CRACKED'S FOR MONSTERS ONLY
Vol. 1 No. 1
November, 1965
Major Magazines
Editor: Joe Kiernan
By 1965 monster magazines were going full tilt, much to the fevered delight of Monster Kids everywhere. FAMOUS MONSTERS OF FILMLAND, published since 1958 was enjoying so much success that publisher James Warren decided a companion publication, MONSTER WORLD, would help slake the thirst of fans (and at the same time remove coin from their pockets). Calvin T. Beck's CASTLE OF FRANKENSTEIN was still appearing on newsstands, albeit with its notorious irregularity. A number of fan magazines had also popped up, notably MIDNIGHT MARQUEE and PHOTON.
On newsstands around Halloween appeared the first issue of FOR MONSTERS ONLY. Published by Robert C. Sproul's Major Magazines, it aimed to combine the serious scare factor of monster movies and temper it with poking fun at them, all between the same two covers. After all, Sproul also published CRACKED. While a top competitor, it would never attain the popularity and dethrone the genius of Gaines' MAD.
The first issue of FOR MONSTERS ONLY contained a mix of articles, mostly by anonymous authors with unlikely names like Fenton Sharpclaws and Bosley Van Swamp, cartoon gags by CRACKED regulars Don Orehek and McCartney (pseudonym of fetish artist Bill Ward), and some really good artwork by John Severin,
Tonight's post features the first twenty five pages of the issue:
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