Monday, May 01, 2017

Stuff Around My Office: Pinnacle Books Action Series Sampler Booklet

I must have picked this up at a book store once upon a time. I've always kept it with a stash of men's adventure paperbacks. I read some of everything back in the day. The Executioner, Edge and The Destroyer were in the mix because, well, they were there, right beside Doc Savage, Lew Archer,   Tarzan and everyone else.

I actually wrote one college paper on The Executioner series, sourcing some material from The Great American Detective edited and with an introduction by William Kittredge and Steven M. Krauzer. It includes a short story, "Willing to Kill," by Don Pendleton, Executioner creator.

Krauzer and Pendleton discussed Bolan and what they dubbed the aggressor genre. Initially, at Pinnacle Books, Bolan was at war with the Mafia before Pendleton sold the series to Gold Eagle and Bolan started fighting terrorists.  The protagonist followed in the footsteps of private investigator and occasional vigilante Mike Hammer from Mickey Spillane and touched off many imitators.

Saint with a Gun: The Unlawful American Private Eye (New York University Press ) by William Ruehlmann also explored the detective hero, tracing the roots back to Western heroes.

From the Facebook group Men's Adventure Paperbacks of the '70s and '80s, I understand this little booklet offering a taste of The Executioner, Edge, Death Merchant, Blade, The Penetrator, The Destroyer and Death Merchant is a sought after collectible.

Glad I held onto it.


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1 comment:

Charles Gramlich said...

that's a neat little item. I've been a big fan of the Destroyer series.

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