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Dial M for Monster – Space Monsters #1 Calling All Horror Fans!

“Goooood evening, Earthies…”

Do you have the nerve—nay, the audacity—to behold Space Monsters #1, the collector’s magazine so dripping with dread, it makes Tales from the Crypt look like a bedtime story?

“Ohhhh, don’t turn the page just yet… because the real terror is missing out!”

For a mere $14.99, you’ll clutch in your trembling hands 100 pages of diabolical delights, featuring:

Casey Orr (Gwar’s Beefcake The Mighty)—sketching nightmares so vile, they’ll haunt your doodle margins forever!

Donald Farmer—the madman behind Shark Exorcist, because demonic sharks are a niche… but oh, what a niche!

Nicholas Vince (Hellraiser’s Chatterer)—proving that Cenobites have standards (chains optional).

Elizabeth Belmont—a historian by day, a vampire whisperer by night.

Dennis Daniel—the Rondo-nominated horror scribe whose words slither off the page like something from a forbidden tomb!

Stars: Jeff Rector, William Marshall, Harrison Ray, Denise Ames, Karen Black, Griffin Drew, Elizabeth Landau, Carrie Vanston | Written and Directed by Donald F. Glut

With its catchy title and plentiful doses of both effects as well as T&a, Dinosaur Valley Girls became a staple of both video rental stores and late-night cable programming. Which makes it all the more puzzling that it has only now arrived on Blu-ray.

Tony Markham is an action hero whose career is on the decline in part due to his chain smoking which makes it hard for him to get through his more physical scenes. While touring a museum run by Dr. Benjamin Michaels he finds an amulet that sends him back in time where he encounters dinosaurs and hostile cavemen led by Beeg-Mak who steal his medallion before being rescued by Hea-Thor, the leader of a tribe of horny cavewomen, the dinosaur valley girls of the title.

Quick Links The Quest of the Red Skull Revolves Around the Antagonist’s Time in Nazi Germany This Episode Stays True to Its Original Source Material Fans Can Still Watch This Episode Online

Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends was a massive hit in the '80s and brought joy to superhero fans who watched. Not only did this series provide fans with some of the best crossovers ever seen in the Marvel universe, but it allowed audiences to immerse themselves in a ton of gripping plots. Plus, even though it may seem a tad dated to modern audiences, the animation was a force to be reckoned with at the time.

Despite being the ultimate Saturday morning cartoon, certain episodes were censored and even banned when the series moved over to Disney+ in 2020. In "The Quest of the Red Skull," Spidey, Firestar, and Iceman come across their boldest villain yet, but...

Quick Links Darth Vader's Gloves Had Unique Powers The Force Let Jedi and Sith Defend Against Blaster Bolts Han Solo Was No Threat to Darth Vader

One of Darth Vader's greatest strengths in the Star Wars series was his terrifying presence. Most who encountered him became paralyzed with fear, especially if they were only armed with blasters. But this was not the case for Han Solo in Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back. When Lando Calrissian led Han, Leia Organa, Chewbacca, and C-3Po into Darth Vader's trap in Cloud City, Han immediately drew his Dl-44 blaster pistol and fired some shots at the Sith Lord. Against the stormtroopers, smugglers, and bounty hunters whom Han was used to facing, his quick reflexes were usually enough to win the duel, but unfortunately, they mattered little when contending with someone as powerful as the former Anakin Skywalker.

Vader...

One of the most common Star Wars questions is where exactly the Rebel fleet was hiding at the end of The Empire Strikes Back. A common assumption is that the Rebels are outside the Star Wars galaxy, but this is never confirmed in the film itself, leading to the possibility of another explanation. Several sources have given conflicting accounts over the years, but thanks to the Lucasfilm Story Group, there is now an official explanation for where the Rebel fleet is located.

Even so, the history behind the different explanations is incredibly fascinating, adding a new dimension to The Empire Strikes Back's ending. Small details from one source led to an expanded explanation in others, and some authors created new explanations entirely. However, there is only one definitive answer for where the Rebel Fleet is in The Empire Strikes Back, even with alternative evidence seen over the years.

Some Star...

Star Wars would not be what it is today without the hard work of its talented array of writers, making them the most important people behind the franchise. Though Star Wars began as one person's vision, other writers helped bring it to life and expanded the saga in the following decades. Some wrote screenplays from the creator's stories, others developed their own tales through books and comics, and a few were eventually able to write their own Star Wars movies and TV shows. No matter the medium, several writers were needed to complete each story by contributing their unique talents and ideas.

