Godzilla (6/54) - The Art of Japanese Monsters 100-copy signed limited leatherbound hardcover (2014)

Having been a small press publisher myself, I know you don't hesitate when you have a chance to pick up a reasonably priced, extremely limited edition of a book you're interested in. 

So when I heard about Sean Linkenback's The Art of Japanese Monsters in 2014, I splurged and ordered one of the 100-copies bound in leather, signed and numbered by the author, and including a Bob Eggleton art print featuring Godzilla suit actor Haruo Nakajima and actor Akira Takarada, and signed by all three.

The book collects hundreds of images of promotional artwork from Japanese fantasy films. It's a fantastic collection, including the Showa and Heisei eras of Godzilla (including several of my favorite painted posters by artist Noriyoshi Ohrai). It's a treasured Godzilla related title in my library. 

 Check back next Wednesday for another item from my Godzilla collection!

I Am Legend (6/54) - Signed Walker Hardcover (1970)

This is it. The 1970 Walker hardcover was the first edition of I Am Legend that I read (in a single sitting, on a Saturday afternoon when I was around 12 years old).

This was the first English-language hardcover edition of Matheson's novel, published 16 years after the Gold Medal paperback original. Walker's books were in large part targeted to libraries, which is why most copies you'll find for sale (and every one of the six copies in the Archive) is an ex-library edition. 

The cover art is by celebrated artist Jack Gaughan — perhaps depicting our protagonist Robert Neville haunted by artistic representations of the evils tormenting him (by no means the traditional vampires that appear in the book). Gaughan did a number of covers for Walker in a similar style for classic science-fiction novels, so a case could be made that he had created a bunch of artwork, and someone in Walker's art department decided which piece fit best with each book. We'll probably never know.

As the artwork is definitely not a literal representation of anything in the book, it wasn't my favorite cover at the time (back when I only knew of two versions) — whereas Tony Gleeson's artwork, while not depicting a specific scene, at least provided a clearer representation of a stake-wielding Neville and his vampiric foes. I've come to appreciate Gaughan's cover more over the years, and always keep one eye open, in case the original illustration turns up.

My copy is one of a small handful of editions in the Archive that are personally inscribed to me. I have a number that are just signed, but the most important editions were signed to me in person.

At the time I was working in a bookstore, I was frankly disappointed that the book had been out of print for a number of years (the intermittently available Science Fiction Book Club edition notwithstanding). I reached out to Walker to see if they still held the hardcover reprint rights to the novel, and much to my surprise, they replied. 

Even today, I'm surprised that Walker was still around as late as 1989. I've held onto that letter for all these years (in my signed Walker hardcover). Even though we had started down the path of publishing books at Deadline Press by then, I didn't think we were in any position to approach Matheson about reprinting his novel (and it was only a few years before Gauntlet would publish a 40th anniversary signed/limited hardcover edition). 

But it confirmed that Don Congdon Associates was still representing Matheson, and so as questions came to me in subsequent years, I was able to direct them accordingly. 

Be sure to come back next Monday, when I'll share yet another item from my I Am Legend collection.

Creature from the Black Lagoon (6/54) - Moebius Monsters of the Movies Model Kit (2010)

I was too young to build the first wave of Aurora Monster model kits, though I was exposed to them as my brother Joe built a number of the early '70s glow-in-the-dark kits (King Kong, Frankenstein and The Phantom of the Opera stand out in my memory) which populated our shared bedroom. 

As a kid, I remember always checking the model kit aisle in our Kiddie World toy store in the hopes of one day finding monster model kits that I could finally build. Much to my delight, they did return in the mid-70s, this time out in a smaller scale, snap-together (a good thing, as I didn't have the patience to wait for glue to dry), and lightly posable 'Monsters of the Movies' line. I think I bought the first Monsters of the Movies kit I ever saw on the shelf (the least-exciting — and therefore shelf-warming — Dr. Jekyll), and later finding the Creature was a dream come true. I loved the swimming pose — the one instance where I felt the Monsters of the Movies kit surpassed the original Aurora releases.

Unlike a great many of the items in my collection that have stayed with me through the years, model kits never faired well. I have an extensive collection of Aurora monster model kit reissues, and long wondered why we never got a reissue of this particular kit. So when Moebius models announced it for a reissue in 2010, I knew I'd have to pick up a couple, so I could display one as a built-up kit. It remains a personal favorite, and while I do have plans someday to paint him, for now, just having him on display is extremely satisfying.

 Swim back next week for another classic Creature collectible!

Godzilla (5/54) - Concept artist Shinji Nishikawa original Godzilla vs Biollante illustration (2014)

I've already made it clear that I'm a big fan of the Heisei Godzilla films (1984-1995), so it's no surprise that I am a huge fan of concept artist Shinji Nishikawa. He got his start on Godzilla vs Biollante, designing Godzilla's new foe.

I had the chance to not only meet Nishikawa at the Son of Monsterpalooza con in Burbank in 2014, but to commission an original illustration from him as well. Biollante seemed to be the obvious choice, and he certainly did not disappoint!

 And a happy Godzilla Valentine to Vonna!

Come back next week for more Godzilla goodness from the collection!

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!