QUICK SHOTS: The Destroyer #38: Bay City Blast by Warren Murphy

It had been far too long since I had hung out with Chiun and Remo. Back in my late teens/early twenties the pair was one of my gateway drugs into the world of Men's Adventure being that I was a fan of Warren Murphy's "Trace" books and then there's all the James Bond connection with the 1985 "Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins" movie (which I love) that doubled my interest. It took me a couple paperbacks to get a handle on what "The Destroyer" is. Sure, it was funny, it was violent, it was wacky and yet still very dangerous. Once I got that it was all of those things and smack dab in the realm of pulp fiction, I devoured a bunch of them. Warren Murphy and Richard Sapir truly created something wonderfully and unique in The Destroyer, something that rarely comes along or rarely stays around. Being unique and/or off-beat is practically a death sentence in pop culture. But the glorious House of Sinanju lives on even to this day.

"Bay City Blast" is one of the more infamous entries in the series. I know I read it back in the day but couldn't resist trying it again now that I'm much more in tune to what Murphy was satirizing. Now I got a few years of plowing through these musty, dusty paperbacks potboilers. For those outta the 'know' #38: "Bay City Blast" pokes some fun at the other Pinnacle paperback heroes i.e. The Executioner, The Butcher and The Death Merchant. When I first read it, I hadn't sampled any of those three series, but nowadays I have several entries of each under my belt and can fully appreciate the joke. Even the title is a riff on "The Executioner" sub-titles. 

The template of a "Destroyer" is well established by this point and Murphy is using it to his full advantage. Basically, there's a once thriving bay city that has a sudden, seemingly Mafia-connected benefactor buying up stuff, helping folks and muscling his way into the mayor's seat to create a Crime-City USA. Remo and Chiun are set (as a personal favor to their boss "Emperor" Smith) to go check in on it but aren't turned loose to wreak havoc and knock out the baddies. Around the same time a rich weapons designer decides he has had enough of the criminal element of Bay City and starts putting together his special team of vigilantes out of random people's he's met. There's Mark (Mack Bolan) Tolan, pyscho 'Nam vet fueled by the thirst for murder, of like anyone. Al (The Butcher) Baker, a scheming low-level mobster wannabe and devoted fan of "The Godfather." And finally, Nicolas (The Death Merchant) Lizzard a bad actor with a penchant for disguises which are mostly unconvincing cross-dressing.  They take to calling themselves The Eraser and the Rubout Crew and sending people the ends of pencils as warnings. Murphy really rips into Pinnacle's other heroes. It made me wonder how the authors/publisher felt about this one being published. Remo and Chiun are called back to Bay City after a fun scene of shark fishing to act as bodyguards and to track down The Eraser. There's great banter, a Ruby Gonzolas cameo, tank fights, punching sharks, fun with ping-pong balls and spot on parody of the super-series take on the Men's Adventure genre.

In the companion book, "Inside Sinanju," there's a top ten of Murphy and Sapir's favorite "Destroyer" novels, this on doesn't quite make the list but it gets an honorable mention. It's pretty high up on my list of personal favorites. If you have a sense of humor about your action/adventure this is a sure bet. And I'll echo the sentiments of all those who came before more, avoid the first two entries in the series as your entry point. They ain't like the rest. If you want some sort of origin story there's a novella called "The Day that Remo Died," that does the origin better than #1: "Created, the Destroyer." Or the novelization of the movie "Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins" does a pretty good job setting up the world. "The Destroyer" books are kinda polarizing, you love 'em or you hate 'em. They are pure pulp, having more in common with the adventures of Doc Savage or Tarzan or The Spider then The Executioner. I think it's the series biggest strength and why it's still plugging along after all these years. I guess it's all about expectations, don't expect non-stop action. Expect well-told bursts of action, a lot of bickering, day-time soap operas, big dollops of satire and strap yourself in for a good time. 

Richard Sapir and Warren Murphy's Top Ten:

1. #3: Chinese Puzzle

2. #7: Union Bust

3. #14: Judgement Day

4. #20: Assassin's Pay-off

5. #18: Funny Money

6. #26: In Enemy Hands

7. #30: Mugger Blood

8. #32: Killer Chromosomes 

9. #41: Firing Line

10. #48 Profit Motive

Honorable Mentions: #19: Holy Terror, #22: Brain Drian, #44: Balance of Power, #10: Terror Squad, #6: Death Therapy, #17: Last War Dance, #23: Child's Play, and #38: Bay City Blast.