Many of these writers have been shaping the Star Wars franchise for years and will continue to do so in the years to come. New teams of writers are already set to craft additional TV seasons and several upcoming Star Wars movies. None of this would be possible...

Doctor and former Thor love interest Jane Foster taking the mantle of the Thunder God for herself has proven to be one of the most successful concepts within Marvel Comics' modern age of storytelling. While the company has now seemed to embrace Jane's iteration of Thor with open arms, that was not always the case at the "House of Ideas".

After making a splash in the comics medium, Jane Foster (played by Natalie Portman) would make her live-action return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe with 2022's Thor Love and Thunder as the Mighty Thor herself. Similar to the comics, the film portrays Jane as not only an equal to Thor Odinson but, most importantly someone worthy of carrying Mjolnir into battle. The naming debate surrounding Jane's newfound role even came into play during the film's climatic battle, wherein Foster berates the villainous Gorr the God Butcher for his repeated use of the codename "Lady Thor.

The critically acclaimed and award-winning artist Ricardo Delgado returns to the world of Dracula and Transylvania as he prepares to release The Art of Dracula of Transylvania into the world. The artist is perhaps best known for creating Age of Reptiles, a comic book series from Dark Horse Comics spanning 22 years that earned him an Eisner Award for Talent Deserving of Wider Recognition back in 1997. He's also had his fingerprints in Hollywood as he's worked in the animation and art departments for works like Men in Black, Avatar: The Last Airbender, Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H, and X-Men Origins: Wolverine.

Among his most recent works as an author and artist is Dracula of Transylvania, a now sold-out illustrated novel that puts a fresh twist on the classic Bram Stoker tale. Age of Reptiles writer Ricardo Delgado conceived this story as an 1899-era Transylvania tale where young solicitor Jonathan Harker...

Last year, renowned conceptual designer Ricardo Delgado brought a new version of Bram Stoker's classic horror story to undead life with his illustrated novel Dracula of Transylvania, which had a successful release through Clover Press. Now, Delgado is expanding his take on the iconic bloodsucker with The Art of Dracula of Transylvania, a new 200-page art book collecting more than 150 pieces of Delgado's artwork from the world Dracula of Transylvania.

With The Art of Dracula of Transylvania now having a pre-launch page on Kickstarter via Clover Press, we've been provided with exclusive artwork from the collection to share with Daily Dead readers!

You can check out the exclusive art and the official press release below, as well as a look at preview pages and some of the ghoulish goodies that will be offered to supporters of the Kickstarter campaign.

To learn more about The Art of Dracula of Transylvania,...

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By Hank Reineke

There’s a telling moment at the dénouement of Thomas Hamilton’s and Ron MacCloskey’s affectionate documentary Boris Karloff: The Man behind the Monster. Sara Karloff, the now eighty-two year old daughter of the beloved actor, opines that her father’s lasting cinematic legacy is due, in part, to the tenaciousness of his devoted fan base. It’s a demographic that we soon discover consists of a number of amazingly creative people: folks whose loyalty to and enthusiasm for Karloff’s work has not wavered over the decades. Sara’s contention is inarguably true. As this ninety-nine minute Voltage Films/Abramorama documentary (presented by Shout! Studios) unspools – crisply narrated by Paul Ryan and featuring commentary by preeminent Karloff scholar and “Biographical Consultant” Stephen Jacobs - we discover the actor’s admirer’s bridge several generations of fans and filmmakers.

Similar to George A. Romero's Night of the Living Dead spawning countless new zombie creations, Bram Stoker's Dracula is fertile creative ground for storytellers to take the world's most famous vampire in exciting (and terrifying!) new directions. Age of Reptiles creator and the longtime storyboard artist and character designer behind films such as Apollo 13, The Incredibles, and Men in Black, Ricardo Delgado is bringing his unique take on the iconic bloodsucker to life in his new illustrated novel Dracula of Transylvania from Clover Press, and a Kickstarter campaign has officially been launched for the ambitious book!

Below, we have the official press release with more details, as well as a gallery of Delgado's bold and captivating artwork for his new novel. To learn more, visit the official Kickstarter page for Dracula of Transylvania!

"One of Hollywood's leading conceptual designers, Ricardo Delgado, is about to unleash his bold...

A ravenous giant attacks Los Angeles in War of the Colossal Beast, and with the ’50s sci-fi horror film now on Blu-ray from Scream Factory, we've been provided with three copies to give away to lucky Daily Dead readers!

