LATEST NEWS (2/27/04):

     Well, after almost seven weeks, I've returned from my long business trip out West! I'd like to thank everyone who placed orders while I was gone for their patience, and I hope to have all out-standing orders in the mail by Monday (3/1/04).
     While I was away, voting was conducted for the second annual Rondo Awards (MFTV was nominated for five awards), and I'm happy to report that for second year in a row MONSTERS FROM THE VAULT was runner-up to VIDEO WATCHDOG in the "Best Magazine" category. We've closed the gap since last year (26 votes), and with a good turnout of MFTV readers (anyone is eligible to vote), next year maybe we'll take the top spot. Voting for the 2004 Rondo Awards will be conducted in January and February of 2005. MONSTERS FROM THE VAULT also was runner-up in the "Best Cover" category, in which Joe "Sorko" Schovitz's great Creature cover for MFTV #15 finished behind Vincent Di Fate's Creature cover for the Monster-Mania Con program book. Finally, big congratulations to one of our longtime contributors, Gary D. Rhodes, on his 2003 Rondo Award for "Best Article"! Gary's "Horror Film Crisis of 1932" was not only my favorite article of the year, but it was also embraced by those voting for this year's winners. Again, kudos to Gary on his win and to all our contributors who were nominated! Also, congratulations to all of the recipients of this year's Rondo Awards, and thanks to all of those who voted (more than 600). For a brief history, a list of 2002 winners, and a complete list of this year's nominees and winners, go to www.rondoaward.com, and hats off to David Colton for introducing the Rondo Awards to fandom. Mark your calendar and participate in next year's voting, and let's make sure that MONSTERS FROM THE VAULT brings home the Rondo for "Best Magazine" in 2004!
     This year, because of budget and time constraints, we'll be attending only one convention as a vendor (as fans, we'll be attending Monster-Mania Con 2), and that convention will once again be Monster Bash. The Bash picked up its second consecutive Rondo Award for "Best Convention" this year, and it only takes one visit to Butler, PA to find out why. So make your plans now to attend the best convention for classic horror and sci-fi currently being held. Click on the banner to the left for more info.
     As many of you know, last year Universal Studios pulled all of their classic monster DVDs from the shelves of stores across America and listed them as out of print. Since then, fans who didn't purchase the titles when originally released have been paying huge amounts for the DVDs on E-bay to complete their collections. The good news is that Universal will be re-releasing all of the previously released titles (plus one previously unreleased title, House of Dracula) on April 27, 2004, to tie in with the release of their new movie Van Helsing (www.vanhelsing.net) on May 7th. The films will be released as part of three "Legacy Collections," or you can purchase all titles in a special gift set that also features three polystone mini-busts (Dracula, Frankenstein, and Wolf Man) created especially for Universal by Sideshow Toy. The three collections are Dracula: The Legacy Collection (Dracula, Spanish Dracula, Dracula's Daughter, Son of Dracula, and House of Dracula); Frankenstein: The Legacy Collection (Frankenstein, Bride of Frankenstein, Son of Frankenstein, Ghost of Frankenstein, and House of Frankenstein) and The Wolf Man: The Legacy Collection (The Wolf Man, Werewolf of London, She-Wolf of London, and Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man). All collections will feature the commentaries, documentaries, and other special features from their initial releases. So, not only will all of the titles be available again, they'll also be available at a much cheaper price. The individual collections are available for pre-order at on-line retailers everywhere for less than $20.00 (even less than the cost of one title previously), and the gift set can be pre-ordered for between $60-65.00 (for 14 films). So pre-order your copies now, and show Universal that there is a market for their classic horror films. If enough copies are sold, maybe we'll see "Edgar Allen Poe: The Legacy Collection" (The Black Cat, The Raven, The Invisible Ray, and The Black Cat 1941); "The Invisible Man: The Legacy Collection" (The Invisible Man, The Invisible Man Returns, Revenge of the Invisible Man, The Invisible Woman, and The Invisible Agent); and "The Creature: The Legacy Collection" (Creature from the Black Lagoon, Revenge of the Creature, and Creature Walks Among Us, and for kicks throw in Tarantula and The Deadly Mantis) this Halloween when Van Helsing is released on DVD. Who wouldn't want "The Best of Abbott & Costello: Volume 3" (Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein, Abbott & Costello Meet the Mummy, Abbott & Costello Meet the Invisible Man, Abbott & Costello Meet Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and Abbott & Costello Meet the Killer, Boris Karloff). And there's plenty more possibilities lurking in Universal's vault!
     Another plus about the release of Van Helsing is Jakks Pacific's new line of classic monster toys. The first series (Dracula, Frankenstein, and Wolf Man) were released in January, to be followed by more series throughout the year. Jakks is also producing many other cool monster-related toys that can be found at Target, Toys "R" Us, Wal-Mart, and various other retailers. There's also a new Van Helsing line of figures (both 6" and 12") being produced by Jakks, along with some cool play sets. Not to be left out of the Van Helsing blitz, Sideshow Toy (www.sideshowtoy.com) will also be producing highly detailed (and more expensive) 12" Van Helsing figures in 2004 and will continue with their wonderful 12" line of classic horror figures with three new ones in the works: Mr. Hyde, Ardeth Bey (from The Mummy), and the Hunchback of Notre Dame. Finally, you can look for two more 1/4 scale figures from Sideshow this year, Dracula and the Vampire from London After Midnight, to place alongside their previously re-leased Nosferatu and recently released Frankenstein's Monster. While these figures are extremely pricey ($200 and up), their quality is unsurpassed in today's collectible figure market. Another hot toy line is X-Plus' AMC Monsterfest Collection of vinyl 9" statues. These highly detailed statues have been advertised for almost two years on AMC's Web site, and the first two (the She-Creature and Marty from Day the World Ended) are now available. These figures salute the really cool monsters of AIP. I just received mine from an on-line source (www.monstersdirect.com), and they are fantastic! I can't recommend them enough. They retail for $39.99 but are worth every penny. The next figure in the line is from War of the Colossal Beast. I can't wait for that one!
     You read about it in the last issue of MONSTERS FROM THE VAULT, but I wanted to mention again that our good friends, Robert Tinnell, Todd Livingston, and Neil Vokes are about to unleash their new graphic novel, THE BLACK FOREST on us! Set during the First World War, which introduced trench warfare and chemical weapons and involved some of history's bloodiest battles, THE BLACK FOREST adds a new twist. Not only must the soldiers face enemy artillery and mustard gas, but also vampires, werewolves, an army of the living dead, and the Frankenstein Monster himself. Image Comics will release the book on March 31st, and I highly recommend that all MFTV readers rush to the nearest comic book shop and pick up a copy. For more information visit their Web site at www.theblackforest.net.
     Finally, a quick update on the next issue of MONSTERS FROM THE VAULT. I had hoped to have the new issue out in March; however, thanks to my extended business trip for my "real" job, it's been delayed until May. However, I promise it will be one of best issues yet, with tons of extremely rare King Kong photos from the collection of Bob Burns. The final colorized version of the cover will be posted here soon. So until the next update, help keep those Monsters of our past alive by reading MONSTERS FROM THE VAULT, and by supporting one or more of the companies mentioned above that took a chance that Monster Kids (old and young) are still out there and willing to purchase their products, thus enabling them to continue to produce new DVDs and toys year after year for us to enjoy!