This is strange.

I could've sworn that I've already wrote about this next important detail but unfortunately, as this computer likes to do to me so many times, I'll spend an hour or so writing and the PC will just randomly crash... losing all of the story that that I was hoping to post.

So here we are... just days before PulpFest.

I had been thinking of purchasing a replacement copy of New Mutants #98 for my stepson and had actually tried three times to secure a copy for him via eBay. 

I failed twice but gave it one last chance just days before I was to leave for our family vacation and for PulpFest.

On that third attempt, I said to myself that if I couldn't get this copy, it might be a sign that I would find something at PulpFest to use those funds on and I would try again afterwards.

So damn prophetic was that thought...

Suffice it to say, I did not win the auction for a copy of New Mutants #98 for my stepson on that third attempt. 

And so, with that, I thought that I would take up this search after PulpFest and use those funds that I had secured from the Mexican Daredevil #1 sale and saved from not winning any of those auctions on NM98.

The Jeep was packed and I actually brought along a stocked cooler to stick in the back like it was 1978... that certainly helped us in terms of not making additional stops and saving a little bit of money on food.

I guess I should add this in before I get too far down the road (pun intended).

As I was on vacation for that week prior to PulpFest, I had some spare time to devote to thinking about some of my favorite new interests... primarily, my recent discovery at the site of the old Huber Breaker in Ashley, PA. and of The Shadow as well.  Now back in February, I purchased a 1936 RCA Tombstone Radio (Model 8T)... thanks to my dearly departed mother-in-law. 

That will be a story for another time.

When I received the radio, I could just imagine what it would've felt like to turn on that radio in 1937 and 1938, while pouring a glass of bourbon and settling in for the latest episode of The Shadow featuring Orson Welles! 

Well, in this twisted day and age that we find ourselves in, I figured I could fabricate that experience through the use of technology even if I had no idea how to start that process initially.

And so, with those days that I had off from work, prior to departing for western Pennsylvania, I took it upon myself to figure out a way to try and replicate that feeling.

I found a video editing app that seemed pretty intuitive and so I began to play around with it, for hours on end, until I was able to produce this very amateurish product.  At the very least, I was happy with how the sound track layering came out.

So we draw back the curtains of time... it's 1938.  I just spent more than a weeks salary on this new radio produced by RCA with the Magic Eye and I'm about to pour a glass of bourbon and settle in for the latest episode of The Shadow.

Well, that is after the announcement from the sponsor... BlueCoal.

Of course, at the time of recording this... I had no idea why I was really doing any of it. 

Sometimes the things that seem so benign to us, actually have a much greater purpose that we can't and shouldn't be able to comprehend at that moment.

Now I suppose, being able to look back upon this moment, there were a couple of things that should've stood out... I don't know... kind of like signs, maybe? 

These were the last two items I purchased before leaving for this vacation.

The first being this book (a favorite of mine) that was offered up on Mercari at a price that was too good to ignore and the second being the Halloween Scarlet Witch from Sideshow that was advertised at a discounted price right before PulpFest.

]

An underwater themed book and Elizabeth Olsen as the Scarlet Witch.

But then there was the choice of that filler music for the intro of that BlueCoal / Shadow radio video...

I picked Interstellar...

Why?!

Well...

I think I now know, as not everything is revealed to us when we initially do things

Sometimes, it takes time for that.

"It's about war - and what he had to go through..."

To be continued.

On Wednesday, August 2nd, my wife, my daughter and I all left early in the morning for our long 425 mile drive down to Uniontown, PA.  Like I said, this was going to our longest road trip... many, many years ago my wife and I took a wonderful trip to Cape Cod, Massachusetts but that was shorter by around 50 miles.  Our plan was to be able to get to Uniontown around 3-4pm in the afternoon so my daughter could spend a few hours with her college roommate who she hadn't seen since December of the previous year because of her spring 2023 semester being spent in Japan.  Our plan worked out perfectly as we checked into our hotel right around 3:00pm and my daughter was able to freshen up a bit before we took her over to her college roommates house which was literally right across the highway.  We could see her house from the hotel... Uniontown, PA is a pretty small town.  It's very scenic there, however on that day, the smoke from the Canadian fires had made it's way down there so a lot of the scenery was obscured by the annoying haze.

So far, everything was still going perfectly.  It was so nice...

