Tag: history

The Moon Man Rises

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I’ve been obsessing lately about Frederick C. Davis’ “Moon Man” stories from the mid-1930’s. That all came about through a series of synchronicities, the kind that make you think you have something important sitting in your lap. I’m a big fan of Davis’ writing in “Operator No. 5,” another 1930’s series. I like him so much I wanted to read more of his works. I noticed that he had a crazy character with a globe on his head that reminded me of Spiderman’s “Mysterio.” But this seemed a bit different…

New Article — “Brother Can You Spare a Dime?”

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Brother Can you Spare a Dime meme

I’ve subtitled this article “How The Great Depression Influenced the Pulps” because I believe that when society is truly down there are still bright sparks who transcend what’s happening around them and create anyway. There seems a parallel in today’s society. Those who can still create after two and a half Covid years, a war, and (in the U.S.) madly rising costs of food and fuel, as well as other shortages…well, then you’re doing okay. I had the idea for this article quite a few months ago, noting that the…

New article — “A Hero Named Mayhem”

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Johnny Mayhem meme

My newest article, “A Hero Named Mayhem,” has just gone live over at the online magazine, Black Gate. It’s a fun one, reviewing a long-forgotten science fiction series published in AMAZING STORIES back in the 1950’s. The eleven “Johnny Mayhem” stories were extremely popular with readers, had many die-hard fans, and remain fun to read today! Here’s how my article begins: “Johnny Mayhem, man of a thousand faces, leaping from body to body, putting right things that had once went…no wait! That’s the television show, Quantum Leap, which ran from…

Happy Birthday, H. G. Wells!

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Happy B-day HG Wells

Happy Birthday to H.G. Wells, one of the undisputed giants of science fiction (actually “scientific romance” to be more accurate.*) Among his many stories were: “War of the Worlds” (1898), “The Island of Doctor Moreau” (1896), “The Invisible Man” (1897), “Things to Come” (1935), and of course, “The Time Machine” (1895). He was a Utopianist and wrote on the subject often. The image here is NOT of Wells himself, but Malcolm McDowell playing Wells in the 1979 movie, “Time After Time.” (It’s one of my favorites and McDowell is just…

The Story of the “Science Fiction Special”

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The Science Fiction Special by Sara Light-Waller

Recently , I got a really fun commission–to illustrate an ice cream sundae called “The Science Fiction Special” for THE VISUAL HISTORY OF SCIENCE FICTION FANDOM: VOLUME ONE: THE 1930’s. This book is a compilation of rare material and ephemera from the early days of science fiction fandom. Then, as now, fans would gather for meals and drinks and excitedly discuss favorite books and movies. In an interview with John L. Coker III, David Kyle recalled this treat [Science Fiction Sundae] as a regular feature of meetings of the International…