Startling Stories January 1950 The Shadow Men – Vol. 20 No.3 – Earle Bergey

Startling Stories January 1950 The Shadow Men – Vol. 20 No.3 – Earle Bergey

The robot cover illustration on this Startling Stories January 1950 poster is one of Bergey’s most memorable works and was inspired by Edmond Hamilton’s story “The Return of Captain Future.” Edmond Hamilton (1904-1977) was an experienced pulp science fiction writer as well as a comic book writer who scripted many issues of Superman.

A review on the Fable website provides an idea on how Hamilton’s story continues. “Captain Future… the Ace of Space! Born and raised on the moon, Curt Newton survived the murder of his scientist parents to become the protector of the galaxy known as Captain Future. This is one of the final seven Captain Future tales. After a run of twenty pulp issues, he returned in a series of short stories published in Startling Stories magazine. Edmond Hamilton, creator of Captain Future returned to pen seven more Captain Future stories. His style had matured, as had his original audience, and these final seven Captain Future stories are considered to be some of his best. The Man of Tomorrow clashes in fierce combat with mankind’s deadliest enemy — the Linid!” The website also provides a link to a copy of the story.

Startling Stories Pulp Magazine Cover Art

This Startling Stories January 1950 cover depicts a dramatic conflict between a powerful robot and an unseen force. The ambiguity surrounding their intentions and the vibrant, dynamic background create a sense of suspense and curiosity that invites the viewer to explore the story further.

Under bold blue letters that read ‘Startling Stories’, a dramatic scene pulsates with neon defiance: a woman, with hair the colour of fire cascading down her back like molten lava, her crimson dress a stark contrast to the metallic grip of a hulking robot. Her flowing red dress, clinging to her curves, adds a touch of vulnerability amidst the robotic mayhem. Laser beams slash through the air, carving through a backdrop of swirling, chromatic energy. This readers, is not a fever dream from a retro arcade marathon, but the front page of a long-lost pulp magazine, and the mystery wrapped in chrome is electrifying the sci-fi scene.

This robot, a monstrous amalgam of Tobor the Great’s sleek might with Robocop’s steely purpose, has the city buzzing with speculation. With its huge right arm, the bot clutches the woman’s waist, seemingly protective, while the other wields a ray gun, spitting beams of energy toward unseen enemies. Its piercing laser eyes, burning with an otherworldly green light, further blurring the lines between savior and captor. Does his iron grasp encircle the woman to shield her from unseen threats, or is she his unwilling prize, dragged kicking and screaming into a future none of us dare to imagine?

The woman is a vision of defiance even under the robot’s cold embrace and refuses to be relegated to damsel in distress. Her fiery eyes seem to echo the ray gun’s laser blast. And then there’s the background, a mesmerising vortex of white, yellow, and orange, swirling like a portal to another dimension.

The cover informs us that the Startling Stories January 1950 issue also features the story “The Shadow Men” by A. E. Van Vogt. This fantastic Sci-fi poster has been created from the cover of a Startling Stories January 1950 magazine cover. The incredible image is from the mind of the artist Earl Bergey. Bergey was responsible for creating almost every cover for the sci-fi pulp magazine between 1940 and 1952. He was known for equipping his heroines with Madonna-style brass bras and implausible costumes. His cover work through Startling Stories and other pulp magazines helped to define the image of space and science fiction that is still a huge influence today. The classic Bergey cover usually portrayed a rugged hero, a desperate heroine, and a hideous Alien menace.

Startling Stories magazines

The Startling Stories magazine published by Better Publications first hit the bookstands in January 1939. It produced 99 issues before ceasing publication in the winter of 1955. The magazine was started as a companion to Thrilling Wonder Stories. Unlike Thrilling who only ran short stories, Startling ran a complete novel in each magazine. This left space for maybe a half dozen short stories to be included. A  recurring theme was the Hall of Fame stories which were reprints from another magazine Wonder Stories.

Efforts to revamp the magazine were made but by 1955 the pulp magazine market was collapsing. Startling absorbed its two companion magazines, Thrilling Wonder and Fantastic Story Magazine, in early 1955, but by the end of that year, it too ceased production.