Giant Red Monster Attacks Humans — Startling Stories Sept. 1942
This September 1942 cover of Startling Stories — a flagship Thrilling Publications sci-fi pulp — showcases a towering crimson reptilian monster bearing down on a desperate group of humans. A blonde woman is swept up in its clawed grasp while armed men fire pistols and wield knives in futile resistance. The wartime 'Buy War Bonds' badge in the corner anchors this fever-pitched monster attack squarely in the American homefront anxiety of 1942, illustrating William Morrison's novel 'Two Worlds to Save.'
This cover screams closer to 'exploding space station' than anything restrained — a massive fanged red beast clutching a screaming woman while men fire guns point-blank is pure unhinged pulp maximalism. The wartime patriotic badge somehow makes it even more gloriously chaotic.
“15¢ SCIENTIFICTION AT ITS BEST STARTLING STORIES SEPT. A NOVEL OF THE FUTURE COMPLETE IN THIS ISSUE! FEATURING TWO WORLDS TO SAVE An Amazing Novel of the Future By WILLIAM MORRISON A THRILLING PUBLICATION BUY WAR BONDS AND STAMPS FOR VICTORY! THE CUBIC CITY A Hall of Fame Story By LOUIS TUCKER STARTLING STORIES SEPT. 1942”
