HAPPY HALLOWEEN, MONSTER KIDS!

Golly, gee, Monster Kids -- here it is Halloween already! I don't know about you, but Halloween is still my favorite holiday of the year (except maybe my birthday!). Despite efforts to the contrary, Halloween still exists, but I'm afraid sometime in the future it will be deemed too frightening and, well . . . you know the way things are going. Once a Monster Kid, always a Monster Kid, I say.

Here are two of my most memorable and nostalgic Halloween treats. I obsessed over the Monster Mash LP and nearly wore the grooves off it. 

Monster Mash · Bobby "Boris" Pickett · The Crypt-Kickers

℗ 1962 Decca Music Group Limited

Producer: Gary S. Paxton

Producer: Gary Paxton

Associated  Performer, Vocals: Bobby Pickett

Composer  Lyricist: Leonard Capizzi

Composer  Lyricist: Bobby "Boris" Pickett

I heard a different version of this when I was in elementary school. The images conjured from that evocative writing were spooky! "It's Halloween", poem written by Harry Behn (1898 - 1973) and music  by Milton Kaye.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN, EVERYBODY!

ECHH! FRANKENSTEIN IN THE FUNNY BOOKS

It is said that those things that can be made into parody have a good chance of longevity. No better example can be made than with the Frankenstein monster.

Here he is is in a humorous strip from Marvel's NOT BRAND ECHH (#12, February 1969). The cover is by Marie Severin and the story, "Frankenstein Sicksty-Nine!", is written by Arnold Drake and drawn by Tom Sutton.

MONDAY MORNING MACABRE NO. 96

[Art by Hal Sherman.]

OMAC: JACK KIRBY'S PRESCIENT VISION OF THE FUTURE

In case you haven't guessed it by my posts, Jack "King" Kirby is my favorite comic book artist. Actually, limiting the names to solely comic books, I have a whole string of artists that I consider favorites: Wally Wood, Steve Ditko, Joe Kubert, Bernie Wrightson, the entire EC stable. But, with his dynamic panels, realistic foreshortening, mind-bending perspectives, and breathtaking double-page spreads, Kirby is damn hard to beat. He also had a talent that many comic book artists didn't (and still don't) -- writing.

Yes, when Kirby was cut loose to do his own thing by DC, it's amazing what he came up with. Character after character, scenario after scenario, the man must have literally called down the gods to create his incredible stories.

Many of them took place in the future, where Jack's imagination was free to roam. One such, was the improbably-titled OMAC. Acronym for One Man Army Corps, OMAC is a bizarrely costumed hero, who is determined to clean up mankind's act. The first issue opens with the mohawk-haired hero raiding the warehouse full of "Build-A-Friend" life-size talking dolls, noticeably all female. So is this what "love dolls" have evolved into? Following is the story on how he came to be and his connection to Brother Eye (pie in the sky becomes eye in the sky).

OMAC was introduced after the NEW GODS series was cancelled. The title lasted for a year and 8 issues. But in the meantime, we got a look into our freaky future.

A VISIT TO UNIVERSAL'S EUROPEAN VILLAGE

Like many other film studios, Universal built their sets with the idea of using them for other productions befitting the architecture. One such location on the lot was their European village, which was used in countless movies, including many monster movies.

Here, in this installment of a series of articles for CLASSIC IMAGES (February, 2011) is an inside look at the scenery that has become so familiar with monster fans and the classic Universal Monster movies.

MONSTER PAPERBACK PARADE

Presented here today at the Mysterious Mansion is a gallery of monster paperback covers. Some are from the UK and some from the U.S. Some are from my private collection and some I grabbed off the 'net.

As you can see, when it comes to illustrating horror and monster book covers, the full moon's limit, as Larry Talbot says. I'm sure you'll recognize some. Others are a little more esoteric as the books are hard to come by, and when one does, they're usually selling for outrageous prices.

So, feast your eyes! Glut your soul! From the sublime to the ridiculous . . .