MONSTER WORLD NO. 2 (PART 1)

MONSTER WORLDVol. 1 No. 2
January, 1965
Warren Publications
Founder & Publisher: James Warren
Editor-in-Chief: Forrest J Ackerman
Way Out Layout: Harry Chester
Cover: Vic Prezio
Pages: 68

It was a brand new year. I was ten years old and had just begun my transformation into a full-fledged Monster Kid. Many Monsterologists say that 1965 was the high water mark for the monster craze that began back in October 1957 with the release of the Shock! (aka Shock Theatre) film package for TV and a few months later, in February 1958, with the publication of the first issue of FAMOUS MONSTERS OF FILMLAND. Looking back at all the monster stuff that sprung up like Matango mushrooms almost overnight, I would agree.

The clean-lined, all lower case title used on the cover of the first issue of MONSTER WORLD was replaced by a more monster-y, all upper case title on issue #2. Harry Chester's interior "way out layouts" were largely unchanged.

The big story was the new TV show, THE MUNSTERS, which became a hit series until BATMAN forced a foreclosure on the haunted house at 1313 Mockingbird Lane after just 2 seasons. A preview of GODZILLA VS. THE THING got me to the theater. It was the first Kaiju flick I had ever seen on the silver screen and man, what a spectacle it was! Also included is a celebration of Boris Karloff's 77th birthday (he would pass away just a few years later) and coverage of THE TIME TRAVELERS, another movie that I got to see in the theater (and waited with great anticipation for FJA's cameo!). Also in this issue is another comic strip featuring the team of Russ Jones and Wally Wood -- this time featuring Universal's THE MUMMY'S HAND (I incorrectly wrote that THE MUMMY'S HAND appeared in MONSTER WORLD #1). Interesting to note in the "Fang Mail" letters column that a monster fan was having a hard time "finding good pictures of Bela Lugosi". My, how times have changed!