Wednesday, July 11, 2012

A look back at Fangoria Issue #1

Currently, Fangoria Issue #315 is on the newsstand shelves.  Let's stop and think about that for a moment.  THREE HUNDRED AND FIFTEEN!  HOLY HELL!  That's right....Fango has been on the the newsstand since 1979.  Next month, the petrifying periodical will celebrate it's 33rd birthday (incidentally, I turn 33 THIS month....and I feel OLD).  That's quite an accomplishment if you ask me, especially in a field as widely changing as the horror genre.

The longest running horror magazine's sported a fantastic Godzilla cover (and an awesome poster on the inside!) and took a look back at 25 years with Big G.  There were also terrific articles featuring Tom Savini's work on Dawn of the Dead, an in depth interview with Christopher Lee and an article featuring the "lost" aliens from Battlestar Galactica.

Sounds pretty amazing, doesn't it?  Bet you'd like to get your claws on a copy, wouldn't ya?  Well, be ready to cough up some serious bones kiddies, because sadly a warehouse containing all the Fangoria back issues burned down in 2007.  All the remaining copies are available only through private collectors and on the secondary market.  Depending on the quality, copies of this rare issue will run you anywhere from $50 - $400.

The editorial reigns have been handed over several times in the magazines lifetime.  Robert "Bob" Martin started it all in '79, bringing co-editor David Everitt on in the early 80's.   Martin left in 1986 and Everitt followed suit shortly after.  In the interim, editorial duties were given to Starlog editor David McDonell, who then handed the reigns over to Tony Timpone in 1987.  Timpone's  been the longest running editor so far, passing the torch on to former Rue Morgue scribe Chris Alexander, who is the current mad man running the asylum.

As I've written elsewhere, I've been with Fango since #113.  For almost two hundred issues, I have faithfully read every month about the upcoming movies that I couldn't wait to see and the classic gems that I hold dear to my heart.  Fango #113 came out in June of 1992 and featured Alien 3 on it's cover.  There was also an article that covered horror video games (another of my great passions in life!).

Here's to another 33 years, I truly hope that when I'm 66 I will still be excitedly waiting for the next edition to arrive in my hands.  Below, I hope you enjoy the very first Editorial, a list of magazine contents and issue #1's Postal Zone.








































































































































Remember the ultra awesome Godzilla poster that I told you about?  Here ya go!














































GO GO GODZILLA!!!!!!!!!!!!

1 comment:

  1. I'm selling a Fangoria #1. Signed by Norman Jacobs and Tony Timpone. Contact me for more info. brywilson82@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete