PulpFest is lauded for both its excellent programming and its very substantial dealers’ room.
Beginning on Thursday, August 15, the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Pittsburgh – Cranberry will be home to thousands of collectible pulp magazines and digests, vintage paperbacks, first edition hardcovers and series books, original art, B-movies and serials, collectible comic books, and more.
Who are we expecting at PulpFest 2019? For the last five days, we’ve been profiling our dealers, telling you a little bit about each of them to help you know them . . .
Pittsburgh’s DONALD E. SIMPSON is the cartoonist/creator of the comic books MEGATON MAN, BORDER WORLDS, and BIZARRE HEROES. Don has taught workshops in cartooning and figure drawing for a number of years, and earned a PhD from the University of Pittsburgh in History of Art and Architecture in 2013. He’ll be selling copies of his dark and visionary graphic novel, BORDER WORLDS, a nice Kong-themed print, and more at his table at PulpFest 2019. Catch him near the Meteor House corner of the room.
STEVEN SPILGER, out of of South Bend, Indiana, has been collecting and selling both Silver and Golden Age comics, pulps, books, fanzines and more for over thirty years. More recently, he’s added illustrative art to the mix. He calls his business, MR. POLYESTER BOOKS & COMICS. The name came from his college friends, who watched him wear the same polyester leisure suit for all of his college yearbook photos. Steven has been a regular PulpFest dealer and supporter for many years.
JOAB STIEGLITZ of Virginia is an avid tabletop role-playing game player and game master of the horror, espionage, fantasy, and science fiction genres. He will be selling copies of his highly regarded UTGARDA series at this year’s PulpFest. Joab’s series will appeal to pulp fans, H. P. Lovecraft readers, gamers, and horror movie fans in equal measure. Joab will be one of our “New Fictioneer” readers on Friday, August 16. In the meantime, check out Joab’s blog at Rantings of a Wandering Mind ~ The Writing Blog of Joab Stieglitz.
JONATHAN SWEET, a professional writer and editor, is the owner of BRICK PICKLE MEDIA, a bookseller and communications firm located in Chaska, Minnesota. This will be his third PulpFest. Although Jonathan sells a wide variety of books, he specializes in first editions and signed books, especially from small presses. Jonathan is also representing Airship 27 as an authorized agent at PulpFest and will be carrying a wide selection of their latest new pulp offerings. He’ll also have old paperbacks, pulp reprints and other pulp-related items. Joining him will be DAVID and JULES SWEET.
A pulp collector for about forty years, SHEILA VANDERBEEK is from Kalamazoo, Michigan. She’ll be bringing pulp magazines from all genres for sale or trade. Of course, the more she sells, the more she’ll be able to buy from the many fine dealers who will be attending PulpFest 2019.
RAY WALSH of the CURIOUS BOOK SHOP has been selling a broad array of paper collectibles – pulps, paperbacks, original artwork, collectible hardcovers, vintage comic books, and more — for nearly fifty years. Out of East Lansing, Michigan, Ray has been selling at PulpFest — and Pulpcon before it — for decades. We appreciate his long support and heartily recommend the convention he sponsors — Classicon — held each year in Lansing, Michigan.
TODD WARREN is a pulp and comic book collector who attended Pulpfest for the first time in 2017. Last year was his first as a dealer. He did so well that he added more tables to his PulpFest 2019 exhibit. He’s also bringing along ROSS WARREN to lend a hand. An Overstreet advisor, Todd will be offering vintage pulps, paperbacks, books, a few comic books, and lots of pulp enthusiasm!
JON WEHLER is a very personable dealer and collector who offers pulps, original art, and other paper collectibles. He’ll also have lots of vintage paperbacks from many different genres at PulpFest 2019. Based in Ohio, he exhibits at many book and paper shows throughout the Midwest. He often lends a hand during the PulpFest auctions. Did we mention that he’s a nice guy?
