EDitorial Comments

Pulp Pinup Queen Mala Mastroberte Joins Murania Press At Windy City Con!

Blood ‘n’ Thunder readers who hadn’t already heard of Mala Mastroberte got acquainted with her — well, acquainted with her work, anyway — in last year’s double issue. For those who didn’t get it (and what are you waiting for?), Mala is a lovely and talented woman whose fascination with pulp culture inspired her to try something unique in the annals of our hobby. She decided to recreate some of her favorite “Good Girl Art” covers from pulps, true-crime, and men’s-adventure magazines — with herself as the primary female subject.

As you can see from the Spicy Detective recreation below, Mala has the looks and figure for the job. But what makes her work special is that she is also the photographer and graphic designer of these covers! She begins by searching for wigs, props, and costumes that will enable her to pass for the women in the photos or paintings. Then she poses herself in the same positions, takes the pictures, and Photoshops herself into the covers. And she does an excellent job, believe me!

Mala now sells poster-sized prints of her cover recreations, and Binary Publications recently issued a book collecting some of her best efforts, titled Malaland Magazines.

I’m very happy to report that Mala will be joining me at the Murania Press table during next weekend’s Windy City Pulp and Paper Convention. She’ll be on hand all weekend to sell her book and copies of her prints, all of which I recommend highly. So stop by to purchase her wares and get them signed. (Also, I’ll have copies of the BnT issue with her portfolio, and I’m sure she would be glad to sign that too.) Thus far Rich Harvey’s Pulp Adventurecon is the only pulp-collector gathering Mala has attended, and she’s very much looking forward to the Windy City experience. Please make sure you give yourself plenty of time while at the show to visit our table and get acquainted.