Coming soon. Rex is currently working on his debut adventure novel for Crimson PulpFic.
What is adventure pulp fiction, and how does it connect to the golden age?
Adventure pulp fiction is high-octane storytelling featuring globe-trotting heroes, exotic locations, and non-stop action. Born in the pulp magazines of the 1920s-1940s, adventure pulp gave us treasure hunters, explorers, soldiers of fortune, and two-fisted heroes who dive into danger without waiting for permission. The genre prioritizes excitement, exotic settings, and larger-than-life characters over literary pretension.
Adventure magazine (1910-1971) was called "Dean of the pulps" by Newsweek and "the No. 1 pulp" by Time magazine. Argosy, the first true pulp magazine, featured adventure stories from 1896 onward. Other major titles included Blue Book, Short Stories, and the hero pulps like Doc Savage (1933-1949). At their peak in the 1930s, over forty monthly adventure pulp titles competed on newsstands.
Doc Savage, "The Man of Bronze," debuted in March 1933 and became one of pulp fiction's most influential heroes. Created by Street & Smith and primarily written by Lester Dent, Doc Savage was described as a cross between "Sherlock Holmes with his deducting ability, Tarzan with his physique, Craig Kennedy with his scientific knowledge, and Abraham Lincoln with his moral character." Doc Savage directly inspired Superman and countless adventure heroes that followed.
The adventure pulps created foundational characters of modern pop culture: Tarzan, Zorro, The Shadow, Doc Savage, The Spider, and countless others. These heroes established templates still used today—the masked vigilante, the wealthy adventurer, the scientist-hero, the jungle lord. Indiana Jones, Batman, and virtually every action hero owes a debt to the two-fisted adventurers of the pulp era.
Rex Callahan writes adventure fiction in the classic pulp tradition: heroes who don't wait for permission, cinematic set pieces, and globe-trotting action that keeps readers turning pages past midnight. Like the pulp masters before him, Callahan delivers high-octane thrills without apology. His heroes dive, bleed, and get the treasure anyway—modern inheritors of Doc Savage, Tarzan, and every two-fisted adventurer who came before.