Dracula Returns Again... In Book Form!

Note: this entry was originally posted on an earlier blog of mine, "Sweet Skulls." Thought my readers of this blog would enjoy it now!

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"Hey, I'm over here, behind this big ol' skull!"

My grandma's house was a few miles from a small bookstore called Bill's on Ingleside Ave in Macon, GA. As a young teen, when visiting her house on the weekend, I would sometimes walk the distance to look for the latest issue of The Monster Times or other cool magazines. After all, they had a better selection than the closer-to-home drugstore where I usually went. One summer, in 1973, I came upon the first in the Dracula Horror Series titled "Dracula Returns," and had read it nearly halfway through on the walk back to her house. It's a wonder I made it without getting run over, but I was pretty good at walking and reading. I still recall exactly where I was in the book at particular points as I walked home, passing under the oaks draped with spanish moss, blowing in the faint breeze.

Most horrifying of all, the flower in his buttonhole seemed fresh! Aaaiiiieeee! I never knew the Count liked wearing a daisy on his suit.

The series was begun as we learn how the telekenetic wheelchair-bound Professor X... uh, I mean, Professor Harmon, is drawn by Dracula's consort/slave (and sometimes black cat) Isis... I mean, Katara, into bringing the Count back to life. The Professor thinks he can control the Prince of Darkness by implanting a sliver of wood next to his heart, and triggering the mechanism with his mind to temporarily kill him should the need arise. He intends to use the vampire as a weapon in the war against crime. Needless to say, you can't keep such a creature on a short leash without getting bitten. I might point out that close to the same time, Marvel was publishing the first issue of "Tomb Of Dracula," which I bought and still have. The wheelchair-bound protagonist Quincy Harker (depicted to the right) resembled the character of Professor Harmon, at least superficially, but with the publishing dates so close it might have only been a coincidence. However, Harmon wanted to use Dracula, and Harker only wanted to kill him.

"Put your head on my shoulder..." The awkward positioning of Katara makes it look as if her head has been grafted onto Drac's right shoulderblade.

Assisted by Cameron Sanchez, a strong and devoted friend, Harmon unleashes this supernatural force on those seemingly above the laws of man. The shape-shifter Katara helps out, but always with her Master's best interest in mind. Although Harmon considers himself morally above the criminal element he is seeking to expunge, Dracula knows that he in his own way is as blood-thirsty as the vampire he is using, and points that out, to the Professor's unease. Is he any better than the criminals and Dracula, by using such harsh and brutal methods? He is certainly no hero, but the thought doesn't hinder him from continuing to risk using his unwilling ally. And the blood flows copiously as Dracula, unleashed upon various criminal elements, metes out gory justice with slashing fingernails and fangs. They'd have been better off in jail.

The part of Professor Harmon will be played this episode by Boris Karloff.

As a youth I enjoyed the book, detailing Drac's return to "life" in modern times, and the various missions he sends the Count on fulfill his thirst for blood and the Professor's for justice. But Vlad's own agenda and desire for freedom mean that he is always looking for ways to escape the restrictions and feast on the Professor's own blood. Travelling from country to country during their adventures, the unlikely quartet meet with what seems to be a supernatural threat, but only turns out to be someone faking it. Though not always the case, this happens to such an extent that you begin to think that at the end, the bad guys are going to say "and I would have gotten away with it too, if it hadn't been for that meddling wheelchair guy and his vampire!" Then Dracula slaughters them.

"One... two... three! Three million beautiful gold coins! Ah-ah-ah-ah-aaaaah!"

The series was successful enough to generate eight followups, which came out in extremely rapid succession, three of which I was able to find. After that I lost track of them. From what I've seen, after about #5 the artwork started to slide and Drac became more of a cartoon figure. But if I were to run across any at a used bookstore, I would pick them up and read them just for old time's sake. If the series were honest, it would end with Dracula finally turning on Harmon, proving the truth of the saying "he who lives by the sword dies by the sword." The revenge on evil, using evil to inflict it, that the Professor engineered would certainly turn on him at last. I doubt that ever happens, though. A continuing series such as this rarely ever concludes and wraps things up, as there might always be another book if the last sold well. The author is not willing to burn his coffins behind him.

Ad from Famous Monsters about the book series...

Kids! Ask your parents for the money to order!

Side note: In the same "vein," we have a novel that was published in 1973 that purports to be "non-fiction," in which a series of letters, journal entries and newspaper clippings tell the story of Dracula's resurrection and subsequent neck-bitings. Although a fun read at the time, the cover art depicts a very anemic-looking, not to mention fey, Count which reinforces the common Lugosi stereotype.

"I vant to suck... your blood! Vhat did you think I vas going to say, you naughty, naughty boy?"

Just to be a completist, below you will find the remaining covers to the rest of the books in the series. These I scavenged from around the web, but the ones above this I scanned in from my own copies.

The complete list:

#1: Dracula Returns (Pinnacle 1973)

#2: The Hand of Dracula (Pinnacle 1973)

#3: Dracula's Brothers (Pinnacle 1973)

#4: Dracula's Gold (Pinnacle 1973)

#5: Drums of Dracula (Pinnacle, 1974)

#6: The Witching of Dracula (Pinnacle, 1974)

#7: Dracula's Lost World (Pinnacle, 1974)

#8: Dracula's Disciple (Pinnacle, 1975)

#9: Challenge to Dracula (Pinnacle, 1975)

Update: Hey, you want to really know more about the Dracula Series, from someone much more erudite than I am? Read the excellent and comprehensive post on it over at the Groovy Age of Horror blogspot! Makes me want to take mine down out of shame.

