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Will Murray

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For other people named Will Murray, seeWill Murray (disambiguation).

William Murray(born 1953)[1]is an American novelist, journalist, short story, and comic book writer. Much of his fiction has been published under pseudonyms. With artistSteve Ditko,he co-created thesuperheroSquirrel Girl.

Will Murray
Will Murray at PulpFest 2021
BornWilliam Murray
1953 (age 70–71)
NationalityAmerican
Area(s)Writer
Notable works
The Destroyer
Squirrel Girl

Biography

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Early life and career

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Will Murray grew up inBoston,Massachusetts[2]and graduated North Quincy High school in June 1971, subsequently graduating summa cum laude from the University of Massachusetts at Boston.[1]After becoming a fan of thepulp fictionheroDoc Savage,he began collecting pulp magazines and wrote two psychological profiles of the character inThe Doc Savage Reader.[1]He went on to write forfanzinesand edit the fanzinesDuendeandSkullduggerybefore joining the pulp-reprint publisher Odyssey Publications.[1]He also co-authored the study,The Duende History of The Shadow Magazine.[1]Circa 1978, "I discovered the outline to [Doc Savage creator] Lester Dent's unwrittenPython Isleand decided to take a shot at writing it.Bantam [Books]passed on it initially, and by the time they came back and asked for it and two more Docs, I was busily ghosting [the adventure paperback series]The Destroyerfor [series co-creator]Warren Murphy."[1]

Novels and magazines

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The Destroyerassignment had come about when Murray, editingSkullduggery,sought out Murphy andThe Destroyerco-creatorRichard Sapirfor an interview, and later doing freelance research for Sapir. This led to his editing a Destroyer sourcebook,The Assassin's Handbook(1982) and eventuallyghostwritingthe series, beginning with the 56th book,Encounter Group(1984). He began writing the series regularly with the 69th book,Blood Ties,altogether ghosting book #69 through book #107,Feast or Famine.[1]Murray has also writtenCthulhu Mythosstories, including a pair of stories aboutNug and Yeb,the Twin Blasphemies, and contributed single novels inThe ExecutionerandMars Attacksseries.[citation needed]He wrote the retro-pulp collectionSpicy Zeppelin Storiesunder various pen names.[citation needed]

Murray, also an author of nonfiction articles aboutpulp magazinewriters such asDoc SavagecreatorLester Dent,and theShadowcreatorWalter B. Gibson;since 1979, he has been the literary executor for the estate of Dent,[2]and has published twenty-one Doc Savage novels from Dent's outlines under Dent's pseudonym,Kenneth Robeson.[3]His 2013The Wild Adventures of Doc Savagenovel,Doc Savage: Skull Island,teams him up withKing Kong.

In June 2015, Altus Press inaugurated the seriesThe Wild Adventures of Tarzanin the novelTarzan: Return to Pal-ul-don,an authorized sequel to Edger Rice Burroughs' 1921 novel,Tarzan the Terrible.Late in 2016, Altus released a follow-up novel,King Kong Vs. Tarzan.Early in 2020, "Tarzan, Conqueror of Mars"was released, in which John Carter of Mars was revived. In 2023,Tarzan: Back to Marswas released.

In October 2016, Altus Press releasedSix Scarlet Scorpions,the first entry in a new spinoff series centering around Doc Savage's adventuress cousin, calledThe Wild Adventures of Pat Savage.Murray wrote the novel from an outline written by the character's creator, Lester Dent.

In August, 2018, Altus Press releasedThe Spider: The Doom Legion,reviving the pulp hero known as The Spider, as well as James Christopher, Operator 5, and G-8 ofG-8 and His Battles Acesfame. A sequel,The Spider: Fury in Steel,was published in January, 2021.

In June, 2020, Altus Press releasedThe Wild Adventures of Sherlock Holmes,collecting ten of Murray's Sherlock Holmes short stories.

