Vampy Crew

[dem]

Tricky to get hold of now because I don't think too many people bothered with ISBN numbers at the time. The vampire small press mags and 'zines proliferated in the early to mid nineties, a moment of time captured lovingly in Mick Mercer's The Hex Files: The Goth Bible (Batsford, 1996) which includes reviews of several home made goth, pagan, fetish and vamp publications from around the globe. There were HUNDREDS and I'm sure I'll think of more the minute I've posted this, but let's go.

International Vampire from Amsterdam was always a front runner in the vampire research stakes, and the editor now produces the classy Shroudeater site. Twenty issues in all, mostly devoted to obscure vampire "epidemics" from around the globe. Rather than adopt the tragic "they're real because I said so!" approach of many of his only-in-it-for-the-chat-show-appearances contemporaries, our man was never convinced.

Nocturnal Ecstasy: Chicago's finest. Six glorious, ramshackle issues featuring just about everything, ever, with an obvious bias to vampires. Fiction, outre artwork and well-researched articles, editor Darlene Daniels landed them a scoop when she interviewed Pete Steele circa Type O Negative's Bloody Kisses masterpiece. "Death to Yuppie Slime Barbies!"

Poison Coffin: Goth piss-takers from Princess Risborough. A nice touch was when they sellotaped a tube of sweeties to the cover of issue #4 like it was Whizzer & Chips or something. Interviewed them once for VAT. Didn't get a word of sense out of them in three pages. Last time I saw our then security guard, he was still dining out on the story of how one day he shared a lift with "two girls wearing nothing much more than belts" he'd selflessly decided to escort to demonik HQ.

Children Of The Night: Chicago. Editor Tom Strauch was ambitious: he wanted his glossy magazine to be stored in high street stores. It lasted 4 issues before he got sick of wanabee vampires camping out in his driveway. Still spoken of in awed tones, everything about COTN was quality. Nancy 'Aramanthea Knight' Kilpatrick and Chad Savage were among the contributors.

Propaganda: Long-running music mag which favoured the goth-industrial-vampire crossover above everything else. Staff included Brian Warner, soon to mutate into Marilyn Manson. I still have the issue featuring his interview with the original line up of lovable goth-rockers Nosferatu.

Necropolis: If you've seen Chad Savage's Sinister Visions site, you'll have sussed the guy's an awesome talent. Necropolis was where he started - and that was bloody brilliant too.

S.O.U.N.D.: The Secret Order of the Undead. Rocky Horror fans and performance artists, their 'zine was ... I still find it difficult to describe. 'Anarchic' is as good a place to start as any. Vampirism, Satanism, mind-blowing artwork (a sketch of what a bat looked like after it hit the window of their van still makes me wince) and the latest installment of their Beyond the walls of SOUND soap opera made this one among the most eagerly awaited through the letterbox.

[weirdmonger]

admin said:

Necropolis: If you've seen Chad Savage's Sinister Visions site, you'll have sussed the guy's an awesome talent. Necropolis was where he started - and that was bloody brilliant too.

I LOVED 'Necropolis'.

[dem]

Me too, Des.Necropolis was perhaps the most innovative of the lot. Chad's a lovely guy, too. I hope to get around to looking at the magazine in more depth some day soon. In the meantime:

The Tividale-based Pernicious Anaemia (1990) is one of the few I've a complete run of (1-3). The articles are pretty much what you'd expect - Elizabeth Bathory, Dracula on stage and screen, C. Lee, a review of Near Dark, etc. - but the fiction is something else. All the stories are written from the vampire's point of view and there's a sincerity and conviction about them that I still find adorable.

Gehenna - Heart Of The Hunter: At midnight, she leads her undead lover down to the crypt where they indulge in all manner of S & M fun and games - vampire style. When he's through with the whip, he unchains her, kisses away the blood and carries her broken body to the river where "the current took her, dragging her arms about her head as if she reached out for him one last time." This is just the beginning of their nocturnal pleasures.

Emily - The Uninvited Visitor: A rapist gets more than he bargains for when he breaks into the home of a female vampire. She dispatches him with the minimum of fuss then heads off for the nightclub.

