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Post by killercrab on Jul 1, 2009 20:19:20 GMT
And well, Monster Mag even had its second issue banned from the UK >>
For what reason? I recall little trouble picking the poster mag up generally - maybe I got them at film fairs - can't remember offhand. Monster Mag wasn't too dissimilar to the film tie- in poster mags on the shelves - just a horror version I thought. House of Hammer was the natural next step where stuff like features , reviews and comics could be better presented and a news section included. MM was too limited - not that I don't like it for what it was! Top Sellers I believe were mens magazine merchants also , in fact the reason HOH folded was because there was more money in girlie books !
ade
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Post by Johnlprobert on Jul 1, 2009 21:42:18 GMT
In Dez Skinn's editorial explaining the demise of the first run of HoH he said it was because the girlie mags were doing so badly that the whole of W H Allen (of which Top Sellers was a part) had to fold. Which was a shame as I liked my Pocket Chillers as well. I kept all my Monster Mags and HoHs but lost the Pocket Chillers and now of course I wish I had them
I think Monster Mag was definitely aimed more at adults, even though HoH was the better mag. MM was filled with hyperbole and colour pictures of bloody bits. And yes, most of the filler in between the gore was either press release or plot summary, but with movies like 'Frightmare' it just made me want to watch them all the more!
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Post by killercrab on Jul 1, 2009 22:02:51 GMT
In Dez Skinn's editorial explaining the demise of the first run of HoH he said it was because the girlie mags were doing so badly that the whole of W H Allen (of which Top Sellers was a part) had to fold. >>
That sounds right John. I didn't know they published Chillers - where the hell have I been?! This has been a great thread - some low grade friction about which was best has added immeasurably to the discussion.
Btw the recent German dvds from Anolis have included some of the HOH strips as PDFs. So who has the rights to them?
ade ( who still wants to know why MM #2 got banned.)
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Post by vaughan on Jul 1, 2009 22:26:29 GMT
There is no question which was best, I've already told you, it was Monster Mag.   A member of the board is interviewing Dez soon, perhaps he can provide clarity on the banning of issue 2. My understanding was because of the cover - it's a scene from Frankenstein Meets the Monster from Hell, with a hand being sewn on the creature as Cushing grips a bloody thread in his mouth.... Curiously they used the same image as the poster for a later issue, and that went through okay. As stated elsewhere on the board, I am the proud owner of a copy of Issue 2 - mine is German. You can find French issues too if you look hard enough. I seem to recall Italian issues perhaps - but might be wrong on that point. Definitely French and German though (confirmed by my having the German one). Issue 2 is NOT cheap though, I recall paying something around 80 euros for it. Did HOH have a release in other European countries? I seem to think Monster Mag was printed abroad and shipped in - hence when issue 2 was shipped in it was snatched by our wonderful border control and destroyed in its entirety (in the English language). I don't know if HOH was printed abroad or not.... |
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Post by carolinec on Jul 1, 2009 22:37:48 GMT
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Post by vaughan on Jul 1, 2009 22:59:49 GMT
Yeah - he's been selling those for ages, basically he's scanned his collection and stored them as PDF files, then sells the lot for around a tenner.
If I had a scanner that was large enough to do the job, I'd scan my own copies and put them up on the net for free - no need to charge people for such things. As it stands there is no substitute for the real thing for collectors anyway.
I don't know, I consider that guy a bit of a shyster, but I'm sure he has what he claims to have.... I just don't think he should be making money out of it. He has never offered any proof he has the legal right to do what he's doing (and yes, I've asked).
Shame, I've never seen a scanner large enough to do a Monster Mag - most of the issues are oversized....
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Post by Steve on Jul 2, 2009 0:00:30 GMT
However, it seems to me it was aimed at an adult audience. This is supported by the "adults only" banner... It may be significant that the 'adults only' tag started with Monster Mag issue 3 following the trouble they had with the second issue? I imagine it was some kind of trade off, as in; they could carry on publishing as long as they made it clear the magazine was suitable only for the more mature reader and presumably stockists would then stick it up on the higher shelves out of the reach of any impressionable children who might inadvertantly be scarred for life and go on to join boards like this one. Did HOH have a release in other European countries? I seem to think Monster Mag was printed abroad and shipped in... I don't know if HOH was printed abroad or not HoH was printed in Finland apparently. How widely it was circulated in Europe, if at all, I've no idea. I know Dez Skinn tried to launch the magazine in the States with a certain amount of success. |
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Post by vaughan on Jul 2, 2009 1:27:25 GMT
True.
