Pulp heroes are well known for wielding guns, but are there any that have different signature weapons? Are there any weapons you would love to see a pulp hero wield?
(Green Lama art by edude-makes-comics)
Quite a few, yeah. In general, because there was only so much violence the heroes could get away with, most of the really out-there batshit weapons tended to be the ones created and wielded by the villains, with āguy with a really weird weapon or method of murder that, either presents a mystery too confusing for regular law enforcement to solve, or a threat too dangerous to be allowed to existā being easily one of the most reocurring kind of monster-of-the-week for most long-running pulp heroes. Guns were popular and ubiquotuous but not the only kind, even the more famous gun-toters like The Shadow or The Spider mixed things on occasion.
Some particular stand-outs among the gun-free pulp heroes, not counting the outright superpowers or non-boolit kinds of guns:
Doc Savage: I mean, kind of, partially included here because heās a weird example of how gun-toting pulp heroes are so ubiquotous we attribute excessive gun usage even to characters who didnāt actually use them. Doc didnāt particularly have aĀ āsignature weaponā, but a lot of modern renditions of Doc Savage based on the James Bama rendition depict him with big bulky guns to the point that Docās āsignature weaponā nowadays might as well be a Flash Gordon flare gun, but despite the existence of āmercy bulletsā, Doc Savage actually hated using guns of any kind as anything other than a last-resort (and even then, thatās what the mercy bullets were for). Doc sometimes invented new forms of weaponry, like miniature grenades, specialized explosives and gas-filled glass balls, to be used on occasion.
Doc is mostly included here because his assistant Ham Brooks actually did have one of the more famous signature weapons of the pulps: a black cane with a concealed sword, coated with a potent anesthetic.
The Green Lama: Who detested guns about as much as Batman. His signature weapon consisted of his long red scarf that he used as a whip and garrote, which makes a pretty funny contrast with the fact that heās the pacifist American pulp hero, so that means he non-lethally strangles the absolute shit out of criminals instead of shooting them.
Zenigata Heiji: A highly popular detective who appeared in novels, collections and short stories from 1931 to 1958, probably the most direct example of a Japanese Pulp Hero Iāve seen thus far. Heās an Edo-period working class Great Detective who unofficially works for the government in assisting the police without being quite one of them himself. He is most famous for his signature weapons: a jutte he wields, and the heavy coins (called zeni, hence his name) he throws at criminals to catch them.
Zorro: Kinda goes with saying and that goes for all the other Zorro knock-offs / alikes who also largely employed physical bladed weaponry like swords, rapiers, sabers, and etc.
Indiana Jones: Also kinda goes without saying.
(Dossouye art by Paul Davey)
Sword and Sorcery characters in general: Robert E.Howardās Conan and Conan-alikes (as well as Solomon Kane, whose signature weapon is a staff), figures that veer into an opposite end like Elric and his Stormbringer, and Charles R Saundersā Dossouye tends to be depicted often with spears and machetes. You rarely see guns brought into sword-and-sorcery kind of pulp heroes, to not diminish the appeal of cutting down armies while going buck-wild naked with swords intrinsic to the genre.
The Avenger: His signature weapons consist of a gun named āMikeā, and a knife named āIkeā. Thatās like, half of what you prompted, but still counts.
Occult Detectives: Several Occult Detective characters who follow closer on the Manly Wade Wellman / Carnacki approach tend to ditch guns in favor of classier or more occult-themed stuff, with both Judge Pursuivant and John Thunstone wielding sword canes, and Luna Bartendaleās divining rod.
Lavender Jack: Who has two signature weapons in the form of his clawed gloves that transmit explosive waves via fingersnap, and the canes that he uses for more direct combat.
Bob Larkin, a Black Mask detective created by Erle Stanley Gardner. The character uses a billliard cue as his main weapon and has 15 years worth of practice as a juggler to make the most use of it.
If we count Scrooge McDuck as a pulp hero, which we have to, we definitely gotta include his cane here as well.
Brutus Lloyd, who was created by The Golden Amazonās creator John Russell Fearn and appeared in 3 stories for Amazing Stories. Heās a four-foot tall, deep-voiced scientist, criminologist and consulting detective who specializes in solving sci-fi crimes via unorthodox methods, and his main weapon consists of an umbrella tipped with acid he uses to defend himself. He debuted about a year before The Penguin did.
Iām sure thereās gotta be others Iām missing either in pulps or pulp-adjacent material, feel free to point out others in the notes. Now, as to the other part of your question, what kind of weapons Iād like to see pulp heroes wield,
Pretty much anything but pistols. Even other kinds of guns are fine, thereās a trillion wacky kinds of guns out there that can be used to mix things up.
Wrenches, Shovels, Fish wrapped in newspaper, Bottles, Russian Fists for Smashing Baybeez, etc: TF2 as a whole has a painfully massive extensive catalogue of just how many kinds of guns and weapons you can give your characters and itās a huge source of inspiration for design, thatās where Iād be pulling a lot from. The wrench as a dramatic physical weapon in particular I think works really well for a pulp hero aesthetic.
Chainsaws: I have not been the same since Mandy gave me that sick stupid ass chainsaw duel. Nothing has ever tasted the same. I want more of it.
Gadgets that are completely fucking stupid but still work anyway because this is fiction and if anything this is another reason to do it, taking something that shouldnāt work and make it work.
A kitchen sink, because why should Batman get to have all the fun?
And everything in Weird Alās Hardware Store. For a start. Make it work.
