Seasons Greetings from MFTV!

Marian and I Wish

You and Your Families a 
Merry Christmas and 
a Happy New Year!

The Final Issue Coming Eventually!

In case you haven't already heard elsewhere, the publication of the final issue has once again been pushed back. This is due to several reasons, but the biggest one is my slow recovery from back surgery. I just returned to work last week and I'll once again find free time to work on the issue hard to come by. That along with the fact that I still don't have all of the contributions for the issue, made the delay unavoidable. So please be patient, the issue will eventually be published. My new target date is July 2016. If all goes as planned, the issue will premiere at Ron Adams' Monster Bash Convention being held in Mars, PA, July 8-10, 2016. And while you will be able to pick up the issue from me at the convention, if you are not attending, you'll have to purchase it from Amazon.com. A couple of things about that:

1. The issue (all cover variants) will NOT sellout on Amazon (it's print-on-demand), so don't worry that you might miss out, you won't! Be patient and don't constantly look for it there and contact me when you don't see it available for order. It won't show up on Amazon until the issue is published (around July). It won't be available for preorder. I'll post here when it's available.

2. PLEASE DO NOT SEND ME FUNDS FOR THE FINAL ISSUE!!! Several people have sent me money for it and I now have to return their payment. I thought I made it clear that the issue would only be available from Amazon.com when I posted here back in May, but I guess there was some confusion in regards to that. I really would rather not have the added expense of returning payments, so again, please do NOT send any funds for the final issue directly to me.

While I know this news is not what most of you wanted to hear, but as always, I do the best I can to publish each issue in a timely manner, but unfortunately, it doesn't always happen. But I truly believe the final issue will be worth the wait. So please be patient, July will be here before you know it.

MFTV #34---The Final Issue!

While it's much later than planned, the time has finally come to reveal the contents and covers for the final issue of Monsters from the Vault. The issue was initially set to premiere at Monster Bash in June 2015, but due to a couple of medical setbacks that required both me and my wife to have surgery, the issue will now premiere at Monster Bash on the weekend of July 8-10, 2016 (much later than I had planned). First, the issue is going to be huge (over 200-plus pages). Second, the issue will have 5 cover variants. Because of the size and cover variants, plus my desire to not rack up a HUGE printing bill for my final issue, I've decided to go the print-on-demand route through Amazon's CreateSpace. This will enable readers to choose which cover they want, whether it be one, all, or somewhere in between. However, no matter which cover(s) you choose for the front, the other covers will be shown smaller on the back cover of that issue. I know this is not the preferred way to go for many of you (nor for me), but it’s the best option at this time. I've been monitoring the quality of Amazon's product, and it's GREATLY improved over the past few years. Also, the final price is not yet set in stone (even though the covers show $19.98), but it most likely will be in the $20 range (plus shipping, unless you get free shipping through Amazon Prime or your order exceeds $35, which also gets you free shipping). So how do you get the final issue? For the majority, through Amazon.com. I've decided not to stock a large amount, or to deal with packing up and shipping a ton of copies. This has always been the worst part of the job for me, so I’m going to leave the dirty work to Amazon. However, I will have copies for sale (of all cover variants) at the October Bash, and at future Bashes or any other conventions where I'm a vendor, but you won't be able to order it directly from me. PLEASE DO NOT SEND ANY FUNDS DIRECTLY TO ME AS THEY WILL BE RETURNED! If you have a subscription that's still current, I’ll contact you via mail in January or February 2016 about the final issue and any refund you may be owed. At this time, it's uncertain as to whether copies will be sold to Diamond Comics for comic book shop distribution or to various online sources (Creepy Classics, Scary Monsters, Creature Features, Oldies.com, Hemlock Books in the U.K., etc.). More on this, and when the issue will be available for preorder on Amazon, will be posted here and on my Web site and blog as the publication date gets closer.

That's enough rambling from me—let's move on to what you really care about, Monsters from the Vault #34!

The Contents

(Subject to Transformation)

• ONE HELL OF A RIDE!: The Monsters from the Vault Story by Jim Clatterbaugh & Marian Owens

• THE MAGAZINE THAT CHANGED EVERYTHING by David Colton

• THE CENSORSHIP SAGA AND STUDIO POLITICS OF BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN by Greg Mank

• THE 10 MOST IMPORTANT THINGS I LEARNED FROM CLASSIC HORROR FILMS by Steve Kronenberg

• THE LITTLE FELLOW WHO CRIED WOLFMAN…AND DRACULA…AND THE MONSTER by John Stell

• A TALE OF THREE YGORS by Frank J. Dello Stritto

• MONSTER FIGHTERS' OFFSPRING: Her Father Fought the Creature and Her Mom Met the Wolf Man, The Daughter of Richard Denning and Evelyn Ankers Tells All! Interview by Tom Weaver

• OF LOBOS AND HOMBRES: Mexican Werewolf Cinema, 1958-1976 by Bryan Senn

• ATOMIC GOTHIC: Horror Movies Didn't Die in the 1950s, They Went Into Disguise by Mark Clark

• THE CAT CREEPS (1930) WHILE THE CANARY SLEEPS by Gary Rhodes

• THE HUMAN MONSTERS OF PARAMOUNT by Steven Thornton

• OUR READERS AND CONTRIBUTORS SPEAK!: Recollections and Remembrances of Monsters from the Vault

• FILMS FROM THE VAULT

• BOOKS FROM THE VAULT

The Covers
(Slight Tweaking May Occur)

Michael Kronenberg Variant

Joe "Sorko" Schovitz Variant

Daniel R. Horne Variant

Kerry Gammill Variant

Manuel Sanjulian Variant

Sample Back Cover

I look forward to bringing you “The Best in Classic Horror” one more time, and I appreciate everyone’s contributions and support over the past 20 years. Monsters from the Vault, All Classic, All the Time!

MFTV OUT OF COMMISSION UNTIL JUNE!

Be advised that starting April 30, 2015, I’ll be out of commission until mid-June due to back surgery. During this time no orders will be filled. If you place an order during this period, I won't be able to respond. Also, if you e-mail to ask a question it may be a while before I respond. So please be patient if you don’t get an e-mail response or receive your quickly. Once I’m able to get around and do a little more, I’ll start catching up on all things Monsters from the Vault-related.

My recovery period is between 4 - 6 months and my physical activity during this time will be very limited. Therefore, the final issue of Monsters from the Vault will not premiere at the June Monster Bash as planned. The issue will now premiere at the October Monster Bash instead. Believe me, it will be worth the wait!

I hope to be able to post the final issue contents and covers here before my surgery; however, I’m still waiting on a few things before doing so. If it doesn’t happen, it’ll be posted in late May.

Once again, thanks for your patience and understanding during this period.