I expect what you're saying is true. And if you look at the years after Monster Mag, they were probably wise. VCR's became prominent around that time, and the government panicked about the "Video Nasty" scare and hit us with the Video Recordings Act of 1984. Publics interest had fully formed against these "indecent" materials by 1984, but clearly it was happening years prior to that. Monster Mag got caught up in it, I guess the mindset, I mean).
Anyway, local newsagents where I was took that banner quite seriously, although I found one that didn't care (or couldn't read).
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Post by Johnlprobert on Jul 2, 2009 8:04:10 GMT
Good question. In the late 1980s Dario Argento had a comic called (surprise) Profondo Rosso, presumably to mainly sell in his Rome shop of the same name. It was a digest-sized mag and I remember seeing a reprint of Plague of the Zombies in Italian in it, so who knows?
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Post by carolinec on Jul 2, 2009 10:36:05 GMT
I don't know, I consider that guy a bit of a shyster, but I'm sure he has what he claims to have.... I just don't think he should be making money out of it. He has never offered any proof he has the legal right to do what he's doing (and yes, I've asked). I must admit, that's just what I thought when I saw it too.  |
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Post by killercrab on Jul 2, 2009 13:48:24 GMT
It was a digest-sized mag and I remember seeing a reprint of Plague of the Zombies in Italian in it, so who knows? >>
Theoretically the publisher owned the rights. I wouldn't be surprised if various strips were licenced out. I'll certainly enquire about the Anolis connection - though Dez might know little. I remember seeing the cover to an Italian or Spanish Curse of the Werewolf comic - what's betting it included Bolton's strip? I've also wondered for ages - where did all the art go? I've seen 2 pages of Bolton's COTW and one page from Plague of the Zombies at the Comicart fans site. Brian Bolland who pencilled POTZ and pencil/inked Vampire Circus keeps alot of his work - so maybe he's got some. Brian Lewis passed away but maybe his family has some ? I should ask David Lloyd about his Quatermass 2. I'd love somebody to publish a book printing the lot with commentaries.
ade
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Post by cyberschizoid on Jul 7, 2009 20:53:02 GMT
I own every issue of HOH and it really is my favourite monster movie mag of all time. It was never intended as a kids comic; it was definately an adult magazine but of course, kids love horror movies and comic strips so I guess that's where it gained a lot of its readership. I started collecting it towards the end of it's first run so I must have only been 9 or 10 years old!!! Luckily my parents were open-minded enough to not discourage my obsession and even bought me one or two issues directly, as did my older sister! |
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Post by killercrab on Jul 15, 2009 1:47:17 GMT
Interviewing Dez Skinn in front of a live audience was an experience. Fortified by ale we ran a Powerpoint of Dez' publishing career from his fanzine days with Eureka through to Warrior and beyond. He brought along many of his original *dummy* mags for pitching purposes - I got to see the House of Hammer original pitch with art from Tomb of Dracula used ! Asked about the alleged burning of hundreds of copies of issue one of House of Hammer - Dez confirmed he did it !! After Dez had resurrected Monster Mag he thought the next best thing would be a Hammer magazine to utilize his posse of writers. Being based on Wardour street it didn't take long for Dez to meet Michael Carreras and strike a deal. When the magazine was cancelled Dez bought the rights to all the material produced but not rights to the name - that obviously resided with Hammer. He did get the rights to Halls of Horror which of course surfaced a few years later . All of Brian Lewis painted covers were lent to Hammer for their proposed London Dungeon style exhibit. They've not been seen since .
Dez Skinn remains the Godfather of British Comics - a veritable publishing Gene Hunt !
KC
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Post by vaughan on Jul 15, 2009 4:28:05 GMT
Any clarification on the Monster Mag issue 2..... erm... issue?
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Post by killercrab on Jul 15, 2009 13:56:39 GMT
Destroyed at the docks by Customs. Only the european versions exist according to the man!
KC
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