Secret Agent X
Encyclopedia
Secret Agent X was the title of a U.S.
pulp magazine
published by A. A. Wyn
's Ace Magazines
, and the name of the main character featured in the magazine. The magazine ran for 41 issues between February 1934 and March 1939.
The Secret Agent X stories were written by more than one author, but they all appeared under the "house name" of Brant House. The first Secret Agent X story, The Torture Trust was written by Paul Chadwick
, who went on to write at least fifteen others. Later stories were produced by G. T. Fleming-Roberts, Emile C. Tepperman and Wayne Rogers. http://www.geocities.com/pulp.master/secret-agent-x.txt
In the stories, the true identity of Secret Agent X is never revealed. He is a master of disguise, known as "the man of a thousand faces", who adopts several different identities in each story. Although he is a dedicated crime-fighter working undercover for the U.S. government, this is unknown to the police who consider him an outlaw. His true role is known only to newspaper reporter Betty Dale and his mysterious Washington controller, K-9. Agent X come close to being undone once by a woman who could recognise him no matter what his disguise. She turned out to be blind and recognised his manner of walking.
Originally X was bank-rolled by an anonymous group of millionaires who made any amount of money he might need available. He maintained a number of identities and had bank-rolled a failing detective business into a thriving business where alongside their usual work, they did work for him, gathering news reports, getting information, leg work, guarding people, etc. They did not know his real identity. Later X became more of a mysterious government figure. His weapon of choice was a gas gun which quickly rendered people unconscious for a short time without any side effects.
Although ostensibly in the crime
genre, the Secret Agent X stories were situated at the more far-fetched end of the spectrum, with a number of science fiction
elements such as futuristic weapons and mad scientist
s. They were generally given highly sensational
titles such as The Ambassador of Doom (May 1934), Servants of the Skull (November 1934), The Golden Ghoul (July 1935), Satan’s Syndicate (August 1937) and Curse of the Crimson Horde (September 1938). http://www.geocities.com/pulp.master/secret-agent-x.txt There were a number of similarities between Secret Agent X and other pulp heroes of the time such as The Shadow
, the Green Lama
and Operator No. 5
. Authors such as Tepperman and Rogers produced stories for Operator No. 5 magazine as well as for Secret Agent X.
Ace Comics
also published a short-lived character based on Secret Agent X, but called him "X- The Phantom Fed". All stories were based on early novels.
reprints, Corinth Press (an imprint of soft porn publisher Regency) issued seven Secret Agent X adventures in paperback. Their low distribution made them collector's items almost from the very first, but didn't generate enough sales to continue the series. Since then, several other small presses have reprinted different stories. Small press Altus Press
has begun an ambitious reprinting of the entire Secret Agent "X" series in nine volumes. Four volumes have appeared so far.
Beginning in 1996 Secret Agent X became the latest in a series of pulp heroes to be revived. In Tom Johnson's short story "Horror's Monster," published in Classic Pulp Fiction Stories #9, Agent X's saga moved into the early days of World War II. Here he squared off against criminals who employed giant spiders to achieve their nefarious ends. Since publication of Johnson's tale, Stephen Payne has penned three novels starring the Secret Agent: The Freezing Fiends (CPFS #12-17), Master of Madness (Double Danger Tales #1-3), and Halo of Horror (Double Danger Tales #21-23), all appearing under the aegis of Tom Johnson's Fading Shadows books. Halo of Horror has since been reprinted in a pulp facsimile format by Altus Press
. http://www.altuspress.com/2008/03/secret-agent-x-halo-of-horror/
Altus Press has also published other Secret Agent X material: The Stolen Formula, http://www.altuspress.com/2008/03/triple-detective-1-winter-1956/ a rewrite of a Secret Agent X story written specifically for the Greek audience and published in their "magazine" Triple Detective #1, and reprinted The Secret Agent X Companion, http://www.altuspress.com/2008/03/the-secret-agent-x-companion/ a comprehensive history of the character by Tom Johnson and Will Murray.
In addition, Wild Cat Books issued two collections of novellas showcasing the Agent; Secret Agent X Volumes 1 & 2. These were edited by pulp historian/writer, Ron Fortier
and are currently Airship 27 Productions and published by Cornerstone Books Publisher. It is a continuing series of all new stories with future volumes in production. The third volume has already appeared.
