Did you see it on a newsstand or a comic book rack? Was it at a friend's house? As Forry was wont to say, did it leap out, grab you by the collar and say "Take me home, little boy; you are going to LOVE me"?
The first one I specifically remember seeing wasn't at a store - my dad had bought it, and it was sitting on a coffee table in the TV room (does that term show my age?). It was Famous Monsters #21, with the colorized picture of the Monster and his Bride on the cover. The next one I remember was the KING KONG special, #25, with the whole cover done in type...
It was a pretty late issue. I don't think we had any newsstands near us in the suburbs. It was at a used magazine store at a local flea market that sold them with the top half of the cover cut off. I believe it was this issue:
(http://www.ruralmysteries.com/images/jaws_ape.jpg)
Rob
Quote from: monsterphile on April 08, 2009, 08:10:47 PM
It was a pretty late issue. I don't think we had any newsstands near us in the suburbs. It was at a used magazine store at a local flea market that sold them with the top half of the cover cut off. I believe it was this issue:
(http://www.ruralmysteries.com/images/jaws_ape.jpg)
Rob
Cool, I had that one back in the day! My first issue was #144.
George
(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3169/2999775622_4ea99570e7.jpg?v=0)
That Jaws Vs Ape artwork is probablly one of the coolest ideas and covers I have ever seen in my life. Im headed to ebay now..I wonder what the odds are of finding a poster of the cover?
Come to think of it, does FM ever have posters of the covers? If not someone should really get on that!
Why Chris do you come up with these questions?I can't remember,I just can't remember.It may have been the 1970 Fearbook .Yes,thats my final answer.Mag rack at Nye's drugstore in Conway,S.C.
Quote from: monsterphile on April 08, 2009, 08:10:47 PM
It was a pretty late issue. I don't think we had any newsstands near us in the suburbs. It was at a used magazine store at a local flea market that sold them with the top half of the cover cut off. I believe it was this issue:
(http://www.ruralmysteries.com/images/jaws_ape.jpg)
Rob
I just had to let you guys know. I LOVED that cover art so much, I just logged in and saw it, commented and logged out. I went on ebay and purchased a near mint copy for a grand total of 21.89 it is however going for up to 70.00 from some sellers claimming its mint.
JAWS= Fave film of all time. Kong= One of my favirote charecters of all time. Yes, this did jump off the rack and grab me by the collar...it IS comming home with me and I AM going to love it!!
Thanks for posting that pic, cant wait for the arrival!
PX
Quote from: BlackLagoon on April 08, 2009, 09:23:27 PM
Come to think of it, does FM ever have posters of the covers? If not someone should really get on that!
Back in the early `70's Warren ofered several cover posters. Not sure if this is all, but the FM posters I have are # 93, #100, #109, and # 113. The very first FM I saw was issue #102, which I purchased with my allowance at the PX on Fort Jackson, Columbia, South Carolina. Saw the Chaney Phantom cover in a second, grabbed it and the Creepy I came for. Mom enjoyed the issue also, and bought me a two year subscription to FM.
(http://i371.photobucket.com/albums/oo156/CreepysFan/fm102vgno8.jpg)
The first FM I remember seeing in the 1970's was the one with the Mr Sardonicus cover.
Oh, this is going to be fun. Good call, Chris!
Kid next to me in 5th grade, Terry Gray, had this in his desk. I tried to trade everything I owned for it, but he would not give it up. Fortunately now I do have a copy on my wall.
(http://ronjohn.globalservers.com/ebay/cbj/mags/fu32.jpg)
Quote from: CreepysFan on April 08, 2009, 10:03:23 PM
Not sure if this is all, but the FM posters I have are # 93, #100, #109, and # 113.
Yep, that's all of them. There must have been a dozen each of Creepy and Eerie and half a dozen Vampi covers.
The first issue I remember seeing of FAMOUS MONSTERS was issue #16. It was at a friends house and I was AWESTRUCK. I wanted more. Peace.
#103, with the Gill-Man cover by Gogos, and the Chaney Jr obituary. found it with #102 in a city specialty bookshop. FM was a prohibited import here, at least on the stands, but these guys got it. A few months later #108, the Kong filmbook, was everywhere, so we finally got some sense.
Issue #119, with the Hammer monsters and the different title design...I believe the cover was actually Famous Monsters convention poster artwork? Anyway, the famous story is that it was on a newsstand in a general store way up in the mountains of California, Summer of 1975, I believe, and it did nearly leap up off the stand into my arms. I'll never forget what it was like to read it...great feeling.
I don't remember what number it was but the first one I saw was at our cornor drugstore.I used to sit in the wooden phonebooth(How many of you remember those) and read all the horror mags and comics.The only rule the drugist ever put on me was if someone needed to use the phone I had to move and let them. ;D
This was the first one I ever owned...
