THERE'S POLLEN IN THE AIR

Samson Pollen (1931-2018) was one of the premier illustrators of men's adventure magazines, or MAM's, as they are often called, which flourished from the early 1950s to the mid-1970s. Pollen produced his fare share of their cover art too but it was interior illustrations that he was particularly adept at, and extremely prolific at. Most, if not all, were painted using gouache.

In 2018 New Texture, the publishing imprint of Men'sAdventureLibrary.com and MensPulpMags.com, began publishing some of Pollen's best magazine illustrations (not that he ever did anything less than his best) in high quality 11 x 9 inch books. Three titles have been released thus far: Pollen's Action, Pollen in Print and Pollen's Women. I was able to acquire the latter for my collection. It is loaded with hundreds of full color illustrations, either 1 to a page or 2-3 to a page, and as such is an over-the-top celebration of the sexualized female body as it pertains to the adult magazine medium in which it first appeared. While flipping through the book I have to keep reminding myself to close my jaw! 

When the MAMs began to fade away Pollen went back to producing book covers, something he had always done in smaller amounts to supplement his income. Ironically enough, men's adventure paperback series were beginning to take off as the MAMs were being grounded, so it didn't take Pollen long to establish himself in this new, now flourishing mass-market area. You might say he had been training for it all of his life.

Several years ago I came across the Hawk series by Dan Streib in one of my favorite local used bookstores. The covers weren't signed so at first I didn't know who the illustrator was, but eventually I did, and it was indeed Samson Pollen. I've since brought myself up to speed on more of his paperback cover work, much of it, but not all of it, for similarly themed men's adventure and western series.

I HAVEN'T read the Hawk series but I'm not sure I want to even though I love ogling Pollen's cover art. The first book in the series was reviewed as "terrible" by one blogger, while another, who slogged thru the entire 14 book series, could only recommend at best three titles. At Spy Guys and Gals the series was graded a mere C, though Dan Streib apparently taught fiction writing at both the high school and college levels while also writing dozens of action, adventure, historical and romance novels, so the chances are that at least some of what he wrote is probably good if not very good. Streib, who died of a heart attack in 1996 at the age of 67, published books under his own name but also under the pseudonyms J. Faragut Jones, Jonathan Schofield and Lee Davis Willoughby. 

Hawk 1, The Deadly Crusader by Dan Streib was published in paperback by Jove in September 1980.

'Danger in Paradise: Michael Hawk was a cool-handed crusading journalist with a knack for poking into the crevices of the world and coming out with a sensation. The smell of mystery excited him as much as the scent of a beautiful woman. This time it had led him to a smoldering Greek Isle, a mysterious villa with a multi-million dollar secret and a ravishing heiress who bequeathed him its key--and the curse of a fugitive life.'

Hawk 2, The Mind Twisters by Dan Streib was published in paperback by Jove in October 1980.

The Deadly Crusader has just lucked into an ex-dictator's fortune. All he wants for the moment is to enjoy squandering his riches on women and yachts and women and private jets--and more women. But a horde of chanting cultists almost brainwashes him in Minnesota and he barely escapes a time-bomb explosion in San Diego. Suddenly Hawk is on his way to Hong Kong with a stunning redhead to break open the most sensational case of his career--if he can live long enough to find the she-devil behind the mind twisters...'

Hawk 3, The Power Barons by Dan Streib was published in paperback by Jove in November 1980.

'The Deadly Crusader finds himself in the thick of an electrifying plot to bring an energy-starved America to its knees. Nuclear plants and oil tankers are sabotaged, refineries are set afire--and he is being blamed! Hawk sets out to tackle the power-crazed power barons and short-circuit the monstrous scheme--and meets a gorgeous environmentalist with unnaturally "natural" charms.'

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Hawk 4, The Predators by Dan Streib was published in paperback by Jove in December 1980.

'The Deadly Crusader: Physically and mentally drained from his last adventure, Hawk is looking for a break--a paradise where a man can relax--and stay alive. He figures a Caribbean cruise is the perfect way to get lost for a while. But on the high seas, a sultry beauty and her gorgeous young daughter vie for his love. And a sadistic assassin--unsure of Hawk's identity--is torturing and murdering his way toward his mark...'

Hawk 5, California Shakedown by Dan Streib was published in paperback by Jove in January 1981.

'The Deadly Crusader is shocked and enraged when an old friend becomes the victim of a professional hit team. Hawk's investigation into the grisly death leads him from the sultry Caribbean to the air-conditioned towers of big business and the danger-filled dreamworld of Hollywood sets. Along the way he discovers a monstrous corporate cover-up--and a hot-blooded lady V.P. who loves mixing business with pleasure...'

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Hawk 6, The Seeds of Evil by Dan Streib was published in paperback by Jove in February 1981.

'The Deadly Crusader comes to Venice in search of a story, and quickly finds one. A fellow reporter is dead, and all the clues lead to the past. Parts of the puzzle lie beneath one of the city's murky lagoons. Others lurk in the palatial villa of Count La Scala, a demonic terror-broker whose madness and passion for brutality have their roots in the smoldering ashes of the Nazis' shattered Reich. In trying to uncover on of history's greatest secrets, Hawk must save a beautiful young woman from La Sala--and evade the murderous pursuit of every terrorist group in Europe.'

