VINTAGE MONSTER FAN CLUBS

Outside of a letters page, fan clubs were another good way to bring monster kids together to enjoy a sense of like-minded community. Several monster 'zines advertised for fan clubs, such as FAMOUS MONSTERS OF FILMLAND, FANTASTIC MONSTERS OF THE FILMS and Charlton's MAD MONSTERS and HORROR MONSTERS. For the usual price of a buck (or more in later years), readers would receive everything from membership cards to buttons, certificates, photos and more.

Here's just a few of the goodies that were offered from various monster mags and TV shows from days gone by.

I'm not sure where these originated, but I've added them anyway.

HORROR-BLY YOURS, THE EC GHOULUNATICS

EC Comics is the unequivocal touchstone for horror comics in popular culture and their influence is incalculable. With the publication of CREEPY, Jame Warren revitalized the tradition, even hiring some of the artists from the EC bullpen.

Publisher William Gaines was not averse to making his titles fan-friendly by including lively letters pages and a club whose members were called "EC Fan-Addicts". In 1951, photos were made available of the comics' horror hosts, collectively known as The GhouLunatics. The person posing in all three shots is none other than Johnny Craig with makeup chores accomplished by Al Feldstein. Enough revenue was received to send one of Gaines' office boys to college!

BONUS!

Above is pictured a 3-piece set of rare busts that were commissioned by Bill Gaines but never put into production. This is the only known set of busts with a dark brown glaze. Another was cast in off-white. Each stood from 9" to 10" tall with a 1.75" wood base and an engraved nameplate.

CREEPY ARTIFACTS

Fan clubs have always been used to add to the enthusiasm of the subject, create a sense of like-minded community and of course, garner a few extra bucks in the process.

Warren's CREEPY was no exception. The first ad for the Creepy Fan Club appeared in issue #5 and offered a membership card, a pinback button and, best of all, a full-color print of Uncle Creepy himself by Frank Frazetta (shown above).

Creepy Fan Club Ad from issue #5 (1965).

Ad for Creepy Fan Club in issue #6.