After we dropped our daughter off, my wife and I found a local Goodwill, Target, Michael's and a mall that had a very nice antique mall within a mall, to go to.

At one point I texted my daughter to tell her that I thought we were about to be banned from Uniontown because I wrecked this Taylor Swift quiz within Michael's that someone made...

I was simply having fun and in such a good mood as I could just imagine the girl that created this, coming back into the store to see what (if any) the responses were and seeing this... wondering to herself, "What in the world....?!"

Apparently, I even misspelled Sandwich, although I don't think I realized it then.  Now I probably shouldn't have done this because it was shortly after, that everything suddenly turned - flipped like Two Face's coin.

My wife and I were about to go into another store when I got a text with an update from my work union regarding the proposed agreement that was very likely to pass.  I read it twice in the car and a sudden sinking feeling set in... the way I was reading what was in the new contract... it sounded like I was set to lose $13 an hour. I told my wife that I would catch up with her soon as I had to make an immediate phone call to my union steward.  After talking with him, he informed me that he wasn't sure if that would be the case with me as there were a handful of employees that came in to employment under COVID19 (Coronavirus Decemeber 2019). 

He said that there would be a meeting at the union hall on Sunday, August 6th and I could possibly find out more then.

It was at this point, in Uniontown, PA., that I wanted to turn back home and forget all about PulpFest. 

If I was set to lose this much, there was no point in being here after my daughter's visit with her roommate.

I was very depressed...

I remember walking around to all of the other stores we went to, especially the antique mall, feeling as if my head was in a cloud - detached from reality. 

What to do?

It took many hours to sort through, but eventually I brought myself around to realize that this was all out of my control and up to this point, everything had worked out so perfectly.  I had made every effort to get myself to this point... to get to this PulpFest and I would go through with it... as planned.

I figured if the bottom was to fall out, as it looked like it was about to, I would summon my inner "Doctor Who" and find a way through it.

Before we got back to the hotel for the night after picking up our daughter from her roommate's house, I got some wine for my wife and a small bottle of Scotch for myself.

We weren't going to head back home after-all... in the morning (Thursday), PulpFest in Cranberry Township, PA. was going to be my destination.

I turned on the TV in the hotel room, early that Thursday morning, just to see what I had already known about the conditions regarding the Canadian fires.

Sure enough, those fires had followed me down here.

It was pretty obvious...

The hotel we spent the night at in Uniontown, PA offered a Continental Breakfast in the morning which was nice... the hotel we stayed at in New Jersey after picking up my daughter did not and cost over $100 more for the evening.  I was quite impressed with the waffle maker and I think I had too much fun with that.  We all had a good breakfast though between the waffles, eggs, toast, orange juice, coffee and various extras.  I made sure to fill up the gas tank before we left Uniontown and started to make our way north up through Pittsburgh and then to Cranberry Township.  I had plotted out a route that would be more direct but longer. 

Now if I remember correctly, the early bird access to PulpFest started at 11:45am on that Thursday.which gave up more than ample time to take the scenic route.  I remember still being a bit troubled by the news surrounding my job from the previous afternoon and even though I had made a resolve to go through with attending, I was still calculating the various costs and repercussions.  Perhaps I would scale back the amount of money I had set aside for this and just be content with that.  Those thoughts partially occupied my mind as we listened to music, enjoyed some coffee, talked a bit and observed the scenery through this drive up Route 51.

Once we got closer to Pittsburgh, it was becoming more congestive and more metropolitan looking but sill very rustic.  I liked this look and feel a lot... almost immediately actually.  For me it was a perfect combination of Industrial meeting Metropolitan.  I believe I was trying to get to the Liberty Tunnel (coming off of Rte. 51) and got into a wrong lane and then attempted to backtrack in order to get into the proper lane.  Now don't ask me how (now that I'm looking at a map of the area), but somehow I managed to get onto Arlington Ave and wasn't sure where that was leading to as it was a bit of a winding road.

Suddenly, the view opened up and as it was unexpected, it was a bit breathtaking.  I've seen metropolitan cites before and yes, the NYC skyline still is exciting to see after all these years, but there was just something different about seeing Pittsburgh from this vantage point.  I had to stop to get out and take some pictures.  Behind me, overlooking the city was this fantastic thin apartment or house (?) that was built right into the side of this cliff.  I thought that would be a great place to live and I would love to be able to. 

