WOW, hard to believe it's been 5-1/2 years since our last issue. Many of you may know those years have not been kind to me, healthwise. I just had my third surgery in less than 4 years, so my health has been my Number 1 concern!
While I was dealing with my health issues, MONSTERS FROM THE VAULT ended up on the back burner. Sadly, the further removed I was from MFTV, the more my passion for the magazine began to wane. I feel bad about the very few MFTV status updates that came out during that period. I should have communicated better with our readers, for sure. However, I REALLY appreciate most people’s patience during this time. (I have to say "most"; unfortunately, I've received some pretty nasty e-mails from readers about the delay over the past 2 to 3 years.)
I commend the subscribers who are still owed money; not a peep from them. They will get a refund, before the final issue is published, to use that money toward their Amazon purchase (more on that below). The hate mail seemed to be from casual readers, or readers who just buy each new issue as it is published. But being called a crook, a scammer, a liar, and a really poor businessman, among other things, definitely stung. I won't even mention some of the nastier things that were said. Bottom-line: MONSTERS FROM THE VAULT is just a self-published monster magazine. While I appreciate our readers' passion for it, no one's life should revolve around it, including mine. But I did promise our loyal readers a final issue, and I plan to make good on that promise (times two, actually)!
While the initial plan was to go out with one huge, 200-plus-page issue, I've decided to divide the issue in half, mainly to expedite the process. Instead of laboring on one large issue, I can get the first one published and in your hands while completing work on the second one. Each issue will run approximately 128 pages, plus covers. Speaking of covers, each issue will have four cover variants to choose from. Some of the covers are directly related to contents within that issue, while others are just because I've always wanted a cover by a particular person (Manuel Sanjulian), or because it related to a certain film (FROM HELL IT CAME, a guilty pleasure of mine) or franchise (PLANET OF THE APES) that I love. And, of course, I wanted a cover by everyone who ever contributed a cover during our soon to be 25 year run. Whatever the case, I LOVE them all! Because of the size and cover variants, plus my desire to avoid a HUGE printing bill, I've decided to go the print-on-demand route through Amazon's Kindle Direct Publishing (previously known as CreateSpace). Readers will be able to choose which cover they want, whether it be one, all eight, or somewhere in-between. 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 Kindle Direct Publishing's product, and it's GREATLY improved over the past few years. The price for each issue will be $12.98 (plus shipping; free shipping is available through Amazon Prime or by submitting an order exceeding $25). So, how will you get the final issues? For the majority, through Amazon.com. I've decided not to stock a large volume and deal with packing 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, since each issue will premiere at the Monster Bash Convention, I will have copies of Issue #34 for sale (all four cover variants) at the October Monster Bash (October 18-20, 2019) and Issue #35 (all four cover variants) at next June's Monster Bash in (June 19-21, 2020), and at future Bashes or other conventions where I'm a vendor. You won't be able to order the final issues directly from me. PLEASE DO NOT SEND ANY FUNDS DIRECTLY TO ME, AS THEY WILL BE RETURNED! Again, if you have a subscription that's still current, I'll contact you about any refund you may be owed. At this time, I'm uncertain whether copies will be sold to Diamond Comics for comic book shop distribution. I plan to offer the final issue to various online sources such as Creepy Classics, My Movie Monsters, Creature Features, Oldies.com, and Hemlock Books in the U.K. More on this, and on when the issues will be available for order on Amazon, will be posted here and on my website and blog as the publication dates get closer.
So—let's move on to what you really care about—the contents and cover variants for each issue!
The Contents (Subject to Transformation):
MONSTERS FROM THE VAULT #34 (Fall 2019):
The Contents (Subject to Transformation):
- VIEW FROM THE VAULT
- MEMORIES FROM THE VAULT: OUR CONTRIBUTORS: Recollections and Remembrances of Monsters from the Vault
- THE MAGAZINE THAT CHANGED EVERYTHING by David Colton
- 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
- ONE HELL OF A RIDE!: The Monsters from the Vault Story, Part One by Jim & Marian Clatterbaugh
- THE HUMAN MONSTERS OF PARAMOUNT by Steven Thornton
- THE LITTLE FELLOW WHO CRIED WOLFMAN…AND DRACULA…AND THE MONSTER by John Stell
- A TALE OF THREE YGORS by Frank J. Dello Stritto
- FILMS FROM THE VAULT
- BOOKS FROM THE VAULT
The Covers (Slight Tweaking May Occur):
Manuel Sanjulian Variant
Mark Maddox Variant
Kerry Gammill Variant
George Chastain/Kerry Gammill Variant
(3D Cover, Check It Out With 3D Glasses!)
MONSTERS FROM THE VAULT #35 (Summer 2020):
MONSTERS FROM THE VAULT #35 (Summer 2020):
The Contents (Subject to Transformation)
- VIEW FROM THE VAULT
- MEMORIES FROM THE VAULT: OUR READERS: Recollections and Remembrances of Monsters from the Vault
- THE 10 MOST IMPORTANT THINGS I LEARNED FROM CLASSIC HORROR FILMS by Steve
- THE CENSORSHIP SAGA AND STUDIO POLITICS OF BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN by Greg Mank
- ONE HELL OF A RIDE!: The Monsters from the Vault Story, Part Two by Jim & Marian Clatterbaugh
- THE CAT CREEPS (1930) WHILE THE CANARY SLEEPS by Gary Rhodes
- 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
- FILMS FROM THE VAULT
- BOOKS FROM THE VAULT
The Covers (Slight Tweaking May Occur):
Joe "Sorko" Schovitz Variant
Jason Edmiston Variant
Daniel R. Horne Variant
Michael Kronenberg Variant
