The Power in Pulp

Written and Modeled by Dani Csaszar, Arts Editor | Photographed by Hunter Kiehl, Photography Director | Graphic by Jessica Tenenbaum, Creative Director

Most people recognize the term “pulp fiction” from Tarantino’s quintessential film by the same name, but the inspiration behind the movie’s cover art is rooted in its own genre: pulp. Pulp art derives from the first half of the 19th century, an era fluid with colorful vintage graphics with a dramatic story to tell. Ranging from fiction magazines, comics and cover art, pulp was printed from cheap wood pulp paper, a less expensive form of printing at the time.

Pulp novels soared in popularity in between the World Wars, during the Roaring ’20s and the Great Depression. The 1900s were both a limiting and pivotal time for women, only gaining the ability to vote in 1920. Surprisingly, pulp art allowed women to create and write through literature and popular media at the time, breaking societal boundaries in a very convoluted way. Popular pulp genres involved romance, horror, science-fiction and true crime.

The 1920s and ’30s can be identified as the Golden Age of Detective Fiction, ultimately tying in with the art of the era.1 Women were not only able to edit these novels, but create prominent characters and storylines. The pulp art genre involved female heroines and allowed female creatives to illustrate covers, many of which were labeled as risqué for the time. The more exploitative subjects of these novels were ahead of their time; however, it was a very small part of what made up these literary novels. While in many stories women are treated as characters who must be saved by the male protagonists, then marry them at the end, pulp highlights those who didn’t take this path.2

Modern superhero comic books are the descendants of so-called “hero pulps,” or pulps surrounding heroic topics. Many people recognize the term “Penny Dreadfuls,” short-fiction magazines printed from the same pulpwood as other pulp novels. The pulps were more progressive than mainstream fiction, film and comic strips, in several respects, including and especially the number of formidable female characters who appeared in them.3

1 Martin Edwards, “The Golden Age Detective Fiction Renaissance,” CrimeReads, 2019. 2 Jess Nevins, “Badass Women of the Pulp Era,” Gizmodo, 2011. 3 Ibid. Agatha Christie is a name many may recognize in the literary world, but not many know Christie was a successful pulp detective novelist. With elements of trap doors, message clues and a closed circle of suspects, Christie’s stories challenged the readers to a battle of wits: can you solve the mystery before the Great Detective?4 These pulp magazine styles were colorful and allowed for a series of women to become illustrators for characters such as girl detectives, counterspies or jungle girls.5

“Love Story,” a top-selling magazine during this era, had a lucrative editor, Daisy Bacon. Bacon was the chief editor of these romance pulps, which peaked by selling 600,000 issues by 1932 and maintained its popularity until 1947.6 She had other involvement through the publisher of “Love Story,” Street and Smith, getting involved with other magazines such as “Detective Stories,” “Doc Savage” and “Detective Story Magazine,” which were designed under the science-fiction genre. Bacon worked as an editor for over 20 years before writing her best-selling novel, “Love Story Writer” in 1953.7 She used her career to not only show that women could be involved in the literary process, but could also be activists and speak out against discrimination. She was adamant in the belief that women should establish their career before settling down for marriage.8 In the present day, Daisy Bacon is still known as “Queen of the Pulps.”

Trina Robbins is an American cartoonist best known for her character Vampirella. Robbins is credited for creating both the hairstyle and costume for the archetypal character. Vampirella remains prominent today in the recreations of pulp illustrations and has even influenced modern-horror characters such as Elvira. Vampiric and supernatural-themed pulps remain iconic for their dramatic style of physical disarray and eye-catching visuals.

Another pivotal focus of the detective, true-crime side of this art genre involved the “gang-pulp” era. Margie Harris rose to prominence as one of the most popular pulp authors, although her name is believed to be a pseudonym. While many women worked as writers for pulp magazines, they often used pen names or just their initials to conceal their gen-

4 Ibid. 5 Michael R. Brown, “Women and the Pulps,” The Pulp Super-Fan, 2021. 6 Ibid. 7 Laurie Powers, Mike Chomko, “The Queen and Her Court-Leading Women Pulp Editors,” Pulpfest, 2021. 8 Lindsey Hobbs, “Women of the Pulps: Spicy Covers and Startling Stories,” The Ultimate History Project. The pulp series “Weird Tales” was a popularized source for readers, ranging in the occult and paranormal side of fiction. C. L. Moore, one of the only female writers, wrote for the famous magazine at the time. “Weird Tales” has gone through extreme fluctuation in terms of printing, but remains a quarterly publication. Ann Vandermeer was its second female editor from 2007–2012, and within that time won three Hugo awards, an annual literary award for the best science fiction and fantasy works. It is amazing to see the prominence that women have continued through pulp. According to historical accounts and memoirs, at least 30 women worked as the chief editors of magazines during the pulps’ heyday.10

With the help of the internet, pulp magazines are still accessible and more widely available. Historically, trends and art are bound to repeat themselves, and the rise of pulp is being portrayed again through all types of media. Instagram user Jenifferprince creates sapphic story-telling through her creations of vintage pulp art. She is one of many portraying the newly aged pulp art across social media; once you find one artist, you always find more.

Pulp Modern Magazine is another leading example of modern pulp. Their team currently has multiple female editors, but in all has over 250 writers and editors. The magazine started in 2011, with the realization that there were no print, multigenre pulp fiction markets.11 Founded by Alec Cizak, Pulp Modern Magazine has soared, allowing writers of all kinds to indulge in pulp, including westerns, science fiction and fantasy. 2021 marked the 10th anniversary of the publication.

Living between the times of the World Wars, pulp magazines could be seen on most living room tables as an accessory for literary entertainment. Illustrated covers of monsters or villains aligned with dramatized women, dressed up in lace or fancy dresses, women were a spotlight of the pulp genre. Pulps were the background innovations of women at the time to create esteemed pieces of literature and illustrations that would pull a reader’s interest. Their underground roles of editing, writing and illustrating still hold true today and are a facet of inspiration for women across the entire literary spectrum. ■

9 Ibid. 10 Trina Robbins, “Women in Comics: An Introductory Guide,” National Association of Comic Art, 1996. 11 “Why we’re here,” Pulp Modern Magazine.