Planet Stories Vol.1 No.1 — Golden Amazons of Venus, 1939 Fiction House
Hilariously missing the mark on Venus — depicted here as a sword-and-sandal world of golden warrior women rather than the sulfuric acid hellscape NASA would later confirm — this debut issue cover erupts with planetary combat. A helmeted Earthman armed with a ray-gun charges alongside scantily clad Amazonian warriors against a horde of reptilian invaders, while a red-haired woman struggles in the grip of a scaly alien. Quintessential space opera pulp energy at its most gloriously unbridled, illustrating John Murray Reynolds' Venusian adventure fantasy.
This is pure space opera at its most unrestrained — sword-wielding Amazons, scaly reptile invaders, and a lone Earthman hero all crammed into one kinetic battle scene. The combination of planetary romance tropes with lurid adventure aesthetics defines the Fiction House house style at its most exuberant debut.
“PLANET STORIES STRANGE ADVENTURES ON OTHER WORLDS— THE UNIVERSE OF FUTURE CENTURIES 20¢ THE GOLDEN AMAZONS OF VENUS NORTON, THE EARTHMAN, HELPS THE FAIR WARRIORS REPEL THE INVASION OF THE SCALY ONES by JOHN MURRAY REYNOLDS WARLORDS OF THE MOON by LIN DAVIES THE CAVE-DWELLERS OF SATURN by JOHN WIGGIN FICTION HOUSE MAGAZINE”
