CASTLE OF FRANKENSTEIN NO. 18 (PART 1)

CASTLE OF FRANKENSTEIN
Vol. 5 No. 2 (Whole #18)
1972 (No month)
Gothic Castle Publishing Company
Created, Edited and Published by Calvin T. Beck
Editing and Layout: Bhob Stewart
Editors: Chris Steinbrunner; Philip B. Moshcovitz
Editorial Associates: Jon Davison; Joe Dante, Jr.
Editorial Assistant: Buddy Weiss
Layout Assistant: Ken Barrish
Contributing Editors: Victor Wisco; Dan Bates; Ken Beale; Marc Ricci; Marmoset
Cover: Ken Kelly
Pages: 68

This is a great issue and a good example of what set CoF apart from the rest of the monster movie magazines of the day. A habit that publisher Beck cultivated was being generous with listing his staff and acknowledging the people that contributed info or material. This issue is no exception.

Leading the way are interviews with auteur filmmaker Alexandro Jodorowsky discussing his then recently released, EL TOPO (spiced up with some semi-nude and Lesbian photos) and veteran actor John Carradine. Articles on the films of H.P. Lovecraft and NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD, and TALES FROM THE CRYPT are good, but numerous 1 and 2-page "featurettes" makes some of the material sees hurried. Nevertheless, the content stands on its own for being unique and interesting. Beck's love for comics is also on display here, with work by Ken Barr, Larry Hama and Jim Steranko. There's also a cool pic of artist Roy G. Krenkel along with a short piece about him. At 18, CoF still looks like it had what it takes to make a fine monster 'zine.