Startling Stories May 1947 — Space Heroine Battles Serpent Creature with Ray Gun

A crimson-clad space heroine fires her ray gun point-blank at a coiling, whip-like serpent creature that lunges from a swirling dimensional vortex — the energy bolt catches the beast dead-on as planets and cosmic spirals churn behind her. Kneeling but defiant, her dark hair streaming in some alien wind, she is the sole barrier between the viewer and whatever horror writhes in that glowing maelstrom. This is pulp cover art at its most kinetic: all action, peril, and saturated color.