A perfect pulp

This 1957 issue of Sure-Fire Detective Stories features an early work by Harlan Ellison.
The prolific writer was a frequent contributor to the pulps beginning in 1949 (if my research is correct).

But Harlan isn’t why I grabbed this scan, it’s because this image is
another great sample of pulp cover illustration. It’s got a little bit
of everything here …

  • Every headline has an exclamation point! It! Makes! Things! Exciting!
  • The illustration captures the heat of the moment.
  • The young woman is dressed pulp-appropriate with her sexy red dress and stockings.
  • The thug, what you can see him, looks like a dastardly ruffian.
  • The cash spilled out on the floor tells us a huge portion of the story — the thug was mugging the girl!

The issue is packed with other features, a rundown of which can be seen here.

An internet search of “Boss of the Big House” also finds this issue of Detective Comics with the same title from 1951.

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