The Phantom Detective
''The Phantom Detective'' was the second pulp hero magazine published, after ''The Shadow''. The first issue was released in February 1933, a month before ''Doc Savage'', which was released in March 1933. The title continued to be released unt ...
'' and ''
The Shadow
The Shadow is a fictional character created by magazine publishers Street & Smith and writer Walter B. Gibson. Originally created to be a mysterious radio show narrator, and developed into a distinct literary character in 1931 by writer Walter ...
''.
Life
Danburg was born in Connecticut and attended
Columbia University
Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...
and
Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world.
Charte ...
. He married his wife Dorothy Daniels (nee Smith) in 1931; they both subsequently became professional writers, and collaborated frequently. Danburg typically wrote under the alias Norman A. Daniels, but he also published under the pen names John L. Benton, Frank Johnson, and
house names
A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air condit ...
including C. K. M. Scanlon, Will Garth and G. Wayman Jones.
Daniels' early stories were detective tales and thrillers for pulp magazines. His first published story was "The Death-House Murder", which appeared in ''Detective-Dragnet'' magazine in January 1932. That year he sold stories to '' All Detective'', '' Shadow Magazine'', and '' Gangster Stories''. In 1933 he sold his first story to
Thrilling Publications
Thrilling Publications, also known as Beacon Magazines (1936–37), Better Publications (1937–43) and Standard Magazines (1943–55), was a pulp magazine publisher run by Ned Pines, publishing such titles as '' Startling Stories'' ...
, launching a long association with the company. Subsequently editor
Leo Margulies
Leo Margulies (June 22, 1900 – December 26, 1975) was an American editor and publisher of science fiction and fantasy pulp magazines and paperback books.
Biography
Margulies was born in Brooklyn, New York City, New York, but was raised in ...
hired Daniels to write a novel featuring
The Phantom Detective
''The Phantom Detective'' was the second pulp hero magazine published, after ''The Shadow''. The first issue was released in February 1933, a month before ''Doc Savage'', which was released in March 1933. The title continued to be released unt ...
, a pulp hero inspired by the highly successful character
The Shadow
The Shadow is a fictional character created by magazine publishers Street & Smith and writer Walter B. Gibson. Originally created to be a mysterious radio show narrator, and developed into a distinct literary character in 1931 by writer Walter ...
. Daniels went on to write over 30 of the Phantom Detective's adventures.
In 1938, Margulies approached Daniels about creating a new hero series to run in ''Black Book Detective'' starting in 1939. The result was the Black Bat, former district attorney Tony Quinn, who dons a bat-themed costume to fight crime after an acid attack apparently blinds him. The character was noted for his similarity to Batman, who debuted the same year, though both sets of creators denied copying the other. Daniels wrote most of the 62 Black Bat stories that appeared from 1939 to 1952.
In 1939, Danberg created a comic book feature, ''
Rang-a-Tang the Wonder Dog
Rang-a-Tang the Wonder Dog is a fictional canine adventure hero who appeared in '' Blue Ribbon Comics'', published from 1939 to 1942 by MLJ Comics (later renamed Archie Comics) during the Golden Age of Comic Books. The character was created by wr ...
'', which appeared in
MLJ Comics
Archie Comic Publications, Inc., is an American comic book publisher headquartered in Pelham, New York.Blue Ribbon Comics''.
Daniels also created the Crimson Mask and contributed to a variety of other magazines in various genres, including ''
The Shadow
The Shadow is a fictional character created by magazine publishers Street & Smith and writer Walter B. Gibson. Originally created to be a mysterious radio show narrator, and developed into a distinct literary character in 1931 by writer Walter ...
'' and ''
Doc Savage
Doc Savage is a fictional character of the competent man hero type, who first appeared in American pulp magazines during the 1930s and 1940s. Real name Clark Savage Jr., he is a doctor, scientist, adventurer, detective, and polymath who "rights w ...
''. He additionally wrote for radio, and served as a scriptwriter for the serial ''
Nick Carter, Master Detective
''Nick Carter, Master Detective'' was a Mutual radio crime drama based on tales of the fictional private detective Nick Carter from Street & Smith's dime novels and pulp magazines. Nick Carter first came to radio as ''The Return of Nick Carte ...
''. In the 1950s, he and Dorothy Daniels began writing for television, contributing stories for drama and western programs; two of Daniels' stories were adapted for the series '' Alfred Hitchcock Presents''. Daniels continued writing into the 1980s, and he and Dorothy donated their papers to
Bowling Green University
Bowling Green State University (BGSU) is a public research university in Bowling Green, Ohio. The main academic and residential campus is south of Toledo, Ohio. The university has nationally recognized programs and research facilities in the ...