The Complete Doc Unknown

September 1, 2017

Set in the mid-1940s and created in the tradition of pulp heroes such as Doc Savage and The Shadow, Doc Unknown was a fighter pilot until crashing his plane and discovering a secret temple guarded by an ancient order of warrior monks. After becoming a master of their discipline, Doc travels to Gate City and does battle with mad scientists, vampire ninjas, ghosts, Nazis, mob bosses, and monsters, investigates the haunted typewriter of a deceased sf author and the lingering legacy of the lost city of Atlantis, somehow managing to find the time to fall in love. A series of short stories from Rangel Jr. (Space Riders) depicting our hero's adventures in the first half of this volume gradually wind together to form a larger narrative, as his various enemies combine forces in order to seek revenge in what turns out to be a rather sweeping tale. Cody's (Monstrous) illustrations are a little more cartoonish than the sometimes moody scripts seems to call for, but they make up for that in dynamism and inventive character design. This hardcover collects material previously released in series volumes 1-3. VERDICT An action-packed romp refreshingly free of irony, perhaps slightly too macabre to be considered for all-ages but perfect for fans of superheroes, sf, or horror looking for something that combines all the best parts of those genres.--TB

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