io9: Pulp

The Egyptian pulp adventures of "Cleopatra in Space"

Lauren Davis — Sat, 29 Jan 2011 10:30:00 PST

The title says it all. A teenaged Cleopatra VII has been zapped to a distant future, one filled with professorial talking cats and Sphinx-shaped space bikes. She's caught in an intergalactic war — when she's not stuck in detention. More »

Space Babes in Danger: The Space Opera Pin-Up Art of Megan Burns

Charlie Jane Anders — Fri, 21 Jan 2011 15:00:00 PST

Megan Burns' art spoofs and celebrates the sexiness of space opera. Her new gallery show, opening tomorrow in New York, pays homage to paperback book covers and comic book art, with hypnorays, alien life forms, and beautiful bodies. Possibly NSFW? More »

Is this the greatest pulp novel title in human history?

Cyriaque Lamar — Mon, 17 Jan 2011 14:37:16 PST

I've never read this tour de force (so I can't recommend it), but it can be yours for a scant $500. For more gonzo lesbian pulp erotica, check out the terrifically entertaining galleries over at Strange Sisters. [Spotted on Ptak] More »

The Venture Bros. season finale was the best homeschooled prom ever

Cyriaque Lamar — Mon, 22 Nov 2010 16:05:00 PST

The 60-minute Venture Bros. finale wasn't only the best TV episode about a $500 homeschooled prom held in an airplane hangar, it was probably the most satisfying episode yet. I'll wager a "Rusty Venture" on it. More »

Where did science fiction come from? A primer on the pulps.

Jess Nevins — Thu, 04 Nov 2010 15:08:54 PDT

Pulp historian Jess Nevins, author of Encyclopedia of Fantastic Victoriana, takes you deep into the weird history of the scifi pulps, 1900-1950. Get ready for amazing science and astounding adventure! This is the first in a series on the pulps. More »

How to create retro science fiction posters

Cyriaque Lamar — Sun, 22 Aug 2010 08:05:00 PDT

Need to whip up a flier with that pulp panache? Adam Levermore has written this fun tutorial on how to create old-school scifi posters. Now your birthday party invitations will look like they have H.G. Wells' tales tucked inside. [Craftzine] More »

The Indian James Bond speaks in indecipherable code 24/7

Cyriaque Lamar — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 16:10:33 PDT

These Indian James Bond comics are devoid of context and proper translation, but they're better that way. After all, it's a spy's job to act mysterious, and I honestly have no idea what the hell's going on here. Semi-NSFW.

The spaced-out covers of 1970s underground comix (NSFW)

Cyriaque Lamar — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 06:40:00 PDT

The cover art of 70s gonzo comix often hearkened back to the medium's pulp and scifi roots, albeit with a distinctly adult and tripped-out twist. Here's a slew of comic covers from artists such as Robert Crumb and Warren Greenwood. More »

Crazy-ass Pulp Scifi We Can't Wait to Read

Marc Bernardin — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 07:30:00 PDT

Outbound — a science-fiction anthology that's dropping its second issue at MoCCA this weekend — looks like a bloody, brain-pluggy riot. More »

"Son of Retro Pulp Tales" Delights In Cheap Thrills

Grey_Area — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 09:00:00 PDT

Joe R. and Keith Lansdale present another collection of stories recalling those hard-boiled cheap thrills from the first half of the last century. Hearken back with us now to yesteryear in Son of Retro Pulp Tales! (Subterranean Press). More »

Why Bad Science is Good on Fringe

Annalee Newitz — Thu, 14 May 2009 16:53:13 PDT

Though the science on Fringe is head-slappingly fake, somehow the series makes real science exciting. The show is like a pulpy 1920s serial, and its fantastic plotlines are far more appealing than hard scifi "realism." More »

Caption This Classic Wally Wood Illustration

Charlie Jane Anders — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 12:06:25 PST

What in space is this guy saying to this woman? What are they doing out in space without helmets? And what are those guys saying from behind their space-doorway? Post your thoughts below. More »

Pulp SF Book Covers That Channel Pure Id

Charlie Jane Anders — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 10:00:00 PST

The greatest pulp science fiction book covers aren't just trashy, they're lurid: filled with half-naked squirming and misplaced eyes, with Prince's man/woman glyph bursting out. Here's a gallery of some of our demented favorites. More »

