Review: "The Golden Masks" (The Shadow)
John Olsen
of The Shadow Magazine. The Golden Masks hid the faces of the most evil
crew of killers The Shadow had ever opposed! Concealed under cover of
black cloak and hat, the Master of Darkness worked feverishly to unmask
the menace behind the gilded faces!
If you want an exciting Shadow novel that typifies what is best
remembered about this pulp hero, read "The Golden Masks." This is The
Shadow the way you want to remember him. His athletic prowess is
amazing. His skill with his .45 caliber automatics is unerring. His
technique in escaping from an escape-proof trap is unparalleled. He's
mysterious; he's relentless; he's tireless... he's The Shadow! Read this
story, and you are guaranteed an exciting ride that will leave you
breathless and ultimately very satisfied.
This is the story of The Shadow's battle against a secret society
composed of robed and hooded members who sear thin gold masks over their
faces. Each is clad in a robe of dull gold, with cowl-like headpiece
that encircles their cheeks and forehead. Each wears thin gauntlets of
the same material. Their faces, amazingly lifelike, are also of gold.
Their membership names are assigned from the Greek alphabet: Alpha,
Omega, Epsilon, Mu... Together, they are comprised of some of the
highest and wealthiest men in society. Yet they conspire to wring
millions from the pockets of innocent men. It's the story of The
Shadow's capture, his eventual escape and his retribution.
The source of all this gold used in the masks is from Africa. And these
nefarious society not only brought back plenty of it from Africa, but
they also brought back a large number of gigantic African warriors to
guard their secret headquarters. These towering guards listen for the
secret password "Ashanti" to which they give the countersign "Kumasi."
These guys are muscular, fast and big... really big! You don't want to
mess with them!
The story all starts with James Lengerton, President of the Oceanic
Steamship Company. He is threatened with blackmail if he doesn't hand
over a cool half-million in cash. He refuses to pay extortion from this
mysterious group, and is gassed, kidnapped and promptly whisked away
secretly by hooded men. He's held prisoner in a strange underground
headquarters along with other wealthy businessmen who have also been
abducted. The police are unaware of the rash of kidnappings; the secret
group has covered the missing men with plausible tales, hence there was
no suspicion of any foul play. Luckily, The Shadow is close on the trail.
Can The Shadow now stop the future schemes of this evil menace? Can he
avoid the mysterious gas that robs men of all strength? Can he escape
from the prison cell deep below ground in a hidden headquarters? Can he
unmask the leaders of the strange clan known as the Golden Masks? Yes,
he can! And reading how he does these things makes for exciting reading
that you won't want to miss.
The best part of this story is the section in the middle, between
chapters ten and sixteen. This is where The Shadow is trapped behind
bulletproof glass and given a dose of that yellowish gas that paralyzes
its victims. He's taken to one of the dungeon cells in the underground
headquarters. This place is about as escape-proof as it can get. That's
what makes it so exciting to read, to see how The Shadow can thwart even
the most impenetrable defenses.
First, The Shadow figures out a way to contact his agents and send a
message for help. It's something quite clever and mathematical. I never
would have figured it out for myself, but once it's explained it
astounds me with its ingenuity. This brings Jericho Druke in to
infiltrate the group as one of the African guards. But it turns out that
The Shadow doesn't need Jericho's help after all. He figures out a way
to escape all on his own. And again, the method is impressive in its
cunning. Nothing so simple as just pulling powders from the hem of his
cloak, mixing them into a powerful explosive and blasting his way out.
No, this is much more subtle. And a real treat to read!
This story brings in nearly all of The Shadow's agents. Here we find
Harry Vincent, Hawkeye, Cliff Marsland, Moe Shrevnitz, Burbank, Jericho
Druke and Tapper. Jericho and Tapper were two of The Shadow's lesser
agents. Author Walter Gibson admits as much when he describes Tapper:
"... the other was 'Tapper,' a man whom The Shadow seldom used."
