Blood on the Sun – Startling Stories Martian Menace Cover, May 1942

Published in May 1942, as America entered World War II and pulp sci-fi was at peak cultural saturation, this Startling Stories cover illustrates Hal K. Wells's 'Blood on the Sun,' a book-length Martian invasion novel. A demonic, flame-wreathed alien face looms over a panicked group of humans — a hero in blue, a blonde woman in a star-spangled costume, and terrified bystanders — capturing the era's anxious blend of wartime dread and extraterrestrial threat.