4-18-2011 Update: Dracula author Robert Lory is alive, and interviewed on Sidney Williams' blog... check it out!!!

The Wonderful Flight To The Mushroom Planet

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Written by Eleanor Cameron in 1954, this charming children's book is one that holds good memories for me. The cover art above is scanned from my copy, still intact but a little dog-eared after all threse years. Although not technically monster memories, I suppose the green, bulbous-headed aliens could be called monsters for convenience' sake in order to fit here. At any rate, when I was about nine years old, in 1969, I bought this through the Scholastic book program at school, and re-read it many times. The story of two boy's journey through outer space in a homemade space ship to another planet really captured my young imagination. The idea of a trip to meet aliens in an self-made (but alien technology-enhanced) ship was echoed in the film "Explorers," which I enjoyed many years later.

I remember reading some of this book while tucked in one of my own cardboard box spaceships, whixh made it even more fun. Of course, my parents worried how I could spend hours on end in a cardboard box, but little did they know my mind was soaring off on amazing adventures. With my canteen full of Goofy Grape soft drink, a peanut butter sandwich, and a good book, I would be ensconced for hours in my make-believe space capsule.

Did you ever do stuff like that when you were a kid? Discuss.

Update: G. W. Ferguson's blog has a delightful recollection of spending some memorable childhood hours in such cardboard boxes; enjoy it here!

The Shape Lives

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It's interesting how the poster for "Halloween" from Japan seems to interpret Michael Meyers as actually looking like the mask he wears. Perhaps the artist felt it would be more appealing to Japanese movie-goers if his face actually looked like that, and not merely a mask. Or, maybe the artist was working from stills and didn't realise it was supposed to be a simple Halloween mask.

In any event, it makes me think of Homer Simpson for some reason. I can hear him now every time he gets jabbed or shot in the movie: "D'oh! Why, you little..."

Below are some photos of one of the books in my Halloween collection that I made when my daughter was smaller. Now the books will be shared with my three-year-old grandson over the coming years. This one, "Spooky Castle," designed by Nick Denchfield and Steve Cox, is a three-dimensional pop-up book with loads of windows and doors to peer into. The book is designed to be folded back until the front and back covers touch, then tied together. The house is then a full structure that can be viewed from all angles.

Kinda makes you wish you could shrink down to fit inside and go exploring around the house, doesn't it?

Thrills and Chills Issue #4

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Well, the month-long celebration of Halloween, the Monster Kid national holiday, is underway. It's a lot of fun this year as various blogs take part in the Halloween Countdown, and I'm happy to be a part of it. Today we look back at Issue #4 of the Scholastic kid's magazine "Thrills and Chills," published in 1994. (We looked at Issue #2 in a recent posting.) The awesome cover is a great rendition of an inspired idea. We horror fans would certainly flock to see such a sightseeing thrill!

Each issue had movie recommendations for the month of October, and the spotlight some classics each time. I saw "The Deadly Mantis" when about 11 years old in 1969 on the Saturday afternoon "Creature Feature" which I watched each week faithfully. I saw a lot of the classics there for the first time.

On the back of each issue was a creepily illustrated epitaph from a real headstone... although I'm sure only the epitaph was accurate and that the tombstone didn't resemble the one drawn.

As a bonus today, we look at a fun book that took the "Where's Waldo?" concept and applied it to Halloween. I bought this in 1992, and the densely-packed book entertained me and my then-young daughter for hours on end, as we picked out items in the scenes for the other to find. Try it yourself with the sample page! You could get lost in that cemetery...

And just in case this seems a trifle juvenile to you, for the grown-up kids out there, here is an ad from around 1985 for Elvira's new videos... it makes the "look and find" game more fun and even easier!

"Cramped Quarters" Halloween book

Today's Monster Memories are of:
The "Cramped Quarters" children's book
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Although "The Crowded Coffin" would have made a better title, it might not have sold as many copies to the overprotective parents.

I bought this for my daughter in 1995 for Halloween of that year. She was 11 at the time, and enjoyed the Halloween-related things we did all during October. This coffin-shaped book was fun because of the monster artwork, and the lights and sounds that accompanied it. Two LED's went through the eyeholes in each monster's face, and blinked when you turned the page, while a banshee-like scream sounded. I thought you might enjoy seeing it, so I took photos of each page on a seasonally-appropriate background to spice things up a bit.

The Monster's new Nikes made him a little more approachable for the children. Throwing them in lakes was much easier now!

The Count breathed in the fresh air as he shoved the Monster out. It was a little known fact the Frankenstein's farts were real killers!

The Teenage Werewolf's case of claustrophobia made it get a little hairy when he found himself in such tight places.

The Mummy, never wrapped too tightly in the first place, was freaking out over the rats burrowing in his bandages.

The Swamp Thing, ticked over being confused with that idiot Man-Thing once again, was itching to get out and call DC about copyright infringement.

Glad to be rid of the smelly compost heap, the skeletal pirate swore he'd never be first into the coffin again.

The major Universal monsters are present, in the usual order as they are mentioned; Frankenstein, Dracula, Wolfman, Mummy... but where you would logically expect to find the Creature from the Black Lagoon next, they substitute Swamp Thing. Strange! But at least they saved the best for last; the always dependable Pirate Skeleton. I look forward to reading it with my three-year-old grandson this Halloween season!

Here's a photo of this year's indoor Halloween village I set up. It's one part of the living room decorations, but not all of it. More pictures to come!