05/31/12

Wah Chang Remembered

May 31, 2012 by Atomic Mystery Monster

As it’s Asian Heritage Month, I thought it would be the perfect time to look at the life and career of an Asian American (Chinese American, to be specific) special effects artist who I feel hasn’t gotten the wide recognition he truly deserves: Wah Chang.

Wah Ming Chang was born in the summer of 1917. Although born in Hawaii, it was not until his family moved to San Francisco two years later that his passion for sculpting developed. This was due to his parents’ business, the HoHo Tea Room, becoming a popular hangout for artists.

Although his IMDB profile and Wikipedia entry both list a plethora of films that he is claimed to have worked on, much of them are marked as him having done uncredited work. Sadly, given the relative lack of confirmed information about Wah Chang online (even on Google Books), it is hard to tell fact from fiction. Adding to the confusion is Chang’s own humble nature. When his firm won an Award for its special effects work, Chang was not named on said award due to an issue with the credits submission process. He did not raise a fuss over the matter, apparently content with the fact that everyone else was named. According to his friend Bob Burns, Wah Chang was always humble and never one to boast. As a result, it’s highly possible that he really did work on all of the above-mentioned projects without credit and never went out of his way to change that.

Continue reading →

05/31/12

Farewell, Zombie Awareness Month

May 31, 2012 by Weird Jon

Although I think our selection of zombie-related posts was wider than last year’s offers, I must admit that our grand total of zombie-related content was not quite as large as I had hoped. Granted, many of us were very busy this month, but I still felt kind of bad about it. So I thought make like Atomic Mystery Monster and close things out with two zombie-themed videos. Our first selection should be familiar to anyone who stuck around after the end credits of the VHS release of Return of the Living Dead Part II, thanks to a Youtube user by the name of deviancy:

Ah, memories. I recall a similar ad at the end of Surf Nazi Must Die. Sadly, Movie Tees seems to no longer be in business, so you’ll have to hit ebay if you want one of those sweet shirts.

You might remember Zombie! from their appearances on our podcast and our most recent Valentine’s Day post. In this video from KillerKungPhoo, the song “Meet Me in the Graveyard” is coupled with a lengthy photo montage of female fans in zombie makeup to form what I think is the perfect way to close out Zombie Awareness Month 2012:

05/30/12

Ghostly Tales

May 30, 2012 by Weird Jon

While my past reviews of audio books from AudioGo have consisted of reissues of 80′s releases from Tangled Web Audio, Ghostly Tales marks the first time I’ll be reviewing a more recent audio book commissioned by AudioGo. It also marks the first time I’ve reviewed an audio book with multiple narrators, as the four scary stories that make it up are read by Michael Maloney, Eleanor Bron and Andrew Sachs. Despite the presence of two famed comedic performers, their readings are anything but funny.

In “The Phantom Coach” by Amelia B. Edwards, a man lost in a snowstorm makes a desperate choice in order to return to his recently-betrothed wife that has very unexpected consequences. In “The Tapestried Chamber” (as told, but not originally written, by Sir Walter Scott) the reunion of two friends at the end of the Revolutionary War becomes less joyous when one spends a night in the titular room and discovers why it was previously left sealed. From the mind of legendary horror author Bram Stoker comes “The Judge’s House,” where a student seeking an isolated place to study finds his chosen residence infested with rats. Can he uncover the strange secret of the rope the nasty-looking head rat always travels on before it’s too late? Finally, “The Man of Science” by Jerome K. Jerome details how the chase between a wronged man and the man who wronged him doesn’t end, even when one of the participants dies…

Michael Maloney narrates both “The Phantom Coach” and “The Tapestried Chamber” and his commanding voice is a perfect fit. He has a nice range for performing other characters in the stories, but in true audio book style, they’re all clearly done by the same person. My only compliant is that all of the great atmosphere set up about the isolated cabin described in “The Phantom Coach” is never followed up on by the author.

