Doc's Team

Doc Savage's team of assistants is a far cry from the agents employed by The Shadow, who were kept at a distance by their master. Doc's men are the best of friends, men willing to follow their fellows everywhere and anywhere. They are all experts in their chosen fields, each one not excelled by anyone in the world (with the exception of Doc Savage, of course). They are all trained by Doc as pilots, expert marksmen, and in the various other areas that might prove to be useful in their many adventures together. They are not only trained in the use of the many gadgets that they employ, but also develop them with Doc. Sometimes they have been viewed by others as a bizarre family of freaks and misfits (with Doc as a sort of patriarchal father figure), but my opinion is that they are bound by their experiences and mutual admiration for one another. In the DC comics series in the late 80's-early 90's, the old agents remained (they were much aged; Doc, through lengthy circumstances, remained young), and a new group of agents came into the fold. However, this is about the classic adventures, so I will not discuss them here. And now, Doc's "Fabulous Five"...

Doc's Men... the fabulous five!

• -Monk- At 5 feet and 2 inches and 260 lbs., Lieutenant Colonel Andrew Blodgett Mayfair resembles a gorilla with his long, muscular arms and small head. Many criminals have mistaken Monk's stature as and indicator of a slow wit... This is a grave mistake: Monk is one of the world's premier chemists, second only to Doc. His many useful chemical concoctions have come in handy in the group's career of fighting evil. Monk shares what seems to be a mutual hatred with Ham Brooks... this appearance couldn't be further from the truth, as the two men are the best of friends. Monk owns the pig called Habeus Corpus. More details below...
• -Ham- Brigadier General Theodore Marley Brooks met Monk Mayfair in France during WWI. Monk didn't know any French, and Brooks took the opportunity to play a cruel prank on the homely man. He taught Monk insults to give to a French general during a ceremony... these insults were taught under the guise of compliments, and Monk was thrown into the stockade for giving what he thought were compliments. After Monk was released, he retaliated by placing a stolen truckload of hams in his tormentor's possession. This frame-up forever branded Brooks with the unfortunate nickname of Ham. Ham shares the constant friendly bickering with Monk, and despite appearances, they are extremely close. Ham Brook's function in the group is law: Ham is one of the county's best lawyers, and this comes in handy when investigating a criminal's past or securing special permission for Doc in his adventures. Ham is always perfectly dressed in the latest style of suits, and is never without his black cane... which conceals a razor-sharp sword, the point of which is coated with a powerful anesthetic drug. Ham is the owner of the chimpanzee known as Chemistry. More details below...
• -Renny- John Renwick was born to a wealthy family, but was the focus of teasing from his peers: Renny's hands were bizarrely disproportionate by the time he reached adolescence. It's possible that he suffered from a disease called acromegaly. As a way to inspire confidence in the boy, his father hired a retired boxer to train him. He was an accomplished boxer by his middle-teenage years. He took courses in engineering at major universities in England and America, where he received several degrees. Rather than start his own business, he joined the service during WWI, where he met Doc and friends. Afterwards, Renny travelled the world, supervising dozens of construction projects. His price was a thousand-dollars a day... it was a fee he was always paid, as his engineering talents were legendary. A big man (at 250 lbs. and standing 6 feet 4 inches), Renny had the unnerving habit of punching his huge fists through doors. He often did this to indimidate enemies, but also did it when excited. Renny was easily the toughest of the five, and his long, homely face looked grimmest when things were going well.
• -Long Tom- Thomas J. Roberts was a brilliant student. He found himself drawn to the emerging science of electricity, and apprenticed to Thomas Edison. He was always short and skinny and always looked very pale and unhealthy, but appearances were deceiving: the young Long Tom developed a quick temper and rapidly learned how to defend himself against would-be bullies, and was always physically fit. He joined the French army in WWI, then transferred to the US forces, where he gained the rank of major. Also during this time he earned the nick-name Long Tom. After the war, he returned to school and thrived in the now bugeoning field of electrics. As Long Tom adventured with Doc and his men, he also became world reknowned as a master of electrical engineering.
• -Johnny- The professor named William Harper Littlejohn was born in Louisiana. He was a genius in the fields of geology and archaeology, and was studying for his Ph.D when he enlisted in the Army. He was bought into the intelligence section, and it was on a covert mission that he was captured and taken to the camp where he met Doc and the others. His left eye was damaged during this incident and it became almost blind. He returned to his education after the war, and quickly earned his PhD. He habitually wore either a magnifying-glass monocle or spectacles with a magnifying-glass in place of the left lens. Doc eventually repaired his eye, but Johnny retained the monocle and spectacles (normal glasses now). The biggest personality trait noticable to the skinny, 6'2 Johnny is his reliance on lengthy, studious words in his speech. This is a habit that developed over the course of the first years of adventure with Doc. Perhaps Johnny was self-conscious about his use of words like superamalgamated, and concentrated on trying to talk like the others in the beginning. Perhaps he eventually found confidence and pride in using this sign of his book-smart intelligence.