Herz, Schmerz und dies und das!

Marisa Mell, as a model and actress, was a very popular subject for German pulp novels, putting her on their covers during the 60's! She graced during those early years of her career a lot of those covers, which had absolutely no reference to the content which were mostly romance novels. Here are some examples of her best covers! Enjoy! 

Cliff Corner (Bastei Verlag)

Ok, I finally admit it! I am a pulp novel junkie since my early childhood. Thanx dad! Not only do I read pulp novels from the USA that everybody knows like Tarzan, Conan, Buck Rodgers,... but also the lesser known ones like the Shadow, the Spider, Doc Strange, Lord Lister, G8....and all the others. And my addiction does not stop there it stretches even into the German pulp novel market better known in Germany as "Romanhefte" from publishers like Bastei, Kelter, Pabel... with heroes like G-man Jerry Cotton, Ghosthunter John Sinclair, Demonkiller Dorian Hunter, Professor Zamorra, Damona King, Lassister... covering everything from horror over phantasy over science-fiction over westerns and even, gulp, romance and heimat pulp novels! I read it all and collect it all! Silly me! So it is always nice to see a cover on a German romanheft with a motive from a Marisa Mell movie! (The G-man Jerry Cotton covers) This time it is from the Bastei Verlag series "Cliff Corner", a copy cat of the mega success G-man Jerry Cotton. Issue 105 from 1969 with title "Sterben Sie wohl, Mister Corner!" sports Marisa Mell as she appeared in the movie "New York Chiama Superdrago", a James Bond rip-off! (The Mystery of the Purple Dress) Now where did I put this issue of the series in my collection?

G-Man Jerry Cotton (Bastei Verlag)

Being a fan of vintage pop culture and cult paraphernalia like books, magazines, comics, movies,... from the early 50's untill the end of the 70's gives you a broad scope of material that can fit into your cult addiction and collections. Very early on crossovers between these paraphernalia became a general rule rather than the exception. A very good example is the crossover between lobby cards of Marisa Mell movies like "Stuntman" from 1968 and "Una Sull'Altra" from 1969 for the covers of the German romanheften issued by publisher Bastei Verlag for their crime series "G-Men Jerry Cotton". G-Man Jerry Cotton from the FBI office in New York is the fictional character in a series of crime novels written by many different writers in Germany. In 1954 the first novel appeared as no. 68: "Ich suchte den Gangster-Chef" in the series "Bastei Kriminalroman".
The pseudonym "Jerry Cotton" was developed in 1956 and the first novella with this name on the front-page appeared with the title "Ich jagte den Diamanten-Hai". In 2005 the series reached the 2500th edition. Total circulation since 1954 is about 850.000.000 (!) issues. A group of over 100 authors have written during the past decades for the series which are today still sold in many kiosks and newsagents all over the country. Even though Jerry Cotton novels are considered trivial literature by some people, the FBI agent has a faithful fan community, just like his equally long-lived German science-fiction counterpart , "Perry Rhodan". Several Jerry Cotton novels were adapted as German movies with Hollywood actor George Nader as Jerry Cotton when he was banned from Hollywood in the 60's as a gay actor and boyfriend of Rock Hudson.
To end this entry we finish with the same cover of the Jerry Cotton Taschenbuch when we started this entry but this time the Dutch version of the cover.