The Monster Times #2 Interview With Shatner

The second issue of The Monster Times newspaper was super-special to young Trekkers like myself, being pretty much the first magazine to devote an entire issue to the subject. Below is the entire interview with Bill Shatner, conducted just after the series had ended, in 1969.

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If you loved TMT and have fond memories of it, you will enjoy the group I have created devoted to it on Facebook! Join today and get in on all the fun, as we have several contributors and editors of the magazine as members, including the interviewer in the article Steve Vertlieb, and writer Gary Gerani! https://www.facebook.com/groups/TheMonsterTimes/

Bonus: Below, a publicity photo of Chekov (Walter Koenig) and Yeoman Martha Landon (Celeste Yarnall).

Gray Morrow Trek Poster Art

From the mighty and legendary issue number 2 (from 1972) of the incomparable and unforgettable publication "The Monster Times," comes this centerfold poster of Star Trek by artists Gray Morrow. How many had this hanging up in the room as a kid?

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The Monster Times #2: Space Gear/Models Articles

This time we are once again opening up the fragile, yellowing pages of issue #2 of "The Monster Times, published Feb 16, 1972. I've posted several times before from this issue: here, here and here. How I loved this monster mag! More than any other, it covered the things I was interested in. Being a monster, comics, Trek and Apes fan, this newspaper-format publication hit them all and more. We revisit the cover of this fantastic issue again...

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This time we look at two articles... first, on the various props on the show, featuring both some original and fan reproductions. Note well-known fan Joan Winston modeling the original costume and fan-made prop!

Next, an article purportedly reviewing the various model kits available at the time. Who among us didn't have some of these at one time or another? (I'm surprised I didn't get brain damage from the glue fumes. At least, I don't think I did... hmmm. On second thought, that would explain a lot!) Anyway, the article is hampered by the fact that there is no real review of the model kits mentioned, only those handmade by a fan... and although they brag on his Enterprise, they don't actually picture it! Somewhat sloppy.

Bonus: Below, a pre-series publicity shot, taken after "Where No Man..." but before "The Corbomite Maneuver."

The Monster Times #2 Article: Writing Star Trek Comics

Anyone reading this blog for long knows of my affection for "The Monster Times," a newspaper-format monster magazine that was little-remembered by most, but fondly by those that found it. I picked my first issue up in 1973, and it really fanned the flames of the fire that had begun in my pre-teen life for Star Trek, and to a lesser degree, Planet of the Apes. Of course, I had loved monsters since I was a tyke, so this publication really hit the spot with its coverage of all these areas. I didn't buy the issue I'm covering this time from the newstand; I found it much later at a genre collectables shop. But I was thrilled to come into possession of it, as it had been one I had wanted since seeing it in the back-issues ad in TMT itself years before.

I've featured material from issue #2 of TMT before, here and here; but it was so chock full of Trek stuff that it could be awhile before I'm done. This time we feature an article about Star Trek comics, from a well-known writer that contributed stories to the Gold Key version; Len Wein.

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Although the Gold Key comics were my first Star Trek item ever purchased, and really, my entry point into fandom, I never really cared for the art or the stories; I could tell even at that early stage in my appreciation for the show, that the comics really didn't reflect it very well. They still have a nostalgic attraction for me, however, and I enjoy my old issues that bring back good memories. In this article we find out how one man swam against the tide to try and correct come of the most glaring departures from the show, and bring up the level of the writing as well.
The pages from the British comic strip were the highlight of the article for me, boasting as it did superior art and much more accurate depictions of the characters (read more about them here). I came across more pages of this comic later when they were reprinted in various convention booklets and such, but never a complete set containing a whole story. The article kicks off with a look at the book that the author used to help bring the Gold Key people in line, and one that holds a wealth of wonderful memories for me as well; "The Making of Star Trek." Never have I been more excited to get a book than when I did that one!

And, as a bonus, below we feature another item from the same issue, the photo-story parody "Star Drek." It actually uses a couple of publicity photos I've not seen anywhere else, before or since; the cowering Uhura and the Tellarite in the Jeffries tube.

As for the photo of Uhura recoiling in fear against the wall, this is another example of the sexism rampant during the time. I didn't mind the sexism as expressed in the mini-skirts... but what if you had photographed a male crewman cowering in fear the same way?Yet to them at the time it seemed a natural thing.

