Happy 70th Birthday Creature from the Black Lagoon (5/54) - Veny's Aquarium Ornament (2013)

Our good friend the Internet informs us that it was 70 years ago today that Creature from the Black Lagoon premiered in Detroit (and Colorado?) before embarking upon a regional release in March. So here is your bonus post that will get us to 54 this year alongside our weekly entries!

In the early '70s, a company named Penn Plax seemingly cornered the market on Action-Aerating Aquarium ornaments — you've surely seen treasure chests or giant clamshells in a fish tank that open and close as air pumps through them, or a pirate skeleton run through with a sword, and quite possibly a familiar looking (if unlicensed) sea Creature (clearly inspired by Aurora's classic model kit). I seem to recall having one, though I also recall always wanting one whenever I encountered one in a pet shop — even when we didn't have an operating fish tank in the house. 

While Penn Plax is still around, they know longer offer their 'Action-Aerating Monster,' but over the years other companies have done their part to keep these bootleg Aquarium Creatures on the market.

The current example I have is from Veny's (called a Sea Treasure; perhaps a typo for Sea Creature?), and I won't lie, it's a rather cheaply made reporduction, but it ticks the appropriate nostalgia box. I don't know if I'd put it in a tank with any fish I had a particular fondness for, but as a display item it suits me fine!

Come back Friday for our regularly scheduled weekly Creature collectible!

 

I Am Legend (5/54) - Tihomir Tikulin signed/remarqued Ja Sam Legenda trade and newsstand editions (2008)

In 2007, a Croatian artist named Tihomir Tikulin stumbled across the I Am Legend Archive website. He had been hired to paint the cover for a domestic edition of Ja Sam Legenda, and was researching other covers that had been used.

'Tico' reached out to me to thank me for making the information on the website available, and shared his cover art, which I was very fond of. Fast forward nearly 15 years, and I spotted an alternate version of the book featuring his cover art online, so I reached out to ask for more details. When he heard the copy he had sent back in 2008 never arrived, he more than made up for that, not only gifting me copies of the trade and even more elusive (and new to me) newsstand edition, but also by filling another hole in the archive — a Yugoslavian edition from 1979!

The personalized remarques make these two pieces in the archive very special pieces in the archive. 

 Be sure to check back next week for another item from the I Am Legend Archive!

Creature from the Black Lagoon (4/54) - Remco 9" Creature from the Black Lagoon (1981)

In 1980, Remco Toys released a series of licensed 9" Universal Monsters figures, featuring 'Monster Crush Grabbing Action' — or as I prefer to think of it, 'Monster Hugs.' 

I'm not the original owner of this particular Creature, as I never saw one on the shelves. Of the six characters produced (Frankenstein, Count Dracula, The Wolf Man and The Mummy in 1980, The Creature and The Phantom of the Opera joining the lineup in 1981), I only recall ever seeing three in stores (Frankenstein, Dracula and the Phantom of the Opera). The Wolf Man and The Mummy were similarly AWOL, as far as I was concerned. 

His scaly jumpsuit would benefit from some tailoring (it would be some years before we'd see a fully-sculpted articulated figure at this size or larger), and his legs could stand to be re-strung (or, better put, he could stand better if I had his legs re-strung!), but he still holds a special place in my heart, flaws and all. I wouldn't mind having a set of all six monsters in this series, but they have gotten to be quite pricey (Creech in particular — the sole loose example to turn up on eBay in the last several months went for $625!).

Right hand notwithstanding, he still produces an impressive glow when exposed to light. As you'll learn in the months ahead, The Creature was a common victim, er, candidate, for manufacturers to exploit when it came to glow-in-the-dark offerings.

Check back next week for another cool example from my Creature collection!

Godzilla (4/54) - Wind-Up Super Walkers Little Monsters (Knock-Off) (1970s)

Through the years, these have been re-released again and again under different names. The original AHI versions are recognizable as they have toes (which this Godzilla does not!)

Through the years, these little guys have been re-released again and again under different names, and in different packaging or lack thereof: Assorted 12-packs, individually blister-carded, and individually boxed. The assortment was made up of Godzilla, King Kong, and the Creature from the Black Lagoon. The original AHI versions are recognizable as they have toes (you can see a toed Creature in the entry I posted last week!).

In addition to slowly walking when wound-up, a grinder inside the mouth emits sparks. You can see that in the video below. I'm sure most kids figured out that you could turn the winding mechanism the opposite way to force the sparking action (which naturally occurs when the mechanism is unwinding on its own), but even my well-loved examples still offer up a sparky kiss every few steps. 

Stomp on back next week for another Kaiju collectible!