Elenor Bron handles the narrating duties for “The Judge House,” presumably to avoid the silliness of having a male narrator trying to deliver all of the numerous lines from a female character. Using her both elegant and experienced voice, Bron opts not to adopt any obvious character voices and instead lets the story speak for itself. This is a wise move, as Stoker’s effective writing (and rather unique approach to the presence haunting the titular house) easily drawn the listener into the story, to the point where they can practically hear the scrabbling of the rats in the walls. Finally, Andrew Sachs’ performance in “The Man of Science” offers the best vocal range of the three narrators (although Michael Maloney is my favorite of the narrators in terms of performance). His accents are all well-done and I found the encounter at a church between the two people involved in the chase to be excellent in terms of both writing and telling. Although the music used at the intro and outro of each tale potentially limits this collection’s use for a “storyteller” prop, it’s extremely well done and I would gladly pay for an album full of similar tracks.

As was the case with their releases of various radio drama series, AudioGo has released a double CD set for this collection of four stories (which runs for a total of 2 hours and 19 minutes). Said stories are all unabridged, even when a passing reference to a character in “The Tapestried Chamber” having acted as a (and I quote) “fag” for the main character in their school days. Obviously, its meaning then is completely different from what it means today. It’s actually a reference to having worked as a servant for an upperclassman (although some speculate there might be a link between the two meanings). Sadly, this collection lacks any sort of liner notes and only offers some brief narrator biographies instead. However, interested parties can find some great footnotes for “The Tapestried Chamber” here. Other than that minor quibble, it’s great for anyone looking for a spooky way to pass an evening.

Special thanks to AudioGo LTD for the review copy!

05/29/12

The Aquabats, “Fashion Zombies”

May 29, 2012 by Weird Jon

Given all the music-based articles I’ve done for the site, it may surprise you to learn that I wasn’t always this way. For much of my early life, I was more of a passive listener of music. If it was on the radio or something my parents were listening to, then by golly, that’s what I was listening to as well. During my later school years, there was intense pressure on me to do well in school and any potential distractions (like music) were largely frowned on during the school year.

When I first really started getting into music, I focused mostly on humor-based material. Naturally I started out with Weird Al and later graduated to (thanks to a push from Strange Jason) Frank Zappa. Over the years, I’d occasionally hear references to a band called “The Aquabats” who specialized in humorous rock, all while wearing homemade superhero costumes. Although they sounded exactly like something I’d be into, but I always seemed to keep putting off investigating further. When I was in college, money was extremely tight and the workload made it all too easy to forget about discovering new bands.

Flash forward to about 2008 or 2009. Not long after Jason hooked me up with a link to the original pilot for The Aquabats! Super Show!, I came across a free listing for the Aquabats on an OnDemand music channel. Naturally, I selected it and came across the greatness of the song “Fashion Zombies.” I was immediately hooked. You can check it out right now thanks to NitroPunkRock (the official Youtube channel of the band’s then-record label):

The catchy music was great, as was the humorous fight sequences and goofy painted on mustache and faux missing tooth on MC Bat Commander. Said Commander is played by Christian Jacobs, the creator of Yo Gabba Gabba! (a development that ultimately changed the Aquabats’ musical focus). The album that “Fashion Zombies” appeared on, Charge!!, turned out to be the last album by the band to have been targeted solely towards an older audience. As you may recall from Strange Jason’s look at their following album, they’re now trying to make their work more accessible to a younger audience. From what I understand, the band had been trying to launch a children’s show for quite some time, although I’ve heard rumors the original version of the pilot for The Aquabats! Super Show! (which eventually aired in altered form on the family-oriented channel the Hub) was aiming for a release on Adult Swim. That, coupled with how the band has been through several musical changes since their 1996 debut, makes their focus on children less shocking to me. In fact, it wouldn’t surprise me if they change things up once again when their show eventually ceases production.

05/23/12

Feed Me!