Gehenna - Mother's Kiss: Vampirism as hereditary curse. Unnervingly bitter.

Ruis - Wings: A Tale Of Shadows: Vampire dwelling overlong on his prey is destroyed with an axe through the skull. The killer makes the fatal mistake of wiping his bloodied hand across his mouth. Wings sprout from his back!

Joachim - Lament: A Short Story For Gehenna: "The first time I saw you, dressed all in black you were sticking pins in your fingertips and sucking the blood that ran down your hands and you wept. I called you and you came to me. We kissed and you tasted of blood. I wept too and you thrust the pins through my lips ..... The couple go in for the inevitable violent sex games but Gehenna won't allow him to drink her blood and he's distraught. When she leaves he shoots six silver bullets into her belly with the gun she bought him "when I talked of suicide". She dies with a smile on her face. Now an undead vampire as opposed to a living one, she comes to his bed every night.

[weirdmonger]

These are just two of the many golden age American Vampire mags I had stories in.
I've got about a dozen of The Vampire's Crypt (edited/published by Margaret L Carter)!)



This issue also contains work from Charlee Jacob, John Grey, Lorin Emery and others.
Cover by Donald W Schank

================



Vampires Anonymous 1993
Editor/Publisher: Lady Amoura
This issue also contains work by: Amoura, John Grey, Charles Fallis, Lorin Emery, Sandra Black and others.


===============

[redbrain]

I wonder whether you contributed to many of these vampire mags, Des. It's hard to imagine that you didn't.

[weirdmonger]

Yes, hundreds. Or so it seemed. ;D

[dem]

I've numbers 1-6 of Vampire's Crypt. Des is in #4 and #6 with Debutante and Eve's Apples. I think I may even have the notes for them I wrote back in the 'nineties.

Meanwhile ..

In 1998 a law was passed prohibiting unglamorous people from appearing on the covers of vampire publications.

Here's one from 1999! Like, obviously!

[dem]

Unlike the other 'zines, I'm pretty sure that this pair are still going. The Vampyre Connexion rose out of the ashes of The Vampire Society while Arlene Russo founded Bite Me on some kind of Government grant if memory serves. She's since gone on to author Vampire Nation (John Blake, 2005). These 'reviews' were written at the time for some truly dire newsletter ....

Bite Me! (Special Launch Issue) (Summer 1999)

Likable debut from Arlene Russo and friends which should go down well with devotees of Hammer Horror and, in particular, Ingrid Pitt who features prominently throughout. Articles devoted to such ever-popular fare as Hammer's fondly recalled Karnstein trilogy, Mummy Movies, blood-drinking vampire Fans, the Barguest, Rosie Lugosi, CDFC & Co. and plenty of archive photo's too (including, God help us, a snap of my huge friend and esteemed colleague the Prez flouting her "awesome" Dracu-bloody-tree), my favourite being that of The Vampire Lovers heroines striking groovy 'Pans People from beyond the grave' poses for a promo shoot.

Dark Nights # 2 & 3 (Aug. 1999, Dec. 1999)

"We don't drink blood, we're not into anything like that. If you're a great person and you're out to have a good time then you'll meet lots of friends" is how Kate, one of the interviewees on the recent The Vampire Bites Backcassette, describes Vampyre Connexion get-togethers, and the same might be said by way of introduction to the club's journal. For better or worse, Dark Nights is very much the epitome of the customised fangs in, glad rags on, we're-all-great-mates-in-this-together, "good time" vampzine. Amidst the usual compendium of readers poetry, 'erotic' fiction, artwork and jokes, there's a trashing of the latest instalment in Anne Rice's seemingly interminable and by now thoroughly tedious "Vampire chronicles" and some scary photo's of the contestants backstage with Gabby Roslin post the Whatever You Want "Win a trip to Transylvania" shoot. Issue #3 has an interview with master illusionist Simon Drake and even short fiction from Brian Lumley. We'll give the last word to Lauryn:

"My whole idea about vampirism is that they live forever ... it advocates a love of life. I mean, there's nothing wrong with that ... we're not about death .. I don't think there's anything negative about it."

