A complete, restored issue of Pulp Fiction from 1889 — 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 · 1889

Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 635

1889 · Free to read

Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 635 — page 2 of 16 — 2 / 16

Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 635 — page 3 of 16 — 3 / 16

Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 635 — page 4 of 16 — 4 / 16

Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 635 — page 5 of 16 — 5 / 16

Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 635 — page 6 of 16 — 6 / 16

Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 635 — page 7 of 16 — 7 / 16

Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 635 — page 8 of 16 — 8 / 16

Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 635 — page 9 of 16 — 9 / 16

Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 635 — page 10 of 16 — 10 / 16

Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 635 — page 11 of 16 — 11 / 16

Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 635 — page 12 of 16 — 12 / 16

Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 635 — page 13 of 16 — 13 / 16

Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 635 — page 14 of 16 — 14 / 16

Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 635 — page 15 of 16 — 15 / 16

Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 635 — page 16 of 16 — 16 / 16

About this issue

This frontier adventure serial, published by Beadle and Adams in September 1889, follows Charley Foraker, an Eastern gentleman visiting Fort Reno in Oklahoma Territory. After entertaining fellow officers with stories and songs, Foraker joins Lieutenant Bert Westerly and scout Oklahoma Hi on an expedition to confront illegal settlers ("boomers"). The narrative shifts to reveal Captain Deadman Dolph and his men, who possess something illicit they must hide from authorities—referenced cryptically as cargo requiring burial. When the soldiers spot Deadman's wagon-train fleeing toward the Canadian River, a pursuit across the prairie ensues. The captain refuses to explain their cargo to subordinate Toby Two-bits but insists on reaching the river before Oklahoma Hi intercepts them, suggesting desperation over mere land-claim violations. The chase culminates as Deadman's mule-drawn schooner races toward the timber-lined riverbed with mounted soldiers in pursuit.

Browse this issue page by page

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