DRACULA BY MICHAEL AVALLONE

Before puzzle books dominated the racks, for about three decades newsstands were packed with joke books. Mostly aimed at adult males these books were teeming with cartoons, limericks, text gags and yes, girlie pinups that got spicier by the year. The ads should also tell you which demographic was being targeted.

These particular examples are from TV GIRLS AND GAGS (Vol. 6 No. 7, January 1960), first published by Pocket Magazines (it had four other owners during its time) which ran for 46 issues from May 1954 - November 1962. I selected this particular one because of a story featuring Dracula by the prolific novel and short story writer, Michael Avallone, whose specialty was writing movie and television tie-ins -- everything from BENEATH THE PLANET OF THE APES to THE MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E. He was known to have written over 200 works (he claimed 1,000) under his own name and over a dozen different pseudonyms.

The story's short enough I don't have to tell you about it except for that it uses a lot of the tropes that Dracula grew into over the years. But, it is humorous? Well, read it and you tell me. Included is a look at what type of content was in these things.

Golf professional and star of The Monster of Piedras Blancas.