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MAGAZINES
Famous Monsters of Filmland is a genre-specific film magazine started in 1958 by publisher James Warren (see Warren Publishing) and editor Forrest J Ackerman. [1]
Magazine history (1958–1983)
Famous Monsters of Filmland (which quickly became known to fans as simply FM[citation needed]) was originally conceived as a one-shot publication by James Warren and editor Forrest J Ackerman (1916-2008), with no discernible future[citation needed], published in the wake of the widespread success of the[2] package of old horror movies syndicated to American television in 1957. But the first issue, published in February 1958, was so successful that it required a second printing to fulfill public demand. Its future as part of American culture was immediately obvious to both men. The success prompted spinoff magazines such as Spacemen, Famous Westerns of Filmland, Screen Thrills Illustrated, Creepy, Eerie, and Vampirella.
FM offered brief articles, well-illustrated with publicity stills and graphic artwork, on horror movies from the silent era to the current date of publication, their stars and filmmakers. Warren and Ackerman decided to aim the text at late pre-adolescents and young teenagers.
In the pages of FM, Forrest J Ackerman promoted the memory of Lon Chaney, Sr., whose silent works were mostly beyond the accessibility of fans for most of the magazine's life, but were a great influence on his own childhood. He also introduced film fans to science fiction fandom through direct references, first-person experiences, and adoption of fandom terms and customs. The magazine regularly published photos from King Kong (1933), including one from the film's infamous "spider pit sequence", featured in Issue #108 (1974) [3][4] which, until Ackerman discovered a photo of a spider in the cavern setting, had never been proven definitively to have actually been filmed[5].
MORE: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Famous_Monsters_of_Filmland
One of the saddest horror moments of 2009 was the passing of Forest Ackerman. Uncle Forry was a horror icon and his gift to the genre as a whole was Famous Monsters of Filmland magazine–a periodical that was essentially the bible of horror for a very long time.
Ackerman may no longer be with us, but the folks at IDW publishing are making sure his legacy lives on as they’ve announced plans to resurrect FMoF in 2010. Since I love the classics and firmly believe that you can never have too many magazines covering horror, this is great news.
Editor Michael Heisler had this to say about the project (thanks to Dread Central for sharing).
“FM was far and away my favorite magazine when I was a kid, and there has been nothing quite like it since. Our goal is to update that magic for a modern audience, with coverage of current horror in all its forms, while continuing to pay tribute to the classic films that started it all. Personally, I’m thrilled to be taking this step down the road that Forry Ackerman and ‘Chilly Billy’ Cardille put me on so many years ago.“
MORE: http://thehorrorgeek.com/?tag=official-website
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MORE: http://www.fatally-yours.com/news/famous-monsters-of-filmland-magazine-to-return/
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MORE: http://monstermagazinegalleries.blogspot.com/2010/04/famous-monsters-of-filmland-3.html
IDW
Publishing is reviving the legendary Famous Monsters of Filmland magazine, which
will debut in its new incarnation as a quarterly in the summer of 2010.
Michael Heisler, a 20-year veteran of the comics industry with Marvel, Wildstorm,
and IDW, will edit the new Famous Monsters, which he promises will continue the
FM tradition of taking readers behind the scenes of the latest horror and
science fiction films, while also paying homage to the classic films and TV
shows in both genres.
MORE: http://www.atomiccomics.com/Default.aspx?tabid=91&EntryID=672
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