Adventure, Invention, and the Visual Language of 1940s Science Fiction
Curator’s Note
Thrilling Wonder Stories magazine was known for its exciting adventure stories and iconic Earle Bergey covers. Classic issues are still sought by collectors today.
The magazine’s history is as colorful as its title. It began as Air Wonder Stories in 1929 then it merged with Science Wonder Stories in 1930. The new magazine was called, Wonder Stories. Hugo Gernsback sold Wonder Stories to Standard Publishing in 1936 and it became part of the “Thrilling” group of magazines.
Thrilling Wonder Stories got a companion magazine—Startling Stories — in 1938. Thereafter, Thrilling Wonder included short novels (novelettes) and short stories while Startling relied on complete novels (novellas) and one short story per issue. The format for these two magazines was to add one “Hall of Fame” reprint from the Wonder Stories back catalog (now also in Standard’s hands) to each issue.
The magazine ran several popular series, including John W. Campbell Jr.’s Penton and Blake tales, Arthur K. Barnes’ Gerry Carlyle stories, and the Hollywood on the Moon series by Henry Kuttner. The magazine ended its run in 1955.
Iconic Pulp Covers
Thrilling Wonder Stories had showy covers, most of which were painted by pulp artist Earle Bergey (1901-1952).
Cover Reconstruction
Earle Bergey’s covers often included bullet-bra wearing “space girls” alongside beefy space heroes. He also painted space scenes. Here is a reconstruction of one of the latter. It is painted using alcohol markers and colored pencils to reproduce the color and vibrancy of the original artwork.
Thrilling Wonder Stories Fall, 1945 (left), modern recreation (right). Copyright Sara Light-Waller, 2026. All rights reserved.
From Instruction to Adventure: Thrilling Wonder’s Lineage
Thrilling Wonder took some twists and turns during its twenty-six-year run. The timeline below helps make that path clear.
June 1929
Science Wonder Stories
“The wonders of modern science no longer amaze us–we accept each new discovery as a matter of course…Science fiction, as published in SCIENCE WONDER STORIES, [features] stories that are discussed by inventors, by scientists, and in the classroom. SCIENCE WONDER STORIES are clean, CLEAN from beginning to end. they stimulate only one thing–IMAGINATION.” –Hugo Gernsback (Science Wonder Stories Vol. 1 No. 1 June 1929)
July 1929
Air Wonder Stories
“Briefly, AIR WONDER STORIES will present SOLEY flying stories of the future, strictly scientific–mechanical–technical lines, full of adventure, exploration and achievement.” —Hugo Gernsback (Air Wonder Stories Vol. 1 No. 1 July 1929.)
June 1930
Wonder Stories
Science Wonder Stories merged with Air Wonder Stories to become Wonder Stories in 1930. It was immediately popular because of its excellent stories. In 1934 Hugo Gernsback instituted the Science Fiction League to enhance the popularity of science fiction fandom. The Science Fiction League included a regular monthly feature devoted to fandom news and supported swag such as buttons and certificates.
August 1936
Thrilling Wonder Stories
Hugo Gernsback sold Wonder Stories to Standard Magazines in 1936. Thereafter it became part of the “Thrilling” group of publications which included: “Thrilling Mystery“, “Thrilling Adventure” and “Thrilling Detective“. The new magazine contained a mix of short stories and novelettes.
January 1938
Startling Stories
Standard Magazines brought out “Startling Stories” as a companion to “Thrilling Wonder Stories” in 1938. Startling featured complete novels (novellas) usually accompanied by one back up short story. Beginning in 1938 both Thrilling Wonder Stories and Startling Stories featured a “Hall of Fame” reprint in each issue. These stories were drawn from the Wonder Stories back catalog,
October 1952
Bergey’s Last Thrilling Wonder Stories Cover
Earle Bergey died on September 30, 1952 ending a long career in a book and magazine illustration. He produced almost all of the Thrilling Wonder and Startling Stories covers between 1940 and 1952.
January 1955
Last Issue of Thrilling Wonder Stories
The last issue of Thrilling Wonder Stories appeared on newsstands in January 1955. The magazine was combined with Startling Stories for the rest of 1955.
October 1955
Last issue of Startling Stories
Startling Stories ended its run in late 1955. a few months after Thrilling Wonder.
1957
Momentary Revival
After the demise of Thrilling Wonder Stories, the old Wonder Stories title was revived for two issues, published in 1957 and 1963.
The Thrilling Wonder Stories legacy continues today
For most of its run, the stories in Thrilling Wonder Stories were juvenile fun. They weren’t as deep as those in Astounding, nor were they as niche as those in Planet Stories. But the magazine ran good stories and is fondly remembered today.
I felt it was a good general model for my space opera, Landscape of Darkness. The new novelette considers a Neotopian future in the 23rd century through the lens of the 1940s pulp. Since its release, it has been compared favorably to period stories published in late 1930s and 1940s Thrilling Wonder and Startling Stories.
A Surprising Turn of Events
My novelette, Landscape of Darkness, came into being in a particularly “pulpy” fashion. During the pulp era, stories were sometimes written to follow existing art. Illustrators were sometimes asked to create a painting or interior pen & ink artwork to the editor’s specifications before a story was chosen. In those cases, a story might later be handed over to one of the editor’s stable of writers.
I accidentally followed this path with Landscape of Darkness. The novelette started with the artwork first and the story followed. Landscape of Darkness began as a series of process illustrations for an art class I was teaching.
I used the images as part of a faux title page design for an imaginary story called—”Landscape of Darkness.” Sam Mercury of the Space Patrol came to mind immediately, but as you can see in the illustration below, the original concept suggested the action took place on a strange alien world instead of a sargasso in space.
The page design is based on Thrilling Wonder Stories from the 1940s. Initially, the text ended after the subtitle, The Lost Patrol, so the next stage was to create some placeholder text.
My visual imagination took over, and I typed a few paragraphs about a fabulous art déco city — Neohatten — with a retro-future spaceport and a tough local police captain. And … that was it. There was never meant to be any more to it.
I showed it to a friend who’s not a science fiction fan. I’d expected a polite “hm-hm,” then a return to the previous conversation. But that’s not what happened.
He read the tiny bit of the story and said, “Where’s the rest?”
I frowned at him in puzzlement. “What do you mean, where’s the rest? There is no more.”
“But there must be more.” He pointed to the page. “What does Sam Mercury do next?”
“Hell if I know,” I said.
I started writing the book the next day.
Exhibited Object: Comic Page — “Planet T-13 — Patrol Ship Crashes”
From “Sam Mercury of The Space Patrol” (page 76)
Ink and marker on paper, contemporary
This comic page was created for a local art exhibition and is now held in a museum collection. Its visual language—overly-saturated colors, dramatic action, kinetic composition, and pulp-era imagery—draws directly from the pulp science fiction tradition shaped by magazines such as Thrilling Wonder Stories, translating those influences into a modern sequential form.
For the future—what comes next?
Sam Mercury’s space adventures are far from finished. Another story already waits in the wings, ready to take shape when the moment is right.
Exit to the Landscape of Darkness home page.
Or explore the Rocketeer Podcast next.