Run, Spy, Run (Killmaster #1) (1964)
by Nick Carter (AKA Michael Avallone and Valerie Moolman)
Secret agent Nick Carter of AXE investigates a series of assassinations that are meant to weaken anti-Communist regimes around the world.
Thus begins the long-running Killmaster series.
Though Michael Avallone and Valerie Moolman are often both credited as the pseudonymous Nick Carter for this premiere outing, word on the Internet is that this is purely an Avallone production.
Michael Avallone
He—and whoever else may have had a hand in developing this character—owes a lot to classic pulp heroes developed under the house name Kenneth Robeson: Doc Savage and The Avenger.
"Run, Spy, Run" (Finnish)
Nick’s habit of naming his German Luger Wilhelmina and his Italian stiletto Hugo is reminiscent of Richard Benson’s trusty revolver/throwing knife combo of Mike and Ike. He also carries Pierre, a marble-sized gas pellet similar to gas weapons used by both Benson and Savage. Like Doc Savage, he follows a strict regimen of esoteric exercises to hone his body to the peak of physical perfection. Carter’s exercise of choice is yoga, which must have been more exotic in the 60s, since for today’s readers it is more likely to evoke images of soccer moms doing the Downward Facing Dog Posture than elite international agents preparing themselves for combat. This entertaining adventure, packed with tense face-offs, introduces the villainous Mr. Judas and culminates with a harrowing finale in a torture chamber. In a series with 261 installments, there are bound to be plenty of clunkers, but it is off to a solid start.
Avallone claimed he created everything about the character, and Lyle Kenyon Engel claimed he created everything. The truth is probably somewhere in the middle, but having known both men, albeit only through correspondence, my hunch is that most of it came from Avallone. He was a big pulp fan and has to be responsible for those elements. Engel was more of a salesman than a creative person. Avallone was upset that his Nick Carter manuscripts were heavily edited. That's probably where Moolman's contribution comes in. I know from experience that at Book Creations Inc., the book packaging company Engel founded later on, there was a house style, authors were expected to conform to it, and the books were edited to maintain that style--although some of the author's personal style usually came through anyway, if you knew to look for it.
ReplyDeleteGreat information! I would love to see what those original manuscripts were like.
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