Modern Gothic Romance Art

The other day we were lamenting the lack of modern Woman Running from Houses cover art. Well Rob Kelly, Aquaman enthusiast, artist and all around renaissance man has come to our rescue.

Please take the time to check our his newest piece Mistress of the Moor and make sure to leave much praise.

Gay for Lois Lane

Need yet another blog in your life? Well I do! Please stop by and check out my new tribute to Lois Lane.

Gay for Lois Lane

Here I'll be sharing some of my favorite stories featuring the First Lady of Comics.

Smut, Smut, Everywhere

I am kind of out of the new book loop these days.

I love to read. In fact, some of my best college memories involved skipping class and spending all day reading. Why can't I do that now?! Oh, that's right, too many responsibilities. Anyway, that means that when I do have an opportunity to read I feel like the book should be, well, worth while.

Not to say that I'm into self-help, I mean, how can you improve on perfection? Just something well written. It doesn't have to be Mark Twain, John Steinbeck, Alexandre Dumas or anything (Though that revenge stuff is total catnip) just something that's good. Please note: I still have spent my fair share of time reading rubbish but then I feel guilty about it.

Anyway, a friend of mine is what you might call an "author stalker-ho". If you've had a book published it is only a matter of time before she is picking through your garbage. At her invitation I joined her for an RT Booklovers Convention a couple of weeks ago. (I'm not sure, but I think the T stands for Trash.) Wow, a chance to wander through tables and tables of less then "worth while" books. I perused the wares of more than 300 authors looking for any modern WRFH covers to no avail.

Could it be that Gothic romance covers, as we know them, have changed? Could it be that Gothic romances will soon be no more?

I have not idea. And, quite frankly, I'm don't feel like guessing.

But, from what I did see, I suspect that at the moment the implied supernatural of the Gothic romance "niche" has been replaced by actual monsters. And I'm not talking about Vampires and Werewolves. That is SO old school. No, I'm talking about lots of Zombie romance books. Or, if not romance, at least smut-trash. COULD ANYTHING BE GREATER? Nothing that I could thing of.

So here are a few of the books I purchased:

After a very entertaining conversation with Mark Henry I purchased his Happy Hour of the Damned, Road Trip of the Living Dead and Battle of the Network Zombies. He promised his books were "now with extra zombie smut" so who could say no?

I also purchased My Zombie Valentine a collection of short stories by Katie MacAlister, Angie Fox, Marianne Mancusi and Lisa Cach.

And last, but certainly not least, after a rather, for lack of a better word, filthy conversation with Mario Acevedo I picked up his The Nymphos of Rocky Flats, X-Rated Bloodsuckers, Jailbait Zombie, The Undead Kama Sutra and Werewolf Smackdown: A Novel.

Will I read these? Absolutely! When? That I can't say.

Spectergirl's Crypt of Post-Code Horror

Life not horrific enough? Stop by...

Spectergirl's Crypt of Post-Code Horror

We've dusted off a mouldering short-box of penny-dreadfuls from the Bronze Age of FEAR!

It's TERROR only the Comics Code Authority would DARE approve!

Who doesn't like View-Masters?

Because I am apparently not happy unless I have too much to do, I have FINALLY launched ...

View-Master 3-D Spectacular

Click on the image to take a look.

Finally ...

After many false starts, I have finally launched my blog dedicated to Romance Comics.

As Told To Stan Lee

Click on the image to take a look.

Welcome to ...

SO, IS THAT A WEDDING DRESS OR WHAT?

week!

With the vast number of Women Running From Houses books you get an whole range of fashion. This week we will focus on the Women whose choices are bad enough that it actually become apparent of day one.

At least it would only require an annulment.

Happy New Year everyone and welcome to ...

WHAT IS UP WITH THE DUDE ON THE COVER? WEEK

where we will try and determine, using Holmes like deduction, what is up the the dude on the cover.

Hope everyone had a great holiday.

Sadly David Selby had come to expect this at most casting calls.

Sorry, I have had distractions, both worldly and other-worldly, that have kept me from my sworn mission of spreading the word about the art of Women Running From Houses.

Using Quentin's "Staircase Through Time" I plan to remedy the situation over the next few days. Make sure to check out my future-past posts.

Thanks to all of you who have voiced concern and sent their sympathies.

Halloween

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Anniversary Message

Being our thirteenth it only seems appropriate that all our plans have taken the turn that they have.

I love you Aaron.

Email for a Reader

I just received my first email from a reader. I was so exited I wanted to share ...

I’m a 53yr old married biker dude who just so happens to love the old Gothic Romances. My wife loves books generally reserved as “guy books” so we really have our roles turned around but hey, it works for us. I really enjoyed going through your web site and blowing up every book cover to take a closer look. I appreciated your comments on the books. I sure hope you keep adding book covers! Are there many people interested in Gothic Romance? I feel like I’m out there all alone until I see a website like yours. Usually they have long since become inactive but you are going on strong. That is refreshing for me. Keep it up!

