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Magazine Morgue

The Monster Times
Issue 37, December 1974

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Gammera the Invincible kicks off this issue 37 of The Monster Times, while the Planet of the Apes television series is given due attention, as well as the X-rated Flesh Gordon, that naughty version of our favorite planet-tripping serial hero. I recall seeing this oddity in a somewhat scrubby looking theater. Ah, the 1970s! Oh, and director Brian Clemens is interviewed. On the comics-side, The Spectre Returns, and there's the nifty Con-Calendar giving the rundown on upcoming conventions ("As with most gatherings of fans, the conventions often border on the insane, but the people are friendly and there's always a good chance you'll pick up some rare item for your collection."). In the Lousy Film Department is The Killer Shrews. Articles like Robots in the Cinema and part 2 of The Gothic Tradition in Film by Professor John Tibett make this issue a class act (in spite of the Flesh Gordon blasting all over the Universe coverage, of course).

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The Monster Times
Issue 37, December 1974Read More »

The Monster Times
Issue 40, April 1975

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The Monster Times was a cheeky blend of movie and comic book coverage for horror, science fiction, and fantasy fans. Its tabloid size, and very pulpy paper, were eye-catching on the newstand and aimed to capture the evolution of the 1970s pop-culture fan into a multi-genre consumer who sought out like-minded devotees of the fantastic and geeky. In this issue 40, Doctor Spector and the Monsters are revealed by Ron Haydock, Fay Ray Remembers with David S. Skipper, Gail Morgan Hickman gets Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Jim Danforth, and The Phantoms of the Opera article brings them out into the open. There's lots more, but I'll let you discover it for yourself.

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Issue 40, April 1975Read More »

Cracked’s For Monsters Only
Issue 8, July 1969

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Sporting another stylish cover by John Severin, Cracked’s For Monsters Only issue 8 is chock full of great articles and a long, wonderfully ink-washed horror comic appearing after the requisite adverts. The usual photos with gag-captions abound. Richard Bojarski shines in this issue, writing two articles, Fantasy Films of the Forties (with a focus on Lon Chaney Jr) and Dwight Frye, the Mighty Midget of Menace (although I think Bojarski stretched a tad for that catchy title).

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Cracked’s For Monsters Only
Issue 8, July 1969Read More »

All About Star Trek Fan Clubs
Issue 6, December 1977

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William Shatner is in the spotlight in this issue 6 of All About Star Trek Fan Clubs. In the interview conducted by Don Wigal,  Shatner confesses to not paying "much attention to fan clubs. It was too much trouble for me to go then. Now I realize I made a mistake." Barbara Walker writes about The Well Dressed Trekker in regard to Star Fleet uniforms, and Star Wars and Star Trek: Trekkers Speak Out asks "several editors of Star Trek fanzines to comment on their appreciation of this great [Star Wars] new fantasy film." (As always, click the post title to read the magazine)

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All About Star Trek Fan Clubs
Issue 6, December 1977Read More »

Cracked’s For Monsters Only
Issue 9, September 1971

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With the dropping of "Cracked's" in the title, and more movie articles than cartoons, this issue may still have the gag-captioned photos, but it does have more bite for serious horror fans. House of Dark Shadows, Taste the Blood of Dracula, a monster comic, and Richard Bojarski's John Carradine, The Master Villain, make this a fun read. Trog gets extensive coverage, too. 

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Cracked’s For Monsters Only
Issue 9, September 1971Read More »

Reel Fantasy Issue 1, January 1978

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If you thought Quasimodo's Monster Magazine was cheaply printed, you haven't read Reel Fantasy. There was only this first issue, but if you look beyond the pulp paper, sloppy print quality, lazy layout, and poor photo reproduction, the articles showed determination and an attention to the movies and television shows shaping our dreams and nightmares in 1978. The extensive coverage on Star Wars was informative and fascinating to read, along with the 1977 television roundup, and articles on Laser Blast, Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger, and Damnation Alley. There's also an interview with Jane Seymour, before she opened her hearts to become the Kay Jewelers spokesperson. And the piece de resistance is the back cover advert by Howard Rogofsky. Long in the tooth comic book collectors know that name for sure.

