MY FIRST MONSTER COMICS (PART 3)

This is the third and last of the first batch of monster comics I ever bought. When I got them back to Gram's house she had a tough time prying me away from them for dinner! I read all of them countless times and am happy to say they are all still a coveted part of my collection, albeit well-worn.

This is the first printing of the licensed Dell Comic adaptation of Universal's 1941 monster thriller, The Wolfman. This first edition is published in the indicia as "Wolfman" and the second edition, the error was corrected to "The Wolfman" and a couple of pages got replaced with ads, to boot. The strangest thing of all, though, is that the story is original and only has a few wisps of being anything like the movie. Although I had already seen the film, it was no big deal to me that it read very differently.

The really cool cover is by an unknown artist (in the style of Gold Key's George Wilson), the story "adaptation" is scripted by Robert Bernstein and the art is done nicely by Bob Jenney, who also drew the mystical stories on the inside front and back covers. Bernstein was a very busy man who wrote a pile of scripts for Lev Gleason, Quality, EC, DC and Marvel, just to name a few. I happen to like the work of Bob Jenney; while not grabbing kudos as many other (and granted, more skilled) artists, he nevertheless has the limelight of drawing the first-ever H.P. Lovecraft comics adaptation of "The Rats in the Walls" in CREEPY #21.

Well, there you have it -- my first three monster comics!

See my other two first monster comics HERE and HERE.

See the post on my first monster magazine HERE.

WOLFMAN (Dell Movie Classic)

No. 1 (One-shot)

June-August 1963

On-sale date: April 18, 1963

Dell Publishing Co. Inc. (Dell Comics)

Editor: D.J. Arneson

Cover: ?

Pages: 36

Cover price: 12 cents

SHOCK MONSTER!

Coming this May from Trick or Treat Studios is a nifty-looking Shock Monster action figure. It's got 20 -- count 'em 20 -- points of articulation and stands about as high as one of your Aurora monster models.

The Shock Monster, of course, was made legendary when it was designed by Keith Ward and released by Topstone way back in the 1950's. It was sold in scads of comics and monster magazines over the years with several different versions made during the time.

Pre-order from MONSTERS IN MOTION using the link from "Sites I Like" on the right sidebar of this page.

Chamber of Horrors Shock Monster 8 Inch Retro Style Figure:

Retail price: $39.99

We are proud to present the Chamber of Horrors - Shock Monster - Retro Style 8" Figure.

Our new line of retro figures are a must-have for collectors! Carefully designed to honor the vintage cloth figures of the 1970s, these updated versions feature dynamically articulated bodies, intricate sculptures, and detailed paint applications. With 20 points of articulation, they combine nostalgic charm with modern craftsmanship—perfect for display or play!

I dug deep into the vaults of the Mysterious Mansion and resurrected this video I posted in 2012 to YouTube of me wearing my brand new Don Post Shock Monster mask!

GUEST STARRING . . . FRANKENSTEIN?

Comic artist Howard Nostrand was well-known -- and sometimes notorious -- for mimicking other artists' styles. In this strip from CRACKED #151 (July 1978) he draws a dead-ringer for Jack Davis' famous 6-foot tall Frankenstein poster that was sold in the back pages of an untold number issues of Warren's magazines back in 1972. This time, Nostrand does give a nod with his "Thank you, Jack Davis" note under his signature. The story tells the "what if" the Frankenstein Monster appeared as a guest star in popular TV shows of the day. The scriptwriter is unknown.

One of Davis' Frankenstein posters was sold at auction in 2018 for $639.33.

SO, WHAT'S GOING ON WITH COMIC BOOKS?

Let the mad scramble begin. The mighty Diamond Comics Distributors has recently announced bankruptcy after disclosing they're in over their heads with more than $30 million dollars in debt.

Yes, you read that dollar figure right. The comic book distribution juggernaut owes a heart-stopping $31,745,394.39, and this is only to the top 30 companies on the list. There's speculation that when the multitude of smaller publishers are factored in, the amount may double. How these idiots got up to their eyeballs in hock smacks of financial overreach, mismanagement and corruption, if you ask me. Unfortunately, large companies going bankrupt is fast-becoming the new normal.

There are, and have been options for retailers in the form of Penguin Books and Lunar, but it looks like the convenience of ordering most of their stock from one source may be in jeopardy some time in the future. Even if Diamond gets it's shit together, it's going to have a tough time winning back loyal customers after they've fled in panic to other distribution sources. One significant example is Image Comics who have already bailed from Diamond to Lunar.