Thanks!

Tecumseh, Kansas

Thanks Clark. Glad you enjoy the site.

Dark Shadows Book Series

DARK SHADOWS - THE BOOK SERIES

On June 27, 1966 Dark Shadows aired on ABC. A "Women Running From Houses" saga in soap opera form, halfway through the first year, the looming danger inherent in any Gothic romances was kicked up a notch with the introduction of a real ghost. And, after its first year, facing possible cancellation, the series let go with a plethora of supernatural happenings.

The series added nearly another 4 years to its run by "borrowing" from such classic tales as The Picture of Dorian Gray, Dracula, Frankenstein, The Wolf Man, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, The Turn of the Screw and Wuthering Heights with the introduction of vampires, werewolves, monsters, witches, warlocks, time travel and a parallel universe. Its last episode aired on April 2, 1971 with a grand total of 1245 episodes under its belt.

Dark Shadows inspired 2 films The House of Dark Shadows in 1970 and Night of Dark Shadows in 1971, a Gold Key comic, a newspaper strip, aired for years in syndication, inspired a miniseries remake in 1991 and rumors of a possible new feature film are always floating around.

But for our purposes, the most important thing is that Dark Shadows inspired a series of 32 fabulous books. Written by Dan Ross, under the pen name Marilyn Ross, the series follows the Collins family through many looming dangers and sinister threats.

Dark Shadows (December 1966)
Victoria Winters (March 1967)
Strangers at Collins House (September 1967)
The Mystery of Collinwood (January 1968)
The Curse of Collinwood (May 1968)
Barnabas Collins (November 1968)
The Secret of Barnabas Collins (January 1969)
The Demon of Barnabas Collins (April 1969)
The Foe of Barnabas Collins (July 1969)
The Phantom and Barnabas Collins (September 1969)
Barnabas Collins vs. the Warlock (October 1969)
The Peril of Barnabas Collins (November 1969)
Barnabas Collins in a Funny Vein (1969)
Barnabas Collins and the Mysterious Ghost (January 1970)
Barnabas Collins and Quentin's Demon (February 1970)
Barnabas Collins and the Gypsy Witch (March 1970)
Barnabas, Quentin and the Mummy's Curse (April 1970)
Barnabas, Quentin and the Avenging Ghost (May 1970)
Barnabas, Quentin and the Nightmare Assassin (June 1970)
Barnabas, Quentin and the Crystal Coffin (July 1970)
Barnabas, Quentin and the Witch's Curse (August 1970)
The Dark Shadows Book of Vampires And Werewolves (August 1970)
Barnabas, Quentin and the Haunted Cave (September 1970)
Barnabas, Quentin and the Frightened Bride (October 1970)
House of Dark Shadows (October 1970)
Barnabas, Quentin and the Scorpio Curse (November 1970)
Barnabas, Quentin and the Serpent (December 1970)
Barnabas Collins A Personal Picture Album (December 1970)
Barnabas, Quentin and the Magic Potion (January 1971)
Barnabas, Quentin and the Body Snatchers (February 1971)
Barnabas, Quentin and Dr. Jekyll's Son (April 1971)
Barnabas, Quentin and the Grave Robbers (June 1971)
Barnabas, Quentin and the Sea Ghost (August 1971)
Barnabas, Quentin and the Mad Magician (October 1971)
Barnabas, Quentin and the Hidden Tomb (December 1971)
Barnabas, Quentin and the Vampire Beauty (March 1972)

In 1998, Lara Parker an actress from the show added a new novel to the Collins saga and again in 2006.

Dark Shadows: Angélique's Descent (December 1998)
The Salem Branch (July 2006)

Now sadly I do not own all of these books but I do have my fair share of them and my hope is to share them with you in a special

ALL DARK SHADOWS OCTOBER!

COMING SOON

Next week I'll be launching a blog dedicated to Romance Comics.

As Told To Stan Lee

Click on the image to take a look.

Why Women Running from Houses?

Good question. Actually several years ago I had the good fortune of stumbling across a collection of 60's and 70's Gothic romance novels at a garage sale. The uses of the term "good fortune" has nothing whatsoever to do with the quality of the novels themselves. In fact, they were all equally terrible. But it was my "good fortune" to learn of a previously unknown art form. The art of women running from houses.

Gracing the cover of each book was an interpretation, some better than others, of this same subject matter. On their back covers each described roughly the same story. How completely wonderful!

Since then I have managed to obtain hundreds of these books and while I may never have time to read all of them, I am making it my mission to share their glory with the world.