And recently Stephen Payne has begun work on the fourth new Secret Agent X novel, The Resurrection Ring, which will reveal new facts about the origin of the Man of a Thousand Faces.
Retrograde Press has recently published a full-length Secret Agent X novel set during World War II, The Sea Wraiths by Sean Ellis.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
pulp magazine
Pulp magazine
Pulp magazines , also collectively known as pulp fiction, refers to inexpensive fiction magazines published from 1896 through the 1950s. The typical pulp magazine was seven inches wide by ten inches high, half an inch thick, and 128 pages long...
published by A. A. Wyn
A. A. Wyn
Aaron A. Wyn , born Aaron Weinstein, was an American publisher. He edited pulp magazines for Harold Hersey's Magazine Publishers. When Hersey departed the company in the summer of 1929, Wyn, after a brief interlude from Harold S. Goldsmith, took charge of the company. Hersey's swastika logo was...
's Ace Magazines
A. A. Wyn's Magazine Publishers
A. A. Wyn's Magazine Publishers was a publishing house established and owned by A. A. Wyn. It began in the 1930s as a pulp magazine publisher, and included titles such as Ace Mystery and Ace Sports. They also used the name "Periodic House", and also branched out to publishing comic books as Ace...
, and the name of the main character featured in the magazine. The magazine ran for 41 issues between February 1934 and March 1939.
The Secret Agent X stories were written by more than one author, but they all appeared under the "house name" of Brant House. The first Secret Agent X story, The Torture Trust was written by Paul Chadwick
Paul Chadwick (author)
Paul Chadwick was a pulp magazine author who wrote many stories under his own name and various pseudonyms. As was the case with many prolific contributors to the pulps, he wrote in a number of different genres including detective stories, science fiction and westerns...
, who went on to write at least fifteen others. Later stories were produced by G. T. Fleming-Roberts, Emile C. Tepperman and Wayne Rogers. http://www.geocities.com/pulp.master/secret-agent-x.txt
In the stories, the true identity of Secret Agent X is never revealed. He is a master of disguise, known as "the man of a thousand faces", who adopts several different identities in each story. Although he is a dedicated crime-fighter working undercover for the U.S. government, this is unknown to the police who consider him an outlaw. His true role is known only to newspaper reporter Betty Dale and his mysterious Washington controller, K-9. Agent X come close to being undone once by a woman who could recognise him no matter what his disguise. She turned out to be blind and recognised his manner of walking.
Originally X was bank-rolled by an anonymous group of millionaires who made any amount of money he might need available. He maintained a number of identities and had bank-rolled a failing detective business into a thriving business where alongside their usual work, they did work for him, gathering news reports, getting information, leg work, guarding people, etc. They did not know his real identity. Later X became more of a mysterious government figure. His weapon of choice was a gas gun which quickly rendered people unconscious for a short time without any side effects.
Although ostensibly in the crime
Crime fiction
Crime fiction is the literary genre that fictionalizes crimes, their detection, criminals and their motives. It is usually distinguished from mainstream fiction and other genres such as science fiction or historical fiction, but boundaries can be, and indeed are, blurred...
genre, the Secret Agent X stories were situated at the more far-fetched end of the spectrum, with a number of science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
elements such as futuristic weapons and mad scientist
Mad scientist
A mad scientist is a stock character of popular fiction, specifically science fiction. The mad scientist may be villainous or antagonistic, benign or neutral, and whether insane, eccentric, or simply bumbling, mad scientists often work with fictional technology in order to forward their schemes, if...
s. They were generally given highly sensational
Sensationalism
Sensationalism is a type of editorial bias in mass media in which events and topics in news stories and pieces are over-hyped to increase viewership or readership numbers...
titles such as The Ambassador of Doom (May 1934), Servants of the Skull (November 1934), The Golden Ghoul (July 1935), Satan’s Syndicate (August 1937) and Curse of the Crimson Horde (September 1938). http://www.geocities.com/pulp.master/secret-agent-x.txt There were a number of similarities between Secret Agent X and other pulp heroes of the time such as The Shadow
The Shadow
The Shadow is a collection of serialized dramas, originally in pulp magazines, then on 1930s radio and then in a wide variety of media, that follow the exploits of the title character, a crime-fighting vigilante in the pulps, which carried over to the airwaves as a "wealthy, young man about town"...
