RARE FLASH GORDON PULP

Currently considered "very rare", FLASH GORDON STRANGE ADVENTURE MAGAZINE was published by C.J.H. Publications with a December 1936 cover date. Harold Hersey was the editor and Lloyd Jacquet was assistant editor. Hersey was a veteran pulpster and wrote a number of essays, short stories and poems, as well as editing THE THRILL BOOK (1919) and GHOST STORIES (1931).

Fred Meagher was the cover and interior artist. Meagher began his career with Hersey and was known mostly as the artist for TOM MIX COMICS (Ralston-Purina) and STRAIGHT ARROW (Magazine Enterprises). When ME closed up shop in 1956, Meagher finished out his career in commercial art. Putting it bluntly, Meagher's art here is . . . well, meager.

FLASH GORDON STRANGE ADVENTURE MAGAZINE was intended to cash in on the burgeoning newspaper comic strip market. The novel-length Flash Gordon story, "The Master of Mars" was written by James Edison Northfield (credited as James Edison Northford on the story's title page) and licensed by King Features Syndicate. It was accompanied by three other shorter, non-Flash stories.

While rare, it has not escaped its reputation as a mediocre entry in the Flash Gordon canon. Renown editor E.F. Bleiler called the story "moronic" and the accompanying fiction "third rate". For any number of reasons, it lasted for only one issue. A copy CGC-rated VG/FN 5.0 was sold by Heritage Auctions on June 19, 2025 for $1,020.00.

NOTE: These are the cover and images from the story and are shown here are in the same order as they appeared in the magazine.

View more Flash Gordon posts HERE.

JOHN WYNDHAM: FATHER OF TRIFFIDS

John Wyndham Parkes Lucas Beynon Harris was born in England on July 10, 1903 and became one of the country's most respected science-fiction authors. He used a number of pseudonyms derived from his name, including John Beynon, John Beynon Harris and Lucas Parkes, but he is best known today as John Wyndham. He sold his first story. "Worlds to Barter" to WONDER STORIES which was published in the May 1931 issue.

It was later in his career when he penned the classics "The Day of the Triffids" (aka "Revolt of the Triffids") (1951) and "The Midwich Cuckoos" (1957). "Cuckoos" was released as a motion picture in 1960 as VILLAGE OF THE DAMNED and remade by John Carpenter in 1995 and "Triffids" was made into a film and released by United Artists in 1963. It was adapted many times by radio, TV and other media.

1st UK edition (1951).

1st US edition (1951).

Wyndham writing as John Beynon Harris (Lancer, 1967).

Frank Frazetta original cover (watercolor).

Following are two articles that further discuss Wyndham's life and career. The first is from AMAZING STORIES (June 1964) written by noted author and science-fiction historian Sam Moskowitz. The second is from SCIENCE FICTION MONTHLY (Vol. 1 No. 9, 1974).

Cover art by Alex Schomberg.

THOSE FABULOUS PULPS

This three-page article on pulp magazines and and pulp collecting by Gerry de la Ree was published in the Sunday edition of the "Bergen (NJ) Evening Record" newspaper on February 22, 1970.

Mr. de la Ree (1924-1993) was a New Jersey sportswriter by profession, but he was also a dedicated science-fiction fan, collector and dealer. He is said to have had a private collection of over 35,000 genre titles in his library and is recognized as an expert in the field. During his youth, he edited a fanzine in the 1940's called SUN SPOTS (see example below)."

Read more "The Pulp Mill" posts HERE.

Gerry de la Ree's SUN SPOTS (Vol. 3 No. 1, April 1941):