ForNecronomicon Press,he editedTales of ZothiqueandThe Book of Hyperborea,two collections of stories byClark Ashton Smith.His essays have appeared in books ranging from S. T. Joshi's compedium on H. P. Lovecraft,An Epicure in the Terrible,to Jim Beard's survey of the 1960sBatmanTV show,Gotham City 14 Miles.He also contributed to the encyclopediasSt. James Crime and Mystery Writers,St. James Science Fiction Writers,Contemporary AuthorsandThe Dictionary of Literary Biography.A collection of his Doc Savage articles was published by Altus Press under the title, Writings in Bronze, in 2011. As a contributing editor ofStarlogmagazine, Murray wrote for that publication and for Starlog Press movie tie-in publications.

Murray stories have appeared inThe UFO Files,Future Crime,Miskatonic University,100 Wicked Little Witch Stories, 100 Creepy Little Creature Stories, 100 Vicious Little Vampire Stories, The Cthulhu Cycle, Disciples of Cthulhu II,Cthulhu's Reign,Worlds of Cthulhu, The Yig Cycle, Dead But Dreaming II, Horror for the Holidays,The Mountains of Madness,Tales from the Miskatonic Library, Dracula Unfanged, Shadows Out of Time, Unknown Superheroes vs. the Forces of Darkness, Thrilling Adventure Yarns, Six-Gun Legends, Nightbeat: Night Storiesand other collections.

ForNational Public Radio,he adapted Lester Dent's 1934 novelThe Thousand-Headed Manas a six-part serial forThe Adventures of Doc Savage,which aired in 1985,[citation needed]and was released on CD by Radioarchives.com in October 2010.[citation needed]

For Radio Archives, Murray produced the Will Murray Pulp Classics line of audio and ebooks, starring such pulp heroes asThe Spiderand G-8 and His Battle Aces.

With S. T. Joshi and Jon L. Cooke, Murray organized The Friends ofH. P. Lovecraft,which raised funds to place a memorial plaque dedicated to the Providence fantasy writer on the grounds ofBrown University's John Hay Library on the centennial of Lovecraft's birth in August 1990.

In 2000 Murray wrote the novelNick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Empyrefor Marvel comics. The story, which predicted the operational details of the Year 2001 terror attacks on New York and Washington a year before they transpired, identified the author as a trained remote viewer and professional psychic.[4]

Beginning in 2006, Murray has been a consulting editor for Sanctum Books'Doc Savage,Shadow,AvengerandWhispererreprints. He has also written dozens of introductions to the reprints being published byAltus Press,covering characters such as Lester Dent's Lee Nace and Frederick Nebel'sBlack Maskdetective, Ben Donohue. With Off-Trail Publications' John Locke, he has co-edited the three-volumeThe Gangland Sagas of Big Nose Serrano,which collects all 12 ofAnatole Feldman's Big Nose Serrano stories. ForBlack Dog Books,he penned introductions to their ongoing Lester Dent Library series of pulp-magazine reprints.

Murray's exhaustive survey,Wordslingers: An Epitaph for the Western,delved into the American Western story as it evolved in the pages of the pulp magazines of the first half of the 20th century.

Stepping into the metaphysical and spiritual genre, Murray explored the nature and origin of God in his 2016 ebook,Forever After,which he wrote under his full name of William Patrick Murray. The channelled work is told in the form of a fable, with the narrative unfolding from God's point of view.

Comic books

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A contributor to numerous prose anthologies, Murray has written short stories of the charactersSuperman,Batman,Wonder Woman,Spider-Man,Ant-Man,theHulk,theSpider,The Avenger,theGray Seal,theGreen Hornet,The Secret 6,Sherlock Holmes,Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow,Honey West,ZorroandLee Falk's thePhantom.

ForMarvel Comics,Murray co-created thesuperheroSquirrel Girlwith artistSteve Ditko.He scriptedThe Destroyerblack-and-white magazine, as well as single stories starringIron Manand thePunisher.Murray wrote the introduction to theMarvel Comics Omnibusvolume, which celebrates the 70th anniversary of Marvel Comics, as well as introductions to Volume 2 ofDaring Mystery Comics,Mighty Thor MasterworksVolume 9,Mystic ComicsVolume 1,Young AlliesVolume 2 andGolden Age Captain AmericaVolume 6.

