SpyFi, Pulp Influence IV: Secret Agent Man! by SnakePrince55 on DeviantArt (original) (raw)

Continuing our exploration of the influence of the PULP magazines on the genre of SpyFi, our last chapter before this was: Spy-Fi, Pulp Influence III: THE HERO PULPS!

Here we are the GRAND FINALE for our PULP CHAPTER, and we end on one of the most significant influences the PULPs gave to SpyFi - Operator No. 5!

Now of course I could have included Secret Agent X or even G-8 and his Battle Aces and as influential as those are in terms of their influence towards shaping SpyFi - I just could not put them in the same category as Operator No. 5. And by saying this I mean specifically the element of how the influence of this pulp shapes the character of SpyFi.

And YES - this is a pulp serial that certainly takes it up past 11 like much of the PULP mags, but with even more grit, gusto and guts. The series revolved around Secret Service agent Jimmy Christopher and his missions as an undercover operative to take down the enemies of the U.S.A. with subterfuge and secrecy. He battles evil empires, underground hidden militias, would-be world conquerors and twisted scientific geniuses hell bent on WORLDWIDE CATASTROPHE! This is where Jimmy Christopher, Operator No. 5 steps in to bring the fight to them. Armed with an array of gadgets, commando training, his penetrating intelligence, and his sheer ability to hound down his enemies, his fight is aided by his ward, Tim Donovan and his girfriend, reporter Diane Elliot!

The series was a madhouse of invention and adventure cataloging his conflicts against many enemy nations and organizations and his quest to get to the heart of his mission! I am not certain if many of the spy-fi authors of the 60s - TODAY were influenced by the series, but reading it, it's hard to see how it could not be. You have the agency dedicated to national security and rooting out enemy agencies, it's lone operative hero - armed with his intelligence, military skill, and an array of gadgetry, exotic adventure and malevolent madmen hell-bent on world domination - this could not help but be an influence on a great deal of SPY-FI!

You see it not only on (of course) the James Bond series, but also GET SMART, THE MAN FROM UNCLE, and perhaps even Marvel Comics' S.H.I.E.L.D. where Nick Fury is always in battle with diabolical dictators like Baron Von Strucker, nefarious organizations like Hydra and A.I.M., and bizarre enemy agents such as SCORPIO!

Well, that's it for the chapter on PULP - Next WEEK we begin our foray into the EARLY CINEMATIC influence on SpyFi - Don't Miss it!

And to catch up with the entire series so far - Here is the link: www.deviantart.com/snakeprince…