Although PulpFest 2023 is three months away, there’s plenty for pulp and pop culture fans to see and do.
If you’re a movie fan or a collector of motion pictures and related items, then the Columbus Moving Picture Show is for you. This year’s convention runs from May 25 – 28 at the Renaissance Columbus Downtown Hotel on 50 North 3rd Street in the heart of Columbus, Ohio. To book a room at the Renaissance Columbus, click here.
In addition to over 100 tables of movie-related collectibles such as posters, lobby cards, press kits, DVDs, and original films, the Columbus Moving Picture Show also features an extensive schedule of classic sound and silent films. This year’s show will feature Only the Brave, starring Gary Cooper, Marilyn Monroe in Ladies of the Chorus, the 1945 Republic cliffhanger, The Purple Monster Strikes, and more. For a look at this year’s complete film program, click here.
To register for the convention, click here. And to keep abreast of the latest details on the Columbus Moving Picture Show, be sure to sign up for their mailing list by clicking here. You can also follow them via Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
New Dimension Comics owner Todd McDevitt — a regular PulpFest dealer — and the chain’s general manager Jon Engel launched 3 Rivers Comicon in 2016. After hearing complaints from customers about the increasing cost of conventions and how the shift to an array of pop culture had left comics in the shadows, they felt challenged. “We made it our mission to do it,” McDevitt said. “This is going to be a comic convention. If you want something else, go somewhere else.”
This year’s convention will take place June 3 – 4 at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in the heart of Pittsburgh. Tickets are available through the convention’s website or at any of the six New Dimension Comics locations in the Pittsburgh region. They will also be available at the door.
Weekend events will include panels, gaming, photo opportunities, and costume contests for kids and adults. There will also be an exclusive beer brewed for the convention. Visit the convention’s website for more information on planned events, as well as the convention’s guests and exhibitors. Ron Frenz, Michael T. Gilbert, Andrew Pepoy, and P. Craig Russell will be among the many guests at this year’s 3 Rivers Comicon.
Be sure to get the latest details by following the 3 Rivers Comicon Facebook page by clicking here.
The Fantastic Pulps Show & Sale — Canada’s premier pulp event — returns to the scene on Saturday, June 3. A fun event held for nearly 25 years at the Lillian H. Smith Branch of the Toronto Public Library, 239 College Street in Toronto, Ontario, the show is returning for the first time since 2019. The show runs from 11 am until 4 pm.
A small but terrific show featuring a wide variety of pulp and pulp-related items, you’ll find collectible pulp magazines, pulp reprints, vintage paperbacks, posters, and other ephemera offered by a number of book and paper sellers. The Merril Collection will also have a sale table of science fiction and fantasy paperbacks and hardcovers.
Additionally, Lamont Award winner and former editor of The Pulpster, Tony Davis, will talk about Canadian pulp magazines published from the 1920s to 1950s. Generally featuring war, mystery, or science fiction stories, some were variations on American pulps, while others were uniquely Canadian.
The Fantastic Pulps Show & Sale is a great time for both serious pulp collectors as well as the casually interested, with lots of great stuff to see! For additional information, please visit the Toronto Public Library’s website or contact the Merril Collection of Science Fiction, Speculation & Fantasy staff at 416-393-7748 or lsmestaff@tpl.ca.
The third annual Pulp Fiction & Comic Book Convention will take place on Sunday, June 4, at the Doubletree by Hilton Cleveland – Westlake. It’s being organized by Jeff Harper, a longtime comic book convention promoter and supporter of PulpFest. This annual event celebrates adventure, crime, fantasy, horror, noir, science fiction, and western fiction.
The convention will feature guest authors, as well as books, pulps, and films. You’ll also find Golden and Silver Age comic books at the show.
On June 25, Jeff will host the Akron-Canton Comic-Con in Akron, Ohio, while his Buckeye Comic-Con will take place July 16 in Columbus, Ohio. Check out Jeff’s webpage for more information on all of his conventions. You can also follow Harper Comics on Facebook by clicking here or on Twitter by clicking here.
The summertime Monster Bash returns from June 16 – 18 at the Marriott Pittsburgh North in Mars, Pennsylvania, just a few miles from the PulpFest host hotel. To book a room for the convention, call 724-772-3700 and be sure to ask for the special Monster Bash rate. You can also book a room here.
The International Classic Monster Movie Conference and Film Festival will feature the granddaughter of Bela Lugosi, Lynne Lugosi-Sparks; actress Audrey Dalton, who starred in The Monster That Challenged the World and other films; Charlotte Austin, who appeared in Frankenstein 1970, Gorilla at Large, and many other fan favorites; Pennsylvania-raised actor Daniel Roebuck, who played Grandpa Munster in the Rob Zombie film; and many other guests. Click here for a look at all of the current guests.