I Am Legend (4/54) - Olen Legenda - First Finnish edition (2007)

Art by Jarno Kantelinen

This is a very special foreign language edition of I Am Legend. Not only is this is the first Finnish translation of the book — this is the first version of the book that exists (at least in part) as a result of my I Am Legend Archive. 

In the years since I began evangelizing Matheson's novel online, I have received questions and feedback from fellow fans, artists, and publishers from around the world, asking questions, providing information, and even helping me fill holes in the Archive Collection.

Back in 2006 or 2007, I was contacted by a representative from Vaskikirjat, a newly-formed science-fiction/fantasy publisher in Finland, expressing an interest in publishing a Finnish translation of the novel as one of their launch titles. Having come across my site showcasing a number of foreign translations, he was hoping I could help him figure out how to go about obtaining the Finnish rights to the novel. I was able to direct him to Don Congdon and Associates, who represented Matheson's publishing rights for the majority of his career. 

A short while later, I received a follow up email from my contact, letting me know that he had successfully negotiated a deal and would be publishing the book. Best of all, he offered to send me a copy of the finished book for my collection upon publication. 

Given my desire to help expand the reach of this amazing novel, playing even the smallest part in making it available in a new language for the first time is a point of pride. 

Be here next Monday for the next curio from the I Am Legend archive!

Creature from the Black Lagoon (3/54) - AHI Wind-Up Super Walkers Little Monsters (1970s)

Through the years, these little guys have been re-released again and again under different names, and in different packaging or lack thereof: Assorted 12-packs, individually blister-carded, and individually boxed. The original AHI versions are recognizable as they have toes (you can see that the one in the right does, while the other does not!).

In addition to slowly walking when wound-up, a grinder inside the mouth emits sparks. You can see that in the video below. I'm sure most kids figured out that you could turn the winding mechanism the opposite way to force the sparking action (which naturally occurs when the mechanism is unwinding on its own), but even my well-loved examples still offer up a sparky kiss every few steps. 

Be sure to return to the Lagoon next week to see more cool Creature stuff!

Godzilla (3/54) - Godzilla Coin Bank Itazura Money Box (2015)

I still have a wind-up bank from my youth where a skeletal hand grabs the coin placed on it, and as much as I will always love that, this is a more elaborate, contemporary version of the technology. Placing a coin (or your finger — check out the video below) results in one of several sonic experiences ranging from Godzilla's stomping approach, roar, classic Akira Ifukube theme music, or combination of the above — followed by Godzilla peeking from the surface of the water and dragging your coin (assuming you placed one) down into the bank with him.

There's a second version, featuring a burning Godzilla, that I'll eventually pick up if I find one at the right price. It's for all sakes and purposes the same — just the orange Godzilla inside, and a burning Godzilla on the label. 

Be sure to return next week for more goodies from my Godzilla collection!

I Am Legend (3/54) - Jim Thiesen's original TOR paperback cover painting (1995)

On June 9, 1995, for the first time in my life I was able to walk into a bookstore and pick up a brand new copy (well, two copies, as the receipt below shows) of Richard Matheson's I Am Legend (along with a selection of his short stories — the lack of any mention of that on the front cover leading to confusion with some readers new to the book, as a few who were lost when the story suddenly shifted gears into a different tale reached out to me through the Archive website for clarification!). 

I was immediately taken with Jim Thiesen's cover art. It doesn't attempt to depict a scene from the novel (which he had not even read!), but it manages to communicate the book's epic scope of a world filled with vampires. If it was available, I had to have it. 

Easier said than done. In the pre-internet age, it meant writing a letter to the artist, care of TOR, and putting that in the US mail. Much to my surprise, within a few weeks I received a phone call from the artist's agent, who communicated the price (while on the call I separately managed to coordinate a loan with my Dad that would cover the delta between the asking price and my meager budget) and agreed to the purchase.  

Less than two months later, I held the original painting in my hands. As you can see from the note Jim included with the artwork, he wrote that a month and two days after I had seen the art for the first time!  

From my years spent working in the bookstore, I was already familiar with Jim's work, if not his name, before he painted the I Am Legend cover. He is recognized today as a fan-favorite of 80s horror paperback (referred to these days as 'Paperbacks from Hell') artists.

Seeing the original painting was a revelation. So much detail was lost in the reproduction; there's personality to be found in every face, including those receding into the horizon. I apologize that the photos below cannot do the original artwork justice (it took many attempts to get decent shots without reflections!), but you can at least appreciate some of the finer details in the painting.

A few years later, when TOR/Orb reissued the collection as a trade paperback, they once again utilized Thiesen's art, however it was given a heavy-handed PhotoShop shellacking — tightly cropped, blurred, vampire baby painted out (I assumed due to the new cropping), and a skull-faced vampire's head relocated over the clutching vampire woman's face. To the untrained eye, it may still seem like an effective cover, but the revision was done without consultation of the artist (whose name was omitted, as the cover is solely credited to — I kid you not — The Chopping Block!). I brought this to Jim's attention, as this cover would go on to be used in different regions of the world, sometimes further cropped, recolored, and for better or worse, often solely crediting Thiesen.

