FAMOUS MONSTERS LOGO ORIGINS

Cover logo from FAMOUS MONSTERS OF FILMLAND #1.

Among the many attributes of the world's first monster fan magazine, FAMOUS MONSTERS OF FILMLAND, is its distinctive title logo. Other monster magazines have titles that are well designed and deserve note, but it's FM's distinctive lettering that has the "pop" that sets it apart from nearly all the others. The magazine's longevity also contributes to its familiarity, and its eerie, crumbling castle font is inextricably linked with the magazine's original creative team of James Warren and Forrest J Ackerman. The American punk rock band, The Misfits, whose songs often contain elements from monster movies, have even adopted the FM lettering as their own and popularized it even further.

So, who was the creator of this most famous monster logo?

Some time ago, I posed this very question to David Horne, the author of the encyclopedic GATHERING HORROR, and expert on all-things Warren. It was his opinion that it was Jim Warren himself who designed the FM cover logo. Since Warren had an art background and who was fresh from the field of commercial art, it stands to reason. The names George Frenoy and John Watko are listed on the contents page as art directors, so it's possible one or both of them had a hand in it, as well.

I further theorize that the origin of the FM logo -- whoever is responsible for creating it -- is derived from the lettering used on one or more monster movie posters from the period. And why not look to the movie poster for inspiration? One sheets and lobby cards contain excellent examples of flashy (if not lurid) design and excitement inducing lettering. That was their purpose, to grab attention.

To illustrate my point I have superimposed three sections from three different monster movies over a typical FM cover. It is not difficult to observe the similarity of the shapes of the letters when compared to the FM logo. Taking into consideration that the lettering on some of these posters came years before the first issue of FM was published, it is not outside the realm of possibility that Warren was inspired to create the FM logo from posters like these.

UPDATE (04/23/2019): After additional information has come to light since the writing of this blog, it's pretty much a unanimous decision that Warren was the creator of the FM logo. He was also the person who created other Warren 'zine titles including VAMPIRELLA.

GODZILLA'S GOT YOU COVERED

The return of Godzilla to the big screen has been a shot in the arm for real, honest-to-goodness monster movies. Even though it got knocked off the top of the box office heap after its first week by the latest X-Men franchise flick, it's radioactive afterlife is still glowing.

Monster mags have not wasted any time, either, in promoting Godzilla on their covers.And, why not? Godzilla offers both older and younger audiences something to watch, making this King of the Kaiju a monster for all seasons.

GROTESQUES & ARABESQUES: MONSTER MAGAZINE DESIGN

It's not hard to see that the actual content of monster magazines does not really vary much. Grab a handful of any combination of issues and you'll see that coverage differs somewhat from 'zine to 'zine, but you'll also notice that most all of them, vintage and current titles alike, have a contents page, letters page, advertising section, etc., that contain much of the same material just like any other kind of magazine. However, what makes them different are how the topics are covered, such as the selection of the types of movies that are chosen (classic, B-Horror, etc.).

What makes a monster magazine distinctive from another, and in some cases, unique, is not just having the usual contents page, etc., it's the style of the design that's used that gives each title its own character and identity. In this series I will show various pages from different monster mag titles to illustrate just this point.

Starting things off is a random selection of "Monster Mail Call", from FAMOUS MONSTERS OF FILMLAND #32. The title heading sports one of Jack Davis' trademark comic monster illustrations that he is so well known for. What made the FM letter col so cool back in the day is that editor Forry Ackerman used this section of the magazine as a showcase for fans and often dedicated entire issues to selected lucky readers. The thought that if you sent in just the right letter or provided just the right type of picture (and maybe some even begged or pleaded!) only added to the excitement and anticipation of waiting between each issue. You will also notice that this issue is dedicated to a certain young man that grew up to be quite the writer himself!