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.
In addition to our salutes to these two historical pulp magazines, we’ll also welcome fans of the Street & Smith single-character pulp to The Shadow Con 2026.
Inspired by the success of Doc Con, ERBFest, and FarmerCon, a few devotees of The Dark Avenger approached the PulpFest organizing committee, asking if we’d be interested in hosting a convention for fans of The Shadow.
Now, after all of these years, Walter B. Gibson’s Dark Avenger will finally have a convention. Starting with PulpFest 2026, we’ll be hosting The Shadow Con. We hope it will be the first of many more in the years to come.
What’s in store for you at The Shadow Con 2026? We hope you’ll join us on Saturday, August 1, at 1:30 pm, as we welcome Tim King to the PulpFest programming stage for “The Haunted Shadow,” a look at some of the supernaturally charged adventures of the great pulp hero.
A lifelong fan of The Shadow, Tim King was introduced to the Orson Welles version by his late mother. “If you like Batman then you’ll love The Shadow.”
A career investigator for the Department of Defense and US Intelligence Services, Tim spoke at PulpFest 2015 about the similarities between the methods of The Master of Darkness and those employed by the counterespionage services of the same era. He also presented at PulpFest 2021 on the use of stage magic in Walter B. Gibson’s Shadow novels, and, more recently, about “Spy Heroes of the Pulps” and pulp villains.
In the footsteps of Walter Gibson and others, Tim is a member of the Society of American Magicians — serving on the paranormal investigations committee. He also belongs to the Office of Strategic Services Society, an organization that honors the heroism of the OSS during World War II. Tim has written for Sanctum Books, The Shadowed Circle fanzine, and moderates The Shadow Knows Facebook group. His book, In the Shadow of Houdini, is forthcoming.
PulpFest and The Shadow Con 2026 begin on July 30 and run through August 2 at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Pittsburgh – Cranberry in Mars, Pennsylvania. In addition to saluting The Shadow and 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 George Rozen’s cover art for the September 1, 1933 issue of Street & Smith’s The Shadow Magazine, illustrating Walter B. Gibson’s classic novel, “The Grove of Doom,” in which a copse of trees where people disappear exudes a malevolent atmosphere of horror and terror.
Our lead image was adapted by William Lampkin from The Shadow Magazine for May 1, 1936, with cover art by George Rozen, illustrating Walter B. Gibson’s “The Gray Ghost,” concerning a seemingly supernatural thief robbing the homes of the wealthy on Long Island.
Our final image is The Shadow Magazine for March 1, 1936, with cover art by George Rozen, illustrating Walter B. Gibson’s “The Voodoo Master.” Considered one of Gibson’s best Shadow adventures, the story concerns Dr. Rodil Mocquino, an occultist who employs a “powerful hypnotic power” to turn men into mindless, obedient “zombies.”