(http://www.moviemags.com/big/fmof084.jpg)
I'd never seen a Hammer horror film before, but Lee's bloodshot eyes really captured my imagination. My mother was appalled, but from then on, I was hooked. It was the beginning of a years-long struggle over whether I could stay up late on Fridays to watch Shock Theater.
This is the first issue I ever saw and purchased immediately (accompanied by my 1963 Aurora Frankenstein).
(http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c346/JimBertges/Miscellaneous/100_6882.jpg)
Unfortunately, my copy all but disintegrated over the years and this is a replacement copy. For years I was haunted by the photo of Mr. Sardonicus on the inside front cover. For me it was a truly frightening image.
I don't remember the first one I ever saw, though I know it was at my cousn's house It may have been the Monster World issue with the Santa cover.
But this is the first I remember owning.
(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3565/3426242205_798d033027_o.jpg)
Quote from: Jim Bertges on April 09, 2009, 10:40:59 AM
For years I was haunted by the photo of Mr. Sardonicus on the inside front cover.
BOO!
(http://img353.imageshack.us/img353/9315/fm018002.jpg)
#103 Creature cover for me too. Some kid had it on his music stand in band class. Funny how I remember that moment SO vividly! I searched every store I could after that and finally found #105 at the local grocery store. I think I spent about the next 8 or 9 years collecting them all.
Good times, good times.
Quote from: Mike Scott on April 09, 2009, 01:23:46 PM
BOO!
(http://img353.imageshack.us/img353/9315/fm018002.jpg)
You're an evil, evil man!
I saw at school FM107, I couldn't find it at the store, but they did have FM108 which was my first purchased issue.
BK
(http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh17/bkallenberg/fmof107.jpg)
(http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh17/bkallenberg/fmof108.jpg)
Quote from: michblk on April 09, 2009, 08:22:25 PM
I saw at school FM107, I couldn't find it at the store, but they did have FM108 which was my first purchased issue.
BK
(http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh17/bkallenberg/fmof107.jpg)
Ah, the original Terminator. Nice!
Quote from: ChrisW on April 09, 2009, 07:46:43 PM
You're an evil, evil man!
That's the picture made into a cover painting that was on the first FM I saw in the 1970's. Yes, that face is creepy!
Wow, the more you guys post these covers, the more I cant get over how absolutely captivating the art work is! I guess due to my age, I literally have a handful of these and theyre from the early 90's..if memory serves me, theyre year in reviews, or something of the sort.
I asked about posters of the covers..but you know what would be great, and if it doesnt exist it should...a coffee table book, of all the cover art work, photo spreads and select interviews. I know in the early 90's Marvel comics did that and its really great. This really deserves such a make over.......because if I have to run back to ebay everytime you guys post a ridiculously cool cover, Im gonna be broke and need a shoe horn to get into my front door!
Quote from: BlackLagoon on April 09, 2009, 09:31:23 PM
but you know what would be great, and if it doesnt exist it should...a coffee table book, of all the cover art work
It doesn't have all the FM covers, but Famous Monster Movie Art of Basil Gogos has many of the best, mostly shot from the original paintings. It covers Basil's entire career, but is heavy on FM and monsters. Go to amazon and check it out.
I second Mike's recommendation - it is definitely required reading!
What's struck me reading the responses is that the first 2 covers I remember were atypical - one was a colored photograph, and the second was entirely covered by type. And yet I couldn't have been more than 5 or 6. Why would seeing these at that age have made such an indelible impression? Obviously the association with monsters... but there was nothing particularily monsteriffic about those covers - especially when you consider the full color cover portraits that were the norm!
Maybe we're pre-wired for monsterfandom - true monster kids, indeed!
Quote from: ChrisW on April 09, 2009, 10:37:49 PM
- one was a colored photograph, and the second was entirely covered by type.
Either 21 or 22 and 25.
Quote from: ChrisW on April 09, 2009, 10:37:49 PM
I second Mike's recommendation - it is definitely required reading!
What's struck me reading the responses is that the first 2 covers I remember were atypical - one was a colored photograph, and the second was entirely covered by type. And yet I couldn't have been more than 5 or 6. Why would seeing these at that age have made such an indelible impression? Obviously the association with monsters... but there was nothing particularily monsteriffic about those covers - especially when you consider the full color cover portraits that were the norm!
Maybe we're pre-wired for monsterfandom - true monster kids, indeed!
I agree..for me I can remember seeing the old Aurora boxes stacked up in my uncles closet as a kid. The artwork on the boxes..not just the monster itself, the colors, the landscape..at such a young age I was just completely "sucked into" those covers. The classic stuff became more scarce as I grew up in the 80's and 90's and I caught the tail end of some FM's which Im happy about. Seeing this artwork, especially since I have never seen it before, the stuff thats been posted..its like seeing those Aurora boxes for the 1st time.
Now to figure out
why we're pre-wired..why at 7 was I drooling over beat up Aurora boxes and at 30 something doing the same over old FM covers..that is a whole new topic and thread in itself!