Artwork of the Day: Detective Fiction Weekly (by Emmett Watson)

Posted on August 26, 2025 by Dazzling Erin

by Emmett Watson

This cover, which may be the greatest of all time, is from 1940.

Artwork of the Day: Progressive Grocer (by Emmett Watson)

Posted on December 25, 2023 by Dazzling Erin

by Emmett Watson

Merry Christmas!

Artwork of the Day: Railroad Stories (by Emmett Watson)

Posted on August 15, 2022 by Dazzling Erin

by Emmett Watson

This tribute to mass transport was published in 1932.

Let’s Go Country With The Pulps

Posted on July 2, 2021 by Dazzling Erin

With the Fourth of July just a few days away, let’s celebrate the American countryside with the pulps! From the early days of the pulps, life in rural America has been a favorite subject. Here are a few portrayals of that life, courtesy of some of the best artists and illustrators to work in the pulp industry!

by James Meese

by Barye Phillips

by Emmett Watson

by George Gross

by Hans Helweg

by James Avati

by Julian Paul

by Paul Rader

by Rafael DeSoto

by Raymond Johnson

by Robert Bonfils

by Robert Maguire

by Robert McGinnis

by Rudy Nappi

by Sam Cherry

by Samson Pollen

by Saul Levine

by Stanley Zuckerberg

by Victor Kalin

by Walter Popp

Artwork of the Day: Good Hardware (by Emmett Watson)

Posted on December 3, 2020 by Dazzling Erin

by Emmett Watson

The Covers of The Phantom Detective

Posted on April 15, 2020 by Dazzling Erin

by Rudolph Belarski

From 1932 to 1952, the Phantom Detective fought crime and had adventures in his very own pulp magazine. Released shortly after the first issue of The Shadow and a month before the first issue of Doc Savage, The Phantom Detective was the second pulp hero to get his own magazine and also one of the most successful. With a 170 issues, The Phantom Detective had the third-highest number of “official” adventures of any pulp character. (Ahead of him were, again, the Shadow and Doc Savage.)

Much like both the Shadow and the soon-to-be introduced Batman, the Phantom Detective was a playboy by day and a crime fighter by night. Richard Curtis Van Loon may have begun life as a member of the idle rich but, after experiencing the horrors of World War I, he found it difficult to return to his former lifestyle. So, he became the Phantom Detective and used his powers to solve mysteries, fight crime, and protect the public.

Given the magazine’s long run, it’s no surprise that many different artists did covers for The Phantom Detective. Below are just a few covers from his original run. Where known, the artist have been credited.