A complete, restored issue of Pulp Fiction from 1878 — all 16 pages of painted-cover fiction magazines that launched science fiction, horror, and hardboiled crime, free to page through at ComicBooks.com.

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A complete issue · 16 pages · 1878

Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 48

1878 · Free to read

Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 48 — page 2 of 16 — 2 / 16

Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 48 — page 3 of 16 — 3 / 16

Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 48 — page 4 of 16 — 4 / 16

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Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 48 — page 15 of 16 — 15 / 16

Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 48 — page 16 of 16 — 16 / 16

About this issue

This issue features "Black John, The Road-Agent: The Outlaw's Retreat" by Jos. E. Badger, Jr., continuing from Chapter II. A stagecoach traverses treacherous terrain carrying passengers including Curly (Israel Tostivan), Kent Morgan, Frank Kershaw, May Howard, and Eunice Lee. Driver Ben Cockles warns that the notorious outlaw Black John—Monte Pete's former associate—has posted thousand-dollar rewards for Curly's location. As a storm approaches, the coach fords Little Wildcat Creek where Black John appears with masked gunmen, demanding toll from male passengers. Curly, concealed atop the coach, fires first, shooting Black John in the chest. The story blends frontier action with robbery-gang conflict, emphasizing gunplay and pursuit elements typical of dime-novel westerns.

Browse this issue page by page

Each page has its own page — the cartoon, who’s in it, and what the satire means.