From Zombos' Closet

Weird Vol. 9, No. 2 June 1976

With a cover that's a zoomed in portion of the cover from Tales From the Tomb, May 1974, this issue of Weird, which picks up 15 months after the original magazine's run, "ain't nuthin' but a bunch of reprints. Evidently the kid who picked the stories was a fan of Macagno and Mandrafina, as their artwork takes up over half of the magazine." (from The Weird Indexes of Eerie Publications by Mike Howlett) But, hey, these stories are still chilling when read in the dead of night.

Tales From The Tomb Volume 6, No. 5

I don't know what it is about mummies and barely dressed unconscious women, but you see this kind of thing a lot in horror movies and comics. It's always either a mummy or some monster, corpse, vampire, werewolf, or nasty male creature carrying off a woman. I'd love to see an unconscious naked guy being carried off one of these days. Just once, at least, please. Women in Horror 2015 is coming up and I know for certain this is definitely not the kind of cheap, exploitative image we should perpetuate for modern horror. Sure, it sells comics and movies (or tries to), but it is growing stale. After so many victimizations of poorly dressed women running, feinting, and screaming through the horror of it all, you would think the male-pattern-baldness mentality going on here would get a beating. Before that happens though, I suggest you read why they made this poor guy a living corpse wrapped in rags (and if she catches her death of cold dressed like that).

Tales From the Tomb Vol. 6, Issue 4, July 1974

If you ever wondered why parents were quick to toss these magazines in the garbage--if they found their kids stash of them--well, here's a good issue to satisfy you: Tales From the Tomb, Volume 6, No. 4. The following information for this issue is taken from the excellent The Weird Indexes of Eerie Publications by Mike Howlett (if you're an Eerie Publications fan you need this book): 

1. The Demon (redraw of Demon Fiddler from Fantastic Fears #7)
2. The Skin-Rippers (redraw of Black Death from Fantastic Fears #4)
3. The Coffin (redraw of I, the Coffin from Fantastic Fears #7)
4. Heads of Horror (redraw, taken from Voodoo #14)
5. I Chopped Her Head Off (redraw of I Killed Mary from Weird Mysteries #8)
6. Satan's Cat (redraw of First Come First Served from Weird Mysteries #2
7. In the Slime Below (redraw of Les Miserables from Black Cat Mystery #48
8. The Monster (redraw of Transformation from Witches Tales #14

Enjoy!

Terror Tales Vol. 2, Issue 5, September 1970

The most terrifying thing in this issue of Eerie Publications' Terror Tales, September 1970, is that some crazy kid cut out a coupon. A pox on you and your descendents! Luckily it doesn't totally ruin the story panel the coupon clipping took with it. Crazy kid! At least the stories are sufficiently gruesome. And the kid, at least, did show good taste: he clipped a one dollar coupon ("for creepy ghouls only") for 4 back issues. Yes, that's right, a buck back then could get you four issues of terror, horror, and assorted nastiness. Hope he didn't tell his mom. 

The Monster Times Issue 17 November 30,1972

For The Monster Times issue 17, coverage of Forbidden Planet, Flash Gordon, and science fiction on television joins Amicus Productions' Asylum and the influence of Rod Serling's work for the cinema fantastic on the small and large screens. The 3oth World Science Fiction Convention in Los Angeles is reported on (seems McDonald's provided cheaper and better food than the banquet event), and Bill Feret's Monster Times Teletype gives the skinny on upcoming and ongoing newsy stuff (something we take for granted today, given the Internet's over abundance of newsy stuff).

Monsters and Heroes Issue 2, 1967

Larry Ivie passed away this year. His Monsters and Heroes: The Magazine of Pictorial Imagination epitomized the growing fanbase whose interests spanned movies, comic books, and literature and where each intersected. Aside from his own creation, Altron Boy, Larry contributed to Eerie, Creepy, and Marvel Comics. In this issue, The Three Faces of Superman (for 1967, that is), and The Three Faces of Captain America (again, for 1967) appear, as well as "the original Flash Gordon," Siegfried: Son of Odin. A short article on Edgar Rice Burroughs The Monster Men is here to whet your interest, too.

The Monster Times Issue 16 October 1972

By issue 16 of The Monster Times it was fairly apparent that this tabloid-sized monster magazine was well executed and keeping pace with the monsterkid-now-popular-culture-junkie that prowled the movie theaters and comic book conventions in the 1970s. Showing more editorial and article prowess than most of its brethren on the magazine racks, the first-person articles--written by the monster or pivotal movie character himself (or herself)--took a little getting used to, but it was different. In this issue Mighty Joe Young demands his rights while Godzilla makes it perfectly clear that he's announcing his candidacy for President of the United States. Keeping things a little more traditional is Jim Wnorski, writing on plant-based menaces in The Roots of Evil, and R. Allen Leider satisfying the country's need for a good old-fashioned horror film in Dr. Phibes Rises Again. On the comics front, Michael Uslan convinces us that Comics are Good Learnin! and there's a report on the 3rd San Diego Comic Convention. Highlights were an electrical failure that darkened the dealer's room, and some prankster dumped shark repellent into the swimming pool, turning it bright yellow. Those crazy fanboys! 

Quasimodo's Monster Magazine Issue 5, November 1975 Part 2

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In part 2 of Quasimodo's Monster Magazine issue 5, Lee Majors gets his closeup as The Six Million Dollar Man, Peter Lorre's life is revealed by Sharon Phillips in The Lorre Story, and Space 1999 blasts off. The Stepford Wives put in an appearance to. And along with the usual monsterkid mail-order goodies are perfumes, iron-ons, and an imported lock blade stiletto for $2.75 plus 25 cents shipping, and essential to round out your cosplay for West Side Story.

Quasimodo's Monster Magazine Issue 5, November 1975 Part 1

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Jekyll and Hyde: Through the Years, by Steve Abrams, kicks off this jam-packed issue 5 of Quasimodo's Monster Magazine. Ron Weiss's Heroes of the Horrors gives credit where credit is due as he interviews Calvin Beck, and Judith M. Kass interviews Himan Brown, creator of the CBS Radio Mystery Theater. Television coverage is provided for The Six Million Dollar Man and Space 1999, and Peter Lorre bio is given by Sharon Phillips. And, of course, the Gone Apes! section provides the gag-captioned photos we've come to expect from monster magazines published around this time. All in all, a stellar issue of monster coverage that's informative as well as entertaining.

The Monster Times Issue 37, December 1974

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).

 

The Monster Times Issue 40, April 1975

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.

Cracked's For Monsters Only Issue 8, July 1969

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).