Tag Archives: Arthur Leo Zagat

The Faceless Men

Strange skull-head men in cubic helmets watch a hero-guy carry a begowned cutie across and arctic landscape. Earle Bergey cover painting for Thrilling Wonder Stories April 1948.

The editors of this April 1948 edition (presumably the Canadian one, which appears to be the same as the U.S. one) may not have had the spectacular luck they would come to have in October, but they still did well, beginning with the cool cover painting above by Earle Bergey.

(Aside: is anyone here old enough to remember flashcubes? Those little shiny plastic disposable cubes you could attach to your camera to generate flashes for home photography? That’s what these weirdos cubic helmets immediately reminded me of.)

Ever-available Virgil Finlay was available for the promoted cover story, “The Faceless Men,” itself penned by the tireless pulp producer Arthur Leo Zagat (1896-1949).

Scantily clad woman comes through circular window in a Virgil Finlay illustration for Arthur Leo Zagat's story "The Faceless men."
“Brad heard Joan’s voice and swung to the window.”

Another example:

A hero carries a scantily-clad girl up a beach from a crashed craft of some sort. Virgil Finlay illustration for Arthur Leo Zagat's story "The Faceless Men.
“The girl was a heavy burden as Brad staggered up the sloping, stony beach.”

This issue of Thrilling Wonder Stories is available to read and download at the Internet Archive.