I Am Legend (32/54) - Gauntlet 500-copy 40th Anniversary Signed Limited Edition (1995)

It took 41 years for someone to publish a signed, limited edition of I Am Legend. Gauntlet Press did it as part of their Classics Revisited series. 

This edition was the first and only to include several new pieces from George Clayton Johnson, Dan Simmons and Dennis Etchison (all of whom signed the book alongside Matheson), as well as an introduction by Matthew R. Bradley (who wrote the book Richard Matheson on Screen, and is a frequent contributor to bare•bones).

Issued without a dust jacket, the book is bound in red with gold foil stamping, and housed in a black slipcase. 500 individually numbered copies were offered for sale; the primary copy in the archive is #250/500 (though the archive also currently holds copies 178, 199 and 488).

 Check back next week for another item from the I Am Legend Archive. 

Creature from the Black Lagoon (31/54) - 4K UHD Steelbook (2024)

I've owned a fair number of copies of Creature from the Black Lagoon through the years, from the original Universal Monsters Collection VHS release, to LaserDisc, to DVD, and subsequently the Universal Monsters Legacy Collection, and then on to Blu Ray in the Universal Monster Collection (which for the first time included the Blu Ray 3D version), the Creature Legacy Blu Ray Collection (which brought us the premiere of Revenge of the Creature on Blu Ray 3D), and most recently the Universal Classic Monsters Icons of Horror 4K release. To be clear, when it comes to movies, for the most part, I'm all about content. If a new release features new material, or an upgraded version, I'm in. Despite what the above might suggest, that's a mere fraction of the reissues of the film on home media. Throw in special and store-exclusive packaging, and there are quite a few variants out there. Most of which I happily pass on. But every once and a while, I can be suckered in to picking up an edition that doesn't add new content to the library.

Case in point is this recent Steelbook release, featuring artwork by Alex Ross of the Creature rising up to approach Kay Lawrence swimming in the lagoon. I liked the art enough to pick up this 4K Blu Ray combo edition, which could be had at a very affordable price. Comparatively, the art was recently used as an exclusive variant cover for a comic book series, where it was offered for sale at prices upwards of $100, so I'm perfectly happy to have it in the collection at a much more affordable rate on this steelbook.

 Check back next week for another item from my Creature collection!

Godzilla (30/54) - Diamond Select Toys SDCC Exclusive Burning Godzilla Gallery Statue (2020)

Somehow, this ComicCon exclusive managed to evade my attention for several years. This one is based on a previously released statue of Godzilla in the water designed to be paired with a complementary King Ghidorah statue. I was quite excited when I came across this exclusive repaint as burning Godzilla (from G vs Destoroyah) in a lake of fire at a local toy show, and at a very reasonable price for a con exclusive. I've debated putting a light source in the translucent fire, but for now he sits over my shoulder at work, so it wouldn't make much difference in the daytime.

 

I Am Legend (31/54) - Prop Diploma and Medal Certificate from the Will Smith film (2007)

Following the release of the 2007 Francis Lawrence film starring Will Smith, a number of props went up for sale. And while the GT500 Mustang was way out of my budget, I momentarily considered buying an extra hood for the car that was on display in an auto shop in New York for a number of years before they offered it for a ridiculously low price (the shipping would have exceeded the purchase price). 

I previously shared a number of the posters I acquired which were used as set dressing, and today I'm showcasing a few more props that I acquired, examples of which can be seen hanging on the walls in Neville's home. While there were surely dozens of each of these created, you'll find others online claiming that their identical examples can be screen-matched to the ones seen in the film! (Mine came with broken candy-glass in the frames, too, so while it's possible they were used in what may have been dozens of takes of the darkseekers tearing up Neville's apartment, I don't assume mine are ever the exact ones you see onscreen.)

There was another available at the time I got these, which I passed on. If memory serves, it was another certificate awarded to "2st Lt Robert Neville" — which while fine for use in the film, since no one would ever be able to read it and spot the typo, but it was less appealing to have for display.

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

Creature from the Black Lagoon (30/54) - Diamond Select Bust Bank (2012)

I had plenty of banks growing up — from a Planet of the Apes Dr. Zaius to a variety of monkey banks (all of which I associated with King Kong). Banks back then didn't have anywhere near the detail of this Creature Bank, which, slot for inserting currency aside, is a nicely sculpted and painted vinyl bust. 

 

Godzilla (29/54) - Bandai Godzilla Store Exclusive Heavily Armored Black Mecahgodzilla (2023)

I'm sticking with the Black Mechagodzilla theme — this 9" different 'heavily armored' version was a Godzilla Store exclusive in 2023, and different enough from the 2003 theater exclusive that I needed to pick it up as well. 

I don't know why I respond to this 'Kiryu' version so much more than the prior Mechagodzilla variants; perhaps it's a combination of the angular face, yellow eyes, and more pronounced fin on the top of his head. 

And as cool as he looks in his natural silver, I think he looks even cooler in black!

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

 

I Am Legend (30/54) - More Original Eclipse comic adaptation art by Elman Brown (1991)

I know what you're thinking. Didn't we already cover original art from the comic adaptation? Yes we did. And you'll recall, one of the things I lamented in that post was not purchasing the page that featured the portrait of Neville that became the iconic image of the adaptation for me. 

So imagine my surprise when, just days from the 70th anniversary of the novel's publication, I got an email from Steve Niles letting me know that he came across a box of the original art, and asking if I might be adding any more original pages to my collection. It was an opportunity I wasn't going to pass up, and I was able to negotiate a deal to add nine more original pages to the archive!

The first pages bookend the two pages I purchased previously showcasing the iconic fire pit from the novel. The first when Neville finds the dead bodies in his yard after the prior night's assault; those which he would ultimately take to the pit.

I particularly loved this rendering of one of the dead female vampire in the shrubbery.

This page follows immediately after my two page spread of the pit, as he tosses another body in, before driving away thinking of his daughter Kathy. 

My first request was to acquire the page I had regretted passing on previously, which thankfully was still available. Even though it's not the original illustration, it's still an amazing page. 

I felt it was only appropriate to get a page that featured Cimarron Street, and the opening of Chapter 9 did just that.

The following page is an important one in the story — where Neville takes note of all of the different documented means of dealing with vampires.

I added several pages featuring Ben Cortman, including this portrait page.

And I also acquired the two page spread featuring Cortman's death at the hands of the new society.

I particularly like the panel with the axe, which has a decidedly Bernie Wrightson look to it. 

While I had already purchased the final page of the book, the preceding page features the first line that I think of, when I consider the book's final lines, "A coughing chuckle filled his throat."

But even more importantly, this page featured Neville's realization.

I was extremely fortunate to have had the opportunity to pick up these original pieces decades after I had purchased my first three, and I'm pleased to be able to share them with you here.

Come back next week for another item from my I Am Legend Archive. 

Creature from the Black Lagoon (29/54) - Spinature (2021)

In 2021, Waxworks records started releasing Spinatures — sculpted character busts to place on your turntable. The line started with a series of Universal Monsters, so it wasn't too long before the Creature joined the lineup.

Of course I had to shoot a video of the man in action...

Be here next week for another item from my Creature collection!