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Prize Details: (3) Winners will receive (1) Blu-ray copy of War of the Colossal Beast.

How to Enter: We're giving Daily Dead readers multiple chances to enter and win:

1. Instagram: Following us on Instagram during the contest period will give you an automatic contest entry. Make sure to follow us at:

https://www.instagram.com/dailydead/

2. Email: For a chance to win via email, send an email to contest@dailydead.com with the subject “War of the Colossal Beast Blu-ray Contest”. Be sure to include your name and mailing address.

Entry Details: The contest will end at 12:01am Est on November 19th. This contest is only open to those who...

The trailer for Boris Karloff: The Man Behind The Monster has arrived. The 5-minutes of documentary footage covers a wide range of the Hollywood legend's long career, but begins with Frankenstein. Karloff is horror royalty after playing the role of Frankenstein's monster in the 1931 movie, along with Bride of Frankenstein (1935), and Son of Frankenstein. He even played Imhotep in 1932's The Mummy. Karloff is also best-known as the voice of the Grinch in the animated television special of Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas.

Boris Karloff: The Man Behind The Monster delves into Boris Karloff and his long career with commentary by a wide range of fans, friends, and family. Guillermo Del Toro, John Landis, Joe Dante, Christopher Plummer, Peter Bogdanovich, Ron Perlman, Leonard Maltin, Sir Christopher Frayling, Sara Karloff, Gregory Mank, Roger Corman, Stephanie Powers, Ian Ogilvy, Norman Jewison, Orson Bean, Kevin Brownlow, Carloline Munro, Stephen Jacobs,...

Megan Crouse Dec 18, 2019

There's a surprising amount of facts you need to know about the galaxy's most mysterious bounty hunter, Boba Fett.

Boba Fett’s masked face has sparked the imagination of Star Wars fans for generations. Despite the fact that he has hardly any screen time across the entire saga and even fewer lines, this Man with No Name-like mercenary remains one of the most popular characters ever created by George Lucas, so much so that Boba Fett basically inspired a whole race of armor-clad warriors that remain a vital part of Star Wars lore today.

With The Mandalorian exploring an armor-clad bounty hunter with a quick trigger finger, the original Mandalorian is ready to rocket back into the public consciousness. Pedro Pascal’s Mandalorian isn’t the same character as Boba Fett, though: in fact, Fett’s lineage is rather unusual compared to the rest of the armored humans who bear that moniker.

Tales Of Frankenstein

Stars: John Blyth Barrymore, Buddy Daniels Friedman, Jim Tavaré, Tatiana DeKhtyar, Len Wein, Jamisin Matthews, Justin Hoffmeister, T.J. Storm, Jerry Lacy, Beverly Washburn, Ann Robinson, Mel Novak, Scott Fresina, Jena Sims, Lilian Lev | Written and Directed by Donald F. Glut

Name: Tales of Frankenstein

Age: 2018

Appearance: Nostalgic tribute to all things Frankenstein, Universal and Hammer. Based on Mary Shelley’s creation, Tales of Frankenstein explores the fates of Dr Frankies’ descendants over the course of four stories in which we get film noir, body swapping, a crawling severed arm, a vampire and a comedy gorilla.

Fun with Frankie!

I don’t recall A Modern Prometheus featuring a gorilla…

There was never a gorilla in the classic novel. However, there is a comedy gorilla (aka a man in a suit) in an amusing film noir segment about a detective who finds himself trapped in the laboratory with the...

John Landis made his first dent in Hollywood with this hilarious parody of Z-grade monster movies, and it was big enough to launch a film career. The kudos go to Landis’ comic monkey-man performance, wearing a Schockthropus ape suit by the 20 year-old self taught makeup whiz Rick Baker. Only monster movie fans will understand, but they’ll be charmed. This foreign edition is stacked with schlock-thropic extras.

Schlock

Blu-ray + DVD

Turbine Media Group

1973 / Color / Region Free / 1:78 widescreen (Blu-ray); 1:37 Academy (Ntsc DVD) / 79 min. / Available from Rakete Shop (De) / Street Date April 27, 2018 / Euros 29.99

Starring: John Landis, Saul Kahan, Eliza Garrett, Joseph Piantadosi, Enrica Blankey (Harriet Medin), Forrest J. Ackerman, Jack H. Harris, Donald F. Glut, John Chambers, Ivan Lepper.

