, with Lester Dent and Walter B. Gibson featuring in various Lassiter novels and short stories, and Lassiter as on-page character in the first Zana, The Blood Ogre.

Obviously, you have a love of Doc Savage. What are your first memories of encountering Doc or other Pulp characters or magazines?

My grandfather was an iron worker in New York City during the Great Depression and an avid reader. He had a basement bookcase stuffed with men’s adventure paperbacks, and magazines. He knew Doc from back-when and gave me a paperback reprint of the second Doc Savage pulp, The Land of Terror. I was maybe seven or eight. It hooked me, and I skipped The Hardy Boys and similar fiction, leaping straight to pulp reprints and Ian Fleming’s James Bond novels. Doc paperback collecting was quickly followed by those featuring The Shadow and The Avenger. That Street & Smith trinity remains my favorite and primary pulp fascinations.

Who are some of your other literary/creative influences?

My master is Ernest Hemingway. Ian Fleming is another profound influence. I’ve also learned much from reading and interviewing a number of more contemporary authors, including James Crumley, James Sallis, James Ellroy, and the recently passed Ken Bruen, who connected me with my first agent and the eventual publisher of many of the Lassiters via Betimes Books, based in Ireland.

I would love to hear about your creative process. Are you a plotter, a pantser, a mix? How many drafts do you go through before bringing a book out?

I don’t think I really fit comfortably in either camp. I’m devoted to characterization and feel story should ideally advance through a kind of double-helix propulsion in which character drives plot and plot simultaneously evokes character. I always have an opening line, a character arc in mind, a closing line, and probably a few set pieces in between. I think what also makes it hard for me to declare an allegiance to either of the 2 “P’s” is that so much of what I write is historical fiction. That means I have certain historical mile markers I’m obligated to navigate toward, whether it be details or events tied to the Black Dahlia murder, or Orson Welles’ so-called “Panic Broadcast.” A certain amount of plotting is baked in, in that sense. I also embrace the Hemingway concept of reading everything previously written before resuming writing, so there is a perpetual revision process underway that ensures the first draft and final draft aren’t very far apart. I also typically use a method Kinky Friedman sold me on in which you write about three quarters of the book in sequence, jump to the end and compose the last chapter or two, then go back and fill in the gap.

You are also known for your Hector Lassiter series. Tell us about how you created Hector and about the series as a whole.

The Lassiter series consists of historical thrillers about a pulp novelist and Black Mask Magazine writer who becomes involved in historical crimes and menaces, while also interacting with notable people—most of them fellow authors or filmmakers—including Ernest Hemingway, Ian Fleming, and Orson Welles, among many others. Hector was created for a Mississippi Review short story contest called “High Pulp,” seeking a mixture of pulp-style writing with a literary undertow, which pretty well describes the dozen-plus novels and short stories about Hector that ensued, all of which have a certain literary and meta-textual edge, which is also true of the Zana O’Savin novels. The first novel was a finalist for The Edgar and Anthony awards and adapted as a graphic novel. The Lassiters have been published in about a dozen languages.

I’m curious about the level of research you did for the Lassiter books, since they are set in a very specific timeframe and include so many real people. What was that research process like, and did you learn anything surprising about the people you researched that affected the way you portrayed them?

All my novels are written to preoccupations with crimes or historical personages I’ve studied deeply and so I don’t really require much research; it’s more a matter of memory checking. With some “characters” who had a very distinctive speaking voice, say Orson Welles, or John Huston, I’d sometimes go back and watch old interviews to kind of pick up their cadence, word choices, etc. My version of Hemingway comes mostly from his letters, where his personality and “voice” were the most unguarded and so illuminating to me in shaping his very complex character.

Will there be further Hector Lassiter books, or is the series over?

Hector has made the odd cameo since the series ended (that first Zana novel, for instance), but it’s probably over. The idea was to have Hector age in real time, coming in with the twentieth century and more or less departing with it, in between making a study of an artist moving through so many stages and phases of fiction, film, and culture. I feel like I accomplished that, and the series stands as something very unusual and cohesive and so would hate to write a book that risks weakening or damaging the larger series in some way.

What do you have coming up after the release of The Night Shepherd? Any projects you can tease or talk about?

There will be at least a fifth Zana, which is coming together very quickly, currently called The Invisible Crusade. I’ve also had some discussions with the publisher of the Hector Lassiter series about another novel that was nearly published by Macmillan about 2009, when it was stalled by a novel covering similar territory by a certain sitcom actress turned author that ended up strangling my publishing deal. I’m prolific, and publishers tend to limit you to a book a year, so as a guy who has sometimes written three novels in a calendar year, I’ve got a lot of novels in dry dock, including a couple of trilogies.

You’re at Pulpfest this week. Will you be attending any other conventions where readers can chat with you in the near future?

I do a few here and there as I can fit them in. I hope to do many more this coming year.

Thanks again Craig!

Thank you, Anthony; it’s been a blast!

Readers, even though PulpFest started today, it is not too late to register and attend THE pulp magazine-focused convention in the Northeast and the other three conventions it hosts: FarmerCon (dedicated to the works of Philip Jose Farmer), ERBFest (dedicated to the works of Edgar Rice Burroughs) and DocCon (dedicated to all things Doc Savage related). Check out the Pulpfest website for registration and hotel information! Join us in Cranberry, PA this weekend, and meet Craig and most of the other folks I’ve interviewed in person.