A diver plunges headfirst toward tropical waters in this cover for Adventure, the pulp magazine that pioneered action-adventure fiction for male readers. Published twice monthly at fifteen cents, Adventure competed through painted covers depicting exotic locales, athletic feats, and scenarios of danger and survival. The composition—a muscular figure in mid-dive against bold typography and a distant island—promised stories of exploration and peril across unmapped territories. Such imagery shaped the visual language pulp magazines inherited from dime novels, establishing conventions that later comic books would adopt: dynamic poses, saturated color, and the promise of adventure beyond civilization's bounds.
About this artifact
- Date
- September 15, 1917
- Rights
- Public domain — free to view, share, and reuse.
- Restoration
- Digitally restored and hosted by comicbooks.com.
Part of our mission to preserve and restore the public-domain heritage of the medium.