Cinematography: Robert E. Collins

Film Editor: George Folsey Jr.

Makeup Artist: Rick Baker

Original Music: David Gibson

Produced by George Folsey Jr., Jack H. Harris, James C. O’Rourke

Written and...

Production has just wrapped in Los Angeles on the horror film Tales of Frankenstein, starring Game of Death’s Mel Novak and Wolverine creator Len Wein in his final film. The movie is based upon four of writer-director Donald F. Glut’s (The Empire Strikes Back novel) short stories published in his book of the same name:

“My Creation, My Beloved,” (a deformed descendant of Victor Frankenstein creates the perfect man and woman), “Crawler from the Grave,” (another Frankenstein descendant’s disembodied, plague-infected arm returns from the grave for revenge), “Madhouse of Death” (a private detective winds up in an old dark house filled with loonies…and a gorilla) and “Dr. Karnstein’s Creation,” (a mad doctor creates a monster in vampire-haunted Transylvania – with gruesomely unexpected results).

Tales of Frankenstein also stars Jerry Lacy (TV’s Dark Shadows), Ann Robinson (War of the Worlds), Beverly Washburn (Old Yeller), John Blyth Barrymore,...

It was finally confirmed in April that Guardians of the Galaxy and Guardians of the Galaxy 2 writer-director James Gunn will return for Guardians of the Galaxy 3. The filmmaker has since announced that he's already started working on the script, although nothing about the story, production schedule or even the release date has been handed out quite yet. One big piece of the puzzle may have been uncovered, though, with the filmmaker tweeting out a seemingly random photo earlier today, which hints that the Marvel Comics character Quasar is part of this story.

Earlier today, James Gunn's Twitter shared a "random" memory with his followers, remembering that his family's Vcr had wood paneling when he was a kid. He also posted a photo of said Vcr, which just happens to be a Quasar brand. This isn't the only potential character that James Gunn has teased, with the filmmaker taking...

What can you say to such success? Mike Nichols and Buck Henry's sex satire defined 'the generation gap' for the sixties. Dustin Hoffman sprang forward from obscurity and Katharine Ross was the object of California desire. Anne Bancroft's Mrs. Robinson freed the image of the 'complicated woman' from the clutches of the Production Code Stone Age. The broad comedy scores with every joke, and there's a truth beneath all the odd things that ought not to work. The Graduate Blu-ray The Criterion Collection 800 1967 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 106 min. / available through The Criterion Collection / Street Date February 23, 2016 / 39.95 Starring Anne Bancroft, Dustin Hoffman, Katharine Ross, William Daniels, Murray Hamilton, Elizabeth Wilson, Buck Henry, Brian Avery, Walter Brooke, Norman Fell, Alice Ghostley, Marion Lorne, Eddra Gale, Richard Dreyfuss, Mike Farrell, Elisabeth Fraser, Donald F. Glut, Elaine May, Lainie Miller, Ben Murphy. Cinematography Robert Surtees Film Editor Sam O'Steen Production Design Richard Sylbert...

Well, the big day is finally here! After leading the Avengers in stopping an alien invasion Summer before last, our favorite shield-slinger returns to the multiplexes in an all new solo adventure (well, he’s got some help from the Black Widow and the high-flyin’ Falcon)! Before you head out, you may want to brush up on all things Steve Rogers (don’t worry, this won’t be on the final!)! Have fun and buy bonds!

Read my original review of Captain America Here.

Here’s my original article that ran on Wamg before Captain America: The First Avenger was released in 2011.

The very first appearance of the sentinel of liberty.

Okay fellow movie geeks! Ready for a bit of pop culture history? Before you head out to the multiplex this weekend to see Paramount’s Captain America: The First Avenger, let’s get better acquainted with the story of this star-spangled superhero.

We start with sequences of birth: a pregnant Hermione Lodge, the proud Hiram Lodge, promising a new home and a new life in Riverdale. It’s the past, the panels awash in telling sepia. Then, a mystical scene involving the aunts of Sabrina, the Teenage Witch; we haven’t seen them since issue #1, and not only does this bit of continuity lend verisimilitude to the expanded supernatural Archie universe, it also reminds us that we’re looking into the past. Artist Francesco Francavilla cleverly shades these panels in half-dark, half-light tones, keeping readers off-kilter. Suddenly, jarringly, we’re back in the present, and it’s death again. So much death. This is “Sleepover.”

