Book Description

Who is The Shadow? How did he come to be? Master of Mystery: The Rise of The Shadow delves into the murky origins of perhaps the most significant media creation of all time. Between 1930 and 1954, The Shadow was a dominant figure in American popular culture. A multi-media sensation, he emerged from the creative cauldron of the earliest days of radio drama, and soon migrated to magazines, comic books, film and eventually paperback books. Only Superman and Batman, who were created a few years later, rivaled The Shadow in global public recognition. A century later, this enigmatic personality and his famous mantra, "Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? The Shadow knows!" remains recognizable to new generations born long after his remarkable reign. Popular culture historian and novelist Will Murray explores radio's first superstar and talks to the writers and artists who took a nebulous radio personality and brought him to blazing life in the pages of more than 300 classic pulp novels. Packed with revelations, Master of Mystery reveals how The Shadow inspired the creation of Batman in 1939! Including rare interviews with Walter B. Gibson, Theodore Tinsley, John L. Nanovic, Graves Gladney and Edd Cartier.