Technically, Tapper still worked for Slade Farrow, the criminologist,
not for The Shadow. But after his first few appearances, it was rarely
mentioned. So, yes, the gang's all here!
It's nice to see the husky Jericho Druke, one of The Shadow's lesser
agents, in a featured role in this story. He goes undercover where he
not only blends in with the other African guards, but is one of the few
people who could physically compete with them in hand-to-hand combat.
One interesting thing we learn about Jericho is that he speaks French.
And it does come in handy, here. You'll have to read the story to find
out why.
Druke is one of the few Shadow agents that has a "real" job. He runs an
employment agency in Harlem. But occasionally, he is called upon by The
Shadow to render aid in various situations. Thirty-two times, to be
exact. He first appeared in the 1934 story "The Chinese Disks" and shows
up sporadically until the 1946 tale "Crime Out Of Mind." This story
marks his eighth appearance.
Of course Druke wasn't the only agent to have a real job. Clyde Burke
was a reporter for the New York Classic. And Rutledge Mann was an
investment broker. But both used their occupations to assist The Shadow.
Burke used information gathered as a reporter in helping The Shadow.
Mann used information gathered in the investment game to also help.
Druke, on the other hand, never seemed to use his occupation to assist
The Shadow. He just closed the firm for a few days when called upon by
The Shadow.
Other familiar characters in this story include lawmen Inspector Joe
Cardona and Detective Sergeant Markham. No mention is made of their
boss, Commissioner Weston, however.
The Shadow appears in disguise as Fritz, the police headquarters
janitor. Of course there is a real Fritz, but he hasn't shown up for
work, yet. The Shadow takes his place to listen in on a conversation
between Markham and Cardona, and picks up a vital clue in the form of a
strange city map. Usually Fritz, as played by The Shadow, only gets
dialogue limited to a single word: "Yah." But in this story, he doesn't
even get that. Not a single word does he speak. But his appearance is
necessary, and is appreciated, regardless.
One final note is about The Shadow's girasol ring. We are often given a
detailed description of the stone, but rarely the setting. According to
this story, the stone is set in a simple gold band. That's all. Nothing
ornate to match the rest of the ring. Just a simple gold band. At least,
that's the description given in this story.
In many of the early Shadow stories, the reader was told that there were
two powders hidden in the lining of his cloak. When removed and mixed
together, they formed a powerful explosive which The Shadow would often
use to extricate himself from some perilous situation. It's good to see
it mentioned again in this story, although in this particular case, The
Shadow doesn't use them. He has a much better way to escape from his
prison. A way which I'm sure you'll approve, when you read this story.
There was one slight annoyance, for me, in this story. After Jericho
Druke is brought on as a guard in the headquarter of the secret society,
we read that: "These men, so Jericho had been told, were the leaders of
the Golden Masks." Wait a minute! Who told him? Up until this point, all
the agents were unaware of the identities of the leaders. The only
person who knew was The Shadow, and when the statement was made, The
Shadow was still imprisoned and had not been able to communicate with
Jericho. I think Walter Gibson slipped up, there. He used it as
motivation for why Jericho decided to continue to play his part, and not
try to rescue his chief, yet. But Gibson should have found some other
reason for Druke's actions. The knowledge he ascribes to Druke would not
yet have been his. A minor slip, and one that I can forgive, considering
how terrific the story is. Yet, a slip, nonetheless.
This is a top-notch Shadow mystery. It's one which just seemed to eat up
hours before I noticed it. The characterization of The Shadow is the
powerful one that we all prefer. The story has some great twists and
turns. The action comes fast and furious. And that terrific escape from
the underground dungeon is one that makes the story worth reading just
for its own, if for no other reason.
This is a good one! You'll like it.
John
--
"Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? The Shadow knows!"
The wonderful old pulp mystery stories are all reviewed at:
http://www.spaceports.com/~deshadow/
Kent Allard
John Olsen <jro...@teleport.com> wrote:
> "Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? The Shadow knows!"
> The wonderful old pulp mystery stories are all reviewed at:
>
> http://www.spaceports.com/~deshadow/
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