We’re three issues into Afterlife with Archie, and the tone has entrenched itself. It’s grim, but not unrelentingly so: these characters were created as light comic archetypes, and it’s not hard for writer Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa...

By the 1980s, the cartoon creations of the 1960s must have looked pretty tempting given the failure of so many properties from the decade in between to latch on to the hearts and minds of the young television viewers. After Scooby-Doo’s triumphant arrival, so many series came and went, aping the premise or adapting films and television series with little to show for the effort. It must have made sense, then, to dust off the last round of interesting space age series, produce a few new episodes, and cram them together for a potpourri hour-long romp. And so was born Space Stars, which lasted all of a season on NBC. An opportunity for new Space Ghost tales and a new adventure with the Herculoids can’t be beat. To freshen the batch, though, Hanna-Barbera decided to offer up Teen Force, inspired by ABC’s The Mod Squad, and a...

Cassandra Peterson's "Elvira" clothing line was reviewed on our website Here today by Staci Layne Wilson, but below are three more horror happenings announced today that are related to the (uniquely American?*) tradition of the TV horror host:

Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Awards

The Rondo nominations went live today, among them Best Book nods for  Fright Night On Channel 9: Saturday Night horror films on New York's Wor-tv 1973-1987 by James Arena, Shock Theatre, Chicago Style: Wbkb-tv's Late Night Horror Showcase, 1957-1959, by Donald F. Glut and The Z Files: Treasures from Zacherley's Archives, by Richard Scrivani with Tom Weaver. Not to mention a list of at least 20 contemporary horror hosts to vote for, from A. Ghastly Ghoul to Zomboo!

Vote for the Rondos Here! (Fangoria is up for a handful of awards too!)

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The Miskatonic Institute of Horror Studies presents:

"Ooh, That's Scary!" TV's Horror Hosts

Tuesday...

Cassandra Peterson's "Elvira" clothing line was reviewed on our website Here today by Staci Layne Wilson, but below are three more horror happenings announced today that are related to the (uniquely American?*) tradition of the TV horror host:

Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Awards

The Rondo nominations went live today, among them Best Book nods for  Fright Night On Channel 9: Saturday Night horror films on New York's Wor-tv 1973-1987 by James Arena, Shock Theatre, Chicago Style: Wbkb-tv's Late Night Horror Showcase, 1957-1959, by Donald F. Glut and The Z Files: Treasures from Zacherley's Archives, by Richard Scrivani with Tom Weaver. Not to mention a list of at least 20 contemporary horror hosts to vote for, from A. Ghastly Ghoul to Zomboo!

Vote for the Rondos Here! (Fangoria is up for a handful of awards too!)

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The Miskatonic Institute of Horror Studies presents:

"Ooh, That's Scary!" TV's Horror Hosts

Tuesday...

Cassandra Peterson's "Elvira" clothing line was reviewed on our website Here today by Staci Layne Wilson, but below are three more horror happenings announced today that are related to the (uniquely American?*) tradition of the TV horror host:

Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Awards

The Rondo nominations went live today, among them Best Book nods for  Fright Night On Channel 9: Saturday Night horror films on New York's Wor-tv 1973-1987 by James Arena, Shock Theatre, Chicago Style: Wbkb-tv's Late Night Horror Showcase, 1957-1959, by Donald F. Glut and The Z Files: Treasures from Zacherley's Archives, by Richard Scrivani with Tom Weaver. Not to mention a list of at least 20 contemporary horror hosts to vote for, from A. Ghastly Ghoul to Zomboo!

Vote for the Rondos Here! (Fangoria is up for a handful of awards too!)

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The Miskatonic Institute of Horror Studies presents:

"Ooh, That's Scary!" TV's Horror Hosts

Tuesday...

Submit your vote for Reviewer of the Year!

Every year, the Classic Horror Film Board recognizes the best in the horror/sci-fi/fantasy realm with the Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Awards. Fans of the genre can vote for their favorites in over thirty categories, and this year, Cinelinx would like to ask you to vote for one of our own, staff writer Victor Medina, as Reviewer of the Year (Category 29)! We've even included the ballot below so you can vote!

Votes must be submitted by copying and pasting the ballot into your personal email, making your choices, including your name, and sending it in. Votes for Reviewer of the Year are write-in only, so you must be sure to include Vic's name yourself under Category 29 when you vote. Pre-filled ballots are not allowed, so we can't do it for you! Remember, you must write in "Victor Medina, Cinelinx.com" yourself.