May 23, 2012 by Weird Jon

As you might recall from my Venus Coin Trap article, I made a passing reference to having received the Little Shop of Horrors-inspired Milton Bradley game “Feed Me!” as a gift many years ago. Whereas the Venus Coin Trap appears to be based on the depiction of Audrey II from the film’s poster, “Feed Me!” seems to be based on Audrey II’s (for lack of a better term) “speaking posture” that is used for most of the film.

As this was intended as a children’s game, certain “scary” aspects had to be removed from the design. Well, that and I imagine that avoiding legal action from the Little Shop of Horrors people was also a factor. In any case, the game’s plant lacked teeth of any kind and the inside of the mouth contains a yellow flower rather than a tongue. I’ve long since lost everything but the plant, but I also recall having to drop red marbles into the plant’s mouth (which some have claimed were supposed to represent blood). If you want to learn how the game itself was actually played, you can actually download the game’s instructions online!

As m is very old, it’s taken a lot of damage over the years. Two of the three leaves have broken off and a lot of the minor vines and such have gone missing. If you look closely, you can see where the head broke off and had to be glued back in place! If you want to see what it originally looked like (or what the packaging looked like), I highly recommend visiting its profile on BoardGameGeek. Although I’d never throw my beat-up version away, looking at that site makes me want to head over to ebay and pick up one that’s in better condition. Then again, I’ve never gotten any complaints about the quality whenever I’ve used it as a decoration at Halloween parties and homemade haunted houses (usually with a fake bone nearby or stuffed glove sticking out of its mouth), so maybe getting a new one isn’t necessary. That said, I really should get some strands of fake leaves from the dollar store to fill out things more and cover up the sign on the plant’s pot (or at least cover up the notice about it being a game. If I had the necessary skills, I might even be able to make a mold of the remaining leaf and use it to case replacements for the two other missing leaves.

While doing some research for this article, I came across some exciting news: there’s an upcoming DVD/Blu-Ray release of the film featuring the original ending where Audrey II goes on a classic giant-monster style rampage! Whereas the version used on the recalled DVD was an unfinished black and white print (which was only used since the studio’s color print was destroyed in a fire), this release will use the completed color version. It’s interesting how, although this ending echos both the original film’s ending and the stage version’s downbeat endings, it does so in a way that goes far beyond either.

05/18/12

6′+ Episode 30 is up!

May 18, 2012 by Front Office

To quote the description given at the new listing:

“Cryptids! Those weird and wild creatures of myth and legend! After a brief encounter with a local critter, the inspiration for a whole episode came about, leading to this week’s episode full of music from The Atomiks, Hounds Of the Wild Hunt, Steve Cook, The Atomiks and more!

Monstermatt Patterson resembles Bigfoot when he does this week’s Monstermatt Minute and Dr. Gangrene bypasses Leonard Nimoy to talk about the greatest horror-metal-rock-movie, Trick Or Treat. You go 3FtDeep with the Paranormal Song Warrior and you won’t ever be the same.”

Remember to email 6′+ (contact at 6ftplus.com) or leave a comment below about the show, whether you liked it or not. Tell your friends, leave a review on iTunes, but above all – enjoy.

You can find all episodes of 6′+ over at the official site as well as on iTunes and Stitcher . We’re also on Facebook and Twitter.

05/16/12

Venus Coin Trap

May 16, 2012 by Weird Jon

You probably saw the above-pictured novelty bank numerous times in the late 80′s through the early 90′s. It’s often referred to as the “Little Shop of Horrors bank” or the “Audrey II bank,” but its actual name is the “Venus Coin Trap” bank. Why? Because it was designed to cash in on the 1986 Little Shop of Horrors musical film without the makers having to pay any licensing fees. Frankly, I’m surprised nobody has tried to take advantage of the original film’s (supposedly) public domain status and used that version’s design for the various Little Shop of Horrors influenced products rather than tempt fate by clearly copying the plant in the then-recent film. In fact, the plant in the original film is actually called “Audrey Jr.” rather than “Audrey II.” But I suppose that even using the original’s name would have the lawyers come a-calling.

