PulpFest 2026 will celebrate the centennials of Amazing Stories and Ghost Stories, plus a great deal more at this year’s convention. Hugo Gernsback’s groundbreaking science-fiction pulp and Bernarr Macfadden’s purportedly “true” magazine concerning the spirit world both debuted one hundred years ago.
Sixty-odd years ago, if you had wandered into a drugstore or news agency, you might have come across a new series recently introduced by Bantam Books. Running across the top of the first book’s cover, right below the publisher’s name and the book’s price, was a long, thin, rectangular box that surrounded the tagline . . .
Below the box was the book’s title, The Man of Bronze. Below that was the title of the series: Doc Savage. Both were printed in a typeface that promised thrills and adventure. So did the guy staring at you from the cover. Wearing brown trousers and a khaki shirt, rather worn for wear, he commanded: “Buy me!”
If you were ten or eleven years old, you reached into your pocket, pulled out a couple of quarters from your paper route. Another penny or two for the tax man, and the book was yours.
Perhaps you devoured that 45¢ copy of the first Bantam Doc Savage in one sitting. And then you ran back to the store to see if there were more. You were hooked. You were a “Fan of Bronze.”
Doc Con returns to PulpFest in 2026. To add to the celebration of Amazing Stories‘ centennial, we’ve adjusted that old Bantam Books tagline a bit to salute the science fiction found in the adventures of the Man of Bronze.
More so than most other pulp heroes, the Street & Smith character created by Lester Dent had one foot in the world of science fiction. Raised by scientists to develop his physical and mental abilities, Doc Savage became a veritable “superman.” A few years after Doc’s 1933 debut, a “Man of Steel” would take off in the funny books. They called him Superman.
With his friends and colleagues – all of them leaders in the sciences and law – Doc circled the globe in search of justice and adventure. Armed with the most advanced scientific gadgetry, Doc and his pals discovered lost worlds and forgotten civilizations, explored the frontiers of science and technology, battled invisible criminals and crooks armed with fantastic weapons, and may have even passed through the Gates of Hell.
We hope you’ll join Doc Con on Thursday, July 30, at 8:40 pm as we welcome Daryl Morrissey to the PulpFest programming stage for “The Amazing Adventures of Doc Savage,” a presentation examining the science fiction adventures of the Man of Bronze and his fabulous assistants.
The Director of Refugee Resettlement at Lutheran Community Services Northwest and the co-owner of Stadium Thai restaurant in Tacoma, Washington, Daryl Morrissey, has been a Doc Savage fan since he was a kid, growing up in Seattle. Blame it on those eye-catching James Bama paperback covers. They captured a twelve-year-old Daryl Morrissey’s attention way back in the early 1970s, and he was hooked.
Three decades later, Daryl stumbled upon a group of like-minded folks on Facebook who had been Doc Savage fans back in the day. They were still talking and writing about Doc! He felt superamalgamated and jumped back into the series, this time as an adult. He now noticed things that had gotten past him in earlier days and began taking notes. He posted his observations as Refractions in Bronze on the Flearun page on Facebook until he had something on all the original 181 Doc Savage adventures. Daryl hopes to eventually turn his observations into a book.
PulpFest 2026 begins on July 30 and runs through August 2 at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Pittsburgh – Cranberry in Mars, Pennsylvania. In addition to honoring the centennials of Amazing Stories and Ghost Stories, we’ll also be celebrating the sesquicentennial of writer Jack London’s birth, the centennial of the birth of artist Robert Kennedy Abbett, and more at this year’s convention.
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. And don’t forget to book a room at the DoubleTree. They’re going fast!
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.
If you’re interested in selling at PulpFest, all of our wall and foyer tables have been reserved. A few island tables are remaining for $110 per table. Please click the “register” link on our website to learn how to join the convention as a dealer.
Our featured image is excerpted from Walter M. Baumhofer’s front cover art for the April 1934 issue of Doc Savage Magazine, illustrating Lester Dent’s “The Land of Terror,” an island in the Pacific Ocean inhabited by prehistoric creatures. Published by Street & Smith, it’s the second issue of the hero pulp magazine.
Our lead image was adapted by William Lampkin from Walter Baumhofer’s cover for the April 1934 issue of Doc Savage Magazine, illustrating Lester Dent’s “The Monsters,” a story about fifteen-foot-tall monster-men who are committing robberies.
The Doc Con 2026 logo was also designed by William Lampkin, based on the iconic Bantam Books logo for the Doc Savage paperback series.
That’s James Bama’s cover for the first Doc Savage paperback to be published by Bantam Books. It was first released in 1964 and originally cost 45¢.
Our final image is the full cover art for the April 1933 number of Doc Savage Magazine.
