Blood & Thunder: The Idealized American West and Its Place Today: Pulp Magazines & Comics

Supported by a Carnegie Whitney Grant from the American Library Association

Pulp Magazines & Comics

Action Stories’ Pulp Magazine covers, Dickinson Research Center, National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum. RC2022.020.

Pulp magazines, descendants of dime novels, were especially popular from the 1920s-1940s. Made from wood pulp, these magazines were inexpensive and covered a variety of subjects, including Westerns. The collage above is a collection of Action Stories pulp magazine covers and is representative of the types of pulp magazines that could be found on newsstands. For more information on Pulp Studies, please see Camille McCutcheon's "Selective, Representative Bibliography of Resources on Pulp Studies in American Culture," in The Journal of American Culture, Volume 44, No. 1, March 2021, pp. 54-60.

Following World War II, Western-themed comic books burst onto the scene. These comics appealed to a large audience both at home and internationally. Below are galleries of images from pulp magazines and comics from the United States and abroad. Those printed in English include "Annie Oakley and Tagg," "Rex Allen," and the "Classics Illustrated: Buffalo Bill" comics. Other titles and the language they are printed in are as follows:

French: “Photo Aventures: Les Exploits de Buffalo Bill.” From the Michele Cornette Collection, MS 339, McCracken Research Library. Courtesy of the Buffalo Bill Center of the West, Cody, Wyoming.
German: “Buffalo Bill: Der Held des Widen Westen,” series. From the Inge & Friedhelm Oriwol Collection, MS 347, McCracken Research Library. Courtesy of the Buffalo Bill Center of the West, Cody, Wyoming.
Italian: “Buffalo-Bill L’Eroe del Wild West,” series. From the George Sodini Collection, MS 380, McCracken Research Library. Courtesy of the Buffalo Bill Center of the West, Cody, Wyoming.
Spanish: "Sitting Bull: El Ultimo Sioux" series. From the Felix Roelandt Collection, MS 349, McCracken Research Library. Courtesy of the Buffalo Bill Center of the West, Cody, Wyoming.

“Annie Oakley and Tagg” Comic (1955), cover. From the Darlene Groenier Collection, MS 345, McCracken Research Library. Courtesy of the Buffalo Bill Center of the West, Cody, Wyoming.

“Annie Oakley and Tagg” Comic (1955), interior page. From the Darlene Groenier Collection, MS 345, McCracken Research Library. Courtesy of the Buffalo Bill Center of the West, Cody, Wyoming.

“Classics Illustrated: Buffalo Bill, no. 106,” cover. From the James W. Wojtowicz Collection, MS 327, McCracken Research Library. Courtesy of the Buffalo Bill Center of the West, Cody, Wyoming.

“Classics Illustrated: Buffalo Bill, no. 106,” interior page. From the James W. Wojtowicz Collection, MS 327, McCracken Research Library. Courtesy of the Buffalo Bill Center of the West, Cody, Wyoming.

Cover Image, “Buffalo Bill: Der Held des Widen Westen,” series, "Der Korporal des Teufels." From the Inge & Friedhelm Oriwol Collection, MS 347, McCracken Research Library. Courtesy of the Buffalo Bill Center of the West, Cody, Wyoming.

Cover Image, “Buffalo Bill: Der Held des Widen Westen,” series, "Die Wolfsfalle vom Pinto Rock." From the Inge & Friedhelm Oriwol Collection, MS 347, McCracken Research Library. Courtesy of the Buffalo Bill Center of the West, Cody, Wyoming.

Cover Image, “Buffalo Bill: Der Held des Widen Westen,” series, "Das Geheimnis der verschollenen Kutschen." From the Inge & Friedhelm Oriwol Collection, MS 347, McCracken Research Library. Courtesy of the Buffalo Bill Center of the West, Cody, Wyoming.

Cover Image, “Buffalo Bill: Der Held des Widen Westen,” series, "In der Opferholle der Apachen." From the Inge & Friedhelm Oriwol Collection, MS 347, McCracken Research Library. Courtesy of the Buffalo Bill Center of the West, Cody, Wyoming.

Cover Image, “Buffalo Bill: Der Held des Widen Westen,” series, "Die Sohne des bosen Geistes." From the Inge & Friedhelm Oriwol Collection, MS 347, McCracken Research Library. Courtesy of the Buffalo Bill Center of the West, Cody, Wyoming.

Cover Image, “Buffalo Bill: Der Held des Widen Westen,” series, "Das Tal der brennenden Wigwams." From the Inge & Friedhelm Oriwol Collection, MS 347, McCracken Research Library. Courtesy of the Buffalo Bill Center of the West, Cody, Wyoming.

Cover Image, "Sitting Bull: El Ultimo Sioux" series, "Los Raptores de Jovenes de Balls Bluff." From the Felix Roelandt Collection, MS 349, McCracken Research Library. Courtesy of the Buffalo Bill Center of the West, Cody, Wyoming.

Cover Image, "Sitting Bull: El Ultimo Sioux" series, "La Wolvern-Store del Missouri." From the Felix Roelandt Collection, MS 349, McCracken Research Library. Courtesy of the Buffalo Bill Center of the West, Cody, Wyoming.