Hawk 7, The Death Riders by Dan Streib was published in paperback by Jove in March 1981.

'The Deadly Crusader heads for New Orleans to join his old buddy Whip McComb and his Motorcycle Thrill Circus. He arrives just in time to see Whip's last stunt end in a shower of blood when his bike comes up short and he is impaled on a bed of nails. Somebody wanted Whip dead. But who? Hawk's investigation introduces him to Whip's bizarre crew of "death riders," from his venomous Oriental wife to an embittered dwarf with an axe to grind. Hawk narrows things down, and challenges the remaining suspects to a death jump across a ravine, hoping to force the killer to tip his (her?) hand...'

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Hawk 8, The Enemy Within by Dan Streib was published in paperback by Jove in April 1981.

'The Deadly Crusader is faced with the most calamitous case of his danger-ridden career. He friend, President Warren Stone, is losing his sanity--and control of the country. The streets are in turmoil. The Russians are advancing on the Mid-East oil fields. And Hawk's being shot at from all sides--the FBI, the CIA, the Soviets, and a golden-haired guard. It's Hawk's job to discover if the President's loss of sanity is for real, or if it's been brought on by a deadly enemy within--before the world is engulfed by the fireball of a nuclear holocaust.'

Hawk 9, Down Under And Dirty by Dan Streib was published in paperback by Jove in May 1981.

'The Deadly Crusader goes down under when an Australian bookie is flung head-first from an exclusive tower restaurant by syndicate hitmen. When Hawk aims to take on the Godfather himself, the gun-wielding hoods train their sights on him. But who's behind the bold scheme to muscle in on the Sydney underworld? The gutless Tony Santoni, ill-suited heir to a gangland empire in the States? Or someone with a flair for the dramatic--like the elusive actress who has made Hawk her captive audience? Hawk hurls himself into the blood-spattered world of rub-outs and racketeers--to unmask the Mafia don and his mysterious moll...'

Hawk 10, The Cargo Gods by Dan Streib was published in paperback by Jove in July 1981.

'The Deadly Crusader is trying to shake the Aussie police hot on his tail. Holed up in the Sydney Savoy with the flame-haired actress he loves, Hawk comes across the perfect out: an island kingdom up for sale. But was it a legitimate deal? And was it really the Eden Hawk needed to get away from it all? The CIA had an answer. So did the Cubans, the Russians, and the islanders themselves. But not the one Hawk wanted to hear, especially in the middle of a raging hurricane. It would be up to him and Ryanne to keep the super-powers from blowing them all sky-high--so he could get on with his dream vacation on the island he now owned.'

Hawk 11, The Terror Merchants by Dan Streib was published in paperback by Jove in August 1981.

'The Deadly Crusader leaves his Polynesian playground to join the desperate hunt for a terrorist group that has declared war on New York City. They've bombed the subway, machine-gunned a sell-out crowd at Yankee Stadium, and plan on even greater atrocities--unless their impossible demands are met! Hawk himself becomes a target, as he closes in on the wealthy and fanatical Dr. Segura and his imported pro, Uchi Saito, a two-man terror brigade. And there to face every peril with Hawk is Madelaina, a long-haired Puerto Rican beauty who can make a paradise out of New York--if Segura can be stopped!'

Hawk 12, The Virgin Stealers by Dan Streib was published in paperback by Jove in October 1981.

'The Deadly Crusader hits the cushy Virgin Islands because his lady of the evening is taken for a ride she didn't expect. Then he's hot on the trail of an international white slave trade even though the CIA tries to shove him off the track. But soon even they admit they need a helping hand as a ring of vicious kidnappers, murderers and blackmailers takes them on as well. Who's the Mr. Big behind all the dirty dealing? Armed with a karate-chopping beauty and a cat-eyed temptress whose secrets are available for a price he's willing to pay, Hawk plunges to the bottom of the nasty sex-for-sale business to find the man on top...'

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Hawk 13, The Hawaiian Takeover by Dan Streib was published in paperback by Jove in November 1981.

'The Deadly Crusader cuts short his Hawaiian pleasure-seeking to avenge the death of an old friend killed by the Chinese Mafia. Calling themselves the Way--and led by the ruthless modern-day mandarin, Lee Chong--they were just an assassination away from total control of the islands. But then Hawk puts himself in their way, and takes a first-class trip through Hawaii's explosive underworld--with a hot-as-lava lady cop as his guide!'

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Hawk 14, The Treasure Divers by Dan Streib was published in paperback by Jove in December 1981.

'The Deadly Crusader is relaxing in the arms of a luscious lady cop when his Hawaiian holiday is interrupted by a tropical temptress with a terrifying story to tell... It seems that her father, an eccentric ex-GI who claims to be the sole survivor of a sunken WWII treasure ship, has suddenly found someone who takes him seriously. Too seriously. He has been kidnapped by a gang of bloody butchers--and the race is on, across the South Pacific, for a wreck worth millions if Hawk and his island beauty can outwit the evil genius of the ruthless treasure divers!'

[© March, 2024, Jeffersen]