Gunslinger Noble with Ray-Gun, If: Worlds of Science Fiction, April 1956
This cover hilariously predicted that future weapons would look like chrome-plated art deco cigarette cases rather than anything resembling modern firearms. A scowling, blonde-haired rogue in ornate Renaissance-style robes clutches a gleaming ray-gun with theatrical menace, while in the background a luminous woman stands elevated on steps amid uniformed guards in a futuristic colonnaded hall — classic space-opera power politics rendered in rich, painterly oils.
Peak space-opera pulp energy with its swashbuckling anti-hero, ornate costuming, and political intrigue backdrop — this is decidedly operatic sci-fi in the Leigh Brackett or Jack Vance tradition, blending Renaissance court drama with far-future weaponry.
“WORLDS OF SCIENCE FICTION if APRIL 1956 35 CENTS”
