@PulpLibrarian's Threads
As Ming the Merciless is suddenly trending I think it's time to look back at a certain favourite movie of mine.
Dum dum dum dum
DUM DUM DUM DUM...
Dum dum dum dum
DUM DUM DUM DUM...
The number of epic stories associated with the 1980 Flash Gordon movie is legion. Today I'll share a few with you, but there are many, many more!
Dino De Laurentiis had already produced Barbarella, Death Wish and Serpico by 1974 when he acquired the rights for Flash Gordon. George Lucas asked De Laurentiis for the rights in 1975 but was rebuffed. So he wrote Star Wars instead. 
Today in pulp I look back at a monster of 1970s newsprint: The Monster Times! #SundayThoughts
"The world's first monster newspaper" was launched in January 1972 as a rival to Famous Monsters Of Filmland magazine. It was a good time to launch...
And The Monster Times had a solid team behind it. Publishers Larry Brill and Les Waldstein had previously worked on Famous Monsters Of Filmland, and expectations were high for the new venture.
A few Ray Bradbury stories now from EC #Comics...
The Million Year Picnic, by Ray Bradbury. Weird Fantasy no 21, EC #Comics (1953). Art by John Severin & Will Elder.
The bookshop is where you go when you don't know what you want or how you feel. There's no guarantee it has the answer, but a sudden instinct makes you step inside.
And that's when the magic starts to happen. Books are promises: pick me up and I will change your life. Thousands upon thousands of promises, lying languid on old shelves.
Time for a pulp countdown now, and as it's #WorldAnimalDay I'm counting down my top 10 animals in horror novels! #FridayFeeling
At no 10: cats! Pretty evil in general, but can be easily defeated with a laser pointer.
At no 9: wasps! They only attack you if you're standing near a jam sandwich, but who doesn't nowadays? Best to take care.
Today in pulp I look back at one of the most influential and outrageous illustrators of the 1970s, whose work defined the Italian fumetti horror scene: Emanuele Taglietti!
Emanuele Taglietti was born in Ferrara in 1943. His father worked as a set designer for director Michaelangelo Antonioni, often taking Emanuele with him on set.
In the 1960s Taglietti moved to Rome, where he studied stage design. He began a successful career as an assistant art director, working for Federico Fellini and Marco Ferreri.
Time once again for our occasional series "Women with great hair fleeing gothic houses!"
And today we look at Germany. This may involve compound nouns... #WednesdayWisdom
And today we look at Germany. This may involve compound nouns... #WednesdayWisdom
Germany is of course the land of castles. But their are many other domiciles that Frauen mit tollen Haaren can escape from...
They can flee a handsome Georgian crescent...
Let's take a quick look at the work of horror and fantasy artist Hans Arnold... #WednesdayThoughts
Hans Arnold was born in Switzerland, but spent most of his career in Sweden. He's widely known for his horror and folktale art.
Arnold had a very strict Catholic education in #Switzerland, with a strong emphasis on heaven and hell. It clearly influenced his work.
Today in pulp... some words of wisdom from Raymond Chandler. #WednesdayWisdom
"Until you guys own your own souls you don't own mine."
The High Window, by Raymond Chandler. Ballantine, 1972.
The High Window, by Raymond Chandler. Ballantine, 1972.
"I like smooth shiny girls, hardboiled and loaded with sin."
Farewell, My Lovely by Raymond Chandler. Penguin, 1968.
Farewell, My Lovely by Raymond Chandler. Penguin, 1968.
Today in pulp... let me introduce you to the original Suicide Squad!!
Who brings a microscope to a gun fight? Really! #TuesdayThoughts
Who brings a microscope to a gun fight? Really! #TuesdayThoughts
The original Suicide Squad was created by legendary pulp writer Emile C. Tepperman. They debuted in the May 1939 edition of Ace G-Man Stories.
Emile C. Tepperman had already written for a number of pulp magazines, including Secret Agent X, Operator No 5 and The Spider before creating the Suicide Squad for Ace G-Man Stories.
