A complete issue · 17 pages · 1895
Frank Reade Library: Six Sunken Pirates
A complete, restored issue of Penny Dreadfuls from 1895 — all 17 pages of cheap serialized Victorian sensation fiction — crime, horror, and lurid melodrama, free to page through at ComicBooks.com.
A complete issue · 17 pages · 1895
"Six Sunken Pirates; or, Frank Reade, Jr.'s Marvelous Adventures in the Deep Sea" is a science-fiction adventure serial by "Noname" featuring the inventor protagonist Frank Reade Jr. The narrative opens with Professor Pentlow of the American Society of Exploration presenting Reade with historical records documenting the legend of Katunda, a golden city built by natives in the Caribbean's Medusa Cay. According to these accounts—derived from Captain Bunce's official narrative—six pirate brothers of the De Medina family attempted to conquer Katunda but were destroyed when the island mysteriously sank into the sea during their assault, taking six vessels down with it. Pentlow proposes that Reade's submarine boat, the Sea Mole, is the only means to locate and salvage the sunken treasure. Reade accepts the expedition. The text describes Reade's preparations at his Readestown machine works, assisted by employees Barney O'Shea and Pomp, and Pentlow's arrival Thursday for inspection of the submarine vessel.
Each page has its own page — the cartoon, who’s in it, and what the satire means.