If you missed the last one…
Arthur J. Burks was a “Thrilling” writer in 1935, partly because he wrote a lot. He averaged 5.5 stories a month. No serials. But also because he appeared in Thrilling Adventures, Thrilling Detective and Thrilling Mysteries/Mystery. Burks was writing for Leo Marguiles, top editor at Ned Pines Pulp chain. As in the past, AJB wrote for many titles within a publisher’s group, appearing in almost every issue in a year.
Even more impressive is his output for Harry Steeger’s new Weird Menace Pulps: Dime Mystery, Horror Stories, Terror Tales, part of the Popular Chain. These magazines were written to a strict formula but paid as much as three cents a word. The pay was so good that AJB used the pseudonym “Spencer Whitney” to double up on dollars. Burks wrote a lot of stories, and usually under his own name. The money must have been too good to turn down.
Shudder Pulps were based on the Grand Guignol theater and its gore for gore-sake storytelling. Unlike Weird Tales, Weird Menace rarely has true supernatural creatures. The werewolf, zombie or ghost proves to be a madman, often deformed and accompanied by henchmen. The new competition for Weird Tales forced Farnsworth Wright to bring out his own Shudder Pulp character, Doctor Satan, in 1935. These were written by Paul Ernst. Eventually the letters of comment in “The Eyrie” helped Wright decide that Weird Tale was not a Shudder Pulp, and dropped the Doctor.
January
“Blood of the Dragon” (Thrilling Adventures, January 1935)
“The Flower Shop Murder” (The Shadow, January 1, 1935)
“The Golden Mask Murders” (Popular Detective, January 1935)
“The Hell Crates” (Sky Fighters, January 1935)
February
“The Black Orchids” (Doctor Death, February 1935)
“The Flying Devils” (Sky Fighters, February 1935)
“The Stunt Man” (The Lone Eagle, February 1935)
“Terror in the Dark” (Horror Stories, February 1935) This is AJB first official “Shudder Pulp”.
March
“Blue Light” (The Phantom Detective, March 1935)
“Combat Report” (Thrilling Adventures, March 1935)
“Death Calls from the Lake” (Dime Mystery, March 1935)
“Death’s Brain-child” (Dime Mystery, March 1935) as Spencer Whitney
“The Man Who Didn’t Exist” (Doctor Death, March 1935)
“Ricochet Wings” (Sky Fighters, March 1935)
“Six Doors to Horror” (Terror Tales, March 1935)
“Son of Mars” (The Lone Eagle, March 1935)
“Where the Dead Dance Always!” (Horror Stories, March 1935)
April
“The Cat People” (Thrilling Mysteries, April 1935)
“Eater of Souls” (Terror Tales, April 1935)
“Hell’s Oasis” (Thrilling Adventures, April 1935)
“Jewel of Madness” (Dime Mystery, April 1935)
May
“Clancy Goes Up” (Sky Fighters, May 1935)
“Keepers of the Black Tavern” (Terror Tales, May 1935)
“Wings of Flame” (Thrilling Adventures, May 1935)
June
“Blossoms of Doom” (Terror Tales, June 1935)
“The Devil’s Sculptor” (Horror Stories, June 1935)
“Doomed to Live” (Sky Fighters, June 1935)
“Rolling Stone” (The Lone Eagle, June 1935)
“Women of Stone” (Dime Mystery, June 1935)
July
“Coco Macaque” (Top-Notch Magazine, July 1935)
“Dance of the Dead” (Horror Stories, July 1935)
“The Well of Suicides” (Horror Stories, July 1935) as Spencer Whitney
“Hair Trigger Seconds” (The Lone Eagle, July 1935)
“Priestess of Shame” (Dime Mystery, July 1935)
August
“Dead Man’s Darling” (Dime Mystery, August 1935)
“Hell Over London” (Sky Fighters, August 1935)
“When a Corpse Commands” (Terror Tales, August 1935)
September
“Blue Heaven” (The Lone Eagle, September 1935)
“G-Man’s Guns” (Popular Detective, September 1935)
“Hi, Soldier!” (Sky Fighters, September 1935)
“My Companion, Death” (Thrilling Detective, September 1935)
“Picnic of the Damned” (Dime Mystery, September 1935)
“Satan’s Lash” (Horror Stories, September 1935)
“No Man Escapes Me” (Terror Tales, September 1935) as Spencer Whitney
“Through Death’s Thin Veil” (Terror Tales, September 1935)
October
“Corpse Pirates” (Horror Stories, October 1935)
“Death-Nymph” (Dime Mystery, October 1935)
“The Dead Walk Softly” (Thrilling Mystery, October 1935)
“Gat Symphony in G” (Popular Detective, October 1935)
“Let Justice Be Done!” (Detective Tales, October 1935)
“The Man Who Caught Cordat” (Detective Tales, October 1935) as Spencer Whitney
“Sackcloth and Ashes” (Thrilling Detective, October 1935)
November
“Dogs of Madness” (Horror Stories, November 1935)
“Footsteps” (Popular Detective, November 1935)
“Mad Hatters” (Thrilling Detective, November 1935)
“Prison Makes a Man” (Detective Tales, November 1935)
December
“Corpse Whispers” (Thrilling Detective, December 1935)
“Death’s Masterpiece” (Terror Tales, December 1935) as Spencer Whitney
“Slaves of the Blood-Wolves” (Terror Tales, December 1935)
“Death—The Tempter” (Dime Mystery, December 1935)
“Devils in the Dust” (Thrilling Mystery, December 1935)
‘The Flying Mongol” (War Birds, December 1935)
“The Gun Dodger” (Sky Fighters, December 1935)
“The Knockover” (Popular Detective, December 1935)
“Living Nightmare” (Horror Stories, December 1935) as Spencer Whitney
“Murder Brides” (Horror Stories, December 1935)
“Snoops” (Detective Tales, December 1935)
“Steel Vests and Brass Hands” (G-Men, December 1935)
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