[dem]

Straight to Des's Ark! Simply put, one of the finest 'zine covers I've seen in my life. When Mick Smith was in charge they didn't do badly for contributors either with regular input from Michel Parry and Mike Dash!

Chronicles Issues #10, #11, 1999

John Bolton

"The London Vampyre Group's journal of oddities and vampyres" runs the byline, which, as it turns out, is pretty much telling it like it is. On the evidence of these and previous (pretty early) copies I've encountered, this stylish, super-slick offering has plenty to do with the Forteana, Fetish and Goth scenes, but maybe not so much to do with the Undead which is probably for the best: the last thing the world needs is yet another generic 'But Did you know that Countess Bathory was a Vampire ?' space-filler offered as though the author was Moses just down from the mountain with the tablets under his arm. Fortunately, the articles themselves are often splendid and deliciously varied, the travelogues of globetrotting Mick Smith: absinthe as trendy tipple: Deborah Hyde on Montague Summers: Interviews with John Bolton and examples of his superb artwork: Rosie 'Lesbian Queen of the Manchester Vampire scene' Lugosi and samples of her poetry: lowdown on a Transylvanian trawl; a crash course in Egyptology, etcetera, etcetera and a whole bunch of etceteras.

[killercrab]

Interviews with John Bolton and examples of his superb artwork: >>

I'd like to read that some time. I've been a Bolton fan since he adapted DRACULA PRINCE OF DARKNESS for House of Hammer magazine. I've a decent collection of his work that's appeared over the years ( though I prefer his *early* stuff to the more photorealist) - the sample you supply here a good example of the stuff I don't jones on that much. He did a fun NEW Avengers strip where the trio tackle Dracula - if photobucket wasn't such an arse - I'd scan the opening the full page shot ( I think you'd dig it Dem). Maybe when I grab a free moment I will.

Of course Bolton also illustrated the lion's share of THE MONSTER CLUB adaption - a strip originally drawn as a promotional tool for the trade premiere. I have a copy ( uber rare by all accounts) that I paid the princely sum of 25 smackers for in an auction. He also painted a geneology chart seen in the film ( but stolen off set) and the etching like drawings seen too.

One of my favourite series he drew was for LOOK-IN - his Bionic Woman work was phenomenal - balletic in quality in contrast to Martin Asbury's kinetic aggressive Six Million Dollar Man art ( which is also bloody fine work too).

I met John Bolton once when he signed a copy of HOH for me - probably circa 1979 at a Fantasy Con for which he drew a very Flash Gordonesque poster for ( that I've long since lost alas). Incidently he also did work for a Grandeams Flash Gordon Annual - coinicidence? - unlikely.

Defo an inspiration to me - thanks for highlighting this phenomenal British artist...

ade

[dem]

We'll have to give Bolton a section to himself, ade. He's well worth it. *I'll PM you 'bout the interview*

From the sublime to the ... well ...

Poison Coffin (c. 1993/4)

Poison Coffin #3 and #6, circa 1993/4

No dates - time and space were of little import to them and coherent layouts an entirely alien concept. Princess Risborough's finest, Poison Coffin were fronted by a charming young lady named Fire. All things Goth and Vampyre tied up in pretty purple knicker elastic. Number 6 came with a free pack of Swizzles' Parma Violets sellotaped to the cover. Yummy. Bizarre 'zine, good people, pleasant memories. It's nice to be able to commemorate this stuff in some small way.

[killercrab]

We'll have to give Bolton a section to himself, ade. He's well worth it. *I'll PM you 'bout the interview*>>

Arguably his best work is in the horror field - he did a great Bionic Woman strip ( House of the 7 keys) that's a mystery/horror in all but name! A bit of recognition for his Night Raven strip wouldn't go amiss ( in HULK comic circa late 1970's).

One of these days I'll get more than five minutes to write something up...

ade

[dem]

Revamp of old post warning, etc.

The Count Ken Fan Club Newsletter (circa 1993)

Erik Rodenhiser

"Am I crazy?
If so
To the Insane Asylum
I must go!"