As a young horror fan, I desperately wanted one, but could never afford it. My father once offered to buy it for me, but accidentally purchased Milton Bradley’s “Feed Me” game instead. While not what I had wanted, I was still quite taken with it. Flash forward a few decades. I had remembered the elusive bank and decided to track it down online. My search eventually led me to Amazon, where I found it under its proper “Venus Coin Trap” name. I had a giftcard handy, so I immediately ordered it.

When it arrived, I was very pleased to see it had the same packaging I had remembered from when I encountered the plant at a joke store many years ago. Prior to that, I had only seen it out of its packaging on display. Let’s have a look at said packaging:

I was so bummed to see the “Sorry No Burp” notice. I had never seen the bank in action before and had always assumed it was just as impressive as the other novelty banks of the time, like “Robbie the Robot.” I had always imagined that it would call “Feed Me” until someone gave the plant a coin, which it would nosily gulp down and chewed, with a noisy belch after its “meal” was completed.

Let’s take a closer look at the plant. The leaves cover up most of the plant (as you can see via the packaging’s clear plastic window), but are flexible and can be bent into whatever position the owner wants. I bent them a little in this article’s pictures to show off more of the plant itself, while still trying to cover up the bulk of the plant’s largely undetailed surface.

As you can see in this image, there are metal prongs in the bank’s mouth that form an incomplete circuit. When the metal coin touches them, the circuit is completed, which activates the bank’s mechanism. Sadly, my bank doesn’t work, so I can’t describe how the plant “eats” the coin (much less film it like I had originally planned). I don’t blame the Amazon seller I bought it from, as the construction is rather flimsy and I almost damaged it merely trying to remove the battery. I imagine that the packaging’s description nicely sums up what happens: The mouth opens, the coin falls in and is “chewed.” Said coin can be removed via a compartment at the bottom of the plant’s pot. I suppose I could have tried exchanging it or sent it in for repairs, but that would only cost more money for some a feature I’d maybe use every so often. Besides, I mainly plan on using it as a spooky display item on Halloween. Don’t even try to tell me it wouldn’t look cool under dim lighting and with a fake severed finger held in its mouth.

05/15/12

Monstermatt Patterson: Video Store Clerk

May 15, 2012 by Monstermatt Patterson

Ghoul Mourning, Maniacs!!!!

It is I, Monstermatt Patterson!

Gravedigger’s Local brought me here to annoy, I mean,entertain you. (Umm…that’s the problem.Me and entertain don’t really go together,so I’m told.By my agent!!) Anyways,I think you’ll dig what I’m about to share, here. Some of you, might of had the same experiences,so you’d defintely be able to connect.

In The Monstermatt Minute,on Episode 28 of the 6 Foot Plus podcast, I gave you a biographical truth, in a rancid rhyme. The line was “I too,was a video store clerk …” This is true. I worked for a time at Video Factory, a long gone regional chain of video stores, from the eighties and nineties. One of my brothers -in-law, an action/adventure, comedy film fan worked there a few years before I came into the company. I remember seeing the store for the first time, shelves jammed with every movie you could think of!

Each of us video clerks had to wear a tuxedo shirt, tie, cummerbund and black slacks. Yes, I said slacks! It gives that touch of class, yes? We had our personal favorite genres, which enabled us to make recommendations to our clientele. I’m glad to say that if you were looking for a good horror or sci-fi flick on VHS or BETA, I was the “go to” guy.

I couldn’t wait for each wave of potential garbage or gold to be delivered, every week. A lot of new releases were found in the pages of Fangoria. Using those titles led to finding others in our buyer’s catalog. I would suggest to our manager which films could do well as rentals.

Pointing people in the direction of the aroma of Troma, the numerous titles of Roger Corman, the mind blowing H.G. Lewis titles, various stomach churning video box cover art and just plain old shlockfests was worth dealing with an occasional customer that insisted on renting a BETA tape with a VHS player.

