Recently, a Balladeer's Blog reader asked if I could compile a list of my "Best of" stories of the 1930s and 1940s pulp hero G-8 and his Battle Aces. That idea makes perfect sense considering there are 110 book-length stories of this World War One flying ace who should be as big culturally as Doc Savage, Zorro, and so many other pulp icons.
Writer Robert J Hogan created the heroic American World War One pilot G-8 in 1933 when that conflict was still being called simply The World War or The Great War. G-8 and his wingmen/ Battle Aces Nippy Weston and Bull Martin battled all the supernatural and super-scientific menaces thrown at the Allied Powers by the Central Powers of Germany, Austria- Hungary and the Ottoman Muslim Turks.
Giant robots, invisible planes, Panther-Men and even aliens were all in a day's work for G-8 and his Battle Aces. Here are my Top G-8 stories, in descending order. NOTE Pulp Magazines were not comic books, they were text stories with just a few illustrations here and there, so they were at a much higher level of storytelling.
THE BAT STAFFEL (October 1933) - The very first G-8 pulp novel is at the top of my list. Not only does it nicely capture the tone and nature of the series, but it introduces the villainous mad scientist Doktor Krueger. That Teutonic terror would become the archenemy of G-8, Bull Martin and Nippy Weston as the series of novels rolled along.
In Krueger's initial clash with our heroic flying aces the great Herr Doktor's dark genius has produced gigantic bats which are obedient enough for the Central Powers' forces to pilot into battle. In addition to outfitting the bats with conventional weaponry, Doktor Krueger has designed the creatures to breathe incredible poisonous gas.
No comments:
Post a Comment