For those of you unfamiliar with geek icon Donald Glut, he was the writer of many of the beloved classic cartoons such as Spiderman and His Friends and Transformers. Before all of that though he did a series of fan films for Marvel so in honor of him and the premiere of The Amazing Spiderman,we give you the first known fan film for Spiderman straight out of 1969.

Email Me: MickJoest@Geektyrant.com Twitter: @MickJoest

 

Source: Youtube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n4HQn6rsJ38)...

And we have another day of programming for this year’s Comic Con, jam packed with awesome panels and screenings, from Falling Skies, Star Wars, Spartacus, Blade Runner, Total Recall, Game Of Thrones to The Walking Dead, Looper and the requisite Joss Whedon hour of fun.

For the full run down, check out the Con’s website. For the highlights, peruse below:

10:00-11:00 Star Wars: Collectibles Update— Join eFX, Gentle Giant Studios, Kotobukiya, and Sideshow Collectibles for product development insights and exclusive previews of the latest in Star Wars collectibles. Moderated by Chris Spitaleof Lucas Licensing. Room 7Ab

10:00-11:00 Remembering Jerry Robinson and Joe Simon— Jerry Robinson was a key artist on Batman in the 1940s, the co-creator of The Joker, and later an accomplished newspaper strip artist and political cartoonist. Joe Simon was half of the legendary team of Simon and [Jack] Kirby, the co-creator...

This is the first ever documented Spider-Man fan film, and the first (unofficial) live action appearance of Spider-Man from way back in 1969. This was produced by Donald F. Glut, who at the time was writing for Warren Magazines (Creepy and Eerie) and would later go on to write Captain America, The Invaders, Conan, and Kull for Marvel, and what he may still best be known for, writing the novelization for Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back.

This was Don’s last amateur film (he had produced many other fan films before this) before moving on to write for classic cartoons like Transformers and Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Originally published on ComicMix as Sunday Cinema: Donald F. Glut’s “Spider-Man” fan film...

With The Amazing Spider-Man opening in a few weeks, we thought it was important to look back at Spider-Man's cinematic history, and using director Sam Raimi's previous Spider-Man trilogy felt too easy. Instead, we found the first purported live-action movie ever featuring the Marvel comics character.

Since the character debuted in August 1962 in Amazing Fantasy #15 & courtesy of writer Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko), Spider-Man was been a highly popular figure in television and movies, quickly ending up in a 1967 self-titled cartoon before moving on to brief appearances on the PBS kids show The Electric Company and, eventually, a live-action TV show called The Amazing Spider-Man (1977 to '79). Somewhere in the middle — 1969 to be precise — an enterprising young writer, producer and animator named Donald F. Glut finished his final amateur movie by adapting the webslinger into his first (fan-made) movie (via io9. Lacking a budget of any kind,...

In the latest issue of Shadowland Magazine there is a terrific interview with Donald F. Glut. He is the writer that is responsible for creating much of the foundation for the Masters of the Universe. He wrote the first four mini-comics: He-Man and the Power Sword, King of Castle Grayskull, Battle in the Clouds, and The Vengeance of Skeletor. Shadowland Magazine: When Mattel initially hired you to write the original four Masters of the Universe mini-comics how much of the story and characters had already been fleshed out? Did Mattel already have a structured outline, an early concept to expand upon, or was much of the story left to your imagination? Donald F. Glut: I wasn't hired by Mattel per se, but by Western Publishing Company. Western, at the time, was publishing a lot of licensed books, comics, etc. owned by various movie, TV and toy companies. My main...

The very first appearance of the sentinel of liberty.

Okay fellow movie geeks! Ready for a bit of pop culture history? Before you head out to the multiplex this weekend to see Paramount’s Captain America: The First Avenger, let’s get better acquainted with the story of this star-spangled superhero. Pencils ready! This may be on the finals!

Let.s go back a few years to Cap.s original glory days. He literally exploded on the comic scene in 1941 with Captain America Comics #1 from Timely Comics. That company had been trying to carve out a slice of the big super hero comics market pie since National Periodicals had caused a sensation with Superman in 1938 and Batman the following year. In 1939 they had a big seller with Marvel Mystery Comics #1 and introduced their two breakaway stars: The Human Torch and The Sub-Mariner. Who would come up with the next great super hero?...