They say the customer is always right, but not when trying to force very different media formats together.

Even renting out a snooze fest, like Pretty Woman, was not a total loss if I could persuade that customer to also take Lunchmeat or Faces of Death. It didn’t always work,but the ashen look on some faces and newly deranged on others, as they returned the tapes (not rewound,of corpse) was a victory!

We would play videos on the monitors to get people interested in the new releases. These were mostly the non horror selections. We did have some films that were strictly forbidden to ever be played in the store in front of the public. But, we did play them while closing and opening the store. One hour per each was just what the doctor ordered. Luckily, I did work with a like minded person or two. This was interesting — when the two copies of Frankenhooker or Frankenstein Unbound came in, guess who fought over them?!

One of the duties of working there was calling up customers when they were severely overdue with their rentals. There were usually two groups: video games and horror films. I felt that I understood the horror renters on this one. It might not make sense to the average joe, but to some of us, it means a ton to watch Chopping Mall or Mausoleum, over and over again! I couldn’t blame them. We didn’t have streaming video to cue up a horror favorite at the snap of virtual, wireless fingers.

We had our regular customers, that waited for each week’s “new video release day!” They were harmless, but I tell you, at times they meandered out in the parking lot like zombies. They groaned out,”Give us Steel Magnolias! We want Julia Roberts!”

The regulars had clerks that they wanted to deal with. We had customers that wouldn’t set foot in the store if their favorite wasn’t there. Yes, I had my share of customers. Mostly older women that loved my undying politeness. What was I, 19 or 20—so anything over 25 was older, then.

The chain of stores was bought out by Blockbuster at some point. It was a fun gig at the time. In fact, two of the girls I worked with back then stuck with the job, through the buyouts and became some type of managerial people (regional managers, I would imagine) within Blockbuster.I wonder what the rest of the crew is up to?!
Until next time, Maniacs…
Be Kind, Rewind.

Monstermatt Patterson
Monstermatt’s Bad Monster Jokes Vol.1
Monstermatt’s Bad Monster Jokes Vol.2
The Monstermatt Minute

05/13/12

Grudgingly

May 13, 2012 by Strange Jason

It really doesn’t make sense for me to hate on him. I still do and I still won’t watch his work but damn. Damn. Joss Whedon’s Cabin In The Woods had Norman “Baron Shivers of the The Ghastly Ones” Cabrera as the lead artist is something that…. Well.

It’s one of those “Goddamnit, you’re not making it easier for me to dislike you, are you?” moments.

So hey – respect for Joss Whedon.

05/7/12

King Ghidora, “Nameless”

May 7, 2012 by Strange Jason

If you listened to the latest episode of the 6′+ podcast, (which you can subscribe to on iTunes or listen to through Stitcher) you heard the song ‘Nameless’ by a band King Ghidora. Taking their name from the Monster Zero antagonist of the Toho/Godzilla mythos, they play surf-space rock heavily influenced by Man…Or Astro-Man?, Dick Dale, and fellow space-surf-denizens, Daikaiju.

King Ghidora paid tribute to Daikaiju last October, dressing up as the band as they played The Deluxe. Watch the video below and then head over to King Ghidora’s Facebook page for all the updates.

05/5/12

It’s El Santo de Mayo!

May 5, 2012 by Front Office

Remember last year’s news about the discovery of the previous lost El Vampiro y El Sexo variant of the film of Santo en el tesoro de Dracula (translation: Santo in “The Treasure of Dracula”)? Well, we have an update! The film was shown both in theaters and the CineMexico cable channel before El Hijo del Santo got his hands on it. Despite his fears of the film tarnishing his father’s reputation, it is amusing to note that all of the nude vampire women always have their clothes magically reappear whenever El Santo encounters them.