Legendary Salem-based immortal. The first thing that brought Count Ken Gilbert's Fan Club to my attention was this glowing endorsement in a Count Dracula Fan Club newsletter: "I returned my sample issue with the message "Inferior standard - please don't send any more!" Well, anyone who subscribed to the CDFC newsletter ought to know an 'inferior' publication when they see one so I immediately posted off some IRC's and received four issues of the Ken-zine (this was around 1993 and he was already up to issue 88), the Count Ken Biography and his book of Creepy Poetry:

"Roses are red
Violets are blue
Vampires bite the neck -
And so do you!"

I can't find the Biography anywhere on-line, so I thought I'd reproduce it here.

COUNT KEN BIOGRAPHY

After returning from a trip to Transylvania, Doreen Gilbert discovered that she was pregnant (after having an affair with - a nobleman from Transylvania).

When Doreen told her older sister Angela about the pregnancy, she was shocked to discover that Angela was totally against it. Angela and her husband (Dan Harrington) plotted with their lawyers to be given custody of the baby as soon as it was born. Angela claimed that Doreen would be an unfit mother since she was a Salem witch-; Also, she claimed that she was having affairs with several men.

When Doreen's son was born on October 31, 1950, he was placed in the custody of Angela and her husband. They named him Kenneth Harrington.

While in his early years, Ken never got along with the other kids at school. Instead of playing sports, he would read the latest issue of "Famous Monsters of Filmland" magazine. Every Saturday afternoon he would go to the Plaza Theater to watch the latest Peter Cushing horror film.

In 1961, Ken's real mother committed suicide. In 1975 Ken moved to Hollywood, CA. A year later, he attended a vampire convention. While at the convention, he met Veronica. It seems they both-had a fascination with vampires. They dated for several weeks when Veronica confided that she was a vampire. Ken told her that his wish was to become one himself. He asked her to make him a vampire but she refused. Ken got angry and left.

Soon after he was dating Veronica's best friend Donna Flemming (also a vampire!). Ken left Donna after two weeks and confessed all to Veronica. He told her that he was bitten three times by Donna and that soon he would become one of the UNDEAD --- which is just what happened.

Veronica told Ken (he now calls himself Count Ken) that a vampire hunter named Jonathan Price killed Donna with a stake and he would soon be hunting for them. Count Ken (along with Veronica) moved back to Salem, Mass. They lived in the crypt of an old graveyard.

Years passed and in 1983 Jonathan Price tracked Count Ken, and Veronica to Salem. With the help of Prof. Frank Rodgers, Price found the resting place of the Count and Veronica— but they managed to escape. But within a month Price And Prof. Rodgers found them again.

Along with several other men, they attacked Count Ken and Veronica. In the battle Price and Prof. Rodgers were killed by Count Ken. The three other men fled; they told the police what happened, but the police would not believe them. They concluded that the three men killed Price and Prof. Rodgers. Needless to say, Count Ken and Veronica still haunt Salem, Mass!


More about the old count the next time anybody upsets me.

And if Des tells us he was in this one I'll scream ....

[weirdmonger]

For the Ark's VAMPY CREW

Vampire Junction #10 (1994)
"Devoted to the promotin of the Vampire in fiction, fact and art."
I knew issue 7 (1993) and the above one. Not sure how long it lasted.
Use of VJ title: permission granted by SP Somtow
Editor: Candy
Contained work by John Grey, Sterling V Scarborough, Timothy Kevin Perry, Margaret Smith and others
Front cover: Kimberlee Traub (who I note did some work in 'not dead, but dreaming' on the ARK thread).

Bats and Red Velvet Vol 1 No 7 (1993)
Not sure how long it lasted, but I knew it from the above issue to issue 15 in 1995.
Based in Newcastle, Uk.
Editor: Jo
Cover art: Jess
The only person I've heard of in it is me!
There's an apology for a Chris P Cock cartoon in a previous issue!

[troo]

I think there's a whole style of 'zine design that's died a horrible death since the advent of webzines. The sheer cheapness of the reprographics methods forced some inventive approaches that often gave brilliant results.

These are great covers! Well, mostly