Q. Who was Doc Savage?

A. Doc Savage, the Man of Bronze, was Clark Savage Jr. – a young man whose widower father had turned him over as an infant to be reared by experts in every field, from medicine to reason and from gymnastics to science. Indeed by doing so, his father had turned him into a Superman, who dedicated his superhuman skills to justice.

In its search for a follow up to its immensely popular magazine The Shadow, Street and Smith came up with the concept of Doc Savage and turned to writer Lester Dent to bring him to life. Instead of a crimefighter who used guns and cunning, as The Shadow did, Doc Savage use science as his weapon against evil. (In fact, later in the series, the magazine's title briefly was changed to Doc Savage, Science Detective.)

Doc was joined by the Fabulous Five, all experts in their fields – including law, civil engineering, electrical engineering, archaeology and chemistry. Working out of the tallest skyscraper in New York City, Doc, the Five and, at times, Doc's cousin Patricia Savage traveled the world solving mysteries and battling evildoers through 181 adventures from March 1933 until 1949.

Though the novels were formulaic, Dent made up for that with nonstop adventure and cliffhanging suspense. The formula proved a success, giving Street and Smith another best-selling hit.