For more than fifty years, PulpFest has celebrated mystery, adventure, science fiction, and much more. In the pulp magazines of the early twentieth century — which gave PulpFest its name — the hard-boiled detective, science-fiction, and sword-and-sorcery genres developed and flourished. They gave us Buck Rogers, Conan the Barbarian, Cthulhu, Doc Savage, Hopalong Cassidy, John Carter of Mars, Sam Spade, The Shadow, Solomon Kane, Tarzan, Zorro, and many other pop culture icons.
But PulpFest isn’t just about pulps. It’s also home to three other conventions, including The Shadow Con 2026, a convention dedicated to Walter B. Gibson’s Dark Avenger. It will be hosted by PulpFest and staff members of The Shadowed Circle, the first fanzine dedicated to The Shadow in more than two decades.
The character known as The Shadow was introduced to the public on July 31, 1930, serving as the mysterious narrator for The Detective Story Hour, a CBS radio program sponsored by the Street & Smith pulp chain. The show dramatized stories from the publisher’s Detective Story Magazine.
When it became apparent to the publisher that customers were not asking their newsdealers for Detective Story Magazine, but “that Shadow magazine,” Street & Smith decided to give readers what they wanted — a single character magazine featuring The Shadow. It debuted with its April 1931 number.
Hiring Walter B. Gibson to write the initial stories, the first two issues of The Shadow, a Detective Magazine, flew off the stands. Within a year, Gibson was creating two adventures of The Shadow, each and every month.
Lasting 325 issues and spanning eighteen years, The Shadow pulp revived the concept of the single-character magazine, serving as the template for other hero pulps and, later, scores of comic book superheroes.
So what’s in store for you at The Shadow Con 2026?
We’ll get things rolling on Saturday, August 1, at 1:30 pm with a look at some of the supernaturally charged adventures of Gibson’s great pulp hero. Please join Tim King, a lifelong fan of The Shadow who has previously spoken at PulpFest, for “The Haunted Shadow.”
Shortly before our “Haunted Shadow” presentation, Tim King and The Shadowed Circle will be organizing a luncheon for the agents of Ying Ko at Lao Sze Chuan Pittsburgh, located at 936 Sheraton Drive, 0.4 miles from the DoubleTree. Visit The Shadowed Circle table at The Shadow Con to learn more. The luncheon will have a Chinatown theme, in keeping with the many exploits of The Shadow in that cityscape.
On Saturday night, following the PulpFest business meeting and Munsey Award presentation, there will be an auction, starting at 8 pm. It features several early issues of The Shadow Magazine. The Shadow lots include #3, 14, 20, 35, 55, 102 – 111, 164 – 173, and 183 – 190. The auction also features quite a few lots of Bill Barnes, Captain Future, and Doc Savage pulps. Visit our 2026 auction page to learn more.
Closing out Saturday night will be an after-hours social event in the hotel lounge at the DoubleTree. Join other fans of Walter B. Gibson’s popular creation in the Ember & Vine lounge at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Pittsburgh – Cranberry for a night “At the Cobalt Club,” starting around 11 pm. Watch for the 3D art deco “Cobalt Club” sign.
A special Cobalt Club drink coaster will be given to the first 30 agents of The Shadow upon their arrival at the gathering. There will also be a free raffle for a variety of door prizes, including a signed copy of A Work of Human Hands, donated by the book’s author, William Preston.
Saturday’s Night at the Cobalt Club social gathering is being co-sponsored by Doc Con 2026.
The organizers of The Shadow Con are also hoping to organize a luncheon for agents of Ying Ko at a time and place to be determined. It will have a Chinatown theme, in keeping with The Shadow’s many adventures in that locale.
To learn more about The Shadow Con and The Shadow, stop by The Shadowed Circle table in the PulpFest dealers’ room. Joe Booth, Tim King, and Samuel Oatley will be there to help you. And while you’re visiting, be sure to check out the cobalt blue pint glasses commemorating The Shadow Con 2026. They’ll be available for sale at The Shadowed Circle dealer table.
All this and more will be part of The Shadow Con 2026, the convention for agents of The Dark Avenger. It will take place from July 30 to August 2 at this summer’s PulpFest.
Click the 2026 Schedule button to learn more about our Shadow-centric events or take a gander at the mini-schedule below.
Saturday, August 1, 2026
Dealers’ Room
9:00 am – 4:45 pm — Dealers’ Room Open to All PulpFest Members and Members of The Shadow Con 2026
Luncheon
11:30 am – 2:00 pm — The Shadow Con — Dine with the Agents of Ying Ko at Lao Sze Chuan Pittsburgh
Afternoon Programming
1:30 pm – 2:25 pm — The Shadow Con — The Haunted Shadow (Tim King)
Evening Programming
8:00 pm – 11:00 pm — PulpFest 2026 Auction
Hotel Lounge
11:05 pm – ?? am — The Shadow Con — At the Cobalt Club — Socialize at Ember & Vine, co-hosted by Doc Con
The general public is welcome to attend our programming free of charge. To learn more about our presentations, please click the 2026 Schedule link found on our website.
For those who also want to enjoy our dealers’ room, you can join PulpFest by clicking the register link found on our website.
If you’re from outside the area, don’t forget to book a room. Due to cancellations, our host hotel, the beautiful DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Pittsburgh – Cranberry may have a few rooms left. Please call our host hotel at 1-724-776-6900 or 855-610-8733. Unfortunately, the deadline to get the convention rate was 11:59 pm on Tuesday, July 7.
You can click here for nearby hotels if all of the rooms at the DoubleTree are no longer available.
If you’re at a loss as to what to wear to The Shadow Con 2026 and PulpFest 2026, click the link on our website and order a PulpFest t-shirt or pick one up at the convention. They’re available in a variety of sizes in black or royal blue with the PulpFest logo across the chest. And to hold your libations, be sure to pick up a Shadow Con 2026 pint glass. Contact Tim King at burbankspeaking@gmail.com for more information.
Remember, in addition to your membership in PulpFest 2026, you’ll also be a member of Doc Con 2026, FarmerCon XXI, and The Shadow Con 2026. That’s four conventions for one price! You can’t beat that deal.
Our featured image was excerpted from George Rozen’s cover art for the September 1, 1933 issue of The Shadow Magazine, illustrating Walter B. Gibson’s “The Grove of Doom.”
Our lead image was adapted by William Lampkin from Graves Gladney’s cover for the July 15, 1940 issue of The Shadow, illustrating Walter B. Gibson’s “Gems of Doom.” Lampkin also adapted George Rozen’s cover art for the May 1, 1936 number of The Shadow Magazine, illustrating Walter B. Gibson’s “The Gray Ghost,” concerning a seemingly supernatural thief robbing the homes of the wealthy on Long Island. Bill also designed the PulpFest logo featured on our T shirts.
Kenneth Grant is a writer and popular culture enthusiast who began writing for our website in 2022. He particularly enjoys the hero pulps and has written about pulp villains, Ron Hill’s documentary, We Are Doc Savage, Talking Pulp with Craig McDonald, and more.
To learn more about The Shadow and The Shadow Con 2026, please visit our YouTube Channel to catch Craig McDonald’s new video, Shadow Con Joins PulpFest!
And while you’re there, please be sure to subscribe!