Unlike the kid leads of the new J.J. Abrams film "Super 8", I wasn't fourteen years old in the late 1970s, but I was maybe halfway there. Consequently, I didn't shoot my geeky homemade movies on Super 8 film. I got started in 1985, shooting on the glorious, short-lived Betamax video format. Working on videotape meant that I fell just short of participating in the Forrest J. Ackerman-inspired golden era of Famous Monsters fans making their down and gritty genre films in the backyard. Youthful aspiring pro filmmakers such as Don Glut would rally their fellow neighbor kids to make movies whenever they could, often times participating in a contest of some sort. For me, there were no contests, but the effort was no...

Famous Monsters is excited to announce that we will be present at the upcoming Pasadena Rock’n Comic Con 2010 Media and Entertainment Convention, presented by F.A.M.E. La!

The Los Angeles area’s comic book convention, Rock’n Comic Con brings together artists, animators, performers and musicians in a celebration of the local talent so prevelent in the La area. For three days and nights, Rock’n Comic Con will play host to panel discussions, rock concerts, autograph sessions, merchandising vendors and cheritable fundraisers. Pasadena Rock’n Comic Con gathers local top talents from the Arts, Music, Dance Performance, Major Animation & Film Studios, all at one exciting Media & Entertainment Convention. Through day & evening ticket sales, premier and retail exhibitors, sponsors & investors, their intent is to offer free tables for independent artists, art & music schools, colleges and various charity organizations.

Comics legend Stan Lee will be present, along with...

If you've had any interest in Don Glut's Blaxploitation Vampire novel, Brother Blood (check out our coverage of the book here), now is the time to sink your teeth in. The folks over at Pulp 2.0 Press are for a limited time selling downloadable Pdf's of the book for a price that will make you Scream, Blacula, Scream! Read on for more!

Author Jim Harmon wrote numerous science fiction stories for digests from the early 1950s, and wrote and edited several monster mags in the 1960s and 1970s. He was best known for his series of books on the Golden Age of Radio which began with publication of The Great Radio Heroes in 1967.

Harmon was born in Mount Carmel, Illinois, on April 21, 1933. Many of his early stories were published in the pages of such digests as Amazing Stories, Galaxy Science Fiction, The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, and If. Represented by Forry Ackerman as his agent, he also penned western and mystery tales. He also began writing adult erotica in the early 1960s, often teaming with Ron Haydock, on such titles as The Man Who Made Maniacs (1961), Wanton Witch (1961), Silent Siren (1962), and Ape Rape (1964).

Harmon and Haydock scripted and appeared in Ray Dennis Steckler’s cult film The Lemon Grove Kids Meet the Monsters.

Last week, we told you about Pulp 2.0 Press’ release of Brother Blood (see link here) and teased you about what the publishing label’s Bill Cunningham (pictured on the left) told Fango to expect in 2010. With the Don Glut signing happening this past Saturday at Dark Delicacies (where all copies of Brother Blood sold out), we can officially announce Pulp 2.0 Press’ slate and give you a glimpse at a brand new poster to whet your appetites. Read on for more!

Forgive me if this one gets a little personal. My very long-time friend, comics store pioneer Joe Sarno, died today from a fall that followed a severe, long-standing illness.

A long-time science fiction fan dating back to the 1950s, Joe started The Fantasy Collectors of Chicago in 1969, a comics-oriented pop culture club. It was an outgrowth of the weekend gatherings he held in the basement of his Albany Park home, which turned into a marketplace for fans to trade and sell comics. As a teen-aged fan I was first exposed to a great many (then) hard-to-find classics in Joe’s basement: Justice Society, Caniff’s Terry and the Pirates, EC Comics, The Spirit. As Joe also featured related popular culture ephemera such as movie serials, old teevee shows, old time radio and the like, just going to his place provided a valuable education.

In 1971, Joe opened his basement to the public,...

We're exactly two months away from the second annual Monsterpalooza, which is returning to the Marriott Burbank Convention Center April 9-11, 2010. To help get people fired up for the event, which features special effects artists from the horror industry along with their many works, the promoters have revealed the expanded guest list along with a slew of presentations and demos that will be taking place over the weekend.

Confirmed guests so far include:

Verne Langdon - Monster Of Ceremonies

Michael Westmore - Academy Award Winning Makeup Artist - Mask, Star Trek, Raging Bull

Tom Burman - Award Winning Makeup Artist - Island Of Dr. Moreau, The Goonies, Nip/Tuck

Barney Burman - Proteus F/X - Dawn Of The Dead, Matrix Reloaded, Star Trek 09

Rob Burman - The Fly, The Thing, Star Trek 09

Amalgamated Dynamics - Academy Award Winners Tom Woodruff & Alec Gillis - Starship Troopers, Avp

Knb - Academy...

