IT CAME FROM THE MEN'S MAG - THE ACKERMONSTER!

Fan, pop culture icon, and Monsterologist supreme, Forrest J Ackerman would have been 95 yesterday. We are fortunate to have much material on his life and accomplishments, not least of which was his most notable -- editing "The World's First Filmonster Magazine", FAMOUS MONSTERS OF FILMLAND. I suspect Forry himself would point out many other achievements, both public and personal, that came close -- or even surpassed -- the notoriety of his and publisher James Warren's immortal 'zine.

The last years of his life were unfortunately fraught with lawsuits, health issues, and the requisite financial burden of someone who was self-employed for much of his life. Forry was forced to downsize and turn much of his treasure trove into a quick buck to pay for legal fees and doctor bills. Living out his days in a pint-sized "Ackermansion", what remained was a failing icon amidst only his most cherished possessions.

It stunned me to see a large portion of his once-in-a-millenium collection of memorabilia land the auction block not long after he passed away. Where were his benefactors, I asked myself? Where were the fans that professed their love for the man and how he had not only formed their lives and careers, but their bank accounts as well? Where was the financial help to assist him with his lawsuit when he needed it? Why wasn't his hitherto, priceless archives and artifacts not collected by a consortium of wealthy "friends" and conserved and protected from being scattered to the four winds?

Dammit! His collection should have been housed in a museum, supported by the various millionaires who in no small measure owe their livelihood to him. Instead, we are left with documentary images of the many well-known and wealthy talking heads singing the praises of "Uncle Forry" and how they were transformed into who they are now because of him. If there ever was an argument for the transferrence of wealth, the building of an eternal Ackermansion by the people that gained from his inspiration is about as good a reason as I can come up with -- at least in this case.

In 1967, Forry suffered his first heart attack. A few months before, he had invited a group of guests to his fabled Ackermansion, located in "Horrorwood, Karloffornia" for his annual Halloween party. In attendance was the writer Dennis Etchison, who has since become a notable horror ficiton author. Etchison wrote about his experience and had it published in the June 1967 issue of the men's magazine CAVALIER. It includes a follow-up interview after Forry had his heart attack.

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UP FRONT WITH FANGO'S CHRIS ALEXANDER

FRONT is one of the most popular "younger men's" magazines sold in the UK today. It's a bit like a punk rock version of MAXIM. The editors solicit "semi-deranged-yet-genius" readers", as it is indeed a melange of slacker culture and the New Hip. In between the HDR-drenched images of Sk8ter dudes, audio/visual releases, electronic gadgets and pics of hot chicks with tats, there is sometimes a morsel of monster to be discovered. In Issue #162, for insance, there is a two-page spread featuring Chris Alexander, the editor of FANGORIA. Mr. Alexander sounds off with a few fearsome factoids regarding classic horror culture, all served up in the brevity of byte that resonates with today's average attention span.

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THE PULP MILL: HARD CASE CRIME

There are few ironies in the calculating world of book publishing. One of them, though, is the persistence of tradition. I don't read many of what are called "popular fiction" books these days. Frankly, I find the truncated versions of trade paperbacks that are supposed to pass for mass market paperbacks unwieldy, and frankly, a waste of paper. Color me conspiratorial, but I think it's just an excuse to charge more money for them.

Hard Case Crime is an imprint that was originally slow to catch on. It started up as a reprint house for those old 50's and 60's hardboiled detective novels that were oh-so-popular at the time. Girasol Collectibles has been publishing pulp fiction from the likes of The Shadow, Doc Savage, and The Whisperer for some time with a certain measure of success. After a few titles, Hard Case began to publish new "hard" crime fiction. And, guess what? It caught on. Even Stephen King has contributed to the line.

On its way to 100 titles, and with a house style of cover art and design that makes it hard to distinguish it from its forebearers, Hard Case Crime is not going to replace popular fiction by any stretch of the imagination, but it does show there is still a market for the old style detective thriller that filled most of the paperback spinner racks in drug stores. That there remains interest in a seemingly lost genre (and one could argue the same for monster movie magazines) of regular-sized paperback novels in the days of the iPad and Kindle is indeed ironic.

The December 2011 issue of PENTHOUSE magazine celebrates the continuation of a tradition that has hung on by its tough, greased-stained fingernails to persist in a world gone mad with social right-sizing.

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IT CAME FROM THE MEN'S MAG: ZOMBCON

The Zombie craze is white hot. Season Two of the blockbuster THE WALKING DEAD has stumbled onto TV screens, and the second year of zomBcon, "the world's first Zombie culture convention", has just come and gone. Even men's mags have picked up the vibe to appeal to their demographic. Here's how, in their November 2011 issue, PLAYBOY reported last year's fest in Seattle, the city of shambling shoegazers.

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INTL 'ZINES: FHM'S PINOY HORROR DEATH MATCH

Like any other country, the Philippines has their own cast of resident mythological creatures and supernatural beings. The bestiary is comprised of the usual suspects: ghouls, vampires, were-creatures, and zombies, all generally evil and hungry for your flesh.

This month's FHM magazine Philippines edition takes a stab (heh! heh!) at pitting one aswang (that's Pinoy for ghoul-like or vampire-like creature) against another in a giant monster throw-down.

And last, but not definitely least, is another mythological creature -- The Elusive and Unobtainable 2-Dimensional Pin-Up Girl. This particular devilish species is named Chiaka Morita. She is also featured in this month's Philippines edition of FHM.

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