by Robert Bonfils
This is from 1963.
Artwork of the Day: Untamed Female (by Robert Bonfils)
Tag Archives: Robert Bonfils
Pulp Vampires!
by Margaret Brundage
From the beginning of the pulp era to the modern day, horror has always been a popular genre. And with horror comes the vampires! Vampires were a popular subject for both the writers and the readers of the pulps. Much blood was spilt between the covers. Here are just a few of the vampires of the pulps:
by Paul Lehman
by John Newton Howitt
by Rafael DeSoto
by Sebastia Boada
by Sebastia Boada
By CC Senf
by H. William Reusswig
by Margaret Brundage
by Robert Bonfils
by Robert Maguire
by Rudolph Belarski
Unknown Artist
It’s not really October until a vampire comes tapping at your window, asking to be invited in.
The Dangerous Lives of Models
by Enoch Bolles
Sometime glamorous. Sometimes sordid. Sometimes dangerous. The life of the model has always been a popular subject for the pulps. Below are some pulp covers that deal not only with the experience of being model but also the weight of being an artist. There’s a price for everything.
by Ann Cantor
by Arnold Kohn
Artist Unknown
by Bernard Safran
by John Drew
by Paul Rader
by Rafael DeSoto
by Robert Bonfils
by Verne Tossey
by Hugh Joseph Ward
Artwork of the Day: Nylon Passport (by Robert Bonfils)
by Robert Bonfils
I don’t see a passport anywhere on that cover. This cover was done by Robert Bonfils, whose work we have featured many times in the past and will probably feature many times in the future.
Artwork of the Day: The Shame Takers (by Robert Bonfils)
by Robert Bonfils
This early psychedelic cover is from 1966 and comes to us courtesy of the great Robert Bonfils.
Beware The Tentacles Of October!
by John Newton Howitt
Are you scared of tentacles?
Whether they’re reaching down from the sky or coming out of the water, the idea of being grabbed and, even worse, squeezed by several slimy tentacles is a scary one! Perhaps that’s why it was such a popular image during the pulp age. Below is just a sampling of some of the era’s tentacle horror, courtesy of some of the best artists to work in the pulps!
by Earle Bergey
by Alexander Leydenfrost
by Edmund Emshwiller
by Hugh Joseph Ward
by L.B. Cole
by Lou Fine
by Rafael DeSoto
by Robert Bonfils
by Ron Embleton
by Rudolph Belarski
Artwork of the Day: Doctors Are Lovers Too (by Robert Bonfils)
This cover is from 1962. I guess this is the book that revealed that doctors aren’t all chaste priest-kings. The artwork was done by Robert Bonfils. The doctor looks a little confused but it appears that his patient knows exactly what needs to be examined.
Let’s Go Country With The Pulps
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 James Avati
by Julian Paul
by Paul Rader
by Rafael DeSoto
by Raymond Johnson
by Robert Bonfils
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
The Evil Schemes of Dr. Death
Who was Dr. Death? His original name was Rance Mandarin and he used to be a professor at Yale University until he was driven mad by his hatred of technology. Through the occult, Mandarin hoped to turn back time and reduce civilization back to a simpler, more primitive state. Standing in his way were the members of the Secret Twelve, one of whom was apparently the President of the United States.
In 1935, Dr. Death appeared in three issues of his own pulp magazine, with cover art from Rudolph Zirm. The magazine didn’t last long but it did find an audience years later when, in the 60s, Corinth Books reprinted the Dr. Death stories in paperback form. These paperbacks all had covers by Robert Bonfils, who brought a different visual spin to the character than Zirm had.
Below are the 6 covers of Dr. Death!
by Rudolph Zirm
by Rudolph Zirm
by Rudolph Zirm
by Robert Bonfils
by Robert Bonfils
by Robert Bonfils
Finally, Dr. Death was driven mad by technology in the 1930s. Can you imagine what would have happened to his brain if he had lived during our time?
The Phantom Detective Covers of Robert Bonfils
by Robert Bonfils
In the 1960s and 70s, it was common for paperback publishers to reprint old pulp stories in novel form. Though the stories would remain the same, the covers would often be updated to reflect the times and to hopefully bring in new readers.
Corinth Books, which previously specialized in softcore paperbacks, reprinted over twenty of the Phantom Detective’s adventures. The Phantom Detective had originally been published from 1932 to 1952 so. when Corinth started reprinting his tales, they knew that they needed a cover artist who could make the stories appeal to a contemporary audience. They selected the legendary Robert Bonfils, who was one of the first artists to be profiled on this site.
Below are the adventures of the Phantom Detective, reimagined by Robert Bonfils:
Through the Shattered Lens 