Doc Savage

Doc Savage is a pulp-era hero published by Street & Smith, making his comics debut in Shadow Comics #1 (1940). A man of superhuman physical and mental development, he was trained from birth by scientists and adventurers to battle evil worldwide.

Few pulp heroes made the leap to four-color glory with quite the gravitas of Doc Savage, who burst onto the Golden Age comics scene in 1940's Shadow Comics #1 — sharing that landmark debut with none other than The Shadow himself, a pairing that signals just how rarefied the air was around this character from the very start. Published under the Street & Smith banner, Doc carved out his own corner of comics history across titles like Doc Savage Comics and even turned up alongside the likes of Superman and Clark Kent, proof that the industry's heaviest hitters recognized a peer when they saw one. With nearly a century of publication history stretching from 1940 all the way to 2018 — a remarkable 78-year span — and 99 catalogued appearances including two key collector issues, this is a figure whose footprint in comics is as deep as it is wide. Whether you're a Golden Age devotee or simply chasing the DNA of the heroic archetype, Doc Savage is essential reading.