Doc Savage (1988 series) #18 Comic Book

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Title:

Triple-Cross!: The Conflagration Man, Part 4

Date of Publication
March 1990

Cover Price

Our Rating:

Credits:

Mike W. Barr

Writer

Rod Wigham

Penciler

Eduardo Barreto

Inker

Tony Tollin

Colorist

Eduardo Barreto

Cover Penciler

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Comic Book Synopsis / Plot

Written by Peter Silvestro

Discovering that Doc Savage and the Shadow escaped the blast through a manhole, Compton Moore orders Fodder to take some guards into the sewer in pursuit but the heroes easily defeat them. Meanwhile, the two sets of aides have invaded Moore’s skyscraper and the villain narrowly escapes with the adoring Vivian Roy. The aides soon find that Doc and the Shadow are alive and planning their next move. Doc plants a story in the papers that one of his experiments gone wrong was responsible for the destruction of the armory, compelling Moore to try another attack. That night, Moore’s men, in the guise of American Nazis, attack Fort Dix to assassinate a visiting Senator but quickly discover it’s a trap and the Senator is Doc Savage in disguise. Later, aboard Moore’s ship, Fodder presents his boss with the captured Doc and his aides, but Moore sees through the disguises; no matter, the Shadow and his agents have followed in a speedboat and assault the ship. The Shadow kills Fodder but Moore escapes in the Shadow’s boat. The Shadow turns the ray on the boat and it detonates the weapons aboard, killing the villain. Seeing her dream of a cushy life go up in smoke, Vivian seizes the ray and turns it on the others; her father tries to stop her, causing the gun he’s holding to explode, killing both of them. Doc takes the ray to keep at the Fortress of Solitude.

Comments

Peter Silvestro (February 15, 2010)
Additional credits: Co-plotted by Gerard Jones; cover by Eduardo Barreto and Andy Kubert. a) The story follows The Shadow Strikes #6; b) includes a rare glimpse of Doc in a Nazi uniform; c) Compton Moore also owns an autogiro: they were real; d) oops: on page 11 Ham Brooks is called “Briggs;” e) the story is dedicated to the memories of Lester Dent and Walter B. Gibson “in the hope they would have approved;” f) issue includes a letters column.

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Reviews

By Peter Silvestro
The climax of the tale is a good one in pulp style, playing to both heroes’ strengths and demonstrating they are on the same side in the end (at least in Doc’s estimation—which is also in character). And of course the biggest surprise is when Vivian turns bad, even though it has been amply prepared for from the beginning; she also adds a touch of characterization to the tale, after the one-dimensional Moore and henchmen.

Score: 3 (out of 5)