Cambodia has a rich modern history of pulp art, #comics and graphic novels. Today in pulp I look at the Cambodian scene and at some of the artists who made - and continue to make - it happen! #SaturdayMotivation
Cambodian pulp art was initially influenced by the French comic strip style, and later by Indian movie posters and hindi comics. But it also maintains a strong folk-art tradition, melded with contemporary themes.
In the 1960s Cambodian artists were able to make a reasonable living illustrating both comics and book covers for the domestic market. Flower Of Love, Flame Of Suffering by Hak Chay Hok (Khmer Books) is a good example of the genre. The cover is by Hul Sophon.
Time for another pulp countdown, and today it's my top 10 sports depicted on Hot Hits album covers!
At #10: Association Football! Well did you ever?
At #10: Association Football! Well did you ever?
At #9: motorcross! Brother Louie AND a Suzuki trials bike? I'm so there...
At #8: lawn tennis! I could ooh wacka doo wacka day all day you know...
Disruptive patterns are often to break up outlines and help objects blend in with their background. But in WWI a different type of disruptive pattern, loud and bold, became very popular for warships - Dazzle camoflague!
Let's take a look at it... #SaturdayMotivation
Let's take a look at it... #SaturdayMotivation
Pattern camoflague had been used before by the British Royal Navy to break up a ship's outline. But in 1917 artist Norman Wilkinson presented the Admiralty with a different idea - camoflague that confused the enemy rangefinders.
Dazzle - known in the US as Razzle Dazzle - would use high contrast colours in irregular patterns to make it difficult for enemy gunners to calculate a ship's range and bearing. This would (hopefully) lead to them taking up a poor firing position when they attacked.
Happy birthday to H.G. Wells, born today in 1866! #SaturdayMotivation
"This story must be read by everyone who esteems thrills."
Publicity notice for War Of The Worlds by HG Wells (1898).
Publicity notice for War Of The Worlds by HG Wells (1898).
The Things That Live On Mars, by H. G. Wells. Cosmopolitan magazine, March 1908.
Wells speculates on Martian evolution and culture...
Wells speculates on Martian evolution and culture...
For today's #FridayFeeling I head back to the era of censorship, to see how pulp paperbacks tried to support gay and lesbian readers in the 1950s and '60s.
This is the story of Saber Books...
This is the story of Saber Books...
Sanford “Les” Aday wanted to be a writer, but he struggled to get published. So he moved from Oklahoma to Fresno, California and in 1955 set up his own publishing house with three imprints: Fabian, Saber and Vega Books.
All three of Aday's imprints published low-quality erotica: writers were given a flat fee for knocking out a softcover novel, with at least 20% of the book being sex scenes. Sold by mail-order or at news-stands they always ran the risk of breaching obscenity rules.
For some unknown reason people keep trying to insist the Hammond organ is a sexy beast...
First made in 1935 the Hammond organ was a curio. It could mimic the sound of a pipe organ through some ingenious technical wizardry.
Laurens Hammond was a mechanical engineer who had started his own clock company. He became fascinated by the noises of the moving gears in his electric clocks.
If the spacesuit is the symbol of progress, the gas mask is the sign of the apocalypse. In popular culture it signifies that science has turned against us. It's the face of dystopia.
Let's look back at how this sinister hood has influenced the 20th Century... #WednesdayThoughts
Let's look back at how this sinister hood has influenced the 20th Century... #WednesdayThoughts
The gas mask is a terrifying thing. It is claustrophobic; the sound of your own breathing mixes with the fear of asphyxiation. It is impersonal; only the eyes peering through the sockets betray any humanity. It is totemic; the sum of our fears and - for some - their desires!
The first chemical masks were work by Venitian plague doctors: a bird-like mask, the beak stuffed with lavender, matched with full length coat and hat. It was a terrifying sight - the grim reaper come to apply poultices to your tumours.
Time for a few pulp magazine quizzes for today's #MondayMotivation.
