‘The Pulpster’ #29

While we don’t have a PulpFest this year, we still have an issue of The Pulpster, now up to #29. And it’s a much bigger issue with 84 pages rather than 48 pages. Two major themes for this year: the 100th anniversary of the birth of Ray Bradbury, and the 100th anniversary of the debut of Black Mask.

For Bradbury, we actually get two sections.

For the first, we have a trio of pieces by Garyn G. Roberts.

The first is a overview of the author’s life and work, then an essay on Bradbury as his friend. Finally we get a overview of his work for Popular Publication’s detective pulps like Dime Detective, New Detective, and Detective Tales. Another is a reflection by Samuel James Maronie who corresponded with Bradbury and later met him at a 1996 SF convention. For myself, I have read Bradbury’s The Martian Chronicles and Farenheit 451, and many of his EC Comics adaptations, but not much else. I did like they provided a little sidebar on recommended reading on Bradbury.

The next section on Bradbury focuses on his “Martian legacy.” Mike Chomko looks at the influences that went into his The Martian Chronicles. Whereas Henry G. Franke III looks at Edgar Rice Burroughs‘ influence on Bradbury. As a more general look at Mars, Sara Light-Waller provides an examination of how Mars has been shown in the pulps, and Albert Wendland shows how current exploration of Mars has changed how it now appears in science fiction.

For the section on Black Mask, which was a very influencial detective pulp in its time, we get an excerpt from Milton Shaw’s book on his father, Joseph T. Shaw: The Man Behind “Black Mask”. This work gives the beginnings of Black Mask, and the work that “Cap” Shaw did during his tenture as editor for 10 years. Black Mask was a general fiction pulp, but it was Shaw who turned it into the major detective pulp that it became and introduced in it idea of the hardboiled detective.

Then pulp researcher Will Murray examines the idea of “untold tales” of Black Mask authors who left the magazine and other matters. Kenneth White, who became Black Mask editor in the 1940s, is the subject of John Wooley‘s article.

An interesting piece by Christopher Ryan tells of his use of pulp-fiction readings in a high-school literature class, and in particular a story from Black Mask.

Was Raoul Whitfield both a Black Mask author and a killer? Craig McDonald looks into this question. Black Mask‘s circulation numbers is the subject of Brooks E. Hefner‘s article.

In addition to these works, we get several on other topics.

Thomas P. Kelly is the self-proclaimed “Canadian King of the Pulps.” Tony Davis provides a good overview of this author whose fame is probably more due to this fictional works on the real Canadian murders, the Black Donnellys. A few of his works have been reprinted, but I haven’t read them, such as I Found Cleopatra.

The Pulpster‘s editor Bill Lampkin takes a look at Bob Dylan‘s possible pulp influences in his use of pulp magazine images on album covers and in lyrics.

Eva Lynd, model and actress who was featured on many men’s adventure magazine covers and illustrations, was supposed to be the guest of honor at PulpFest this year. Robert Deis gives us a writeup of her and her career.

Renfrew of the Mounties was a popular character who appeared in several medium: mgazines, books, radio, and film. Martin Grams Jr. gives an extensive look at this character. I am surprised that I hadn’t heard of him.  I think the only literary Mountie I’ve heard of is Sgt Preston of the Yukon.

Darrell Schweitzer provides a discussion he had with science-fiction authors and couple Leigh Brackett (“Queen of Space Opera”) and Edmond Hamilton (Captain Future, et al). Stuart Hopen examines at Philip Wylie, whose works Gladiator and Savage Gentlemen are often given as inspirations for Doc Savage, Superman and others.

We get a Kelly Freas cover and color throughout the issue. There were no fiction reprints this time, though there is a two-page reprint from Hugo Gernsback.

Wrapping up the issue is sad information on those who have passed, in particular Nick Carr.

Yet another good issue. You should be able to get copies from Mike Chomko, Books and others. I look forward to next year’s issue.