His Eyes Were Filled with the Loneliness of Space

Annalee Newitz — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 19:09:17 PST

Goodnight to Edward "Edd" Cartier, an amazing pulp scifi illustrator who contributed to "The Shadow" as well as countless book covers, who passed away on December 25. More »

I Always Wear High Heels to Visit the Moon

Annalee Newitz — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 17:00:00 PST

Over at Spanish pulp blog El Desván del Abuelito, they've got some terrific covers from what look like early 1960s science fiction comics from a series called "El Mundo Futuro" (world of the future). This is one of my favorites, whose title roughly translated means "It will happen tomorrow!" I love the man in his suit and the lady in high heels, hiking on the moon or perhaps an alien planet. And then, they come upon this scary alien statue! We've got a couple more amazing moments from this comic below. More »

Visit an Alien Zoo with Edd Cartier’s Illustrations

Lauren Davis — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 14:07:57 PST

Pulp artist Edd Cartier illustrated dozens of novels and magazine covers. But his most unusual work may come from Travelers of Space, a 1951 anthology of short science fiction. In addition to illustrating the book’s cover, Cartier collaborated with writer David Kyle on “The Interstellar Zoo,” creating a menagerie of bizarre, detailed, and strangely compelling beings from other worlds. More »

Pulp Classic The Swordsman of Mars Rescued from Publisher's Brutal Hack Job

Ed Grabianowski — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 13:20:00 PDT

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Otis Adelbert Kline's fantastic pulp taleThe Swordsman of Mars was first published in Argosy magazine in 1933. Reprints from the 1960s hacked and slashed at the original text, chopping away entire chapters and completely rewriting huge sections. But now, the entire story has been published in its original form for the first time in over 70 years thanks to Paizo Publishing's Planet Stories imprint. Check out this excerpt that compares the original text to the 1960 Ace version. More »

A Nerdy Scientist and a Hot Secretary on Mars in 1957

Lynn Peril — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 12:49:47 PDT

On December 4, 1957, the Disneyland TV show broadcast “Mars and Beyond,” a 53-minute exploration of the Red Planet’s history and future, as well as its impact on pop culture. A nerdy scientist, a hot secretary with a secret, and a Martian robot in tennis shoes (a la Warner Brother’s Marvin the Martian), plus awesome animation, and a surprising twist at the end make the show’s parody of pulp science fiction well worth a look. More »

Luchadores... In Space!

Charlie Jane Anders — Tue, 20 May 2008 16:30:00 PDT

Here's the cover illustration for the story "D-3 Base De Monstruos" by Spanish artist Jose Luis Sampedro Macias, who drew dozens of covers for the pulp magazine Luchadores del Espacio, plus tons of pulp paperbacks, in the 1950s. Despite (or maybe because of) being unable to see the work of American artists of the time, Jose Luis brings his own bright style to the pulp-art standbys of bug-eyed monsters, women and flying saucers. His work features prominently an amazing gallery of 1950s Spanish pulp science fiction covers, uploaded by El Estratografico. A few more of our favorites, after the jump. More »

Newest Book Covers Don't "Scream Scifi"

Charlie Jane Anders — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 13:02:22 PDT

There's an interesting discussion going on over at Media Bistro's Galleycat blog about when science fiction books should have dignified covers that look less pulpy and "skiffy." Case in point: Clifford Simak's The Way Station, which has had a host of lurid covers over the years (see left) and now has gotten reissued with a nice pastoral grasslands scene, which looks more like a Willa Cather novel. Click through to see the new, classier cover, plus a selection of the old pulpy covers. More »

The Great Miss Universe Scandal of 2381

peril — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 12:40:12 PST

Behold Ed Emshwiller's magnificent cover for the February 1959 issue of Future Science Fiction. Yes, it gives away the ending of "You Do Something To Me," Calvin M. Knox's story of the "the white-skinned hideous horror from a distant world," but isn't it worth it? (Trivia moment: Calvin M. Knox is a pseudonym of Robert Silverberg.) More »

It's the Far Future of 1992 and Hot, Dominant Women Rule the World!

peril — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 12:40:30 PST

He must escape or die.

Must Read: League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen

charliejane — Sun, 30 Sep 2007 23:54:10 PDT

Must-read graphic novels are futuristic classics that shouldn't be missed. Of course, not every must-see is perfect. That's why we've rated them 1-5 on the patented "crunchy goodness" scale. More »