When checking out the dime novel covers you posted, Katie,
and reflecting on their influence on design- I couldn’t help but think they
resembled comic books. Not the “Western” typography so much, but the layout and over all design influence. The content also reminded me of what comic books offer – short
stories, based on good vs. evil, much like the dime novel’s description of “patriotic,
often nationalistic tales of encounters between Indians and backwoods settlers.”
Upon googling, I found several references/short notes about their influence
on this genre. Comic books were referenced as the most recent, in addition to older varieties such as "penny dreadfuls" and “pulp magazines,” which were inexpensive fiction
magazines published from 1896 through the 1950s. Comic
books became popularized in the United States in the 1930s. Check out some
examples of pulp magazines and comic books below and how their use of type, space, and illustration reflect dime novel design of times past.
