Surveying the Gen X landscape and the origins of geek
Chock full of history about monsters and monstercons, Forry Ackerman (check out his office in the fourth photo down), Phil Seuling (early con organizer who developed the direct market distribution model), and James Warren, not to mention some glorious art and ads, you can read the whole program at From Zombos’ Closet, a terrific monsterkid blog. Also check out the equally interesting 1975 Famous Monsters Convention Program.
Weird Worlds was a kid’s horror and fantasy magazine that ran for eight issues from 1978 to 1981. Much like other Scholastic magazines, many issues featured a detachable poster. I would love to scan the whole run, because it’s a great example of the kind of advanced, somewhat esoteric material kids expected at the time. There were stories by sci-fi luminaries like Bradbury and Asimov, features on UFOs and paranormal phenomena, weird and disturbing facts and Forteana, fantasy art portfolios (Frazetta, the Brothers Hildebrandt). I particularly remember the wonderfully graphic comic book strips by Steve Bissette, best known now for illustrating Alan Moore’s Swamp Thing in the ’80s. You can read a few of these strips at The Horrors of It All.
Also check out this Monsters of the Greek Myths poster, a Scholastic giveaway from the same year. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: 1980 was a hell of a year to be a kid.
(Image via Donald Deveau/Flickr)
Since my last post about The Oracle reprint, Tim Hutchings has sent me a review copy of the reprint, and it does not disappoint. When Tim says that the zine was “almost single-handedly” created and published by teenager Christopher Bigelow, it’s not an exaggeration. Bigelow, who wrote a comprehensive introduction to the reprint, put the zine together with a word processor on loan from his dad’s secretary, served as the entire editorial staff, contracted all the contributing talent, and wrote many of the articles (under pseudonyms)—while still in high school!
The Kickstarter has 8 days to go and was fully funded many moons ago. However, there’s an incredible new stretch goal promising to recreate the sixth issue of The Oracle promised—but never delivered—at the end of 1983’s issue #5. Who will contribute the articles mentioned in that more than 30-year-old teaser? Here’s Tim:
The Dungeon of Kroom Level III, Sarah Richardson of the Ennie award winning Contessa blog.
The Medieval Town in Literature, Timothy Connelly, frequent contributor Gygax Magazine among others.
New AD&D Character Class… This is the one which makes me so invested in a sixth issue. A sadly departed gamer who wrote up a proposal for an Oracle article on the Empath character class will have his article finished by his son.
Expanded Crossbreed System, Erol Otus. Yes, THE Erol Otus. The man whose artwork defined D&D for me and maybe most of a generation. I grow giddy at the prospect. The Erol contribution will be based on his crossbreed rules for the Island Town game scenario.
Right. And all we need is “$100 of monthly contributions lined up” to keep the PlaGMaDA archive going. It’s a good cause, and you can go here to back and donate. A PDF copy of the reprint is only 5 bucks!
If you’re on the fence, here’s one more interesting note. As I was perusing my review copy, I ran across the below ad (phone number edited out) in the last two Oracle issues.
Laird is also credited with the cover of issue #5 (first image above), published in Autumn 1983. The name struck a chord, and I realized that Peter A. Laird is the co-creator (writer and artist) of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The original black & white comic was published in May 1984, less than a year after his Oracle work. As if the project weren’t historical enough already…
According to the Destroy All Movies – Punks on Film Facebook page, the reviews are from an unidentified fanzine. He nails all of them, if you ask me.
They’re all legends. In fact, I just wrote a piece on Kelly for Warpo Toys called Ken Kelly and the Golden Age of Toy Art. Please check it out. If you share the post on Facebook and/or Twitter with the hashtag #CthulhuIsComing, you’ll be entered into a drawing to win an autographed (by Kelly!) Legends of Cthulhu coloring book. Kelly, if you didn’t know, did the spectacular art for Warpo’s Legends of Cthulhu line.
(Images via Booksteve’s Library)
PlaGMaDA’s Tim Hutchings, who gave us The Habitation of the Stone Giant Lord, an incredible collection of homemade D&D modules from the early ’80s, is now collecting all five issues of The Oracle in a limited edition print run. Says Tim:
The Oracle was a well realized, very ambitious fanzine put out almost single-handedly by Christopher Bigelow, a Mormon teenager, in 1982 and 83. It is an excellent example of the type and includes original adventures, rules offerings like new character classes, and reviews of other periodicals and rules systems and movies. This project should speak to gamers, nostalgia seekers, game historians, and zine fanatics.
Check out the Kickstarter and read the first issue of The Oracle right here.
Planet of the Apes (1968) fans may find these Alex Schomburg illustrations interesting. One of the most unforgettable images in cinema had been employed in various media since the early 1900s. (Pierre Boulle’s original novel, 1963’s La Planète des Singes, makes no mention of the Statue of Liberty.) There’s an excellent history of the trope at Patrick Peccatte’s Déjà vu. It’s in French, but you’ll be able to follow.
I think the little guy is going to win this hand.
Two of my heroes. The issues are Creepy #11 and Dracula Lives #4.
Lee passed away on June 7, 2015. Earl Norem, who painted the cover of the issue Lee is reading, died on June 19, 2015.
(Images via The Peter Cushing Appreciation Society UK)
2 Warps to Neptune 