In the years following the turn of the Twentieth Century, the first of the true "Pulp" heroes and stories appear.
Adventure in strange lands, swords and sorcery and science fiction all have some of their greatest voices enter the public consciousness in these three decades. For someone like myself, looking to mine the public domain for heroes to fit into a new universe, the years between 1900 and 1929 are some of the most interesting.
In 1901, H.G. Wells continued his mastery of the science fiction genre with "The First Men in the Moon." While I have no specific plans to use characters or plot-lines from this novel, it is of interest for its themes and general 'sci-fi' approach. Like any and all public domain stories, characters and elements from this one could show up at any time.
Edgar Rice Burroughs burst onto the scene with the first true 'Pulp' character, bringing Tarzan to readers everywhere in All-Story Magazine that year. I currently have no plans to use the Lord of the Jungle, he is a great character with a ton of potential. He could and likely will show up in a story sometime soon.
House of Justice? Sure. A supporting character appearance or historically referenced plot point could be in Lord Greystoke's future.
House of Crom? A safe bet that if Tarzan swings into action, it'll be here first.
House of Entropy? A sci-fi Tarzan? Yes, please!
House of Dread? Tarzan in a horror story? Now THAT is interesting.
In other "pulp" news, Burroughs also created John Carter, Warlord of Mars that same year, publishing in All-Story Magazine, just like Tarzan. Carter is the first of Burroughs' creations that I have folded into my Public Domain Super Heroes universe and he will be appearing again soon.
House of Justice? Less likely than the other three houses. He isn't exactly a super-hero, though he does play one on Mars.
House of Crom? Totally. In his 'Warlord of Mars' persona, Carter is a sci-fi swashbuckler, through and through.
House of Entropy? John Carter stars alongside Buck Rogers and Crash Corrigan in The Mongo Machine and will be returning in a solo adventure from House of Entropy in 2026.
House of Dread? Oh yeah. Scary aliens abound out there in the PDSH universe!
Expanding his reach outside of the detective genre, Arthur Conan Doyle published his The Lost World that same year, 1912. The brusk, abrasive, Professor Challenger will find his way into my work sooner or later.
House of Justice? As I have said before, you can never have too many experts! Challenger could support any number of super hero adventures.
House of Crom? He's not exactly a swashbuckler or known for swords and/or sorcery adventures, but you never know.
House of Entropy? I can imagine finding a 'Lost World' somewhere in my universe for him to lead an expedition into, for sure!
House of Dread? This guy found dinosaurs in 1912. I'm sure he'll get into more monster trouble sooner or later.
Johnston McCulley created what might be the first masked pulp hero (at least the first to survive into the modern age) when he wrote the first Zorro tale, The Curse of Capistrano in 1919. Zorro is definitely on my 'to do' list of heroes to bring into the fold.
House of Justice? Absolutely. Zorro will bring cape, cowl, whip and wit to the House of Justice.
House of Crom? Buckles? Check. Swash? Check. Add some magic and he's in!
House of Entropy? Less likely, but Zorro in a sci-fi adventure could be a hoot if done right.
House of Dread? Coming 2026. Watch this space for a team up you won't believe!
In 1928, Robert E. Howard was beginning his most productive phase and creating some of his most enduring characters. The first Solomon Kane story appeared in Weird Tales that year. The puritan, witch hunting Kane has already found his way into the Public Domain Super Heroes universe.
House of Justice? Probably not. Kane isn't a super hero and I can't see him taking on 'super-villains'.
House of Crom? Absolutely. Most stories featuring Solomon Kane are more horror tinged, but I can see him in a straight up swords & sorcery context someday.
House of Entropy? Again, not likely. Solomon Kane is a 17th Century man, through and through and I don't do time travel as a rule. There's always a steam-punk possibility.
House of Dread? Solomon Kane stars in The Gauntlet of Nabu, a tale of possession and dark magic, available as a backup story to Red SonYa of Rogatino The Shadow of Tanaghaara. He will return to stalk the House of Dread in 2026.
Howard's other major contribution to pulp fiction in the 1920s (he made a ton, but most of those characters and stories haven't held their popularity) was Kull of Atlantis. He was conceived as the King of Valusia, exiled from his native Atlantis. I have changed some of his backstory and re imagined his early years and will continue to add to his new history.
House of Justice? Not likely. Though his history does figure into Dr. Satan and the Element of Evil, he's a roving adventure who lived deep in pre-history.
House of Crom? Kull of Atlantis stars in Swords in the House of Horus and will return for more axe wielding adventures in the near future.
House of Entropy? Very unlikely.
House of Dread? A distinct possibility. Kull could run up against creeping horror, no doubt.
In 1928, Philip Francis Nowlan published Armageddon - 2149 AD, introducing the world to Buck Rogers. Buck is a great fit for my line of sci-fi stories.
House of Justice? Unlikely. Like most of the sci-fi heroes of the pulp era, he's not a super hero, full stop.
House of Crom? Not likely. Buck is ray guns and space ships, not swords and wizards.
House of Entropy? Buck Rogers stars alongside John Carter and Crash Corrigan in The Mongo Machine and in the solo novel, The Metropolis of Mongo.
House of Dread? Two words: Space. Vampires.
My next article will cover my plans for characters created from 1930 to 1934. Some BIG names in those years and some equally BIG plans afoot! Stay tuned!
And if you'd like a sneak peak, you can always drop by Public Domain Super Heroes!
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