It goes without saying that Edgar Rice Burroughs’ Tarzan is one of the best-known and most influential characters to emerge from the pulps. The publication of “Tarzan of the Apes” in the October 1912 The All-Story inspired a host of imitators including Otis Adelbert Kline’s “Jan of the Jungle,” Howard Browne’s Tharn, the “Warrior of the Dawn,” Walker Tompkins’ Ozar the Aztec, Martin Goodman’s Ka-Zar, and Fiction House’s Ki-Gor and Sheena, Queen of the Jungle.
Although Tarzan-like adventures were a staple in the pulps, there were plenty of stories without a jungle lord or lady, from Dan Cushman’s Armless O’Neil stories in Fiction House’s Action and Jungle Stories to Gordon MacCreagh’s and Arthur O. Friel’s tales in Adventure, and L. Patrick Greene’s and H. Bedford-Jones’ work for Short Stories and other pulps.
We hope you’ll join PulpFest at 3 pm on Friday afternoon, August 4, for “It’s a Jungle Out There,” a look at “Tarzan of the Apes” and other jungle adventures found in the pulps. It will feature Henry Franke, the editor of The Burroughs Bulletin, and popular culture expert Ed Hulse, editor and publisher of Blood ‘n’ Thunder. It’s part of our programming line-up for this year’s ERBFest, celebrating the centennials of Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc., the author’s “Moon Trilogy,” and more.
Henry G. Franke III is the editor of The Burroughs Bulletin, the journal of The Burroughs Bibliophiles, the nonprofit literary society devoted to the life and works of Edgar Rice Burroughs. He also edits The Gridley Wave newsletter for the organization and organizes a regular Zoom meeting for the Bibliophiles. Henry is a member of the Edgar Rice Burroughs Amateur Press Association and has presented several times at PulpFest. He has also organized art shows for the convention and contributed articles to The Pulpster. Specializing in art inspired by Burroughs’ stories, Henry is currently working on an illustrated biography of Russ Manning. He served in the United States Army from 1977 to 2009 and then as an Army government civilian from 2010 to 2020.
A journalist and pop culture historian, Ed Hulse covered the home video and motion picture industries for more than 30 years. Since 2002, he has edited and published the award-winning, pop culture journal Blood ‘n’ Thunder. The winner of the Lamont Award in 2007, Ed is a prolific public speaker who has lectured on various aspects of vintage American popular culture for museums, libraries, universities, and at conventions such as PulpFest. His books include The Art of Pulp Fiction, The Blood ‘n’ Thunder Guide to Pulp Fiction, Distressed Damsels and Masked Marauders, Handsome Heroes and Vicious Villains, and many other titles. In 2017, he co-edited The Art of the Pulps, with Doug Ellis and the late Robert Weinberg. His most recent books are the Blood ‘n’ Thunder 2023 Special Edition, the horror-pulp anthology Mistress of Death and Desire, and the revised and expanded edition of The Wild West of Fiction and Film. To learn more about Ed Hulse and his work, please visit his website at muraniapress.com.
To learn more about our programming, please click the Schedule button at the top of this page.
For those who also want to enjoy our dealers’ room, you can join PulpFest by clicking the Registration button at the top of this page. And don’t forget to book a room at the DoubleTree. They’re going fast!
Our featured image is excerpted from Allen Anderson’s cover art for the Spring 1951 issue of Fiction House’s Stories of Sheena — Queen of the Jungle. Although Sheena appeared in just a single issue of her own pulp (plus another appearance in the final issue of Jungle Stories), the character was the lead attraction in Fiction House’s Jumbo Comics. She also had her own comic book, as well as a 3-D comic published in 1953.
Our lead image was adapted by PulpFest advertising director William Lampkin from J. Allen St. John’s cover art for the December 1942 issue of Amazing Stories, illustrating the first segment of Howard Browne’s two-part serial, “Warrior of the Dawn.” David Saunders will be discussing the life and work of St. John as part of this year’s ERBFest at PulpFest 2023.
Rounding out our jungle-themed artwork is Short Stories for March 10, 1940, featuring front cover art by William F. Soare. Primarily remembered for his work for The Saturday Evening Post and other slick magazines, Soare also contributed freelance cover art to the spicy and western pulps, as well as Columbia’s short-lived weird-menace pulp, Mystery Novels and Short Stories.
For more on the centennial of Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc., please visit our YouTube Channel to view Craig McDonald’s video marking the company’s 100th anniversary. While you’re there, please be sure to subscribe to the PulpFest Channel.
Artwork © Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc. Trademarks Tarzan®, Edgar Rice Burroughs®, Edgar Rice Burroughs Universe™, ERB Authorized Library™, ERB Universe™, and others owned by Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc. Associated logos, characters, names, and the distinctive likenesses thereof are trademarks or registered trademarks of Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc. Used by Permission.