While his decision is disappointing, we here at Gravedigger’s Local 16 want to stress that El Hijo del Santo is not a bad guy. Although we disagree with him, we do understand his feelings on the film. After all, who wants to think about one of your parents and sex at the same time? Besides, he’s lent his/his father’s image to WiLDCOAST to promote marine life conservation in a series of short films. It’s hard to tell whether or not he’s supposed to be playing his father, as the terms “Santo” and “El Hijo del Santo” are used interchangeably. As it’s Zombie Awareness Month (and since the first “real” El Santo film had him battling zombies), let’s watch Santo vs Los Zombies Comehuevos (El Santo vs. the Egg-Eating Zombies):

In addition to the eating of endangered sea turtle meat (graphic image warning), the consumption of turtle eggs is a big problem in Mexico. Why? Because many people think that it will increase male sexual potency! Now you know why the zombies are clad in boxers. Both of the websites mentioned in the video have English language versions available and you can find more videos at WiLDCOAST’s official Youtube channel. Please visit them so you can learn more about helping save the sea turtles (along with all the other wonderful sea creatures).

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

05/5/12

It’s Free Comic Book Day!

May 5, 2012 by Front Office

At long last, it’s Free Comic Book Day! But although all the free stuff is great, it’s not what makes the holiday so important. Instead, it’s spreading the word about both comic books and comic book stores. It’s been said here before and I’ll say it again: Comic book stores are an invaluable resource for not only comic books, but also horror-related magazines, DVDs, toys, trading cards, models and so much more and they really deserve our support. So please spread the work and consider buying something along with picking up your free comics.

Thanks to the photo gallery at the Free Comic Book Day Facebook page, I’ve compiled a list of all the free “Silver Books” that might be of interest to our readers:

Diary of a Zombie Kid – Antarctic Press
Arcana Presents: The Intrinsic – Arcana Studio
Dune: Origins – Boom! Studios
Lady Death: The Beginning – Boundless Comics
Buffy the Vampire Slayer/The Guild flip-book – Dark Horse Comics
My Favorite Martian Special Edition – Hermes Press
Witchblade: Unbalanced Pieces – Image Comics
Dinosaurs vs. Aliens – Liquid Comics
Atomic Robo & Friends – Red Five Comics
The Infernal Devices: Clockwork Angel – Yen Press
Jurassic Strikeforce 5 Preview – Zenescope Entertainment

As for the “Gold Books,” there’s only a single sci-fi/horror-related title:

Star Wars/Serenity flip book – Dark Horse Comics

And as a special bonus, here are some links to past Gravedigger’s Local 16 articles dealing with comic book-related subjects:

Maximum Carnage
Batman: The Stone King
Horror’s MARVELous Influence
Batman: The Lazarus Syndrome
Vincent Price Presents: Volume 1

Special thanks to the organizers of Free Comic Book Day for use of the image!

Happy Free Comic Book Day!

05/4/12

6′+ Episode 29 is up!

May 4, 2012 by Front Office

To quote the description given at the new listing:

“We make way for music from bands who have never been on 6′+. MonsterMatt digs out his Igor during the MonsterMatt Minute and Dr. Gangrene decides to hightail it to the clean living of Switzerland to talk with Marc Stroace of KROKUS for the Metal Morgue.

There’s music from KING GHIDORA, The Bloodtypes, The Tombstone Brawlers, Beware The Dangers of A Ghost Scorpion!, The BlackRats and you get to go 3ftDeep with Dead Elvis and his One Man Grave. All this and more!”

Remember to email 6′+ (contact at 6ftplus.com) or leave a comment below about the show, whether you liked it or not. Tell your friends, leave a review on iTunes, but above all – enjoy.

You can find all episodes of 6′+ over at the official site as well as on iTunes and Stitcher . We’re also on Facebook and Twitter.

05/3/12

A Handful Of Dirt: Ray O’Bannon

May 3, 2012 by Front Office

A Handful of Dirt asks a person five questions they wouldn’t normally expect or receive in any other credible interview.

In consulting the Serendipiter Bag o’InquiryTM, we pose a series of questions to come up with a bit of knowledge unknown before – a handful of dirt.

