Tawdriness, danger, violence, and filth were all a must for the hard-boiled fiction of the first half of the 20th Century commonly known as “pulp,” which were collected into magazines and sold for a dime (and later a quarter). While they led to some of the most inventive and popular writing of the 5 decades, they were often regarded as low, distasteful, and even harmful to the youth of America, what with their depictions of murder, sex, and Post-War angst. It sure is a good thing that mentality has gone away entirely and no other art form has had to deal with such undue fear and hatred….

Oh wait.

Video games have often been called a mind-rotting menace to children and adults alike, but we know better, don’t we? Some of the most interesting and complex storytelling is done in video games, and have also given us some of the most iconic and indelible characters. No company has personified this like Nintendo, which probably has the most well-known catalog of colorful stars in all of video games.

Generally, people don’t think of video games and pulp magazines in the same day much less the same argument, but an artist named Ástor Alexander has joined the two together by taking three of Nintendo’s biggest franchises and personifying them perfectly in the style of a 1930s pulp rag. They’re subtle and totally on the money as he takes actual pulp covers and transmutes Metroid Prime, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, and Super Mario Bros. onto them. The results are amazing.

Is there anything more on-the-money than saying “Some would say she had a taste for being kidnapped” about Princess Toadstool? I mean, come on, lady! Nice to know such a damsel can be offset by the badassery of Samus, who is easily the toughest person in the galaxy.

Do you think these are as awesome as we do? Let us know in the comments below!

HT: The Mary Sue