Books

Jim Starlin, Paul Gulacy, and Al Milgrom Discuss the Origins of Marvel’s Magazine Line at Terrificon 2019 Panel

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Most horror fans of the 1970s fondly recall Marvel’s black and white magazine sized comic books, and for many of those that grew up in that era, they often served as an introduction to the horror genre  and Marvel’s versions of classic monsters like Dracula and Frankenstein as well as some of their own such as Man-Thing and The Zombie: Simon Garth.

Word Balloon Podcast’s John Siuntres dug deeper into the origins of the magazine line at 2019’s Terrificon panel “The Lost Marvel Magazines of the 70s” with the help of some of the most prominent artists and writers of the time period in the form of Jim Starlin, Paul Gulacy, and Al Milgrom.  And while all three creators joked that they didn’t produce a whole lot of content for the magazines, they all certainly knew the history behind them. read more

‘The Great Monster Magazines’ by Robert Michael Cotter: The Horror News Network Review

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The amount of books that have been written about comic book history (before and after the success of Marvel’s Cinematic Universe) reaches to the stars, not even taking into account all of the price guides and checklists which have been a staples for readers ever since Atlas Comics became Marvel.

Much less time has been spent cataloging the history and impact of horror comics, other than the EC Horror boom and bust which nearly ended all comic publication in the 1950s, and certainly ended horror comics.  This was the sad reality for fans until the black and white magazines of Warren Publications repackaged classic EC style horror stories in a different format for newsstand distribution (avoiding the pesky and arbitrary Comics Code Authority), and the horror comic had risen from the dead. read more

‘Vampirella (2019) #1’: The Horror News Network Review

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Ever since her revival in 1992, Vampirella has been a fixture on comic book store shelves and in the hearts and minds of horror fans everywhere.  Her iconic costume, dating back to 1969, is one of the most recognizable ones at conventions world wide, making her a character that can be identified by all types of fans, most of whom have never picked up one of her Warren magazines or current comics.

For the fans who have kept up with her adventures in the four-color format, Vampirella has had a long line of writer and artists associated with her since 1992, including many of the the most prominent writers in the industry such as Warren Ellis, Nancy A. Collins, and Mark Millar. The only drawback to this star-studded line-up is the frequent new origins and changes in direction for the character, sometimes making it hard for new readers to understand the back story and frustrating the veteran fans who have followed her all of these years. read more

Mike Gingold Talks ‘AD NAUSEAM II’

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Last year author Michael Gingold unleashed a cool and original book containing original newspaper clippings of ’80s horror movie advertisments called AD NAUSEAM, released by 1984 Publishing. Gingold, who is a writer and editor at Fangoria magazine and also a contributor to other outlets such as Rue Morgue, had saved the clippings from local papers during his youth. His foresite was every horror fan’s gain, as the book would go on to prove very popular on Amazon and other online retailers, providing a unique sense of nostalgia that brought us all way back to the day when cinemas and cinemas alone ruled the industry. As reported exclusively by Entertainment Weekly, Gingold is ready to take us on all on splatter-filled journey through the ’90s and early 2000’s with AD NAUSEAM II, currently available for pre-order on Amazon. read more

DC Comics and Joe Hill Team Up for New Hill House Comics Imprint

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This October, DC and best-selling author Joe Hill (NOS4A2, Locke & Key) will be bringing some much needed horror to your local comic book shop in the form of Hill House Comics.  The first series in the new “pop-up” line of horror comic books (according to the official press release) will arrive on stands just in time for Halloween with Basketful of Heads, written by Joe Hill with art by Leomacs.

