Saturday, November 8, 2014

All Copies of MFTV #33 Shipped!

All subscriber copies and single issue orders have now shipped. Any orders received in past week or so will ship this coming week. One thing I noticed while going through the boxes of magazines is that every copy has s small crease on the spine. It's located in the same spot on every copy and most likely occurred when the issue was binded. Everyone here knows what a perfectionist I am so this is disheartening, but that's how it goes. This is the first issue in nearly 20 years that there are NO mint copies. Finally, I'm sorry for the long delay in getting everything shipped out, hopefully everyone is enjoying our next to last issue. Look for info on our final issue to be posted here in early 2015.

Wednesday, October 22, 2014

MFTV #33 Shipping Update

Due to the passing of my father-in-law my shipping schedule for the new issue has change somewhat. I'll do my best to get everything in the mail by the end of the week, but it may be early Monday before the final issues make it in the mail. Hopefully everyone will have their copy in time for Halloween. Thanks for your understanding and patience.

JAMES A. OWENS, RIP


JAMES ALBERT OWENS
MAY 17, 1923 - OCTOBER 20, 2014

On Monday, October 20, 2014, my father-in-law passed away. Things had been touch and go since last Thursday when he returned to the hospital for the second time in two weeks. He was 91 and lived a good life and had a very loving family. His wife of 65 years was there when he passed, and the whole family got to spend time with him this weekend. The love and devotion he and and my mother-in-law had for each other was truly special and it was something I unfortunately never witnessed with my own parents. Even though his condition was up and down since Thursday, he perked up when his granddaughter returned from college to see him on Sunday. It was like he was holding on to see her one last time. Then later, when his grandson said goodbye and was getting ready to leave his room, he let go of his wife's hand and reached his hand out to shake my nephew's hand one last time. This was the way he always said hello and goodbye, and he was the one who taught my nephew to shake hands many years ago. He was a WWII veteran, and fondly remembered seeing many of the classic horror films on the big screen. He loved reading every issue of Monsters from the Vault and showed them off to friends. He was also one hell of a photographer (a talent my lovely wife Marian inherited) and took photos up until a couple of years ago. He was loved by many and will be missed by us all. Rest in peace, Mr. O.



MARIAN WITH HER MOM AND DAD
CHRISTMAS 2001

Saturday, October 18, 2014

Monsters from the Vault #33 Now Shipping!

The new issue premiered at Monster Bash (October 10-12, 2014). This weekend I've been going through copies and prepping everything for shipping. Unfortunately, I found out tonight that the Dymo LabelWriter 450 that I had been using with Stamps.com (monthly fee) is not compatible with Dymo Stamps Powered by Endicia (which is free). I need to upgrade my thermal printer to print my postage. I just ordered the new printer through Amazon.com and it'll be here on Tuesday (10/21/14). I did print out the remaining stamps (58 of them) that I had onhand for Stamps.com, so 58 copies will go out in Monday's mail (10/20/14) along with some wholesale orders. The remaining copies will ship on Wednesday (10/22/14). Copies were shipped to Diamond Comic Distributors on 10/9/14 and should start to hit stores on either 10/22/14 or 10/29/14. So everyone should have their copy in time for Halloween!



Wednesday, October 15, 2014

MFTV #33 Article Sneak Peeks!


Below is the Table of Contents and sneak peeks of the three articles appearing in Monsters from the Vault #33. Click on the link below the images to open a two-page PDF. The issue premiere at last week's Monster Bash Convention. Subscriber copies, single issue orders, and contributor copies will start to the ship the week of October 20th and all copies will be in the mail by Friday, October 24th. The issue should arrive in comic book stores either October 22nd or 29th.








Thursday, June 5, 2014

MFTV #33 Delayed Until October 2014!



Unfortunately, due to the issue being so late, my purchase order with Diamond Comics (my biggest customer) was cancelled. I now must resolicit the issue with them and anyone who knows how the Diamond process works knows that it's a 4 month process. So even though the issue is a few weeks from being ready to go to press, I need to hold off on printing it until I get my new purchase order from Diamond. The reason for this is that their PO determines my print run, plus I rely on their dollars (which I receive 30 days after they receive their copies) to help pay my printing bill. MFTV #33 will be listed again in the August issue of Diamond's Previews catalog and I'll receive my new PO in September. Once that is received I'll go to press. So if you get your copy from a comic shop make sure they're aware that #33 is being resolicited and that they reorder it for you. Bottom-line, Monsters from the Vault #33 will premiere at the October Monster Bash Convention (October 10-12, 2014) in Mars, PA. For everyone who had already preordered the issue, thanks, and sorry for the long, long, delay.

