Wednesday, August 16, 2023
CAULDRON OF HORROR #2: MORE CRYPTIC TALES
Cauldron of Horror #2 rises from AC's creative catacombs with a new, all-color trilogy of terror.
As one can discern from Patrick Broderick and Bill Black's exhilarating cover, it's a mummy yarn that headlines Issue #2, written by renowned filmmaker and big-time, monster buff, Don Glut!
"Demonic Mummy" features not only the evident, bandaged corpse, but the chaotic, cobra-man, Apopis, who's involvement in a low-budget horror film holds a Faustian catch.
In "Our Acnephobia," written by Mark Heike, Bonnie and Clyde copycats discover a sequestered scientist who bestows them a creepy surprise.
For "You Wore Black, The Angels Wore White," written by Dan Membiela, a vampiric ruse manifests, but is it wrought in danger, play ... or maybe a bit of both?
It should be noted that Bobby Ragland, Davide Deidda, Stephanie Heike, Jaime Castro, David Jacob Beckett and Walter (Bill Black) Paisley also contributed to this issue, entrenching its haunting merit.
For those who love EC and Warren titles, Cauldron of Horror is certain to delight, with devilish creatures and startling examples of bizarre comeuppance. (I procured my copy via Steve's Comic Relief, Village Commons, Quakerbridge Road, Lawrenceville, NJ: a prolific hub for every imaginative need.)
And for those desiring even more thrills and chills, Cauldron of Horror #3 is scheduled for a fall release ... just in time for Halloween!
Tuesday, August 15, 2023
DEVIL 13: TROY BOYLE'S IMAGE FOR *PPFSZT! #51
Jim Main just shared Troy Boyle's illustration for my short story, "Devil 13," slated for *PPFSZT! #51.
I gotta say, I'm blown away. It's as if Mr. Boyle ripped the image right from my head, or at least paid strict attention to the description in the tale, for which I'm most grateful.
"Devil 13" spotlights a monster of New Jersey myth (guess who?) against a U.F.O./extraterrestrial backdrop. (The theme of *PPFSZT! #51 caters to new stories done in a 1950s - 1970s, sci-fi style.)
More on "Devil 13" and the upcoming issue are on the way. Stay tuned!
Saturday, August 12, 2023
Collectible Time: LIFE's King Kong (The Movies, The Creature, The Message/90 Years)
LIFE continues to unleash commemorative editions on pop-cultural icons, and the latest celebrates that charismatic gargantua, King Kong (with dynamic, dual covers)!
King Kong: The Movies, The Creature, The Message is written by Steve Rushin, who covers Kong's cinematic, 90-year stretch, commencing with the behemoth's earliest conceptualizations, right up to his Legendary Pictures, MonsterVerse rallies.
Details overflow on how Merian C. Cooper, Ernest C. Shoedsack, Ruth Rose, Edgar Wallace, Max Steiner and Willis O'Brien ushered the mighty myth to the big screen in 1933, along with assiduous scoops on Dino De Laurentiis and John Guillermin's 1976, polarizing redux and Peter Jackson's 2005, computerized revitalization.
The likes of Son of Kong, King Kong Lives, King Kong Escapes, King Kong vs Godzilla, Godzilla vs Kong, Kong: Skull Island ... the stage musical (and such variants as Mighty Joe Young and Konga) are also featured, sprinkled by nods to the character in such noted sources as Jurassic Park, Training Day, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, The Simpsons and Jim Croce's "Big Bad Leroy Brown." Sentimental memories and interesting quotes on Kong are shared by Cooper and Jackson, as well as Jessica Lang, Pauline Kael, Bob Newhart, George Foreman, Maurice Sendak and Quentin Tarantino; and a overview of Fay Wray's career offers comprehensive insight not found in most other sources.
For extra depth, Rushin insinuates the likely reasons behind Kong's powerful and tragic endurance in the magazine's various portions and caps off the edition with "The Real King Kong," regarding a genuine specimen called Gigantopitecus, a creature many believe to be linked to the Abominable Snowman and Bigfoot.
The text is adorned by sterling, black-and-white and color stills from Kong's movies (with behind-the-scenes clips from the 1933, 1976 and 2005 productions), in what constitutes a veritable, visual feast.
LIFE's King Kong: The Movies, The Creature, The Message is available now at drugstores and supermarkets across the nation. Snatch a copy of this chest-thumping collectible (with either cover or both) before it's gone!
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