Dievi, varoņi, atspulgi un ēnas (Maijs 2024)
The Shadow, amerikāņu celulozes žurnāla modrība, kuru 1931. gadā izveidoja Valters Gibsons izdevniecības uzņēmumam Street & Smith. Iedvesmojoties no tāda paša nosaukuma radio varoņa, Ēna kļuva par vienu no ietekmīgākajiem un ilgstošākajiem celulozes laikmeta varoņiem.
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Kurā no šiem darbiem Lūsija Vestenra ir varonis?
1930. gadā Street & Smith sāka sponsorēt radio šovu Detective Story Hour, plānojot reklamēt viņu žurnālu Detective Story. Radio šovā, kas tika pārraidīts nacionālajā kanālā CBS, tika izmantots draudīgs skaņu stāstītājs, kuru sauca par Ēnu. Varonis bija pietiekami neaizmirstams, lai liktu cilvēkiem lūgt kiosku pārdevējus žurnālam, kurā viņš tika attēlots, lai gan šāds žurnāls vēl neeksistēja. Reaģējot uz to, Street & Smith nolīga Gibsonu, rakstnieku un burvi, lai izveidotu stāstu, kura pamatā ir radio varoņa balss. Gibsons uzrakstīja īsu romānu “Dzīvā ēna”, kas tika publicēts žurnāla The Shadow pirmajā numurā (1931. gada aprīlī). Gibsona radītais varonis bija noslēpumains skaitlis, kurš bija ģērbies plūstošā apmetnī un greznā cepurē, cīnīdamies ar noziedzniekiem ar aizdedzinošu.45 automātisko pistoli. Viņš dažreiz operēja viens pats,bet biežāk viņš nodarbināja dažādus aģentus, lai palīdzētu izmeklēt noziegumus. Ēna cīnījās ar gangsteriem, spiegiem, neprātīgiem zinātniekiem un visdažādākajiem dīvainajiem noziedzniekiem. Stāsti - parasti ieskaņoti Ņujorkā - bija ātrspēks, bet iekšēji loģiski, ar aizraujošām darbību secībām un gudriem sižeta līkločiem.
For several years the Shadow’s real identity was unknown to readers. He used several cover identities, most often that of Lamont Cranston, a wealthy globe-trotter. The Shadow would use Cranston’s identity whenever the real Cranston was abroad, initially doing so without Cranston’s knowledge. In 1937 it was revealed that the Shadow’s real name was Kent Allard, a World War I flying ace who had supposedly died years earlier.
The magazine was very popular. Initially a monthly release, it changed to a twice-monthly schedule for much of its run. Gibson penned 282 of the 325 Shadow stories published during the magazine’s run, with Theodore Tinsley and Bruce Elliott producing most of the remainder. Artists George Rozen and Graves Gladney provided striking cover art for most issues. Concurrent with the magazine’s run, Street & Smith also published Shadow comic books and licensed a newspaper comic strip. The Shadow’s popularity was such that the character also returned to radio in 1937 as the protagonist of a weekly series. A 15-chapter movie serial starring Victor Jory was released in 1940. A pair of Shadow B-movies were produced in 1937 and 1938, and three more were made in 1946.
By the late 1940s, however, pulp magazines had become less popular with readers, and they were replaced by inexpensive paperbacks and comic books. In 1949 Street & Smith canceled their entire pulp line, including The Shadow Magazine. The weekly radio show ended in 1954, and another Shadow movie was released in 1958.
The Shadow was the first pulp character to be given his own ongoing title. He was the inspiration for numerous other pulp characters as well as being a major influence in the creation of the comic-book superhero Batman. (The first published Batman story was a rewrite of the Shadow story “Partners of Peril,” written by Tinsley in 1936.) Interest in the Shadow continued long after The Shadow Magazine ceased publication, with the character revived in various comic-book series and a selection of the original novels reprinted in paperback form. In 1963 Belmont Books published several new Shadow novels written by Walter Gibson. Alec Baldwin played the title character in the film The Shadow (1994), which incorporated elements from both the pulp character and the radio show.
