Planet Scumm magazine
science fiction, illustrated
Born out of reverence for the bizarre science fiction magazines of the pulp era, our anthologies showcase curated short story collections of original fiction by international authors.
A MISSION FROM BEYOND THE STARS…
Each issue starts with an open submission call, inviting a spectrum of genres such as science fiction, slipstream, horror, and other genre stories about the strange and fantastical. We cherish how the structure of sci-fi naturally acts as an open forum for philosophy, anxieties, and thought experiments.
These open calls result in a pile of hundreds and hundreds of story submissions, which our team of readers and editors pare down into the best, most cohesive collection. We then work directly with the authors to prepare their piece for publication, lovingly editing and typesetting their story. Meanwhile, our art team creates brand new illustrations for each story. We are proud to emphasize the central role of artwork in sci-fi and are committed to working with and supporting independent illustrators.
We do what we do to advance the careers of up-and-coming writers and artists, to offer readers an alternative to the books coming from major publishing conglomerates, and to create objects of strange and lasting beauty.
FRIENDS, BOUND TOGETHER BY A COSMIC CAUSE…
Our magazine was inspired by science fiction magazines such as Asimov’s Science Fiction and Weird Tales. And while we genuinely love the bold, kitschy, experimental early days of those publications, we also recognize that the genre has come a long way since then.
When you open an issue of Planet Scumm, you’re not just getting a collection of bleeding-edge science fiction—you’re getting to know us through our passion project. You’re getting Editor-in-Chief Tyler berd’s one-man war against the monoculture and Creative Director Alyssa Alarcón Santo’s attachment to the bittersweet optimism of Kurt Vonnegut. You are hearing from a scrappy network of artists and editors who find meaning in discovering great stories and truly love to nurture a project.