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Monster World Issue 2, May 1975
Part 2

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Go to Part 1 of Monster World

In this second part to Monster World, issue 2, the story of Lon Chaney Sr. is revealed by Jeff Waisley, The Hydra Horror comic by Norman Nodel menaces readers, and Nightmare Theater episodes are examined. Also, for all those monsterkids who remember the glories of mail order before Amazon made it chic, the ad pages will bring back memories. Especially those memories where you kick yourself, again and again, regretting that you didn’t hold onto all those cool model kits and monster toys that are now worth big bucks to collectors. Just sayin’.

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Monster World Issue 2, May 1975
Part 2Read More »

Monster World Issue 2, May 1975
Part 1

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Kicking butt on the magazine racks in 1975 was Monster World, which would turn into Quasimodo’s Monster Magazine by issue 3. I can offer no explanation for the title change, but unlike Cracked’s For Monsters Only, and Famous Monsters of Filmland, the humor and monstermash shtick were kept at bay by more rational coverage of horror movies. Critics like to point out how cheaply the magazine was printed, but at least it was filled with more than space-filling cartoons and lazy-crazy-captioned pictures used to keep copy down to bare bones. In this issue Lon Chaney Sr. and Vincent Price have articles, written by Jeff Waisley and Kenneth Kirk, respectively and coverage on House of Whipcord, King Kong, Captain Kronos, Phantom of the Paradise, Frankenstein and the Monster From Hell, and the continuation of an article on Nightmare Theater by I. Sukaynick.

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Monster World Issue 2, May 1975
Part 1Read More »

Cracked’s For Monsters Only
Issue 3, November 1966

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With issue 3 of Cracked’s For Monsters Only, the cartoons and comic stories, the photo-gags, and the horror coverage for both old and newer monsters packed its pages well. Even the John Severin cover was quite inviting as it stared back at you from the overcrowded magazine rack daring you to join the monster party. In this issue Richard Bojarski writes a lengthy, informative article in The Horror Worlds of Karloff (and remember kids, there wasn’t any Google or Wikipedia to refer to!), the School for Monsters shows us where all those monsters appearing everywhere in the 1960s were graduating from (note that horror host Zacherle headed the employment bureau), and John Severin provided some Dungeon Dan-Dan-Dandies to chew on.

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Issue 3, November 1966Read More »

Cracked’s For Monsters Only
Issue 10, June 1972

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By the time this last issue of Cracked’s For Monsters Only magazine appeared on the shelves, more earnest coverage of classic and contemporary horror, along with the usual joking (or attempts at joking) photographs, filled the magazine, replacing the cartoons and humorous illustrations that overran earlier issues. With issue 9, “Cracked’s” was dropped from the title, perhaps in an attempt to attract the more serious horror fan. It didn’t work. But among the many cartoons, illustrations, and abundance of cheeky photographs in this magazine’s run, some articles, which focused on the classic horror stars, do stand out. In this last issue, Basil Rathbone is so honored.

ComicRack version: Download For Monsters Only Issue 10

Nothing to be cracked up about, just go to the Magazine Morgue From Zombos’ Closet to see more issues.

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Issue 10, June 1972Read More »

Cracked’s For Monsters Only
Issue 5, September 1967

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A pox on the little terror (or maybe it was a big terror) that ran his or her errant pen across this battered copy of Cracked’s For Monsters Only, issue 5. Cheeky little bastard. What, no one worried about collectibility back in 1967? Wait a mo, no one did, actually. Okay, nevermind that. So the little bastard who marked up the cover of this issue wasn’t so cheeky or terrible. It does give it some monsterkid flavor, though, don’t you think? More jokes (actually some good ones in this issue, see The Nightmares of Monsters), and two thoughtful articles, Richard Bojarski’s The Man Behind the Monsters: The Story of Jack Pierce (for you newbies,  Jack Pierce was the genius makeup artist who created the Universal Classic Monster look), and The Horror Hits of Peter Lorre, make this issue a memorable read.

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Cracked’s For Monsters Only
Issue 5, September 1967Read More »