Awards

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In 1979, he received the Lamont Award for his contributions to the furtherance of pulp fiction research.[citation needed]In 1999, he earned theComic Book Marketplaceaward for research excellence in the area of comics history.[citation needed]Murray received the 2011 Pulp Ark Award for Best Series Revival for his work onThe Wild Adventures of Doc Savage.[citation needed]His Doc Savage novel,Doc Savage: Skull Island,won the 2014 Pulp Factory Award for Best Novel. In 2021, Murray was awarded the Golden Lion Award for his contributions to the furtherance of the works of Tarzan creator, Edgar Rice Burroughs. He received the First Fandom Hall of Fame Award in 2023 for his many career achievements.

Selected works

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Fiction

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Novels

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  • Python Isle,as byKenneth Robeson,(1991) [Doc Savage #184]
  • White Eyes,as byKenneth Robeson,(1992) [Doc Savage #185]
  • The Frightened Fish,as byKenneth Robeson,(1992) [Doc Savage #186]
  • The Jade Ogre,as byKenneth Robeson,(1992) [Doc Savage #187]
  • Flight Into Fear,as byKenneth Robeson,(1993) [Doc Savage #188]
  • The Whistling Wraith,as byKenneth Robeson,(1993) [Doc Savage #189]
  • The Forgotten Realm,as byKenneth Robeson,(1993) [Doc Savage #190]
  • Mars Attacks!War Dogs of the Golden Horde,as by Ray W. Murill,Del Rey Books(1996)
  • Nick Fury, Agent of Shield: Empyre,Berkley Boulevard Books (2000)
  • The Wild Adventures of Doc Savage: The Desert Demons,as byKenneth Robeson,Altus Press (2011)
  • The Wild Adventures of Doc Savage: Horror in Gold,as byKenneth Robeson,Altus Press (2011)
  • The Wild Adventures of Doc Savage: The Infernal Buddha,as byKenneth Robeson,Altus Press (2012)
  • The Wild Adventures of Doc Savage: Death's Dark Domain,as byKenneth Robeson,Altus Press (2012)
  • The Wild Adventures of Doc Savage: The Miracle Menace,as byKenneth Robeson,Altus Press (2013)
  • The Wild Adventures of Doc Savage: Phantom Lagoon,as byKenneth Robeson,Altus Press (2013)
  • The Wild Adventures of Doc Savage: Skull Island,Altus Press(2013)
  • The Wild Adventures of Doc Savage: The War Makers,as byKenneth Robeson,Altus Press (2014)
  • The Wild Adventures of Doc Savage: The Ice Genius,as byKenneth Robeson,Altus Press (2014)
  • The Wild Adventures of Doc Savage: The Sinister Shadow,as byKenneth Robeson,Altus Press (2015)
  • The Wild Adventures of Edgar Rice Burroughs (Vol 1): Return to Pal-ul-don,Altus Press (2015)
  • The Wild Adventures of Pat Savage (Vol 1): Six Scarlet Scorpions,Altus Press (2016)
  • King Kongvs. Tarzan,Altus Press (2016)
  • The Wild Adventures of Doc Savage: Glare of the Gorgon,as byKenneth Robeson,Altus Press (2016)
  • The Wild Adventures of Doc Savage: Empire of Doom,as byKenneth Robeson,Altus Press (2017)
  • The Wild Adventures of Doc Savage: Mr. Calamity & The Valley of Eternity,as byKenneth Robeson,Altus Press (2018)
  • The Wild Adventures ofThe Spider(Book 1): The Doom Legion,Altus Press (2018)
  • The Wild Adventures ofEdgar Rice Burroughs(Vol 9): Tarzan, Conqueror of Mars,Altus Press (2020)
  • The Wild Adventures of The Spider (Book 2): Fury in Steel,Altus Press (2021)
  • The Wild Adventures of The Spider (Book 3): Scourge of the Scorpion,Altus Press (2022)
  • The Wild Adventures of Edgar Rice Burroughs (Vol 12): Tarzan, Back to Barsoom,Altus Press (2023)

