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SMB Noir

For the Fans of Hardboiled, Pulp & Gumshoe Art

Back in 2013, our tumblr site was started and ran until 2018, when they decided it was too "adult" - too lurid, supposedly. We followed the exodus to newtumbl and four years of dedication vanished in June of 2023. That work was not only new posts but upgrades of hundreds of old tumblr posts as well. So far, there has been no way to rescue those posts, so this will be the third version of this project. And, I'll warn you in advance, I may slip in covers that are not crime or mystery but just because I like the artwork. Enjoy!

May 2026
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For altered posts, choose the category "Updated"

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Category: spicy

April 1940 issue ~ cover art by H.J. Ward

April 1940

cover art by H.J. Ward

better image than previously posted

Posted on March 28, 2024January 29, 2024Categories crime fiction, Hardboiled, magazine, mystery, pulp, spicyTags garter, h.j. ward, luke terry, spicy detective magazine, stockings, thugLeave a comment on April 1940 issue ~ cover art by H.J. Ward

December 1937 issue ~ cover art by H.J. Ward

December 1937

cover art by H.J. Ward

better image than previously posted

[cover updated 4/26/26]

Posted on March 25, 2024April 26, 2026Categories action fiction, adventure, finest kind, Hardboiled, magazine, mystery, pulp, spicy, updatedTags dagger, h.j. ward, robert leslie bellem, south seas, spicy-adventure storiesLeave a comment on December 1937 issue ~ cover art by H.J. Ward

April 1941 issue ~ cover art by H.J. Ward

April 1941

cover art by H.J. Ward

better image than previously posted

Posted on March 24, 2024January 30, 2024Categories crime fiction, Hardboiled, magazine, mystery, pulp, spicyTags e. hoffmann price, garter, h.j. ward, mirror, showgirl, spicy detective magazine, stocking, thugLeave a comment on April 1941 issue ~ cover art by H.J. Ward

April 1936 issue ~ cover art by H.L. Parkhurst

April 1936

cover art by H.L. Parkhurst

[cover updated 11/19/25]

Posted on March 21, 2024November 19, 2025Categories crime fiction, Hardboiled, horror fiction, magazine, mystery, pulp, spicy, updated, weird fictionTags chained, dungeon, evil eye, h.l. parkhurst, lew merrill, pulp art, rat, skull, spicy mystery storiesLeave a comment on April 1936 issue ~ cover art by H.L. Parkhurst

April 1938 issue ~ cover art by H.J. Ward

April 1938

cover art by H.J. Ward

better image than previously posted

[cover updated 4/28/26]

Posted on March 21, 2024April 28, 2026Categories crime fiction, finest kind, Hardboiled, magazine, mystery, pulp, spicy, updatedTags garter, h.j. ward, kidnap, lingerie, ransom, robert a. garron, spicy detective stories, stockings, thug, whipLeave a comment on April 1938 issue ~ cover art by H.J. Ward

September 1941 issue ~ cover art by H.J. Ward

September 1941

cover art by H.J. Ward

Posted on March 19, 2024January 2, 2024Categories action fiction, adventure, fantasy, Hardboiled, magazine, pulp, spicyTags bound, h.j. ward, lew merrill, science fiction, spicy-adventure stories, whipLeave a comment on September 1941 issue ~ cover art by H.J. Ward

cover art by Harry Barton

Gouache, watercolor, and pencil on paper laid on board, 20 x 13 in. (sight)
Signed lower right

This illustration was published as the cover for Manhandled by Whitman Chambers, Monarch #434, 1964.

Posted on March 17, 2024January 2, 2024Categories Hardboiled, original art, paperback, pulp, spicyTags dame, harry barton, monarch paperback, whitman chambersLeave a comment on cover art by Harry Barton

March 1941 issue ~ cover art by H.L. Parkhurst

March 1941 issue

cover art by H.L. Parkhurst

[cover art updated 4/26/26]

Posted on March 15, 2024April 26, 2026Categories action fiction, adventure, Hardboiled, magazine, maritime fiction, pulp, spicy, updatedTags h.l. parkhurst, justin case, monkey, spicy-adventure storiesLeave a comment on March 1941 issue ~ cover art by H.L. Parkhurst

1951 issue #1 – cover art by Louis Zansky

1951 issue #1

cover art by Louis Zansky

Posted on March 15, 2024March 13, 2024Categories digest, Hardboiled, pulp, spicy, true crimeTags dame, femme fatale, lurid, realistic comic, smokingLeave a comment on 1951 issue #1 – cover art by Louis Zansky

August 1935 issue ~ cover art by H.J. Ward

August 1935

cover art by H.J. Ward

[cover updated 4/29/26]

Posted on March 14, 2024April 29, 2026Categories crime fiction, Hardboiled, magazine, mystery, pulp, spicy, updated, weird fictionTags blood, bound, h.j. ward, robert leslie bellem, skeleton, skull, spicy mystery storiesLeave a comment on August 1935 issue ~ cover art by H.J. Ward

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