, the Green Lama
Green Lama
The Green Lama was an American pulp magazine hero of the 1940s. In many respects a typical costumed crime-fighter of the period, the Green Lama's most unusual feature was the fact that he was a practicing Buddhist...
and Operator No. 5
Operator No. 5
Operator #5 was a pulp hero that appeared in his own ten cent pulp magazine. It was soon renamed Secret Service Operator #5 and was published by Popular Publications between 1934 and 1939.-Characters:...
. Authors such as Tepperman and Rogers produced stories for Operator No. 5 magazine as well as for Secret Agent X.
Ace Comics
Ace Comics (publishers)
Ace Comics was the banner under which pulp magazine publisher Aaron A. Wyn and his wife Rose Wyn produced comic books between 1940 and the end of 1956. The Wyns had been publishing pulp fiction under the Periodical House and Magazine Publishers names since 1928...
also published a short-lived character based on Secret Agent X, but called him "X- The Phantom Fed". All stories were based on early novels.
Stories
- The Torture Trust, 02/01/34 01/1 - Paul Chadwick
- The Spectral Stranglers, 03/01/34 - Paul Chadwick
- The Death-Torch Terror, 04/01/34 - Paul Chadwick
- The Ambassador of Doom, 05/01/34 - Paul Chadwick
- City of Living Dead, 06/01/34 - Paul Chadwick
- Hand of Horror, 08/01/34 - Emile C Tepperman
- Octopus of Crime, 09/01/34 - Paul Chadwick
- The Hooded Hordes, 10/01/34 - Paul Chadwick
- Servants of the Skull, 11/01/34 - Emile C Tepperman
- The Murder Monster, 12/01/34 - Emile C Tepperman
- Sinister Scourge, 01/01/35 - Paul Chadwick
- Curse of the Waiting Death, 02/01/35 - Paul Chadwick
- Devils of Darkness, 03/01/35 - (Emile C Tepperman or Paul Chadwick)
- Talons of Terror, 04/01/35 - (Emile C Tepperman or Paul Chadwick)
- The Corpse Cavalcade, 05/01/35 - G. T. Fleming-Roberts
- The Golden Ghoul, 07/01/35 - G. T. Fleming-Roberts
- The Monarch of Murder, 08/01/35 - Paul Chadwick
- Legion of the Living Dead, 09/01/35 - Paul Chadwick
- Horde of the Damned, 10/01/35 - Paul Chadwick
- Ringmaster of Doom, 11/01/35 - G. T. Fleming-Roberts
- Kingdom of Blue Corpses, 12/01/35 - ?
- Brand of the Metal Maiden, 01/01/36 - G. T. Fleming-Roberts
- Dividends of Doom, 02/01/36 - G. T. Fleming-Roberts
- The Fear Merchants, 03/01/36 - Paul Chadwick
- Faceless Fury, 04/01/36 - G. T. Fleming-Roberts
- Subterranean Scourge, 06/01/36 - G. T. Fleming-Roberts
- The Doom Director, 08/01/36 - G. T. Fleming-Roberts
- Horror's Handclasp, 10/01/36 - G. T. Fleming-Roberts
- City of Madness, 12/01/36 - G. T. Fleming-Roberts
- Death's Frozen Formula, 02/01/37 - G. T. Fleming-Roberts
- The Murder Brain, 04/01/37 - G. T. Fleming-Roberts
- Slaves of the Scorpion, 06/01/37 - G. T. Fleming-Roberts
- Satan's Syndicate, 08/01/37 - G. T. Fleming-Roberts
- The Assassin's League, 10/01/37 - G. T. Fleming-Roberts
- Plague of the Golden Death, 12/01/37 - G. T. Fleming-Roberts
- Curse of the Mandarin's Fan, 02/01/38 - G. T. Fleming-Roberts
- Claws of the Corpse Cult, 04/01/38 - G. T. Fleming-Roberts
- The Corpse that Murdered, 06/01/38 - G. T. Fleming-Roberts
- Curse of the Crimson Horde, 09/01/38 - Paul Chadwick
- Corpse Contraband, 12/01/38 - G. T. Fleming-Roberts
- Yoke of the Crimson Coterie, 03/01/39 - G. T. Fleming-Roberts
Reprints & New Stories
Several Secret Agent X novels have been reprinted over the years. In the 1960s, at the height of the camp craze and the success of the Doc SavageDoc Savage
Doc Savage is a fictional character originally published in American pulp magazines during the 1930s and 1940s. He was created by publisher Henry W. Ralston and editor John L...
