From Zombos' Closet

All About Star Trek Fan Clubs Issue 6, December 1977

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)

Cracked's For Monsters Only Issue 9, September 1971

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. 

Reel Fantasy Issue 1, January 1978

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.

Monster World Issue 2, May 1975 Part 2

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'.

Monster World Issue 2, May 1975 Part 1

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.

Cracked's For Monsters Only Issue 3, November 1966

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.

All About Star Trek Fan Clubs Issue 5, October 1977

Here's a trip down nostalgia lane for Star Trek fans, myself included. Check out the airdates table for the animated Star Trek series on page 49. This issue is devoted to Walter Koenig.

Cracked's For Monsters Only Issue 10, June 1972

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.

Cracked's For Monsters Only Issue 5, September 1967

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. 

Cracked's For Monsters Only Issue 2, September 1966

The previous owner of this copy of Cracked's For Monsters Only magazine must have treated it monstrously. I bet he read it, over and over again, in the wee hours of Saturday morning, with a flimsy flashlight held precariously in one hand as he flipped through the pages with the other. And when the pages started tearing away from the spine, due to so many page turnings, he taped them back in place. Maybe his name was Freddy Meyer, the person who wrote the same on the back cover's ECCH certificate. Or maybe Freddy was just one owner among many along the way. Or maybe this issue was owned by a girl who knew Freddy, and she borrowed it from him--Monsterkids stick together like slime and muck, you know--and she taped it for posterity because she liked Freddy, a lot, not knowing that iPad's and ebook readers would eventually eliminate the need for taping worn pages, and holding flashlights precariously under bedsheets in the wee hours of the morning.

The Monster Times No. 23 Godzilla, the King of the Monsters!

Come in, come in. Plenty of room under the bed sheet. My, it's a chilly one tonight, isn't it. Don't worry, it's just the batteries in your flashlight causing it to flicker. It's only midnight. I heard the ghosts and monsters don't come out to play until 2am. Besides, horror magazines act like a talisman to ward them off. So snuggle closer. Tonight's reading is The Monster Times, issue number 23. It's all about Godzilla, you know. He just can't stop talking about himself. Such an ego.

The Haunted Toybox: The Lost FX of MAXx FX

I recently downloaded the second issue of The Haunted Toybox and read this MAXx FX article reprinted here. MAXx FX was a fantastic toy idea that didn't survive the marketing monster. But now, with Face Off and the heightened interest in makeup and special effects, I think it's time to revisit Max Miracle, Master of Make-UP and Special Effects. Issue two also has articles on Monster 500 (which had me running off to Toys R Us to find them; and I did), and Rat Fink and Rad Rods (which made me drool). Johnny Lightning's Creepsters (wish TRU had continued that line) and a lot more is stuffed into the issue, too. With permission from the mad toymaniacs at The Haunted Toybox here's The Lost FX of MAXx FX.