Doc Phoenix is a Doc Savage homage, it even says so in the book. This version is a psychologist, not a surgeon, and he has been called in to help a comatose girl.
When he enters her mind via his fancy gear, she has built a warped version of Oz in her head, and one of the starring monsters is The Shaggy Man as a representation of her father.
He is a mob lawyer, and her mother is dead, which is all part of the problem. While Doc works on the girl, Steffan, Moose and Linda have a superstrong mobster and his sharpshooter partner to deal with.