Even though his credit is absent, I was pleased when TOR returned to the (almost) unmolested cover on their most recent mass-market paperback (a newer mass-market sized hardcover still uses the PhotoShopped effort, but solely crediting Thiesen). But my familiarity with the art made it obvious that in addition to the crowd receding into the horizon being cropped out, the vampire baby remained painted out. Seriously? Did they just miss the baby on the first go-round in 1995? Or are sensibilities so delicate that the thought of a vampire baby's depiction was just too much for gentle readers to bear? You'll notice they also blacked out the child vampire in the lower right. Now, if the reason for the removal of these was due to Matheson himself pointing out that it doesn't represent something seen in the book, maybe I could get behind that — but I'm pretty sure that's not the case here. Still, it's closer to the artists original intent, so given the PhotoShopped alternative, this is preferable.

Thankfully, it doesn't prevent me from appreciating the art in its original, unmolested state, whenever I'd like. I'm pleased to call Jim a friend, going on 30 years now. The cover remains a personal favorite of mine, second-only to Stanley Meltzoff's painting on the original Gold Medal paperback (we'll get back to him soon enough). And that's not faint praise when you consider that I own more than 200 different editions from around the world. As I slowly get those all online, you'll have a new appreciation for the phrase, The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly. 

Be sure to check back next Monday for more from the I Am Legend archive!

Creature from the Black Lagoon (2/54) - Novelization by Vargo Statten (2011)

Most people aren't aware that there was a novelization to the Creature from the Black Lagoon published in 1954. Both hardcover and paperback versions are extremely rare and very, very expensive when they do turn up. I had long since written off ever owning a copy, so I was quite excited when DreamHaven Books reprinted the novelization in 2011, alongside a number of rare photos and an introduction by my pal (and renowned Creature aficionado) David J. Schow. 

My treasured copy is not only signed by DJS, but also by the lovely Julie Adams (who portrayed the Creature's swimming partner, Kay Lawrence — which ironically is the name of a good high school friend of mine!), and the swimming Creature actor himself, Ricou Browning. Julie and Ricou are sadly no longer with us, so this is another treasured item in my Creature from the Black Lagoon collection!

 Be sure to check back next Friday for more Creature goodness!

Godzilla (2/54) - S.H. MonsterArts Biollante Special Color Version (2021)

Having already sung the praises of Godzilla vs Biollante it should come as no surprise that one of my cherished Godzilla possessions is a nicely articulated, rather large representation of Biollante in his epic, final form. 

I regretted not picking up the first release of this S.H. MonsterArts figure in 2013 (and as with many a Godzilla item, the after-market prices were insane!), so I was quite happy when it was reissued in 2021. This version lights up with red and orange color options. I was frankly amazed that they were able to craft such an amazing figural representation of the creature, given that he's not the standard man-in-suit monster that Godzilla had faced so many times before.

Don't be surprised if you see Biollante turn up again before this adventure is over.

 Be sure to check back next Wednesday for more Godzilla goodness!

I Am Legend (2/54) - Science Fiction Book Club Hardcover (1980)

The Science Fiction Book Club hardcover of I Am Legend was the first copy of the book I ever owned. The copy was the lone book in a sparse booth at a local Flea Market, and it cost me a whopping twenty-five cents. It was the start of my I Am Legend collection, and not long after finding it, I acquired a 1964 Bantam paperback at a Berkeley Bart station Flea Market — also for twenty-five cents! The collection has since grown to over 200 different editions from around the world.

When I was growing up, the Santa Clara Public Library had two copies of I Am Legend — the 1970 Walker hardcover (we'll get to that one soon enough), and this edition from 10 years later. To my young eyes, this version had the more appealing cover art (painted as part of a series of science-fiction classics for the SFBC by artist Tony Gleeson). As was common practice, book club editions don't clearly include printing information, leading a lot of folks to incorrectly assume that this edition was published decades earlier, since it only lists the original copyright date of 1954. As I came to possess multiple copies of this edition through the years, I observed that there were three distinct bindings used. As a public service, I posted my field guide to the SFBC hardcovers describing each on my I Am Legend Archive blog in 2012. 

As I now was able to determine which was the first SFBC hardcover edition, I took advantage of the opportunity to have artist Tony Gleeson sign and remarque my copy with an original illustration of protagonist Robert Neville, making it a one-of-a-kind piece in the collection. 

Come back next Monday for the next item from my I Am Legend collection!