If there’s one thing horror fans have learned from a lifetime of watching movies is that you can never keep a good monster down for long. Oh sure, it might look dead, but it’s really just biding its time to make its return to terrorizing the townsfolk. And such is the case with one such monster—a famous monster, in fact.
In a recent interview with Rolling Stone, Corey Taylor, frontman for the band Slipknot, announced that he had purchased the rights to Famous Monsters of Filmland, the legendary horror magazine created by Forrest J Ackerman that inspired generations of Monster Kids to become writers (Stephen King), directors (Steven Spielberg), artists, makeup masters, special effects designers, and many other occupations.
As a Monster Kid myself, I’m looking forward to the revived Famous Monsters, and hope it won’t become too focused on the over-the-top gore that pervades today’s horror movies, as magazines like Rue Morgue and Fangoria do. Famous Monsters was always about showcasing classic horror; with luck, the new iteration will find a way to balance the two audiences—the old-school and the grue school (as Forry might say)—in order to be successful.
And speaking of Forrest J Ackerman—aka FJA, aka Dr. Acula, aka the Ackermonster—Famous Monsters of Filmland wasn’t the only creation he’s known for. Along with Famous Monsters’ original publisher, James Warren, he also created a comic book heroine known to horror fans around the world: the one and only Vampirella! And it just so happens that your friendly fiends at StarWarp Concepts have a book that’s all about the queen of the comic bad girls…
In From the Stars…a Vampiress: An Unauthorized Guide to Vampirella’s Classic Horror Adventures, by Steven A. Roman (that’s me!), you’ll find a wealth of information in its chapters:
The Vampire Who Fell to Earth: It’s the story of the life of Vampirella at Warren Publishing: her 1969 development by cocreators James Warren and Forrest J Ackerman, with the assistance of artists Frank Frazetta and Trina Robbins; the adventures she went on via the writing and artistic talents of such visionaries as Archie Goodwin, Bill DuBay, Jose Gonzalez, Enrich, Gonzalo Mayo, and many others; and the cancellation of her series in 1982 when the company collapsed. It also features probably the most you’ll ever see reported about four Vampi writers who were just as talented but not as well known: Mike Butterworth, who wrote under the pseudonym Flaxman Loew; T. Casey Brennan; Rich Margopoulos; and Gerry Boudreau.
The Vampirella Episode Guide: The largest section of the book, it examines every story starring Vampirella during the Warren Era: over 100 entries, some with little known behind-the-scenes details. Plus stories behind some of Vampi’s unpublished adventures!
Vampi Goes to Hollywood: In 1975, Hammer Films announced the development of a Vampirella movie starring model/actress Barbara Leigh and the legendary Peter Cushing (later known the world over as Grand Moff Tarkin of Star Wars). The project crashed in spectacular fashion, but the details have always been murky. I try to clear up the confusion surrounding it, detailing the production from its launch to its unfortunate ending. And then I take a critical look at the awful Vampirella movie that was made in 1996, starring Talisa Soto and rock god Roger Daltrey of the Who—and probably shouldn’t have been!
The Literary Vampiress: From 1975 to 1976, Warner Books published a series of Vampirella novelizations by sci-fi author Ron Goulart. I take a look at each novel, and explain why they’re worth tracking down…if you can find copies!
The Vampirella Warren Era Checklist: A list of every Warren Vampi story! Every reprint volume from Harris Comics and Dynamite Entertainment! Plus little known trivia!
From the Starsalso features: A foreword by Sean Fernald, the Official Vampirella Historian! A peek at Peter Cushing’s personal copy of the 1976 Vampirellascreenplay! A frontispiece by legendary artist Bob Larkin, who painted covers for Warren’s Vampirella, The Rook, Eerie, and Famous Monsters of Filmland! Photos of Barbara Leigh in costume as Vampirella at the 1975 Famous Monsters Convention, held in New York! If there’s only one Vampirella history book you pick up—and let’s be honest, this is the only Vampirella history book that’s been published—then be sure to add it to your collection!
From the Stars…a Vampiress: An Unauthorized Guide to Vampirella’s Classic Horror Adventures is available in print and digital formats, so visit its product page for ordering information.
This book is unofficial and unauthorized. It is not authorized, approved, licensed, or endorsed by Dynamite Entertainment or any of its licensees. Vampirella is a trademark of Dynamite Entertainment.