Spanish actor Paul Naschy was a leading star in horror films for forty years from the late 1960s. He was best known for his role as the tragic werewolf, Waldemar Daninsky, which he originated in the 1968 film La Marca del Hombre Lobo (Mark of the Wolfman) from his own script. Though the film pitted Daninsky against a pair of vampires, the movie was oddly retitled Frankenstein’s Bloody Terror when it was released in the United States. He went on to play the werewolf in nearly a dozen subsequent films, many that he also co-scripted under his real name, Jacinto Molina.

Naschy was born Jacinto Alvarez Molina in Madrid on September 6, 1934. He began working in films as an extra in the 1961 biblical feature King of Kings. He appeared in small roles in a handful of films in the 1960s before creating the role of the werewolf Daninsky.

Daninsky returned in...

The William Castle Film Collection (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, $80.95) includes eight pictures produced and directed by master showman Castle. In Part One of this lengthy DVD review, I dissected four of them—13 Ghosts, Homicidal and the two best, The Tingler and Mr. Sardonicus. Believe you me, it was a ghastly business! As Sardonicus would say, “I have known a ghoul—a disgusting creature that opens graves and feeds on corpses.” Like a DVD reviewer. See here.

In this epic conclusion, I am fitted out with a Strait-jacket (about time!) and also chronicle Zotz!, 13 Frightened Girls and The Old Dark House, the three Castle entries new to DVD (which lack the short, individual “making of” documentaries accompanying the other five). Only two of these eight flicks were shot in color (Girls, House); theatrical trailers are included with all of the movies. And that’s all you need to know as we continue—in amazing Screamarama,...

The William Castle Film Collection (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, $80.95) assembles the master showman’s eight Columbia Pictures features in one set. Three (Zotz!, 13 Frightened Girls, The Old Dark House) are new to DVD. Only two are in color (Girls, House), but black and white works far better here to evoke film fear anyhow. Castle produced and directed them all (though he shares a producing credit with Hammer Films’ Anthony Hinds on the House remake). Three were scripted by Robb White (who also wrote Castle’s earlier gimmicky genre hits MacAbre and House On Haunted Hill) while Ray Russell and Robert Dillon racked up two scripts each and Starlog contributor Robert Bloch penned one.

The films (fantasies, thrillers, comedies) are grouped sort of by theme, two per disc. So, 13 Frightened Girls (a.k.a. The Candy Web) is teamed with 13 Ghosts for the triskaidekaphobia entry. Homicidal and Strait-jacket represent the murder,...

Hey, if plumbers and dentists can have conventions, why not vampires?

On Sunday, Augist 16th, Hollywood appeared to be invaded by the combined residents of Sunnydale, Santa Cruz and 'Salem's Lot, as bloodsuckers gathered at the Music Box Theater for the first ever Vampire Convention and came back that night for Vampirella's Ball.

It was an appropriate date, as it marked the 53rd anniversary of the death of Dracula himself, Bela Lugosi--the inspiration for Bauhaus' biggest hit. Because of the Hollywood setting, attendees could literally walk down the Boulevard and pay respect at Bela Lugosi's star (Many did.).

There was a celebration of the 40th anniversary of Vampirella, as well as round-table discussions on 'Vampires And Sexuality', and 'Why we love vampires.'

Well-dressed theatergoers on intermission from the "Legally Blonde" at The Pantages Theater did double takes as hordes of fanged, pale Goths slouched silently past them,...

• Cover art has surfaced for Anchor Bay’s DVD of Julian Doyle’s Crowley (a.k.a. Chemical Wedding), which we first broke the news about here. The disc has a street date of March 10; we’ll keep you posted on the specs.

• Media Blasters sent along the cover art for its February 24 double-disc release of One Missed Call 3: Final, along with details on more early-2009 titles. The latest in the death-by-text-message series, to be issued under the Tokyo Shock banner, will be presented in anamorphic 1.85:1 widescreen with Japanese 5.1 and 2.0 and English 2.0 soundtracks, with extras yet to be finalized. Retail price is $29.99. On the Shriek Show/Code Red label, the company has Terror Circus (a.k.a. Barn Of The Naked Dead) tentatively slated for January 27. The 1974 directorial debut of future art-house darling Alan Rudolph, starring Andrew Prine as a desert maniac who keeps woman captive, has been...