Startling Stories March 1940 – Brain-Headed Alien Under Glass Dome
This cover of Startling Stories (March 1940, vol. 3 no. 2, a Thrilling Publications title) depicts a nightmarish insectoid alien — its exposed brain crowning a bug-eyed, spindly-limbed body — contained beneath a glass bell jar while two terrified human scientists recoil, one brandishing a golden ray gun. The cover headlines Henry Kuttner's book-length novel 'When New York Vanished,' blending mad-science horror with classic pulp alien-contact tension.
A bulbous-brained bug creature trapped under glass while panicked scientists wave ray guns — this is closer to 'exploding space station' than 'quiet library.' The exposed alien brain alone pushes it into peak pulp territory.
“STARTLING STORIES 15¢ MARCH A THRILLING PUBLICATION FEATURING WHEN NEW YORK VANISHED A Book-Length Novel of the Missing Metropolis By HENRY KUTTNER LIFE STORY OF SIR ISAAC NEWTON TOLD IN PICTURES”