CHRISTOPHER MAFFEI of WELL-STACKED BOOKS comes to PulpFest 2019 out of Parkville, Maryland. A member of the Independent Online Booksellers Association, Chris will be bringing vintage paperbacks, first-edition hardcovers and series books, art books, graphic novels and comics, and more to his first PulpFest. Please welcome him to the convention.
One of the many highlights from PulpFest 2018 was the art show featuring the work of illustrator MARK WHEATLEY. Inducted into The Overstreet Hall of Fame in July 2017, Mark Wheatley is a long-time Edgar Rice Burroughs fan and admirer of the work of Philip José Farmer. He’s also painted covers for Norvell W. Page’s THE SPIDER: SATAN’S MURDER MACHINES and AMAZON NIGHTS by Arthur O. Friel and, in collaboration with G. D. Falksen, created the book DOCTOR CTHULITTLE. How’s that for some top-notch pulp credentials. Please welcome Mark and his wife, CAROL, back for another PulpFest.
Author CHET WILLIAMSON is happy to return to PulpFest with his friend, Barry Traylor, the convention’s goodwill ambassador. In addition to his own books for sale at his table, Chet will have some nice condition pulp rarities for sale at this year’s convention. You’ll also get to talk with Chet at our Friday author signings, just outside the PulpFest dealers’ room.
Please welcome MARVIN WYNN— co-creator of THE EDGE — to his first PulpFest. A local comic book creator, Marvin will be sharing a table with HEROINEBURGH, a comic book and live-action video series also based in Pittsburgh. Wynn’s comic book — published by Short Fuse Media Group — is a continuing series following genetically enhanced characters that debuted in 2012. Marvin’s co-creator is Phillipines-based artist Mark VuycanKiat. THE EDGE reached its ninth issue earlier this year and has gained a solid social media following.
BEN & TRACY ELLER are bringing WORLD OF STRANGE to PulpFest 2019. The Ellers create T-shirts featuring vintage comic book covers, science fiction motifs, Cthulhu-inspired artwork, and pulp magazine covers and other fantastic apparel. They’ve appeared at Dragon Con, Wonderfest, and other pop culture conventions over the last few years. Click here to check out the cool PLANET STORIES video from their website.
PulpFest is pleased to welcome back Chicago’s LARRY HALLOCK of YGOR’S BOOKS to this year’s convention. Specializing in out-of-print science fiction, fantasy, and horror fiction, Larry will be selling original art, paperbacks, hardcovers, digests, pulps, and other collectibles, including many signed items.
If you are a dealer or collector who would like to sell at PulpFest, please click the “Register” button just below the banner at the top of our home page. You can also email convention chairperson Jack Cullers at jack@pulpfest.com for further information about selling at the convention.
If you still need to book a room at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Pittsburgh – Cranberry — just north of Pennsylvania’s “Steel City,” please call 1-800-222-8733. Be sure to mention PulpFest in order to receive any convention special deals that may still be available.
We hope to see you at PulpFest 2019 where you’ll be able to meet in person the dozens of dealers that we’ve profiled over the last five days. You’ll also be able to enjoy our celebration of mystery, adventure, science fiction, and more. Our 2019 convention will focus on the many ways pulp fiction and pulp art have inspired and continue to inspire creators. We’re calling this year’s theme “Children of the Pulps and Other Stories,” an examination of the pervasive influence of pulp magazines on contemporary pop culture. Click the programming button just below our homepage banner to learn more.
(Here’s the last of our 2019 images designed for use on the Internet by PulpFest’s advertising director, William Lampkin. The artwork is by Norman Saunders. The painting originally illustrated H. G. Wells’ “The Time Machine,” reprinted by Popular Publications in the August 1950 issue of FAMOUS FANTASTIC MYSTERIES.
Don Simpson’s King Kong art served as the cover for AMAZING HEROES #183, published by Fantagraphics in September 1990. In the early nineties, Simpson wrote and drew a six-issue graphic adaptation of Delos W. Lovelace’s 1932 novelization of the Merian C. Cooper and Edgar Wallace story for Fantagraphics’ Monster Comics. It was originally published in 1991 – 92. Simpson has called his KING KONG “the most poorly marketed comic book in history.”)
