The Pulpster is an annual magazine published for fans and scholars of pulp magazines, which were inexpensive fiction magazines popular in the first half of the 20th century. Unlike the pulps it covers, The Pulpster doesn’t contain new fiction. Instead, it serves as a non-fiction journal dedicated to exploring the history and legacy of the genre. The magazine debuted in 1991 at Pulpcon, a convention for pulp enthusiasts, and was founded by editor Tony Davis. Today, it is the official program book for PulpFest, the successor to Pulpcon, and is given to every attendee of the convention.

Each issue of The Pulpster features a variety of articles covering different aspects of the pulp world. The content often includes anniversary celebrations of specific magazines like Weird Tales or Black Mask, as well as biographical profiles of the authors, artists, and editors who created these publications. The magazine also delves into iconic pulp characters such as The Shadow and Doc Savage, and explores various genres, from detective stories and science fiction to westerns and men’s adventure tales. A recurring section, “Final Chapters,” honors members of the pulp community who have passed away.

Over the years, The Pulpster has grown from a small chapbook into a larger, quarto-sized magazine with color covers. It’s not available through a traditional subscription model. Instead, copies are primarily distributed at PulpFest, though back issues can often be purchased separately. This makes the magazine a unique and valuable resource for anyone interested in the history of pulp fiction.

The front and back covers of the inaugural edition of The Pulpster, released in 1991, are displayed below, showcasing an action scene featuring Tarzan, as illustrated by Frank Hoban.

The 34th edition of The Pulpster magazine was published in 2025 to coincide with the PulpFest convention, which took place at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Pittsburgh – Cranberry, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA, from the 7th to the 10th of August 2025.

The front cover of this edition contains an illustration painted by Graves Gladney, originally appearing on the cover of ‘The Golden Master’ for The Shadow pulp magazine published on the 15th of September 1939.

The back cover features an advertisement created by Bill Cunningham for the Paperback Warrior Podcast. It presents a collage comprising an extensive array of characters depicted by numerous artists, including Doc Savage, The Shadow, The Green Hornet, Tarzan, and John Carter. Additionally, the collage incorporates an image of the Phantom.

The illustration of the Phantom is by George Wilson and was featured on the front cover of book number 13 in The Story of The Phantom series, which was published by Avon Publications in the United States in 1975, which can be seen below.

The Pulpster edition number 34, which contains 60 pages, focuses on the theme of villainy. It celebrates the 150th birthdays of influential writers Edgar Rice Burroughs, Rafael Sabatini, and Edgar Wallace. The issue also includes a special package of articles on pulp villains, acknowledging the 90th anniversary of the first pulp magazine with a villain as its lead, Dell Publishing’s Doctor Death. Readers will find a range of articles, including a look at the women who wrote for the science fiction pulps, a piece on the ‘working girls’ of the pulps, an interview with science fiction author Philip José Farmer, and a tribute to those recently lost in the pulp community in the ‘Final Chapters’ section.

No Phantom content is featured within the magazine.

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