I should have been working on a new digital El Paso post for Digitalegre blog, but the shiny internet got in my way with the discovery of the super cool Pulp-O-Mizer. Seriously, look at the awesomely fast and fun pulp science fiction covers this site lets you create and tell me your inner geek can resist popping over to generate a quick mock-up of your own.

The Pulp-O-Mizer is the clever layout engine presented by retro future artist Bradley W. Schenck, creator of Thrilling Tales of the Downright Unusual “illustrated, interactive and serial stories.” Simple and free, the web interface is a great way for Schenck to pull new users into his artistic universe and share his style across the web as newly pulped covers are posted on Facebook, websites and other social media by proud players. In a Jan. 25, 2013 blog post, Schenck reports how quickly his work is spreading after the launch of the Pulp-O-Mizer:

“My tweet of yesterday got retweeted by several people who are more, I dunno, twittified than I am; that went on to Google+ with a surprising amount of response; and I couldn’t let my Facebook followers get outdone, could I? So I invited them in, and now the Pulp-O-Mizer has passed its unscheduled stress test with flying colors. And that’s neat. Pulp-O-Mizer images are already turning up in blogs and fora and at Tumblr and in other places.”

Schenck’s path from his “analog” days as a print illustrator through electronic gaming and finally his dream of digital interactive storytelling is recounted on his Retropolis site where he sells everything from playing cards and T-shirts to customized calendars with his unique Celtic art and retro futurist designs.  Now the Pulp-O-Mizer offers a new revenue stream from users who want to change in their free low-res creations and pay for high-res versions of posters, coffee cups, T-shirts and more.

And, if going web viral isn’t enough, the Pulp-O-Mizer is teaming up with the 71st Annual World Science Fiction Convention for a cover contest for LoneStarCon 3 in San Antonio August 2013 where the winning entry will be  “featured in the LoneStarCon 3 Souvenir Book, and the winner and runners-up will also be featured in an exhibit at the convention.” Incorporating the Pulp-O-Meter in a pre-convention promotion is a great way to engage convention participants in building buzz and show off their talent in a playful creative collaboration.