Published and Designed by Larry Brill and Les Waldstein
Editors: Chuck R. McNaughton, Allen Asherman, Joe Brancatelli,
Tom Rogers and Joe Kane
1972 - 1976
The world's first monster newspaper was one of the best new monster mags of the '70s and developed a good following in it's four year run. Brill and Waldstein had previously designed Famous Monsters and other mags. Joe ("Phantom of the Movies") Kane edited the mag from no. 11 till the end of it's run. Other contributors included writers like Allan Asherman, Mark Evanier, Mark Frank, Ron Haydock, Gary Svehla, Lon Talbot, Steve Vertlieb, Jim Winoroski, Gary Gerani, Toni Isabella and Marv Wolfman and artists like Neal Adams, Frank Brunner, John Byrne, Jeff Jones, Mike Kaluta, Gray Morrow, Bill Nelson, Tom Sutton, Larry Todd and Bernie Wrightson. Each issue contained a feature article on a current or classic horror or sci-fi film, plus book reviews, news of upcoming comics and sci-fi conventions, color center-fold poster, a two page comic story and ads for fanzines. At first publishing bi-monthly (once every 2 weeks), TMT became a monthly after issue #14 and the page count was reduced in latter issues.
TMT also published three special issues.
Star Trek Lives #1 (Special Collector Issue).
Star Trek Lives #2. (Super Special Monster Times Collector's Issue No. 2) The blue background version was the newsstand issue. The grey background version (not pictured) was distributed at the 1974 Star Trek Convention.
The Worlds Greatest Monsters (First Giant Collector's Edition) was an all giant monster poster special and is the rarest of all issues of TMT.
Though still fondly remembered by it's readers, TMT has never caught on with collectors and issues can often be picked up for less than the cost of most new mags.
Thanks to Terry Ingram from the Universal Monster Army for several scans!
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No. 47
No. 48
The Monster Times Specials
Special Issue no. 1
Special Issue no. 2
No. 31
No. 41
No. 48The Monster Times Specials
Special Issue no. 1
Star Trek Lives (1972)
Special Issue no. 2
Star Trek Lives (1974)
Special Issue
no. 3
Special Issue
no. 3
The Worlds Greatest Monsters (1974)
See this rare issue in it's entirety
Great magazine.
ReplyDeleteTotally original in style and content.
Thanks for giving it its due.
And thank you for reposting!
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, it was a great mag! Always looked forward to it, whether it was every two weeks, or every two months. It had that fun fanzine feel!
one thing i loved about TMT's was their unabashed love and respect for Godzilla, something that was hard to find in monster mags of the time(i'm looking at YOU, FM!).
ReplyDelete"The Big G" certainly was featured on more TMT covers than any other monster mag featured on this site! Comics, Godzilla and Star Trek took up a big chunk of TMTs content.
ReplyDeleteI really loved this mag. I fondly remember taking a copy to school in 8th grade and my study hall teacher spending the period reading aloud to us about Vlad the Impaler.
ReplyDeleteNice site, Mike. Always fun to stroll down memory lane.
Thanks, inkyabyss!
ReplyDeleteI hope your teacher didn't keep your mag till the end of the semester! ;)
Love this magazine, it really got me through some tough times as a kid at home, and I have good memories of it. I have about 35 issues of it, and wish I had the rest!
ReplyDeleteMy Grandma lived in an apartment behind an early strip mall, and there was this cramped newsstand which was the only place I ever could buy the Monster Times! I *loved* this paper. I still have several of the issues I bought back then, but many of them fell apart since I tore out the posters to hang up.
ReplyDeleteI have the Special #3 Monster Poster edition... do you still need a cover scan? Email me through my blog if so.
ReplyDeleteCool! Thanks, I will!
ReplyDeleteUsed to love reading the Monster Times!! I could only find it at a newsstand in a strip mall in front of my Grandma's apartment. Seeing Grandma and getting some monster goodness, whether it be TMT, FM or CoF!! Happy, happy times! That little newsstand was the only way I could buy these back then.
ReplyDeleteHmmm? Last time you said Grandma's apt. was BEHIND the strip mall and now you're saying the strip mall was IN FRONT of Grandma's apt.! Oh wait, that's the same thing. Nevermind! ;)
ReplyDeleteThe first issue of this I bought was #24, at age 13- after that I was hooked. I did some odd jobs, and asked my parents to loan me the rest, and sent them the then-princely sum of $30 for all the available back issues I had missed. It took about 3 months and a letter, but I eventually got my back issues, in a beat-up package...but I was delighted to get them just the same! I still have them to this day. Never got that rare 3rd special issue, though.
ReplyDeleteI got hooked on this magazine's later issues as a teen--I got my mom to send a check for a subscription. It was never cashed and the magazine died soon after. I loved this magazine!! I still have all copies.
ReplyDeleteWow.Talk about memories. I remember riding my bike a mile or more down to the news stand to pick this magazine up. I know none of mine survived because I was always cutting the Star Trek articled and stories out and pasting them in my scrapbook. (I wonder what evr happened to that thing? hmm)
ReplyDeleteTHanks for the site. I wish that the articles had survived. I would love to read them again.
The memories.
ReplyDeletejust completed my collection at the age of 51 , used to drive the guy at the newsstand nuts asking when the next issue was coming out ,when I was a kid. I used to dream of having the whole collection, Now , I recently acquired all the castle of frankenstreins and I'm working toward the complete famous monsters, have the first 20 issues so the hardest costliest part is done. But the monster times was closest to my heart, Id walk a light year for the monster times.
ReplyDeleteCongrats, Babs!
DeleteI think if I was forced to pick my 3 favorite vintage monster mags, it would be FM, CoF and TMT.
Along with CASTLE OF FRANKENSTEIN, among my most treasured possessions.
ReplyDeletePS: TMT was published SEMI-(not bi-)monthly, which lent it hallowed status to us monsterkinder who'd grown used to naught but bimonthlies and quarterlies in our Literature of Choice. Alas, somewhere around Issue #18 it went monthly, where it remained until its passing (although I never saw an issue beyond #44 myself).
Will always treasure No. 10, however - which was this adenoidal 12-year-old's first proper introduction to EC Comics (thus kicking off a whole 'nother obsession).
Cheers!
Thanks for your post, Joe!
DeleteStrangely enough, bi-monthly means both twice a month and every two months! Lets just say it was "On Sale Every 2 Weeks". (Looks like #14 was the last issue to say that.)
Thank you for this. A great reference page for this fun magazine.
ReplyDeleteFMoF Mad Monsters Fantastic Monsters.Castle of Frankie, Monster Times i bought most of these mags . still have them . Funtimes
ReplyDelete