The earliest books by Philip Wylie (1902–71) greatly influenced twentieth-century science fiction pulp magazines and comic books: The Savage Gentleman was the inspiration for Doc Savage, Gladiator for Superman, and When Worlds Collide for Flash Gordon. A prolific writer of fiction and nonfiction, Wylie left a legacy of hundreds of short stories, articles, serials, syndicated newspaper columns, novels, and works of social criticism.