Planet of the Small Men — Thrilling Wonder Stories April 1950 Cover
What catches the eye immediately is the woman's gleaming gold metallic bikini armor — surprisingly brazen even for 1950 pulp standards — as she recoils from a spiky alien device while a square-jawed hero in a red spacesuit lunges protectively overhead. The background ruptures into alien machinery and a blue-grey cavern, with a sharp-finned spacecraft visible mid-distance. The composition crackles with kinetic drama, typifying the peak of painted pulp cover art.
A man in a red jumpsuit dramatically gestures at nothing in particular while a woman in golden armor cups an alien orb with apparent concern — together they have achieved the Platonic ideal of 1950 pulp cover composition. Earle Bergey's brass brassiere strikes again.
“THRILLING WONDER STORIES APR. 25¢ FEATURED NOVELETS Planet OF THE SMALL MEN By Mi[lton] [Le]nster [EVIL] [DARK]ness A THRILLING PUBLICATION APR. 1950”
