Characters from “Aelita”, Russian fantasy movie of 1924. 

The films tells about an expedition on Mars, which discovered there an advanced and ancient civilization. Here you have a bit of a Marsian fashion.

To be sure, Norman Saunders is known for his crime pulps. Dime Detective, Spicy Mystery, and some of the best covers for the genre defining Black Mask magazine. But in truth Saunders had a remarkably diverse body of work ranging from westerns to jungle adventures to what we see here, Science Fiction.

Anyone familiar with Bela Lugosi’s classic 1930s serial The Phantom Creeps might see a similarity with it’s central ghoul-faced monster, sadly an exaggerated stylish beastie who’s type would soon fall out of fashion in the pulps and paperbacks in favour of a more realistic approach.

And don’t skim over the interiors here, some absolutely amazing stuff from Vergil Finley, Lawrence & Hannes Bok.