Is this good for the industry? Initially, it sounds terrible, but a re-organization of how comic books and related collectibles are distributed may not end up being a bad thing after all. It's good to shake the corporate tree every so often and see what kind of rotten fruit falls. In this case, it sounds like the entire tree was decaying from the inside out.

Personally, I don't have that much invested in the goings-on as I have long stopped buying comics regularly. However, they still remain near and dear to me and I believe they are still a viable and important American pop culture institution and one we definitely don't want to lose.

More opinion from the Abnormal Brain HERE.

As of this writing, this just in:

Press release from Diamond Comics Distributors

Diamond Receives Court Approval for $41 Million in Debtor-in-Possession Financing

January 20, 2025

Funding Allows the Company to Pay Vendors, Continue Normal Operations

HUNT VALLEY, Md. – January 16, 2025 – Diamond Comic Distributors (“Diamond” or “the Company”), today announced that the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Maryland (“the Court”) has approved Diamond’s $41 million debtor-in-possession (“DIP”) financing agreement with JP Morgan Chase.

DIP financing is a typical form of financing used by businesses that are restructuring through a Chapter 11 process. It will be used to fund operating expenses and provide adequate working capital to meet its obligations to suppliers.

“We are pleased that the court has approved our DIP financing agreement. This Court-approved relief is a critical step for the company, ensuring we can pay our vendors and provide product to retailers,” said President Chuck Parker.

In case you're wondering, here's the list of the Top 30:

1. Penguin Random House LLC $9,202,181.45
2. Bandai Co, Ltd $4,348,743.08
3. National Entertainment Collectibles $2,682,994.22
4. Kin Kin Mould $1,811,934.04
5. TMP International, Inc $1,734,814.39
6. Disney Consumer Products, Inc $1,712,447
7. Hasbro, Inc $1,064,378.39
8. Wizards of the Coast LLC $914,601.84
9. Xceeding Partnership Solutions $843,496.70
10. Little Buddy LLC $694,628
11. Simon & Schuster, Inc $600,144.80
12. Bandai Namco Toys & Collectibles $576,072.46
13. Lunar Distribution $496,967.84
14. United Parcel Service, Inc $476,398.57
15. VIZ Media, LLC $421,204.93
16. Catalyst Games Lab, LLC $401,483.12
17. The Army Painter Ap S $386,925.86
18. ARA, Inc $378,827.04
19. Titan Publishing Group Ltd $357,417.28
20. Square Enix Holdings Co, Ltd $314,295.51
21. Microsoft Corp $307,816.00
22. The Pokemon Company International, Inc $280,375.00
23. Transcontinental Inc $243,541.48
24. Beast Kingdom Co, Ltd $237,903.14
25. Funko, LLC $237,631.62
26. Publisher Services, Inc $223,140.92
27. Dynamic Forces, Inc $217,317.64
28. Pai Technology Inc $211,331.50
29. Udon Entertainment Inc $202,694.07
30. Super7, Inc $163,686.50

AMAZING FIGURE MODELER NO. 78 NOW AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD!

The folks who publish AMAZING FIGURE MODELER are managing to keep their 'zine alive after moving to a PDF, downloadable format. I do miss the print copies and I've always said that I prefer reading this way. It might just be an inculcated response, but you can't beat the tactile satisfaction of holding a book, newspaper or magazine in your hands if you ask me.

One advantage of the PDF format is the page count is easier expanded as there's only the production cost of producing the page without increasing the print cost. For instance, the last issue I bought was 194 pages.

Visit the AFM site using the link from "The Magazine Rack" on the left sidebar of this page.

THIS ISSUE: DRASTIC PLASTIC!
Plastic is fantastic and boy howdy don’t we know it! This issue, AFM is heading out on Safari, (a Styrene Safari that is) and we’ve tracked down all the latest and greatest injection molded kits for your workbenches!

Spearheading our Drastic Plastic coverage will be a hands-on look at kits from X-Plus, Monarch, Monogram, Aurora and more! So get set all you slap-happy modelers, AFM #78 is seriously getting drastic for plastic making all your styrene dreams come true with a parade of customized, kit bashed creations guaranteed to snap off your sprues and squeeze the ole’ glue tube dry! The resurgence of styrene has begun, and AFM is right in the middle of it! All this and so much more from your figure model buds who put the ‘Zing’ in Amazing!