I wish I had known then about Grandview Overlook as that seems to be the best spot to take pictures of the city.

Eventually I got us on the opposite end of the Liberty Tunnel where it exchanges with the Liberty Bridge.  Once crossing that, we made our way from Rte(s). 579 to 279 and then out of the metropolitan Pittsburgh area via Rte. 79 up to Cranberry Township.  I would've loved to have been able to drive around Pittsburgh and do more sightseeing but I was worried about traffic and any construction.  We were still making very good time... actually too good as we made it into Cranberry Township around 10am.  It was far too early to check in to our hotel (I tried) so we had to drive around a bit. 

Again, the early bird doors for PulpFest opened at 11:45am so we had over an hour to fill.

We found a Goodwill to kick through and then after that, I drove around in order for my wife to familiarize herself with the area as she would be dropping me off at the DoubleTree where the show was.  The plan was for her to take my daughter to a few stores for a couple of hours while I attended the show and then by that time, we would be able to check into our hotel.

By this time, now minutes before the opening, I told myself that I was going to go and enjoy the show as I had planned and not alter my state of mind, given the events and news from work.

I was quite excited to get in...

We got the DoubleTree at 11:30am as I thought it would give me time to find where exactly the event was and where to pick up my show pass.  My wife told me to take my time, have fun and to give her a call close to when I thought I'd be finished so she would have time to get back there as both my wife and my daughter had identified a few areas to go to as there were a few shopping plazas nearby.

I walked in to the hotel and was impressed right away. 

It definitely looked bigger on the inside...

And so I guess this is where it starts - the atrium of the DoubleTree in Cranberry Township at 11:32am on Thursday, August 3rd.

(-95 hours : 30 minutes)

...

...

I found my way to where the show was being held and was able to promptly get my pass along with a few other informative goodies.  I was again, impressed with how organized this sign in process was.  There wasn't a line to wait in and there wasn't any confusion or anything relating to misplaced paperwork or lost ticket orders.  It was seamless. 

The signage was great as you can see through these pictures and then finally I had arrived at my destination... the dealer's room. 

Now there were a few forums that I was thinking of attending later in the evening of that day but I wasn't sure if I would be up for it.

When I got onto the floor, I could see that not everyone was set up yet.  Some vendors were still in the process of unpacking their goods and others just hadn't arrived yet as the table simply had a name assigned to a blank table.

Now the first dealer I took some time with was Adventure House.  They were the first vendor on the right as soon as you entered the room and they've become a favorite of mine lately based on two unique acquisitions obtained from them over the course of the past year.  The first being a set of The Shadow rocks glasses and the second being a framed plaque of a Blue Coal / Shadow blotter...

This table here was now going to be my first introduction to PulpFest and I was truly excited... and nervous.

Because it was at this point, that I felt like I was suddenly way out of my league.  These were seasoned pulp dealers and collectors that I was now dealing with and I was a mere novice at this genre.

Now the further I progressed onto the sales floor, I became a bit more comfortable based on the amount of comics I was seeing as well... Golden Age as well as key Silver Age books. 

I wasn't expecting to see that.

And finally, after wandering through the show for a bit, just to get a feel of where I was... this was when everything got a little surreal for me.

Jim Steranko was here.

As a dealer.

Who hasn't admired Steranko's work?  I certainly have and based simply on that, I assumed he was a larger than life personality... like 6 foot 8 inches larger than life.

No, I never saw or met him in real life before, but here he was... setting up his table while mingling with pulp collectors as he is and has been one, himself.

I was now almost 30-40 minutes into the opening of the show and I had taken a pretty good inventory of what was out and available.

Jim Steranko's table was incredibly popular as soon as he started bringing boxes out and it quickly became pretty obvious to me that he certainly had a following.  I made a mental note to myself to go back to his table after the crowds had subsided as I had known of his interpretations and work on various Shadow periodicals.

I had identified a few other tables that I wanted to revisit and I instantly got drawn in to all of the original artwork that was on display there...

I finally was able to collect my thoughts despite being a bit intimidated and overwhelmed at what I was seeing. 

