NIGHTMARE ABBEY NO. 9 NOW SHIPPING!

Besides having first-class, top-shelf fiction from award-winning authors such as Steve Duffy and Steve Rasnic Tem, this latest issue of NIGHTMARE ABBEY from Thomas English's Dead Letter Press includes the sixth installment of my series Fear in Four Colors: The Hideous History of American Horror Comics. "Indictments and Indignities" discusses the fallout after the Senate Subcommittee Hearings on Juvenile Delinquency and how it turned the comic book industry into a near-barren wasteland.

Also included is a look at the classic film, HANGOVER SQUARE, lots more quality fiction and another parcel of art from Allen Koswzoski, as well as the Abbey's house artist, Natu Shabbey.

From the publisher:

• 9th gigantic volume of this critically-acclaimed horror magazine/book.
• Creepy GHOST STORIES & other weird tales!
• Horror Comics on Trial! (History of American Horror Comics, part 6)
• Horror Delve's list of great HALLOWEEN HORRORS
• Classic horror movie: Hangover Square
• 11 terrifying tales by today's top writers!
• A new Magnus Supernatural Dog Tale
• Another chilling visit to Bone Street!
• Indy (the Horror Husky) makes the cover of Time!
• Art by World Fantasy Award-winner Allen Koszowski
• Heavily illustrated: movie stills, comic book covers, cool facts!

Publication date: October 12, 2025

146 pages

Single copy price: $16.95

Order HERE.

CRYPTOLOGY NO. 5 NOW SHIPPING!

Light the bonfires! Release the Kraken! TwoMorrows' CRYPTOLOGY #5 is now shipping!

Here's the 411 from editor Peter Normanton himself:

“If you thought you heard the rattle of bones, you were right! This time ’round, I, the Cryptologist, have dug up a few skeletons in the closet of my creepy little magazine. We have the Ghost Rider, from comic books through until his incarnation on the cinema screen! There are skulls aplenty on the covers dating back to the pulps, Martin Goodman’s Atlas Digests, and horror comics from the pre-Code era! We unearth Hy Fleishman’s hideous skeleton covers from the 1950s, along with a few of the stories he drew. “Toys from the Crypt” examines Walt Disney’s skeletons, vintage Pirates of the Caribbean models of the 1970s, plus Last Gasp’s Skull Comics and the films of William Castle. If that’s not enough, our Killer B department has exhumed a few skull and bones classics: House on Haunted Hill, The Four Skulls of Jonathan Drake and The Skull! And don’t forget our Hammertime section. So roll the bones for a magazine made especially for you retro horror fans, by Leese, Voger, the Kronenbergs, and editor Peter Normanton!”

For me, there's another reason to celebrate -- I've got an article published in this issue! "Hoist High the Skull and Crossbones! The Pirates of the Caribbean, From Theme Park Ride to Model Kits" is about the beginnings and very early days of the now-famous franchise. I'm really excited to be on Peter Normanton's CRYPTOLOGY writing team. 

To order and see a 22-page preview click HERE.

CRYPTOLOGY UPDATE

For those who have been enjoying the first two issues of TwoMorrows' fabulous new horror comic/monster movie magazine, CRYPTOLOGY, you may be wondering why the delay in issue #3. The answer is not as mysterious as you may think -- it's a result of the Diamond Comics Distributor bankruptcy catastrophe of a few months ago.

Like many other publishers, TwoMorrows was left in the lurch (and not the Addams Family kind) and is owed money that they will probably never recover. As a result, there has been a mad scramble for publishers, collectible dealers and the like to find another way to distribute their goods. It just didn't make business sense to crank out more material with no guarantee that their goods would be delivered to retailers.

TwoMorrows is one of the companies that quickly found a new distributor. The good news is, they'll be back to their regular publishing schedule as early as next month. More good news is that CRYPTOLOGY #3 is due by the end of next month and will be back on schedule thereafter.

Incidentally, yours truly has joined the CRYPTOLOGY writing team and will have several articles published in upcoming issues. I'll keep you posted.

NEW 'FEAR IN FOUR COLORS' INSTALLMENT

Just published is my fifth in the series, "Fear in Four Colors: The Hideous History of American Horror Comics." This installment is the first part of "The Great Horror Comics Purge" that details the events leading up to the Senate Committee Hearings that ended with the gut-punch called the Comics Code Authority.

Many believe that it was this singular event that caused the implosion of the comic book industry, especially the crime and horror titles. In reality, comics books suffered a long history of persecution by religious and civic groups and other individuals and organizations almost as soon as they started being published.

Read all about it along with a heaping serving of really well-written horror and supernatural fiction in this 145-page issue of NIGHTMARE ABBEY published by Tom English's Dead Letter Press.

NIGHTMARE ABBEY #8 is available for immediate ordering at Amazon HERE.

If you have an aversion to Amazon, Bud's Art Books also carries it. It hasn't shown up on his site yet, but it most undoubtedly will soon. Check on availability HERE.

MY EC COMICS HISTORY

Inside the just released CASTLE OF FRANKENSTEIN #41 (Spring 2025) is my latest article "Ten-Cent Terrors! The Horrifying History of EC Comics". It runs 15 pages and 9,000 words. As with much of the rest of my writing, I could have probably turned in twice that, but Don Smeraldi's editorial restrictions prevailed! Wife Vicki again did a fabulous job with the layout as with the rest of the content.

There's much more to offer in this issue: "Henry Frankenstein: In His Own Words" by Frank Dello Stritto, "Tandra Quinn: Web of the Spider Woman" by Tom Weaver, "The 88 Edits of Sinbad" by filmmaker Larry Blamire, profiles of Lionel Atwill and Peter Coe, and a lot more within its 132 pages. And that cover by Scott Jackson is a stunner!

You may be able to find a copy at Barnes & Noble, Books A Million or your favorite comic shop, but Diamond Distributors' collapse has limited brick and mortar circulation for the time being. The best way to get a copy is to order it directly right HERE.