Hill is excited to get back to writing horror comics and stated that “Anyone who’s paying attention knows we’re in the middle of a new golden age of horror: films like Get Out, Hereditary, It Follows, and plain old It have raised the bar higher and higher.  Meanwhile, ongoing shows like AMC’s The Terror and Netflix’s Stranger Things have shattered preconceived notions about what’s possible in episodic terror TV. There’s great stuff happening in comics, of course—in a field of unbounded creativity and wacko visionaries, there’s always great stuff happening—but greedy me wants more.” read more

DC Comics ‘Sunsets’ Vertigo Imprint After 26 Years

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After months of rumors, DC Comics made the news official today that Vertigo, the long-standing edgy imprint that gave birth to some of the best and most literate comic books of the last 26 years would be no more, effective as of January of 2020.

Publisher Dan Didio stated that “We’re returning to a singular presentation of the DC brand that was present throughout most of our history until 1993 when we launched Vertigo to provide an outlet for edgier material.  That kind of material is now mainstream across all genres, so we thought it was the right time to bring greater clarity to the DC brand and reinforce our commitment to storytelling for all of our fans in every age group. This new system will replace the age ratings we currently use on our material.” read more

American Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family and Property Petitions Netflix to Cancel Amazon Prime’s ‘Good Omens’

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They say that “the Devil is in the details”, but it appears that the American Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family, and Property was more concerned with the Devil, than the details in the case of Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett’s Good Omens adaptation.

The organization (also known as The Christian Return to Order) got a little too hot under the collar about the new Amazon Prime series, and forgot which streaming service was responsible for the “…mockery of God’s Order and religion…”.  The petition (since removed from their website) demanded that Netflix remove the series from the airwaves, and asked signers to send the message to “…Netflix that we will not stand silent as they destroy the barriers of horror we still have for evil.”  The American Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family, and Property was able to elicit over 20,000 signatures before they realized that they were petitioning the wrong streaming service. read more

‘Ghost Adventures’ Zak Bagans’ Haunted Museum is Already Being Impacted by ‘The Devil’s Rocking Chair’

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Well, it didn’t take long for “The Devil’s Rocking Chair” to start causing trouble at Zak Bagans’ Haunted Museum in Las Vegas.  According to an official tweet, the rocking chair stirred up so much paranormal activity, that the museum had to temporarily shut the exhibit down.

So we just shut-down a new exhibit @hauntedmuseum temporarily because of what just occured w/ staff & a guest… moments before we opened the exhibit me and my assistant witnessed a plug get yanked out of the wall socket by itself then the door to the chair opened slowly read more

‘Blood on Black Wax: Horror Soundtracks on Vinyl’ Authors Jeff Szpirglas and Aaron Lupton: The Horror News Network Interview

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One of the hottest collectibles in recent years for fans of horror films have been the numerous limited edition re-issues of classic horror film soundtracks with new cover art and deluxe packaging.  This trend also sent many fans back to their local record stores and ebay in search of some of  their favorite films that were immortalized on black plastic.

Two fellow fans (and journalists for Rue Morgue), Jeff Szpirglas and Aaron Lupton, decided to take it one step further and have just released a gorgeous book dedicated to the subject and it is clear that there is much to learn about the previously undocumented world of horror vinyl.  In this exclusive interview, HNN speaks to Szpirglas and Lupton about their new book, which is bound to keep you spinning through numerous undiscovered gems and old favorites. read more

Frank Frazetta’s ‘Egyptian Queen’ Painting Sells for $5.4 Million; Sets New World Record For Heritage Auctions

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Frank Frazetta’s 1969 fantasy painting entitled Egyptian Queen sold for $5.4 million on Thursday May 16th at a public auction of vintage comic books and comic art held by Heritage Auctions in Chicago, Illinois, setting a new record for any piece of comic-related art.

The Egyptian Queen originally appeared as the cover for Eerie #23 (1969) and the artist subsequently reprinted the painting as a poster and print (and it has been hanging on comic shop walls and dorm rooms ever since).  The painting’s price beat Frazetta’s previous record holder, the $1.79 million dollar painting, Death Dealer 6, 1990, which was sold by Heritage in May of 2018. read more