The convention’s film schedule will include Ed Wood’s The Bride and the Beast; Boris Karloff in The Devil Commands; The New Invisible Man, a 1958 Mexican thriller; Bela Lugosi in White Zombie; and other horror and monster movie classics. There will also be guest talks and interviews, a live musical performance by Mark Statler and His Creepy Classic Chiller Band, game shows, taco night, monster-sized sheet cakes, drive-in movie night, and other events. Click here for a look at the current programming schedule.
Monster Bash celebrates the classic horror and science fiction films of the silent era through the 1980s. It’s a film festival; a place to meet the people in the movies, behind the movies, and fellow fans of the movies; and a monster memorabilia shopping gala. To check out some of the convention’s dealers, click here.
Visit the Monster Bash website or write to creepyclassics@creepyclassics.com for further information. To purchase a ticket to the three-day convention, click here.
Rounding out the conventions preceding this year’s PulpFest is Pittsburgh’s longest-running literary conference, Confluence. Organized by Parsec, a non-profit organization that has been promoting science fiction, fantasy, and horror in literature, media, and music for over 30 years, this year’s Confluence will take place July 21 – 23 at the Sheraton Pittsburgh Airport Hotel. Click here to book a room at the convention’s rates.
This year’s Confluence guest of honor is Ada Palmer, author of the award-winning Terra Ignota novel series. The convention’s featured musical guest is Sassafrass, a singing group that performs original folk music, mostly with fantasy and science-fiction themes.
Welcoming and personal, Confluence gives attendees a unique opportunity to meet and chat with the writers and artists who create the science fiction, fantasy, and horror of today, helping to shape those genres for the future.
This year’s Confluence will offer many activities including an exciting dealers’ room, an art show, writing workshops, panel presentations, art demos and workshops, gaming, musical filk concerts, a con suite, and more. To keep abreast of the latest Confluence news, subscribe to the convention’s newsletter by clicking here. You can also follow them via Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.
Confluence ends just ten days before the start of PulpFest 2023. Why not spend the time between the two conferences by visiting the beautiful and exciting city of Pittsburgh?
Hopefully, these five conventions will get you warmed up for the big event . . . PulpFest 2023, celebrating celebrating the centennials of Weird Tales and Sport Story Magazine and saluting some of the great pulp heroes, including Robert E. Howard’s Conan, Lester Dent’s Doc Savage, and Popular Publications’ Spider. It’s “Chilling Sports and Pulp Heroes,” only at PulpFest 2023.
But don’t forget that at PulpFest you’ll be enjoying three conventions for the price of one. Joining us will be FarmerCon XVIII, celebrating the life and times of Philip José Farmer, and ErbFest 2023, saluting the centennials of Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc. and the author’s “Moon Trilogy,” as well as the 150th anniversary of artist J. Allen St. John’s birth. Henry G. Franke III — the editor of The Burroughs Bulletin — will be hosting an art show too. It’s all part of our second annual celebration of the Master of Adventure, ERBFest 2023.
PulpFest 2023 will take place August 3 – 6 at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Pittsburgh – Cranberry in Mars, Pennsylvania. You can register for the convention by clicking our “registration” button at the top of the page to be part of “Summer’s Amazing Pulp Con.”
To reserve a room at the DoubleTree, click the “Book a Room” button or call 1.866.568.0896. Be sure to mention PulpFest to get the special convention rate. By staying at the DoubleTree, you’ll help to ensure the convention’s success. We urge every member to book a hotel room for PulpFest 2023 as soon as possible.
That’s the great Bela Lugosi as Dracula leading our post. His image is the focus of the 2023 Monster Bash poster.
Leading our post is the film poster for the 1945 Republic cliffhanger, The Purple Monster Strikes, starring Dennis Moore and Linda Stirling.
The poster for this year’s 3 Rivers Comicon was drawn by D. J. Coffman, with lettering by Justin Birch.
The 2023 Fantastic Pulps Show & Sale poster was adapted by Neil Mechem from William F. Soare’s cover art for the March 1936 issue of Secret Agent X, published by A. A. Wyn’s Periodical House.
Our Chilling Sports postcard was adapted by William Lampkin from The Phantom Detective for January 1934, with cover by Rafael M. DeSoto, and Thrilling Sports for Winter 1947, with cover by Rudolph Belarski. Additional artwork is by Mark Wheatley.
