Warren/Marvel Comics and MIDNIGHT MARQUEE Back Issues

Now that the summer is over we're back in auction mode in our attempt to clean house. Be sure to check out our current slate of auctions featuring:

• Warren Publishing's late-70s sci-fi/UFO/alien comics
• Marvel Previews MAN-GODS FROM BEYOND THE STARS
• Warren Publishing's adult fantasy comic '1984'
• Ten back issues of MIDNIGHT MARQUEE from fall 1983 through spring 1997

All auctions start at 99 cents and we gladly combine shipping for multiple items won.

ER Thanksgiving Comic & Movie Mag Auction

It's hard to believe that we're still finding things to auction off... I must have gone to more garage sales and flea markets than I remember!

Our Thanksgiving Comic & Movie Magazine Auction is underway at eBay and we have a bunch of great titles available, all starting at 99 cents with low Buy It Now prices. Auctions include Video Watchdog, Warren's action film mag Screen Thrills Illustrated, Famous Monsters of Filmland, several Marvel Preview titles, a trio of Creepy issues including one with a Frank Frazetta werewolf cover and more.

Highlights include a fine copy of Rampaging Hulk #2 in which the Hulk takes on The X-Men in the streets of Paris as well as the premiere issue of Spacemen, the science-fiction movie mag from James Warren and Forrest Ackerman, publisher/editor of Famous Monsters of Filmland.

Another great item up for sale is a copy of the 1971 hardback comic collection Batman with Robin the Boy Wonder from the 30s to the 70s. This 1971 hardcover from Bonanza Books collects more than twenty-five stories and fifty original cover reproductions (including thirty-seven full-color covers) tracing the development of The Dark Knight from his days as a solo act to the introduction of Robin and Bat-Girl all the way up to the more mysterious and dark adventures of the 1970s. Includes adventures with The Joker, Riddler, Superman, Batwoman, Two-Face and many more plus a bibliography, guide to Batman in other media, and an introduction by E Nelson Bridwell, editor and writer of the Batman newspaper strip. This a hard-to-find and awesome collection that belongs on the shelf of any Batman fanatic.

31 DAYS OF FRIGHT: Famous Monsters and Their Friends

Halloween is almost here and every cool ghoul's head is dancing with visions of shape-shifting vampires and chainsaw-wielding killers. Cable channels are crammed with monster mashes and slasher flicks, sending fright fans to their favorite web sites looking for insight and advice on what to watch or skip.

Today's terror lovers can thank Philadelphia-area publisher Jim Warren for his role in bringing the world of monsters, ghosts and ghouls into the mainstream and influencing some of the biggest names in the genre in the process.

Impressed by the empire being built by Playboy publisher Hugh Hefner, Warren borrowed $9000.00 to start After Hours, a low-budget knock-off of the more polished men's magazine. After Hours, which featured cheesecake photos of such future stars as Tina Louise (Ginger on television's Gilligan's Island) and pin-up queen Bettie Page, only lasted four issues, though near mint copies of the full run would bring close to $1000.00 today.

The fourth and final issue brought Warren into contact with Los Angeles-based writer and horror fan Forrest J. "Forry" Ackerman who penned a few pieces for the publication's swan song. Sensing a market for a monster magazine that didn't take itself seriously, Warren borrowed another $9000.00 and with Ackerman as editor launched Famous Monsters of Filmland and a publishing empire.

Published in the winter of 1958, the first Famous Monsters found its way into the hands of every monster-obsessed adolescent around the country, including such fans as Steven Spielberg (JAWS), Joe Dante (GREMLINS, MATINEE) and author Stephen King. Prices for this prized issue in any condition typically range from $100.00 into the thousands, while a near mint copy sold in recent years for $5655.00, a new record (at the time) for the title.

Warren published Famous Monsters from 1958 until the early 1980s and copies of the magazine's first 30 issues are the most sought after, with prices ranging anywhere from a few dollars into the hundreds of dollars depending upon condition.

Keep your eyes peeled for the ultra-rare fourth issue featuring a sticker promoting the 'Ghoul's Eye' ride at Willow Grove Amusement Park. Copies of this issue in near mint condition can bring $750.00 alone.

Thanks to over-zealous parents and teachers, many early copies of Famous Monsters found their way into the trash, opening up an opportunity for Warren to reprint articles in annual yearbooks ($50.00 to $250.00) and paperback collections ($40.00 to $125.00), all of which remain popular with collectors to this day.

If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, Warren and Ackerman should feel sufficiently buttered up. The success of Famous Monsters didn't go unnoticed, and by the early 1960s newsstands were flooded with competing titles such as Castle of Frankenstein ($75.00 for debut issue in near mint condition), Chilling Monster Tales ($45.00), Fantastic Monsters of the Films ($100.00), and Horror Monsters ($100.00), not to mention hundreds of fan publications being churned out in basements and garages around the country.

Warren even attempted to imitate its own success, launching magazines like the short-lived sci-fi themed Spacemen ($10.00 to $50.00 per issue) and Monster World ($1.00 to $10.00 per issue). Other Warren efforts, like the comic oriented Creepy, Eerie and Vampirella are also popular with collectors with on-line auction prices starting at a few dollars for common issues and topping out in the hundreds.

On Halloween night, when the lights are turned down and you're munching popcorn as Dracula stalks another victim, thank Jim Warren and Forry Ackerman for seeing money in monsters.

Horror Zines and Mag Auctions

After taking the summer months off to hang with Chris and Ryan, it's time to get back to the serious business of selling. This week I started working my way through the boxes and boxes and boxes of old horror zines and mags that I have. The first batch were posted last night, including several early issues of the info and interview packed SCARLET STREET and the 80s gore zine SPLATTER TIMES.

Huge Monster Mag Auction Starts Thursday!

Interested in vintage horror and monster magazines from the 50s through the 90s? Then be sure to bookmark my eBay Seller Page for the first part of our Huge Vintage Monster Mag Auction. Starting Thursday, March 15th we'll be listing individual issues and lots featuring everything from the granddaddy of them all – Famous Monsters of Filmland – to such titles as Chilling Monster Tales, Fantastic Monsters of the Films, Mad Monsters, Modern Monsters, Movie Monsters, Shriek and much more.

We're uncovering new stuff every day and we'll be posting hundreds of individual issues and lots over the next few months including great horror and gore fanzines from the 70s, 80s and 90s.

You'll bid with confidence when it comes to auctions from Dan's Funky Finds. With more than six years of eBay selling under my belt I have a 99.9% feedback rating based on nearly 2300 buyer comments! Check out what these recent buyers said about their transaction...

• Item arrived in pristine condition! AAAA+
• Received in great condition. This really brings back memories - thanks!
• Great item. Super-fast delivery! A perfect transaction! Thanks! A+++
• great service would deal with anytime