Tuesday, May 13, 2014

2013 Rondo Award Winners Announced!



On Monday, May 12, 2014, the winners of the 12th annual Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Awards (for work done in 2013) were announced. I was truly excited to find out that Monsters from the Vault had won the award for Best Classic Horror Magazine for the third time in four years! A HUGE thanks to everyone who voted for Monsters from the Vault this year (and in the previous years)! Marian and I are deeply honored to receive the 2013 Rondo for Best Magazine, and I can't wait to put it on my award shelf next to our Rondo Hall of Fame Award, and our two previous Best Magazine Rondos (2010 and 2011), and my Monster Bash Award ("The Forry") from 2008! Also, congratulations to Greg Mank for his Honorable Mention in the Best Article category for "70th Anniversary: Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man" and his induction to the Monster Kid Hall of Fame. Finally, congrats to Daniel Horne who was an Honorable Mention for his cover for Monsters from the Vault #32. A big shout out to all of this year's winners (and nominees) and for the fans who took the time to vote! To check the complete list of winners at the Official Rondo Award Web site.

Tuesday, March 18, 2014

12th Annual Rondo Awards


It's that time of the year again when the best of all things horror and sci-fi is celebrated by the Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Awards. Go to www.rondoaward.com to see this year's official ballot. The twelveth annual Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Awards will be recognizing the best in monster research, creativity, and film preservation in 2013.

Since 2002, the Rondos have been fandom's only true classic horror award. They are decided by fans, for fans. For every Rondo nominee, just being recognized for a significant achievement in the genre during the year of 2013 is a great accomplishment.


So head on over to the official Rondo Web site and cast your vote today. Over the past eleven years, Monsters from the Vault has been extremely fortunate to win several awards, including:

-Best Article (2003): The Horror Film Crisis of 1932 Parts I & II by Gary D. Rhodes

-Best Cover (2006): MFTV #21 by Joe "Sorko" Schovitz

-Monster Kid Hall of Fame (2008): Jim & Marian Clatterbaugh

-Best Cover (2009): MFTV #26 by Daniel R. Horne

-Best Magazine Fan-Market (2010)

-Best Classic Horror Magazine (2011)

-Best Theme Issue (2012): Monsters from the Vault #30

We also were runner-up to Video Watchdog in the "Best Magazine" category in 2002, 2003, 2005, and 2006. Plus, tons of our articles and covers have been nominated over the years, and two of our regular contributors, Greg Mank and Tom Weaver, have won "Writer of the Year." Finally, in 2010 and 2012, Daniel R. Horne was selected as the "Artist of the Year."

This year, Monsters from the Vault is nominated for 7 Rondo Awards (Best Magazine, Best Cover, Best Theme Issue, and Best Article (4 articles), and I urge you to consider us when you cast you ballot. With Monsters from the Vault winding down (only two more issues to go), I'd love to go out on top with another Rondo or two for Best Magazine. So if you feel we deserve it, please cast your vote for us. Same as the other categories we're nominated in. However, there are NO losers when it comes to the Rondo Awards, as just being nominated is quite an honor. So again, head over to www.rondoaward.com and cast your vote for your favorites of 2013 today!


HOW TO VOTE:

--All voting is by e-mail only. Simply copy the ballot (cut-and-pasting is easy), and send an e-mail with your picks to David Colton, at taraco@aol.com by Sunday night at midnight, May 5, 2014.

--One vote per person, please.

--Every e-mail must include your name to be counted. All votes are kept strictly confidential. No e-mail addresses or any personal information will ever be shared with anyone.

--ImportantFeel free to spread the word about Rondo. But please remember that organized voting campaigns (duplicated ballots, mass e-mailing efforts, getting strangers to vote) are prohibited and can result in a warning and even disqualification. Let's keep this a fun vote of monster fans.

--And no, you do not have to vote in every category. Again, to vote simply copy the ballot and make your picks by highlighting your selection and putting an X by your selections or by typing out your picks separately---whatever is easiest. Then e-mail your selections to taraco@aol.com.  

You'll receive an e-mail acknowledging your vote, and the nominees who work so hard to enrich the classic horror genre will appreciate your taking the time to say thanks for their efforts.

OUR 2013 RONDO NOMINATIONS!

Did you miss out on one of our nominated articles? Here's your chance to read it online before submitting your ballot for the 2013 Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Awards. Below is our nominated cover (this issue is also nominated for Best Theme Issue) and the nominated articles published by Monsters from the Vault in 2013. To read the articles, click on the article's title and you can download a high-res PDF of the article for your reading pleasure. Enjoy the articles, and don't forget to cast your vote before midnight on May 5, 2014. Congratulations and best of luck to all of the nominees!

BEST COVER
Monsters from the Vault #32
Painting by Daniel R. Horne

BEST MAGAZINE ARTICLE NOMINEE
By John McElwee

BEST MAGAZINE ARTICLE NOMINEE
By Greg Mank

BEST MAGAZINE ARTICLE NOMINEE
By Tom Weaver

BEST MAGAZINE ARTICLE NOMINEE
By Scott Essman