• When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Weird Tales Pulps

Started by CAP Freak,

11 posts in this topic

Comicsarefun

Comicsarefun

Posted
Posted

Brundage did do a few later issues in 1940-41, but after 1938 when they changed locations from Chicago to New York, and were faced with serious restrictions over cover content, the Brundage's were pretty tame (as were all Weird Tales covers after 1938). Her pastels would not ship well (she hand delivered in Chicago), and she was not great by her own admission in other formats.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Cimm

Cimm

Posted
Posted
Brundage did do a few later issues in 1940-41, but after 1938 when they changed locations from Chicago to New York, and were faced with serious restrictions over cover content, the Brundage's were pretty tame (as were all Weird Tales covers after 1938). Her pastels would not ship well (she hand delivered in Chicago), and she was not great by her own admission in other formats.

 

Why is 1938 the "cover content cut-off" point? Was there a new law passed, or something similar to the outcry by Wertham and the Senate Investigation of 1954? I've been wondering this for some time, because it seems, particularly with Fiction House, that THEIR covers didn't actually GET risque until this period, while some of (but NOT all) the companies that HAD been sporting the outre covers up until 1938 became tame... What legislation or event precipitated this?

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Comicsarefun

Comicsarefun

Posted
Posted
Brundage did do a few later issues in 1940-41, but after 1938 when they changed locations from Chicago to New York, and were faced with serious restrictions over cover content, the Brundage's were pretty tame (as were all Weird Tales covers after 1938). Her pastels would not ship well (she hand delivered in Chicago), and she was not great by her own admission in other formats.

 

Why is 1938 the "cover content cut-off" point? Was there a new law passed, or something similar to the outcry by Wertham and the Senate Investigation of 1954? I've been wondering this for some time, because it seems, particularly with Fiction House, that THEIR covers didn't actually GET risque until this period, while some of (but NOT all) the companies that HAD been sporting the outre covers up until 1938 became tame... What legislation or event precipitated this?

 

I know I read about this, but I can't find the source material right now. I do know that Weird Tales was independent until it sold to a larger publisher in 1938 and moved the office to New York. New York was in the middle of an overall decency overhaul, which included magazine content and covers, leading into a gerneral reform. The violent covers were still okay I guess, but much of the nudity was gone by 1939 in Pulps right? I would like to see examples from this period that still use nudity if you have them.

 

What seems clear, is that the new Weird Tales publisher was no longer going to use the erotic covers to aid in magazine sales, as there is a clear cutoff in late 1938. This must have been caused by the decency outcry in New York at the time, or perhaps they had their own code of conduct which made them change, while following the signs of the times.

 

It is interesting to note that there was a longstanding debate over the Brundage covers in the letters section of Weird Tales. Many readers loved the covers, but it seems just as many did not care for them, and requested more "weird" cover content (which is just what they got in the 1940's and 1950's). I remember one lady in particular that wrote in to say she always ripped the cover off as soon as she left the store, and I have seen other examples where the nude figure was inked out in heavy black marker (by mom?).

 

Anyway, sorry to be blabbing in a sales thread.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Go to topic listing