Doc Savage Special 2014
Written by David F. Walker
Art by Kewber Baal
Colors by Kelsey Shannon
Letters by Rob Steen
Cover art by Robert Hack
Dynamite Entertainment
Release Date: December 24, 2014
Cover Price: $7.99

Doc Savage Special 2014 is a send-off of sorts to the Doc Savage title that Dynamite published through 2014. While it doesn’t focus on Doc himself specifically, he does play a pretty important role. But, I know you’re all wondering if this book is worth the $7.99 price tag or are you better off buying a coffee at Starbucks. Here’s my take…

Author David F. Walker certainly starts things off with a bang in this book. As soon as you open the cover, you’re slammed into the middle of a full-out action-adventure story featuring Doc’s cousin, Pat Savage. If you’re unfamiliar with Pat Savage, she’s a lot like her cousin, only with a touch more “spunk” and a tendency to get into mischief from time to time. Doc comes to Pat with a child of an important scientist who he’s working with, and asks her to look after the child. Pat agrees, after an argument that she is NOT a babysitter, and from then on, you’re sprinting towards the finish line in this book. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not the typical “Adventures in Babysitting” type mishap, we’re given an honest to goodness, full-tilt mystery/adventure story, and Walker certainly does a fantastic job telling the story and connecting the audience to it.

Artist Kewber Baal certainly has come into his own in recent years, but I’m not sure if he’s the best choice for artist on this title. He gives the book a very stylized look, and while it’s different than anything we’ve seen done previously in a Doc Savage title, I’m not sure if it 100 percent works. It works about 85 percent for sure, but lacks that certain something that would push it over the edge into greatness. His work is good, I just think he’s about three steps away from greatness. I’d love to see him revisit the character in the future after he’s got a couple more years under his belt, then I’m sure he would blow me away!

Yes, I miss the monthly Doc Savage adventures just as much as you do, and I really hope that Dynamite plans to bring back his solo adventures in the coming year. They do have some one-shots planned, but I do miss the monthly ongoing adventures. In the meantime, this special will certainly tide you over for awhile, as it’s everything that’s great about Doc Savage and his “family.” You’ve got plenty of time during your holiday break to go grab a copy of this comic book from your local store. So do it!