Pulp Art 101

​We have another special guest just around the corner in August. He’s a writer, producer and director with a new show debuting very soon on Netflix. You will learn more about that in the next couple of weeks. 
 
In the meantime, here is some summer praise for “Son of Ravage.”
 
I saved the end of Son of Ravage for our Sunriver vacation.  It was difficult to wait, but this is exactly the kind of book I love to read on vacation - action, colorful characters, plot twists - evil villains including nazis!!! (during work it’s always finance/ business /motivation stuff) .  I Just finished the book and it was worth the wait.  Really appreciated the character development and especially liked their commitment to each other (could really feel how much they care)
 
Can’t wait for the next adventure in the series. I usually take my vacations in July- please start working on the sequel soon so I don’t have to delay my trip waiting for you to publish!
 
Thanks for writing!!!
 
 
Here’s a summer riddle for you. What’s red and black and lurid all over? 
 
Pulp Covers. 
 
That’s right, Ravagers! I’m talking about the always colorful and imaginative art that graced the covers of the tallest tales and most adventurous stories of the 20thCentury.
 
“Tilly marched past a collection of framed magazine covers. The displays were colorful pulp art from a bygone era, authored by names sadly remembered by only a few. “Mad Science,” “Amazing Stories,” and “Astounding Science Fiction” were the featured titles and each glass encased cover teased a simple but entertaining read. A voluptuous and scantily clad female, cowering in the right-hand corner of each work, had obviously been tossed in as a bonus for the intended young, male audience.” Son of Ravage
 
These artists were not only talented but were able to churn out hundreds of these fantastic covers in the course of a year. And, most of the artists crossed genres and styles easily. One week a western, the next a detective thriller, followed by a bug-eyed monster from outer space. Some of these immensely talented individuals were immigrants, making their first American paycheck from the art they created.  Some were women. As readers, and fans of pulp, we owe a debt of gratitude to all of them. Here are just a few. 

Virgil Finlay is…” one of the foremost contributors of original and imaginative art work for the most memorable science fiction and fantasy publications of our time." What it lacks in the detail, it more than makes up for in imagination.   ​

Matt Fox illustrated covers for the horror pulp magazine Weird Tales from 1943 to 1951. His specialty seemed to be covers like this. Hence, the ‘Weird” in the title.

Jack Binder was a Golden Age Comic artist and creator of the original Daredevil (Lev Gleason Publications of the 30s and 40s). What science fiction adventure is complete without an alien sidekick and marauding natives? Dig those crazy bug eyes

Whoops. How did that get in here? This, of course, is Brett Vail's wonderful work.

Norm Saunders
Prolific artist whose work crossed genre lines, working in magazines, paperbacks, comics and trading cards. How can you not love a square jawed space hero punching out a lime-aid Donald Trump alien while a scantily clad female nervously awaits her rescue.  4
 

​And, of course, George Rosen featuring the ominous crime fighter the iconic, Shadow. “Who knows…”

This is my favorite cover of all time by artist Modest Stein. Stein did several of the Doc Savage covers but this takes the prize! I think the cover speaks for itself, don’t you? I’m going to guess and say this was created sometime during the war.   

This had been just a small sample of some of the great art of the period. Special Thanks to FIELD GUIDE TO WILD AMERICAN PULP ARTISTS for the use of their art and information. You can visit them and see an alphabetical list of all the great artists of the period at pulpartists.com