reprints, Corinth Press (an imprint of soft porn publisher Regency) issued seven Secret Agent X adventures in paperback. Their low distribution made them collector's items almost from the very first, but didn't generate enough sales to continue the series. Since then, several other small presses have reprinted different stories. Small press Altus Press
Altus Press
Altus Press is a small-press publisher of works primarily related to the pulp magazines of the 1920s and 30s. Founded in 2006 by publisher Matthew Moring, Altus Press has focused on four categories of publications: Lost Race Library, New Pulps, Pulp Histories and Pulp Reprints.Altus is also the...
has begun an ambitious reprinting of the entire Secret Agent "X" series in nine volumes. Four volumes have appeared so far.
Beginning in 1996 Secret Agent X became the latest in a series of pulp heroes to be revived. In Tom Johnson's short story "Horror's Monster," published in Classic Pulp Fiction Stories #9, Agent X's saga moved into the early days of World War II. Here he squared off against criminals who employed giant spiders to achieve their nefarious ends. Since publication of Johnson's tale, Stephen Payne has penned three novels starring the Secret Agent: The Freezing Fiends (CPFS #12-17), Master of Madness (Double Danger Tales #1-3), and Halo of Horror (Double Danger Tales #21-23), all appearing under the aegis of Tom Johnson's Fading Shadows books. Halo of Horror has since been reprinted in a pulp facsimile format by Altus Press
Altus Press
Altus Press is a small-press publisher of works primarily related to the pulp magazines of the 1920s and 30s. Founded in 2006 by publisher Matthew Moring, Altus Press has focused on four categories of publications: Lost Race Library, New Pulps, Pulp Histories and Pulp Reprints.Altus is also the...
. http://www.altuspress.com/2008/03/secret-agent-x-halo-of-horror/
Altus Press has also published other Secret Agent X material: The Stolen Formula, http://www.altuspress.com/2008/03/triple-detective-1-winter-1956/ a rewrite of a Secret Agent X story written specifically for the Greek audience and published in their "magazine" Triple Detective #1, and reprinted The Secret Agent X Companion, http://www.altuspress.com/2008/03/the-secret-agent-x-companion/ a comprehensive history of the character by Tom Johnson and Will Murray.
In addition, Wild Cat Books issued two collections of novellas showcasing the Agent; Secret Agent X Volumes 1 & 2. These were edited by pulp historian/writer, Ron Fortier
Ron Fortier
Ron Fortier is an American author, primarily known for his Green Hornet and The Terminator comic books and his revival of the pulp hero, Captain Hazzard. Early in his career he also wrote short stories and co-authored two novels for TSR....
and are currently Airship 27 Productions and published by Cornerstone Books Publisher. It is a continuing series of all new stories with future volumes in production. The third volume has already appeared.
And recently Stephen Payne has begun work on the fourth new Secret Agent X novel, The Resurrection Ring, which will reveal new facts about the origin of the Man of a Thousand Faces.
Retrograde Press has recently published a full-length Secret Agent X novel set during World War II, The Sea Wraiths by Sean Ellis.
See also
- Science fiction magazineScience fiction magazineA science fiction magazine is a publication that offers primarily science fiction, either in a hard copy periodical format or on the Internet....
- Fantasy fiction magazine
- Horror fiction magazineHorror fiction magazineA horror fiction magazine is a magazine that publishes primarily horror fiction with the main purpose of scaring or frightening the reader. Horror magazines can be in print, on the internet, or both.-Defunct magazines:*The Arkham Collector...
External links
- Page with some Secret Agent X cover scans
- Secret Agent X checklist
- Stephen Payne's Halo of Horror reissue
- Triple Detective #1, which contains The Stolen Formula
- Tom Johnson and Will Murray's The Secret Agent X Companion
- Secret Agent “X” - The Complete Series Volume 1
- http://pulpgen.com/pulp/downloads/list_by_mag.php?page=22 Download two Secret Agent X stories to read for free.
- http://pulpgen.com/pulp/downloads/list_by_mag.php?page=23 Download a Secret Agent X story to read for free.