You know, it may have something to do with that dark, avenging spider, but superheroes are back in a big way this summer. In fact, it seems that all genre across the board is seeing a bit of resurgence. With the success of shows like Longmire and Breaking Bad on television and then the media storm that is Fifty Shades of Grey, it’s a great time to be a genre fan, be it crime, romance, or sci-fi/fantasy.
Around here, we have been doing pulp and pulp heroes for a long time. One might say we were into crime-fighters with tortured, dark pasts and questionable ethics before it was cool.
That being said, artist Calamity Jon has married some pretty awesome pulp authors and the members of America’s newest favorite superhero team, The Avengers. Now, Marvel has also done its own little tribute to Noir and Pulp in un-powered form, but this art was too cool not to share.
Calamity Jon carefully selected authors Donald Hamilton, Leslie Charteris, and Charles Willeford and paired them with heroes Black Widow, The Wasp, and Luke Cage. I mean who among us pulp fans can resist a Russian spy femme fatale or a street-tough with a heart of gold? (But honestly, I was kind of hoping for an Ant-man/Doc Savage crossover.)
See them all on the artist’s Tumblr account, then tell us which superhero you think would carry over into pulp and survive without his/her powers!
[b]Donald Hamilton[/b], [b]Leslie Charteris[/b], and [b]Charles Willeford were not pulp writers. That art attempts to look like vintage PAPERBACK art.[/b]