The Green Lama
| Green Lama | |
|---|---|
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| Publication information | |
| Publisher |
Frank A. Munsey Prize Comics Spark Publications Moonstone Books |
| First appearance | Double Detective vol. 5, #5 (April 1940) |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Jethro Dumont |
| Notable aliases | Dr. Charles Pali, Hugh Gilmore |
| Abilities | Flight Super speed and strength Ability to emit energy beams |
The Green Lama is a fictional pulp magazine hero of the 1940s. In many respects a typical costumed crime-fighter of the period, the Green Lama was distinguished by the fact that he was a practicing Buddhist. Slightly different versions of the same character also appeared in comic books and on the radio. The Green Lama character is not in the public domain, as the author "wisely retained all rights to his creation."
The Green Lama first appeared in a short novel entitled The Green Lama in the April 1940 issue of Double Detective magazine. The novel was written by Kendell Foster Crossen using the pseudonym of "Richard Foster." Writing in 1976, Crossen recalled that the character was created because the publishers of Double Detective, the Frank Munsey company, wanted a competitor for The Shadow, which was published by their rivals Street & Smith.
The character, partially inspired by explorer Theos "the White Lama" Bernard, was originally conceived as "The Gray Lama," but tests of the cover art proved to be unsatisfactory, so the color was changed to green. The Green Lama proved to be successful (though not as successful as The Shadow), and Crossen continued to produce Green Lama stories for Double Detective regularly up until March 1943, for a total of 14 stories.
Although appearing in a detective fiction magazine, the Green Lama tales can be considered science fiction or supernatural fantasy in that the Green Lama and other characters are possessed of superhuman powers and super-science weapons. The Green Lama is an alias of Jethro Dumont, a rich resident of New York City, born July 25, 1913, to millionaires John Pierre Dumont and Janet Lansing. He received his A.B. from Harvard University, M.A. from Oxford, and Ph.D. from the Sorbonne; he also attended Drepung College in Tibet. He inherited his father’s fortune, estimated at ten million dollars, when his parents were both killed in an accident while he was still at Harvard; he then spent ten years in Tibet studying to be a lama (a Buddhist Spiritual Teacher), acquiring many mystical powers in the process. He returned to America intending to spread the doctrines of Tibetan Buddhism (to relieve suffering by removing ignorance), but realized that he could accomplish more by fighting crime, since Americans were not ready to receive spiritual teachings. He never carried a gun, believing that "this would make me no better than those I fight." Dumont was also endowed with superhuman powers acquired through his scientific knowledge of radioactive salts. Dumont had two main alter egos: the crime-fighting Green Lama and the Buddhist priest Dr. Pali. Additional alter egos included the adventurer "Hugh Gilmore."
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