Creature from the Black Lagoon (33/54) - A Symphony Of Film Music By Hans J. Salter (1994)

Think of all of the Universal Monsters. Pick any one, and hum their theme music. If you didn't pick the Creature, you might have had a difficult time coming up with a music cue to represent them. But if you did pick the Creature, you likely immediately though of the BUM-BUM-BAAAAAAAH! 

If you've seen the film, you always knew that was the signal the Creature was near (even if only a claw) — by those three notes. In case you need it, here's a refresher:

I've had this CD for 30 years (the inclusion of the suite from Creature director Jack Arnold's other classic The Incredible Shrinking Man was a nice bonus!).

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

Godzilla (32/54) - Toho SFX Movies Authentic Visual Book Vol. 13 Godzilla 1995 (2018)

This series of 32-page books is distributed through the Godzilla store. After I bought my first one, and saw how beautifully produced it was (at an extremely affordable price of only $10 — though they've since been raised to a still reasonable $15), I ordered one of every title that they had. There have been more than 100 titles released to date (a separate book for each kaiju from each film!), although only a few dozen have been released through the US store. 

For this installment, I wanted to showcase one of my favorites — Godzilla 1995, as seen in Godzilla vs Destoroyah.

The books are packed end-to-end with high quality color and black and white photos.

And while there is some text (in Japanese only), the photos are truly the showcase throughout.

These samples are just a quarter of the amazing imagery found within the pages of this volume.

And of course, depending on the film being covered, there are guest appearances to be found as well!

 Be sure to check back next week for another item from my Godzilla collection.

I Am Legend (33/54) - Folio Society Leatherbound Limited Edition (2018)

The Folio Society added I Am Legend to their library in 2018 with an edition illustrated by Dave McKean, and with an introduction by Joe Hill. Available in two states, this is the leatherbound, slipcased edition limited to 295 numbered copies including a signed Dave McKean art print. 

Here are the front and back of the illustrated slipcase:

Here is the leatherbound binding with red stamping:

The red foil stamped black endpapers are a particularly nice touch. 

I have two copies of the numbered edition in the archive; the one I purchased directly from the Folio Society on the day they went on sale (and subsequently sold out), and a second copy I was able to acquire at the issue price — copy #295 out of the 295 produced. 

And although there is no difference in the specifications of the edition, one day I would like to locate one of the 20 lettered copies given to the contributors for the archive.

Here is the signed McKean print:

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

Creature from the Black Lagoon (32/54) - Image Comics Creature from the Black Lagoon Lives! (2024)

This year, Image Comics began releasing licensed series based on the classic Universal Monsters. Dracula was the lead-off title, and much to my surprise, the Creature was the second released (the third series is forthcoming, featuring Frankenstein). It's taken nearly 70 years, but only recently has The Creature been given more prominence than the Universal Fab Four (Dracula, Frankenstein, The Mummy and The Wolf Man). 

The final installment of the four-issue Creature series was recently released, and while I had been holding off until I had the full set to read them, I'll be the first to admit that I initially signed up to get the books based on the covers. (As is common practice these days, comics are released with a variety of variant covers.) I not only picked up my favorite of each of the four issue covers, I also picked up a ratio variant (one copy of this cover was produced for every 10 copies of the issue) by an artist I admire. Dani did a series of connecting covers (featured at the top of this post).  

While licensed comics don't always land the best artists, the Creature has been pretty fortunate in this regard of late, both in the 1993 Art Adams adaptation from Dark Horse, and in this new Image series (with art by Matthew Roberts). In addition to my favorite covers for each of the four issues, I have also included one interior shot from each issue.  

Cover B: Art by Joshua Middleton

Cover B: Francis Manapul

Cover B: Julian Totino Tedesco

Cover B: Jenny Frison

Be sure to check back next week to see another item from my Creature collection!

 

Godzilla (31/54) - Super7 San Diego ComicCon Aurora Style ReAction Figure (2024)

Once again, Super7 pushed the nostalgia button with this San Diego ComicCon exclusive 3-3/4" Godzilla ReAction figure modeled after the old Aurora kit. 

Not only did they do a nice job with the retro-art box, but they nailed the look and feel of the new figure. Anyone who ever built the Aurora kit (or one of any number of subsequent reissues) will appreciate the little details.  

The figure even has the look of an unpainted model kit, making it all the more familiar to modelers like me who may have built one of these kits, but never had the requisite skill to paint it appropriately. 

The only thing missing are the glow components (head, hands, feet. tail and spine). If Super7 has taught us anything, it's that the next variant is always right around the corner!

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


 

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.