Pulptober 2021, Themes Elaborated, Part Three
For some bizarre reason, while Part One is currently my Top Post of the last three days, Part Two has no Likes and only two RBs, and both of them are me.
11-Hellboy/Weird Pulp Hero
This is a bit of a tricky one. I’m defining it as when Weird Fiction Pulp and Hero Pulp combine, but since there’s a lot of Weird Fiction that isn’t Pulp, it can get tricky. There’s also the added complication of the Occult Detective genre, of which there is considerable overlap (notably, as @maxwell-grant has pointed out Hellboy fits both). Still, I will take up the gauntlet and present some alternate examples, namely Atomic Robo, Tom Strong, and Solomon Kane
12-The Whisperer/Lesser Lights
Another tricky one, albeit for a different reason; this is a very loose category, basically referring to Pulp Heroes who are relatively obscure. Of course, everyone’s idea of what constitutes “obscure“ is gonna be different, which, since everyone’s idea of what constitutes a Pulp Hero is different, means it’s tricky deciding what does and does not count. My attempt at some examples: Imaro*, The Gadget Man (who’s real name is Click Rush, which is so much fun to say I have to mention it), and The Phantom Reporter
13-Domino Lady/Spicy Pulp
So, yeah, Pulp Heroes where Fanservice is part of the point. Alternate examples: Vampirella, Barbarella, and Jungle Girl. If someone could please suggest some male examples, which I know have to exist because bodice-rippers exist, that’d be helpful.
14-Zorro/Swashbuckling
Yeah, this one is relatively obvious. Granted, what exactly counts as a swashbuckler is not something I can clearly define, but we all know it when we see it. As with Weird Pulp, figuring out which Swashbucklers count as Pulp Heroes is a bit tricky, especially since several of the ones I can think of I’ve, uh, already used for other themes. But, not all, such as John Carter, Red Sonja, and her inspiration Red Sonya of Rogatino
15-Sherlock Holmes/Great Detective
Again, an obvious one, the detective who solves crimes because he’s a genius who is able to reason his way to the solution. This is another one where there are LOADS of examples, but also many that don’t count as Pulp Heroes (notably, @maxwell-grant doesn’t think the primary for this day counts!). Still, there are enough I’m comfortable with calling Pulp Heroes to list; Nick Carter (duh), Charlie Chan, and the OG example of not only this category, but detective fiction in general, C. Auguste Dupin.
*I have not consumed any source material. Note that I’m counting modern stuff as source material, as long as they’re a major character, so f’r example, The Phantom Reporter’s role as narrator of The Twelve counts.
