MONSTERS AND THINGS NO. 2 (PART 2)

MONSTERS AND THINGS NO. 2 (PART 1)

DR. HEADSTONE PRESENTS... MONSTERS AND THINGS
Vol. 1 No. 2
April 1959
Magnum Publications
Publisher: Irwin Stein
Editor: L.T. Shaw
Managing Editor: M.J. Shapiro
Editorial Associate: Helen Skalet
Art Director: Howard Winters
Your Ghostly Host: Dr. Headstone
Cover art: ?
Pages: 54
Cover price: 25 cents

CONTENTS

• Bela Lugosi as the Original Dracula (missing from this scan)
• Dr. Headstone Calling · Dr. Headstone · ed
• Horror-Beasts Dine Tonight! · Robert J. Cassiday
• The Story of Frankenstein · Marie Oliveri
• You Can’t Cheat Death’s Demon · David Challon
• The Undertaker’s Sideline · Richard F. Watson
• Monster from Green Hell · Anon.
• Low Priestess of Hell · Daneth MacAbee
• Monsters and Things Pin-Ups
• Curse of the Living Crossbones (comic book reprint)
• Rodan · Anon.
• Famous Monster Mysteries No. 1 (comic book reprint)

Hot on the heels of MONSTER PARADE, publisher Irwin Stein released another monster mag, MONSTERS AND THINGS. It lasted for only two issues. The issue shown today (#2) was published in April 1959, succeeding its partner mag by one month.

Magnum Publications were very much like many other magazines on the newsstands at the time and were slanted towards a mature male audience that contained just enough salaciousness to attract them.

There have been countless references indicating that these two titles were in competition with Warren's FAMOUS MONSTERS OF FILMLAND, and I even mentioned that in a post earlier this week. But after studying their content, they look more like publisher Stein took the idea of FM (that was obviously aimed at kids) and packaged it with the idea of capturing an older audience. Just look at some of the story titles and the accompanying illustrations and the ads for sex books and handguns in the back pages and you'll see what I mean.

This issue, presided over by host Dr. Headstone, continues on with the style of the rest of the Magnum issues; text-heavy with short stories, pre-code horror comic book reprints, full-page monster pin-ups and a couple of monster movie reviews. Editor Larry T. Shaw had been at the helm of the pulp digest, INFINITY SCIENCE FICTION and put together a serviceable content. Stein went on to be co-founder of the legendary purple-dyed page edge line of paperbacks, Lancer Books.

The idea just didn't catch on and what you see here today is the last gasp of the attempted Magnum monster empire.

MONSTER PARADE BITS 'N PIECES

The beetle-browed TV horror host M.T. Graves seems "hooked" on MONSTER PARADE.

Just a few months after the first issue of FAMOUS MONSTERS OF FILMLAND hit the stands, competition began to appear. Magnum Publications' MONSTER PARADE was the first. Publisher Irwin Stein patterned his monster mag more on the theme of Warren's AFTER DARK (where the idea of FM was first revealed) than FM. As a result, the 'zine had more of a slant towards a mature audience than FM's kid-centric content. With titles like, "Secret of the Torture Cult" and "Orgy of the Undead", and the photo cover of a busty blond with a come-hitherish look (reported to be actress Arlene Dahl) it was plain to see that MP was born more out of the men's adventure line than anything else.

The Monster Kids won out and FM went on to be a smash hit. As for MP, it languished for four issues, then disappeared from the newsracks.

Here are a few samples from various issues, including the cover images:

Cover model Paula Page mistaken for actress Arlene Dahl.
Photo by Eva Grant.

Art signed by Larry Ivie.

Current prices for MONSTER PARADE from a collector's site (Nostomania).

KNAVE July, 1959. Cover model identified here as Paula Page.

Harrison Marks glamour model, Paula Page.

Sorry, Arlene Dahl was much too classy for Magnum Publications.

Miss Dahl appeared in PLAYBOY, a "slick" magazine.