Ray is originally from Nebraska. He moved to Wyoming in the 80′s and studied art at Casper College. His devotion to horror fiction led him to begin posting material online in the 90′s. Although his website, ravensblight.com, is most notable for it’s free paper toys, Ray also enjoys composing music, writing short stories, painting, photography and making short films. He can’t be bargained with… he can’t be reasoned with… he doesn’t feel pity, or remorse, or fear, and he absolutely will not stop, ever, until he realizes he’s out of coffee and might like a sandwich.

Who is the 80′s/90′s television character you find the most relatable in the year 2012?

I watch very little television, but I do seem to remember it involving characters of some sort. As I recall, they were quite anxious to have me try a particular brand of laundry detergent.

What movie (or movie-based reality) would you like us all to live in?

It might be interesting to inhabit the world of The Blues Brothers… everything’s pretty much the same, yet wildly improbable miracles happen frequently (and everyone you meet starts singing and dancing.)

What or who do we blame for inspiring you to take your life down this chosen path?

I’d have to blame EC comics for introducing me to a fellow named Cain and his House Of Mystery back in the 70′s. Also, Dark Shadows brought Barnabas Collins into my life in the late 60′s and I’ve yet to shake off the effects of that. If you throw in the Munsters, Addams Family, Night Gallery, and Carl Kolchak… well, I obviously never had a chance.

What is the most noteworthy item you’ve found on sale at a flea market/yard sale/classified ad?

A 1937 Chevy. (I’ve had it several years now, still runs great.)

What’s the name of the speciality magazine that you start up (bonus question: who’s on the cover of your first issue?)

Perhaps ‘The Flegandermestupheshlermumph Gazzette’ with Pee Wee Herman on the cover (cuz Hey… Pee Wee!)

It would need to include paper toys to cut out and assemble, and a cardboard back with a little 45 rpm record stamped on it (like they used to do on cereal boxes). I realize not everyone still has a 45 rpm record player, but I seldom clutter my creative thinking with such trivial things as ‘facts’.

05/2/12

Free Comic Book Day Is Coming!

May 2, 2012 by Front Office

As you may or may not recall, the first Saturday in May is Free Comic Book Day. So be sure to clear some time in your schedule for May 5th, because you don’t want to miss any of the freebies!

For more information, please visit Free Comic Book Day’s official website and Facebook page. Don’t forget, we’ll post a reminder (and other goodies) on the big day…

05/1/12

It’s Zombie Awareness Month!

May 1, 2012 by Front Office

It’s that time of the year again! Some of you might wonder why bother setting aside a month for zombies or why it’s happening in May instead of October. As the Zombie Research Society have already explained why they opted for May (I suppose the presumed connection to Halloween is unavoidable given the month they picked), I thought I would touch on why ZAM is so important.

In America, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention uses the idea of surviving a zombie apocalypse as a way of making education about real-life diseases and quarantines more entertaining and accessible for people. Similarly, a group of horror enthusiasts have pooled their resources to create Zombie Squad, a “disaster preparedness and community service” that both educates the public about preparing for/surviving disasters and helping raise money for charitable organizations. As you can see, they’ve done a lot of good since the squad’s creation in 2003. Hopefully this is enough to encourage you to check them out (and send some money their way during their next fundraiser).

We here at Gravedigger’s Local 16 have some zombie-themed content planned for release over the course of the month, along with some non-zombie material to act as a palate cleanser of sorts. Until then, please enjoy this collection of vintage GdL16 zombie goodness:

The Slide
Vile Verses
Dead on the Beat
Music to Game By
6′+ Episode 3 is up!
Dead (and Loving It)
More Fear For Your Ears
Zombie Hunters & ZEROs
Night of the Thanksliving Dead
Full Moon’s Grindhouse Collection
A Handful of Dirt: Brian J. Orlowski of DRAWN OF THE DEAD

Happy Zombie Awareness Month!

"What is he that builds stronger than either the mason, the shipwright, or the carpenter?"

Monthly Archives: May 2012