The Pulps and Comics

If you love comics you need to know about the pulps. Modern comic books are rooted in that late great period of American fiction writing known as Pulp Fiction. This nomenclature is often confused with 1950s paperback novels, many with lurid covers.

The “real” pulps began here in the US with the publication of The Argosy in 1896. These all fiction magazines were called pulps because they were printed on pulp paper. The magazines proliferated over the next 30-40 years with a variety of genres and titles including adventure tales, detective stories, cowboy tales, science fiction, romance and more. There were some that were more risqué such as Spicy Detective published by Harry Donenfeld who would end up as co-owner of DC Comics.

The magazines became highly popular, were cheap to produce, and readily available to a large audience pre radio and television. Many well-known authors such as Edgar Rice Burroughs, Raymond Chandler, Dashiell Hammett and Ray Bradbury got their start in and continued to write for the pulps.

As a writer it seems an enviable way to make a living and if you were good, it was possible to do so. It wasn’t without its difficulties and the Great Depression put a dent into the livelihood of these writers as happened in so many other professions.

I became attracted to the pulps after reading a few that the Major wrote. MWN, who wrote for the better known adventure pulps, began his career sometime in the early 1920’s with the earliest known story, “The Wolves,” appearing in McClure’s, August 1924. His last known story to appear in print was “Rifles for the Apaches,” appearing in Triple Western, Winter 1956, a reprint from an earlier appearance in Giant Western.

There are writers who are more prolific but there are very few who spanned such a diversity of work from the pulps to comics to military strategy and writing on current events of the day not to mention his visionary articles of inventions and how he saw the future.

The Major’s background in pulp fiction writing formed one of the foundations of his intentions for the new comic books.

As Lloyd Jacquet noted in an essay from 1957 about those early days, “Now we had a little bookshelf in the Major’s office, … and on it were placed some of the new ideas which we were constantly cooking up…Major Nicholson’s pulp magazine background helped here, for it was a natural step from the general title of comics…to the western and the detective, aviation and so forth, that were even then the backbone of the pulp magazine sales on the newsstands all over.”

Jacquet goes on to detail how Adventure Comics came about and its connection to pulp fiction. The title Detective Comics and the concept for a comics magazine with a theme is clearly founded in the pulps.

Once I got a taste of pulp fiction, it became a full-fledged love affair and I got the obsessive collecting bug along with the desire to know all the minutiae. I’ve learned a lot more about the pulps through some of my fellow pulpsters and there are so many fascinating stories about the writers as well as great reprints that make for good reads.

My fellow dangerous dame, Laurie Powers, discovered a memoir of her grandfather, the prolific pulp writer Paul S. Powers which she edited and wrote an introduction to, entitled Pulp Writer: Twenty Years in the American Grub Street. You can also read some of her grandfather’s tales of the Wild West in Riding the Pulp Trail published by Matt Moring’s reprint press, Altus Press. Altus Press has come out with some great titles recently with the erudite Will Murray contributing. Matt’s books are attractive and well-done and enticing to read.

John Locke’s smart and slyly amusing book, Pulp Fictioneers gives a great overview of the writers, the editors and the publishers and is a must for any serious fan. His press Off-Trail Publications has a number of my favorite books.

I recently finished Outdoor Stories by J. Allan Dunn, which I love. They’re well-written romantic adventure stories that will transport you out of any doldrums to the high seas of life. I’m in the midst of The Land of Ophir, by Charles Beadle that is so exciting that I have to put it down and catch my breath.

Here’s a link to a review of one of Off-Trail’s latest publications, If She Only Had a Machine Gun, crime stories by Richard Credicott, which I read and enjoyed. The story behind this publication, edited by John Locke and Rob Preston, is also a fascinating tale and will give you some idea of the passion of the pulpsters when they’re hot on the trail. Comic book geeks have nothing on these guys.

One crossover from the pulps to the comics is that many of the artists and illustrators initially hired by MWN and later other comic magazines began their careers in the pulps.

David Saunders has been researching this area of the comic book/pulp fiction history for quite some time. His father, Norman Saunders, was an artist for many of the pulps owned by Harry Donenfeld, the partner of the Major in DC Comics, which Donenfeld ended up owning in what can be described as a very impolite takeover. David has published a couple of beautiful art books on the pulp genre, one of his father’s works, and also that of H. J. Ward.

David gave a talk this spring at Lehman College Art Gallery about the painting of Superman by Ward that ended up at Lehman College. It just so happens the Gallery is run by my best friend from high school Susan Hoeltzel, a wonderful artist, herself. Susan and I have a long history since we went to high school far, far away in Fairhope, Alabama.

The pulp to comics trail continues today. My pal, Alexander Simmons, has taken the pulp genre to heart with his Blackjack comics. The main character is Aron Day (BlackJack), a Black man in his early thirties, a soldier of fortune and the time is the 1930’s. You can imagine the great story lines.

I caught up with Alex last November at the Pulp Convention in New Jersey hosted by Rich Harvey. I love these comics. I gave them as Christmas presents to my younger male relatives who promptly became devoted fans as well.

Lots of my favorite pulpsters were also in attendance at Rich Harvey’s annual Pulp AdventureCon in Bordentown, New Jersey. I enjoy this event because many of the heavy hitters in pulps are in attendance and it’s a nice intimate setting. Thanks again, Rich!

Pulpfest 2012 is just around the corner. It’s going to be a great event in a brand new venue. Mike Chomko and Jack Trainer are two of the grand guys who do much of the heavy lifting for putting it together. Be sure and check out the website. I’m counting the days!