Grab your pencil and be honest now...
Grab your pencil and be honest now...
Will YOU make a good lover in 1947? Take the quiz to find out!
How well do you know your wife? Take our 1972 Cosmo quiz and find out!
Would you spend several hundred pounds to build an encyclopaedia of pop? Or to learn how to microwave food, or knit a hat? A surprising number of people have. Today in pulp I look at that perennial favourite - the partwork magazine!
Tweet 2 comes free with this instalment...
Tweet 2 comes free with this instalment...
Partworks are magazines that build up into a complete reference set on a particular topic. Most partworks focus on self-improvement, history or completing a model or figurine collection whilst learning all about it.
Partworks are hugely popular across Europe. Italy, Spain, France and the UK are the main markets, although sales figures are shrouded in secrecy. Most partworks launched in January with little pre-announcement, in case competitors launch rival titles to spike their sales.
And so it begins...
Night Of The Crabs, by Guy N Smith. NEL, 1976.
Night Of The Crabs, by Guy N Smith. NEL, 1976.
When crabs go bad...
Killer Crabs, by Guy N Smith. NEL, 1978.
Killer Crabs, by Guy N Smith. NEL, 1978.
Where did they come from? Probably the sea...
The Origin Of The Crabs, by Guy N Smith. NEL, 1979.
The Origin Of The Crabs, by Guy N Smith. NEL, 1979.
As it's #Space1999 day today let's look at a question many fans of the show have asked: is there a link between Moon Base Alpha and the Moon base in Gerry Anderson's other live action sci-fi show UFO?
Let's find out... #FridayThoughts
Let's find out... #FridayThoughts
The Moon's a good forward operating base if you need to intercept flying saucers. And that was part of the premise behind Gerry Anderson's first major live-action TV series in 1970 - UFO.
The SHADO Moon Base in UFO was pretty small: built in futuristic 1980 it consisted of five interconnected spheres to house the Interceptor crews and space monitoring staff. Fortunately there was plenty of drinks and smoking in space was still allowed.
Today in history: a massive nucleat explosion sends the Moon hurtling into space!
Well that was the premise of #Space1999. Let's take a look at some of the many impossible questions the series threw up... #FridayFeeling
Well that was the premise of #Space1999. Let's take a look at some of the many impossible questions the series threw up... #FridayFeeling
In #Space1999 Moonbase Alpha is a 4km wide settlement in the Plato moon crater. It's both a research centre and a monitoring station for the vast amounts of nuclear waste Earth has dumped on the Moon.
Sounds like fun...
Sounds like fun...
But that's the problem with setting sci-fi on the Moon: nothing tends to happen. Sure there's filing to do, computers to monitor, occasional meteors etc, but where's the action?
There's literally no atmosphere.
There's literally no atmosphere.
Happy #NationalVideoGamesDay everyone! Let's see what the stars if the 80s are playing...
John Cougar Mellencamp is a Q-bert fan, as it brings together his love of puzzles and swearing. #NationalVideoGamesDay
Van Halen's Michael Anthony loves the classic simplicity of Space Invaders. He used to play Frogger but got tired of David Lee Roth standing behind him yelling "Jump! Might as well jump!" #NationalVideoGamesDay
Hard-boiled and Noir are two distinct - but overlapping - genres of crime fiction. So it's no surprise that both have their roots in the same soil: a pulp magazine that broke the mould. Twice.
Today's #WednesdayWisdom is the story of Black Mask magazine...
Today's #WednesdayWisdom is the story of Black Mask magazine...
"The Black Mask" started as an answer to a problem: how could journalist H. L. Mencken and theatre critic George Jean Nathan keep their slick, influential, loss-making magazine The Smart Set going? Publishing a pulp title to subsidise it seemed to make sense.
Beginning in April 1920 The Black Mask published a traditional mix of adventure, mystery, romance and detective stories. After eight issues, and with their money made, Mencken and Nathan sold the 'pulp' title to its publishers and went back to the world of 'slicks'.