Finally, I made my first purchase, but this again, reinforced the notion that I was in a strange new world here.  I found a table that wasn't so packed with customers and was able to slowly browse through some titles.  A lot of my research into the Street and Smith early Shadow years started to re-materialize in my head and I was able to make some connections based on what little I could remember.  I found this completely dissolved pulp for $10 but I had a fairly good idea of what was contained inside and so I sought to purchase it.  I looked around but couldn't find anyone to take my money for this pulp issue that I had just pulled out of a box.  I must've looked really confused because someone then approached me and asked if I needed help.  I answered that I just wanted to purchase this and this gentleman explained that this book belonged to "So and So" but he wasn't around.  He said he would give him the money as they were friends.

Oh yes, this is certainly a tight knit group of collectors... more-so than anything I had ever experienced on the comic collecting side.

Another side note I made to myself, and this was a bit saddening to me, I noticed that this was most definitely an older group of collectors.

Anyways, what was this amazing first $10 purchase of mine at my first PulpFest?

Many will laugh but I felt like I had a win under my belt. 

It was this lonely issue of Street and Smith's : Love Story Magazine.

Inside, as I was hoping there would be, was an advertisement for The Shadow Magazine before The Shadow had a recognizable image!

Dated : February 13th, 1932

(Based on the condition, It was the perfect candidate to take out the ad and stick in a frame.)

At this point, I figured I was doing well... only down $10.

And that's about the point where I reached the furthest corner booth of the room. 

Usually, the prime vendors are in the beginning of the show and middle, right?

Nope.

That's where this entire trip, this entire PulpFest was going to make or break my experience.

So much has happened to me since this date so I apologize if I get this vendor's name wrong.

I think his name was John and I think I might've purchased what I had, after this photo, as I don't see it on the rack behind him...

Now before I finish the rest of the story here, I'll just finish posting the remaining pictures that I took that afternoon, followed by a video of the convention from Pulp.Net.

And the walk-through video...

I have a feeling this was taken late in the afternoon on Thursday, August 3rd or early Friday morning (August 4th).

This certainly has to be intermission...

Hats off to Roy Harper.

And then the version we were all graced with...

So back to this picture for a moment...

I did a little detective work this afternoon and was able to confirm that this indeed is John, who came to PulpFest all the way from Oklahoma. 

His store on eBay is mybckpages : https://www.ebay.com/str/mybckpages

After taking in everything that was set up at this 'early bird' opening, his table (the very last one I browsed through) was the only one that had this particular book that I was not expecting to see.  A couple reasons behind why I was not expecting to see a copy of it, was because I had been searching the internet for one and couldn't find any.  Again, I'm a complete novice at this so I certainly don't have the connections or resources as many of the other seasoned collectors do.  But if there was one thing I was certain of... if I couldn't get a copy of The Shadow Magazine #1 (April, 1931), which I most likely never will, there was (for me) the next best thing., which was this.

The reason I felt that way was because of the journey that I was right in the middle of... the journey that took me to the ghosts of Pennsylvania, around 1936.

That journey underground.

It's funny as I just wrote that, I thought - when you enter a cave, caves usually find their way underground. 

And you find other things in caves as well...

Anyways, John had this amazing issue but it was priced at a point that I was uncomfortable with, especially in terms of dealings at a show.  Again, I'm a very reserved 'small fry' in this scene and even at a full blown comic-con, around $300 - $400 is my max as for comfort level on a single purchase. 

The price John had on this book was $950. 

I asked if I could see the book... in my mind, just to say to myself that I actually held this issue.  He gladly handed it me and it was fantastic to see this issue up close.  I mostly felt this way because of the thoughts I personally had about a certain topic, along with some notable articles that I read recently.

I sadly handed the book back to him and kindly said "Thank you, that's a really nice book."  As I was about to walk away, he told me that he would work with me on the price.  I said "Thanks", again, and walked away.  So here I was, around 400 miles away from home at this show that I had hoped to attend and planned for... and here I was finding a book that had haunted me since I learned of it.  I anxiously walked the floor, again almost as if in a daze... that seems to happen to me a lot. 

I think at this point I had still only spent that initial $10 but there were a lot of things that I had identified as potential purchases.... from original artwork to signed copies of Weird Tales and more.

As I was walking around, half depressed and half calculating, those magical words kept running through my head.

...

...

"I can work with you on the price..."

As I walked the floor, paced the floor... actually, who knows what the hell I was actually doing on the floor, I was thinking to myself...

"What did he mean by he would work with me?  Are we talking $20 off? $50 off?  What if it's $100 off?!"

