Amazing Stories 1930s

The issue October 1933, volume 8, number 6 was illustrated by A. Sigmond. In the year 1933, Amazing Stories decided to try a new style and design. Sigmond had an abstract and surrealist style that really set the magazine apart from their previous publishcations. However, this style was not the most favored by fans of Amazing Stories, thus, the artist was only commissioned for that year. After that, the art went back to being like the previous years. 

In this issue, it features a giant monster that seems to emit light or some kind of bright beams from its eyes, towering over military soldiers and tanks. The men and tanks are pointing and aiming at the monster, leading the viewer to believe that they are in active combat with this creature. This issue is likely to have been inspired by the period of time between the two World Wars. The second one started a few years after this issue was published, the thought of war was on people’s minds. The threat of war must have been looming over people’s heads for years prior. 

The abstract surrealist style was likely an experiment for the magazine. Surrealism as an art style became quite popular in the 1930s with artists like Salvador Dali, Frida Kahlo, and Rene Magritte, to name just a few. Surrealism depicts "unnerving, illogical scenes and developed techniques to allow the unconscious mind to express itself". This style seems to go well with the ideas and themes common to science fiction, with a lot of them being unnerving and illogical.