Cover Image, "Sitting Bull: El Ultimo Sioux" series, "El Cetro Perdido del Jefe." From the Felix Roelandt Collection, MS 349, McCracken Research Library. Courtesy of the Buffalo Bill Center of the West, Cody, Wyoming.

Cover Image, "Sitting Bull: El Ultimo Sioux" series, "El Desperado del Valle de Yosemite." From the Felix Roelandt Collection, MS 349, McCracken Research Library. Courtesy of the Buffalo Bill Center of the West, Cody, Wyoming.

Cover Image, "Sitting Bull: El Ultimo Sioux" series, "El Demonio de Hierro de los Rostros Palidos." From the Felix Roelandt Collection, MS 349, McCracken Research Library. Courtesy of the Buffalo Bill Center of the West, Cody, Wyoming.

Cover Image, "Sitting Bull: El Ultimo Sioux" series, "En la Pradera Incendiada." From the Felix Roelandt Collection, MS 349, McCracken Research Library. Courtesy of the Buffalo Bill Center of the West, Cody, Wyoming.

Cover Image, "Sitting Bull: El Ultimo Sioux" series, "Sitting-Bull en el Lazo de la Muerte." From the Felix Roelandt Collection, MS 349, McCracken Research Library. Courtesy of the Buffalo Bill Center of the West, Cody, Wyoming.

“Rex Allen” Comic, Cover Page. MS 542, Rex Allen Comic, Dell Comics Co., McCracken Research Library. Courtesy of the Buffalo Bill Center of the West, Cody, Wyoming.

“Rex Allen” Comic, interior page. MS 542, Rex Allen Comic, Dell Comics Co., McCracken Research Library. Courtesy of the Buffalo Bill Center of the West, Cody, Wyoming.

Cover Image, “Photo Aventures: Les Exploits de Buffalo Bill.” From the Michele Cornette Collection, MS 339, McCracken Research Library. Courtesy of the Buffalo Bill Center of the West, Cody, Wyoming.

Interior Page, “Photo Aventures: Les Exploits de Buffalo Bill.” From the Michele Cornette Collection, MS 339, McCracken Research Library. Courtesy of the Buffalo Bill Center of the West, Cody, Wyoming.

Cover Image, “Buffalo-Bill L’Eroe del Wild West,” series, "Il forte delle montagne contrastate." From the George Sodini Collection, MS 380, McCracken Research Library. Courtesy of the Buffalo Bill Center of the West, Cody, Wyoming.

Cover Image, “Buffalo-Bill L’Eroe del Wild West,” series, "Il segreto del Diamante nero." From the George Sodini Collection, MS 380, McCracken Research Library. Courtesy of the Buffalo Bill Center of the West, Cody, Wyoming.

Cover Image, “Buffalo-Bill L’Eroe del Wild West,” series, "All'inseguimento della Banda delle Tigri." From the George Sodini Collection, MS 380, McCracken Research Library. Courtesy of the Buffalo Bill Center of the West, Cody, Wyoming.

Cover Image, “Buffalo-Bill L’Eroe del Wild West,” series, "La stravagante avventura di Tommy Plumkett." From the George Sodini Collection, MS 380, McCracken Research Library. Courtesy of the Buffalo Bill Center of the West, Cody, Wyoming.

Cover Image, “Buffalo-Bill L’Eroe del Wild West,” series, "La compagnia di ventura." From the George Sodini Collection, MS 380, McCracken Research Library. Courtesy of the Buffalo Bill Center of the West, Cody, Wyoming.

Cover Image, “Buffalo-Bill L’Eroe del Wild West,” series, "Masampa, la Regina Indiana." From the George Sodini Collection, MS 380, McCracken Research Library. Courtesy of the Buffalo Bill Center of the West, Cody, Wyoming.

Cover Image, “Buffalo-Bill L’Eroe del Wild West,” series, "Sam il Negro." From the George Sodini Collection, MS 380, McCracken Research Library. Courtesy of the Buffalo Bill Center of the West, Cody, Wyoming.

Cover Image, “Buffalo-Bill L’Eroe del Wild West,” series, "Alfonso Montealegre, il disperato." From the George Sodini Collection, MS 380, McCracken Research Library. Courtesy of the Buffalo Bill Center of the West, Cody, Wyoming.

Cover Image, “Buffalo-Bill L’Eroe del Wild West,” series, "Il terrore del Texas." From the George Sodini Collection, MS 380, McCracken Research Library. Courtesy of the Buffalo Bill Center of the West, Cody, Wyoming.

Cover Image, “Buffalo-Bill L’Eroe del Wild West,” series, "Kent Kennard, il rapitore di vergini." From the George Sodini Collection, MS 380, McCracken Research Library. Courtesy of the Buffalo Bill Center of the West, Cody, Wyoming.

Cover Image, “Buffalo-Bill L’Eroe del Wild West,” series, "I segreti della Grande Compagnia." From the George Sodini Collection, MS 380, McCracken Research Library. Courtesy of the Buffalo Bill Center of the West, Cody, Wyoming.