Marvel's obsession with monsters had about run its course (in terms of sales, at least) so by the 11th issue, it had come time to pull the plug on Monsters Unleashed!
Let's see how MU went out:
...this is on the inside cover, and is fairly unusual in that it deals with a recognizable monster, The Creature of the Black Lagoon, a character still fully under the grip of copyright, unlike Dracula, Frankenstein, and assorted mummies.
This piece is drawn by the late, great Dave Cockrum, and I'm happy to see it, because the Creature is my favorite Universal monster.
Marvel must have pulled the plug abruptly, since there is no mention that this is the last issue in either the letters page or the editorial by writer/editor Don McGregor. That has to be really frustrating, finding out your magazine has been canceled out from under you, without the chance to wrap it all up in whatever way the writers and editors saw fit.
Anyway, the first story stars Gabriel, Devil Hunter in "An Angel Felled" by Doug Moench and Sonny Trinidad:
This piece is drawn by the late, great Dave Cockrum, and I'm happy to see it, because the Creature is my favorite Universal monster.
Marvel must have pulled the plug abruptly, since there is no mention that this is the last issue in either the letters page or the editorial by writer/editor Don McGregor. That has to be really frustrating, finding out your magazine has been canceled out from under you, without the chance to wrap it all up in whatever way the writers and editors saw fit.
Anyway, the first story stars Gabriel, Devil Hunter in "An Angel Felled" by Doug Moench and Sonny Trinidad:
Its a long story--22 pages--dealing with Garbiel exorcising a truly horrid demon, brought to excruciatingly-detailed life by Trinidad. Dark and somber.
Next is "The Empire" by Gerry Conway and Rico Rival:
Next is "The Empire" by Gerry Conway and Rico Rival:
...a truly goofy, nasty and, yes, fun, tale about evil inside the publishing industry, with an end that is so crazy its inspired, in a "Good Lord! Choke!" EC-kind of way.
Last is the regular team of Don McGregor and Billy Graham bringing us "This Is Valiant One, Signing Out!":
Last is the regular team of Don McGregor and Billy Graham bringing us "This Is Valiant One, Signing Out!":
...a tale of scientific experimentation told in a unique style--along with the sequential art by Graham, we have the addition of text, so the piece reads like an old pulp story from Astounding Science Fiction or Weird Tales.
There's some spiffy ads (more than usual) for other Marvel b/w mags, and then...Monsters Unleashed! was no more.
There's some spiffy ads (more than usual) for other Marvel b/w mags, and then...Monsters Unleashed! was no more.
1 comment:
I lova that Creature From the Black Lagoon drawing, and check out Dave Cockrum's attention detal. The bathing suit has the exact same leg cut and double shoulder straps of the Julie Adams original in the film!
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