Scary Monsters Magazine!

Although Blimey! is mainly "The Blog of British Comics" I do occasionally like to give a plug to publications from overseas that catch my eye that I think deserve a shout out. Case in point today being Scary Monsters Magazine. It's American, and it's not a comic, but I think it may be of interest to some of you.

If you're as old as I am you may remember the "monster" magazines of the 1960s and 1970s; publications such as Famous Monsters of Filmland, Monsters of the Movies, and those that featured comic strips alongside the articles such as Monsters Unleashed and The Haunt of Horror. Chunky mags that all had the format of glossy covers and black and white interior pages printed on newsprint. That format is long dead now, right? 

Wrong. Scary Monsters Magazine keeps the flame burning in that exact same format. Whilst other genre mags today have glossy pages and a slick fancy layout, Scary Monsters has newsprint interiors and a design that echoes the magazines of yesteryear. All intentional of course, as the magazine focuses on the classic monster movies and TV shows of the distant past. Here you'll find features on Boris Karloff, The Creature of the Black Lagoon, Outer Limits, King Kong, and much more. 

It's very reflective of the fandom of that genre too, with articles on conventions and collector's anecdotes. In fact there's a spin-off publication as an annual yearbook, Monster Memories, which is more dedicated to that aspect.

Scary Monsters is published quarterly and has been around since 1991. After 100 issues under the capable editorship of Dennis J. Druktenis it's recently had a new editor, Don A. Smeraldi, and is looking good. It's not easy to get hold of the mag in the UK but I bought the latest issue, No.107, from Forbidden Planet the other day. Hemlock Books also stock copies to buy by mail order. It's not cheap, as each issue will cost around a tenner plus postage, but it has over 140 pages and is a good, fun read. You won't find it in newsagents though. Comic shops and sellers on the Internet are your best bet, but if you like classic monster movies and that old-school monster mag format then Scary Monsters Magazine is for you!

Website:
http://www.mymoviemonsters.com/store.php/mymoviemonsters/pg14663/scary_monsters_magazine

Preview of the covers to Monster Memories No.26, coming in March...