It was there that I remembered my plan before I entered this unknown world.  And that was that I would treat this as if everything would work out and to go ahead as I had originally planned.  Meaning, that I would use the funds that I had gained from the Mexican Daredevil #1 sale for this trip.  After a quick calculation, I figured that I might only stretch this trip slightly if I were to go back and inquire more about that book that I had walked away from.

I thought to myself... "You could spend your entire budget on that one book (which you'll probably never find again)... or you could get a lot of cool 'filler'...".

I don't use the term 'filler' as a pejorative... it's just meant as purchases outside of ones 'focus'.

Now there's a term I haven't used since the underwater days.  Focus.

So, yeah... this is my focus now, isn't it? 

The 30's and 40's. 

The Shadow... 'bluecoal' ...

Yup, we're going back to talk to John.

I walked back to that lonely corner table and reintroduced myself to John. 

Once there, I asked him... when he stated that he would work with me on pricing, what actually did he have in mind?

He stood there and thought about it for a moment and then replied that he would take $150 off of the listed price. 

Needless to say, I was a bit in shock because I thought that $100 off of the asking price would be the high end.  So when he told me that he'd take $150 off... I immediately sprang into 'Buy It' mode!

I informed him that I didn't have the cash on me but asked if there was another venue to pursue. 

He told me he accepted 'PayPal'... my old friend.

And there it was. 

The road that would lead to this unlikely purchase.

I wasn't confident that this would work, as I had never transferred this amount before, but once he received the 'confirmed' notification... I was off and running! 

I actually now owned this dream of an acquisition... I couldn't believe it and I actually took a picture of it in my hand as I walked the floor.

Now you would think that this would be the highlight of the afternoon... nope!

Little did I know who I would run into after this purchase.

And yes... it's gotten to that point.

Intermission.

After that big purchase of The Shadow Magazine : November 1st, 1936, I went back to Jim Steranko's table as now the crowds surrounding it had subsided a bit.  I just wanted to say 'Hello' and take a closer look at some of the original artwork he had brought with him to display behind the table.  Upon doing this, I had to tell him how much I had admired his work throughout the years and (keeping with the genre) I had to tell him that I loved his renderings of The Shadow as well.  He was very genuine and gracious... this was actually the guy that put Bob Kane in his place. 

That's a very funny story and if you haven't heard it before, here it is...

Anyways, he asked me if I had seen his art book and I answered that I had not.  He reached under the table and brought out a few copies of this book and I began to flip through it.  It featured a great collection of his work as was presented by the Butler Institute of American Art.  I asked him how much the book was and proceeded to buy a copy. 

Before I left his table I happened to ask him if he was doing any sketches at the this show and he answered that he wasn't but he does commissions.  Again, he reached under the table and brought out his portfolio all containing commission pieces he was either working on or had completed.  It was all amazing to look at... I asked him how much a sketch of a character bust would be and he answered that it would be close to what I had just paid for my copy of The Shadow Magazine that I had just purchased.  Needless to say, I left more than content in seeing his portfolio and my copy of the Butler art book of his work.  That was a wonderful experience but there was one more table that I stopped at that just put a complete wrap on this show for me. 

I guess a gift wrap would be a more appropriate term.

When I initially went through the PulpFest show, there were a few tables that weren't set up yet or just in the process of setting up so I went through again, starting near the middle of the room where Jim Steranko was set up and then up to the front.  Right near the entrance (across from where Adventure House was set up), was a vendor who was now fully set up and there were a few nice Shadow related items that I bought for a very fair price. 

The first was a copy of Radio Nostalgia #4 featuring The Shadow (I believe portrayed here by Bill Johnstone) and the other items were a pair of 'Shadowgram' envelopes from Walter B. Gibson.  Sadly, I can't remember what vendor this was from but I did have a relatively short but nice talk with him.

He told me that the Shadowgram envelopes came from the Walter B. Gibson estate auction and that at one time, he had a lot of other items from that, but this was all that he had left now. 

I think I bought them for $2 a piece.

...

...

...

So... as I've been writing this entry in this journal, I've been also simultaneously writing to an absolute angel to this community. 

And that's, @skypinkblu

It was a very unexpected but heartfelt conversation and as a truck driver, this is a term we use when we know it's time to end the shift...

"I'm going to have to park it for the night."

To be continued...