Collections

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  • The Wild Adventures of Sherlock Holmes,(2020)
  • The Wild Adventures of Sherlock Holmes Volume Two,Odyssey Publications (2023)
  • The Wild Adventures of Cthulhu: Volume One,Odyssey Publications (2022)
  • The Wild Adventures of Cthulhu: Volume Two,Odyssey Publications (2022)

Short stories

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  • "Snail Ghost",Eldritch Tales#11, 1985
  • "A Trillion Young", inTales from the Miskatonic University Library(PS Publishing, 2017)

Comic book stories

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Nonfiction

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Books

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  • The Duende History ofthe ShadowMagazine,Odyssey Publications (1980)
  • Writings in Bronze,Altus Press (2011)
  • Wordslingers: An Epitaph for the Western,Altus Press (2013)
  • Master of Mystery: The Rise of The Shadow,Odyssey Publications (2021)
  • Dark Avenger: The Strange Saga of The Shadow,Odyssey Publications (2022)

Articles

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  • "Narrathoth, the Forgotten",Crypt of Cthulhu#35, 1985
  • "The Riddle of the Key",The Armchair Detective,Summer 1989

Introductions

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  • The Gangland Sagas of Big Nose Serrano: Vol 1: Dames, Dice and the Devil,byAnatole Feldman,Off-Trail Publications (2008)
  • The Gangland Sagas of Big Nose Serrano: Vol 2: Horses, Hoboes and Heroes,by Anatole Feldman, Off-Trail Publications (2008)
  • Thunder Jim Wade: The Complete Series,byHenry Kuttner,Altus Press (2008)
  • The Bat Strikes Again And Again!,byJohnston McCulley,Altus Press (2009)
  • The Gangland Sagas of Big Nose Serrano: Vol 3: Hell's Gangster,by Anatole Feldman, Off-Trail Publications (2009)
  • Super-Detective Jim Anthony: The Complete Series, Vol 1,byVictor Rousseau,Altus Press (2009)
  • When the Death-Bat Flies: The Detective Stories ofNorvell Page,Altus Press (2010)
  • G Stands for Glory: The G-Man Stories of Norvell Page,Altus Press (2010)
  • The Crimes of The Scarlet Ace: The Complete Stories of Major Lacy & Amusement, Inc.,byTheodore A. Tinsley,Altus Press (2011)
  • The Cobra: The King of Detectives,byRichard B. Sale,Altus Press (2011)
  • King of Fang and Claw: The Complete Pulp Magazine Adventures,by Bob Byrd, Altus Press (2011)
  • The Complete Casebook of Cardigan, Vol 1: 1931-32,byFrederick Nebel,Altus Press (2013)
  • Operator #5: The Complete Purple Wars,by Emile C. Tepperman, Altus Press (2019)

Obituaries

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References

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  1. ^abcdefgMurray, Will (July 1997)."Who Is Will Murray? An Autobiographical Sketch".Sinanju.net.Archivedfrom the original on July 20, 2011.RetrievedSeptember 22,2012.
  2. ^abHicks, L. Wayne (January 14, 2000)."Murray Has Hopes for Savage".Denver Business Journal.Archivedfrom the original on September 23, 2012.RetrievedSeptember 23,2012.
  3. ^"Books, Listed by Author: Robeson, Kenneth".The Locus Index to Science Fiction. Archived fromthe originalon October 31, 2007.
  4. ^Johnson, Tom; Black, Michael A.; Curry, Lance; Delorme, Debra; Murray, Will; French, John L. (2005-03-30).Tales of Masks & Mayhem.Mystic Toad Press LLC.ISBN9780975254233.
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