1972 ST Convention Report

In 1972, the first Trek convention was held in New York at the Statler-Hilton hotel from January 21st through the 23rd. (Here is a pre-con writeup in TMT #2, for other Trek-related items from this issue, go to previous posts on article #1 and article #2.) In the Sci-Fi Super TV Special from The Monster Times, printed in 1973, we have a two-page spread about the convention, posted below:

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Forget about ancient history; if I suddenly had access to a time-traveling DeLorean, I would put the pedal to the metal and head for this convention!

Bonus item #1: With the release of "Star Trek: The Motion Picture," the was a flood of merchandising the likes of which had never been seen by fans before, and as far as items for one movie, I don't think has been equalled yet (except perhaps for the new '09 movie). It was a good time for fans who liked to collect memorabilia; even if some of it was a bit silly, like the Star Trek Adhesive Bandages, pictured below. I wish I could have removed all of the price label on the front, but I couldn't without further damaging the small box, about the size of a pack of gum. Below is a scan of the front and back of the container, with one of the bandages in the middle.

Yes, Star Trek: The Motion Picture could even make your boo-boos better. I paid only 50 cents for the box when I bought it new... today, the collectible value of this rare item is probably... 2 for a $1. A great investment.

Bonus #2: Below are scans (not photos) of the small metal Klingon Battlecruiser made by "Dinky." I bought it in 1979 and tried super-gluing it to a small necklace chain in order to hang it from my rearview mirror in my 1968 Cougar, but it kept falling off; you can see the glue residue on the top view. The ship is only 4 inches long from the bow to the ends of the engines.

1972 article "Star Trek: Food For Thought"

A few posts back I started a little project to scan in the entire issue of "The Monster Times" #2, the first to be devoted entirely to Star Trek... the first of any magazine that I'm aware of (this might not seem like a very ambitious project, but it is time consuming, as each page must be scanned in two sections and then Photoshopped back together). You can read the first article posted here; but if you are coming in late, you can catch up by using the "The Monster Times" tag over on the right to access them all. Published in 1972, this issue was a goldmine of info and pics for the young Trek-hungry (and in many cases, Trek-starved) fans out there. Below is the index page of the magazine, which will serve as a guide to what I've posted and what is yet to come.

This time, we are looking at article #2, titled "Star Trek: A Gourmet's Dream of Food For Thought." More than your average kid-aimed sci-fi show, Trek was, for the most part, well-written and intelligent. Looking back and considering the other genre shows out around the same period, it's a true miracle it was done so well.

On these pages are some good examples of the graphic layout that made the publication so interesting: if you will notice, almost every picture is trimmed in such a way to make some element (heads, quite often) extend out from the background into the paper area. This extra effort, as opposed to just sticking pictures in, made the visual experience much more fun and engaging.

Bonus: Below, another installment of the regular feature "Trek Talk," from issue 35, published July 1974.

Bonus: Below is a neat publicity photo of everyone's favorite country doctor, Leonard McCoy, taken against a projected background image from "The Cage." The only other one I've seen like it is of Uhura.

1972 The Monster Times article: The Saga of Star Trek

This time, I've dug deep into the inner recesses of the Collection Cabinet #2 (pictured in the middle of the three, the TMT stack is on the fourth shelf down, on the left) for some of the earliest and best Trek articles to come out during the early 70's, when the show was only beginning to gain its reputation as the "show that will not die."

Here, from Feb. 16, 1972 is Issue #2 of "The Monster Times." More than any other, "The Monster Times" seems to encapsulate the memories and excitement of that period of my life, and each issue holds a fond place in my recollections. The first article from the issue, titled "The Saga of Star Trek," marks the beginning of my effort to scan and post (eventually) all of the articles from this particular issue. Since its oversize newspaper format makes scanning time-consuming, it might take a little while, but I will get it done. Enjoy!

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As a note, I bought the "tracer gun" toy pictured above as a kid. All I have remaining is a piece of the cardboard backing that I saved for my scrapbook, which you can see here.

Bonus: Below, from a later edition of TMT, a regular feature called "Trek Talk" that kept fans up to date on the latest tidbits of Trek news. I'll scan and post them in coming entries in the order published, at least in the issues I have. This is from Issue #34, published June, 1974. These little nuggets of Trek history are glimpses into the past of the show's revival rumors and the early conventions, as well as other appearances in TV and film by the actors. Even in dry months with no Trek articles, the Trek Talk feature was a little fix I could depend on. I'm tagging any entry that contains one of these as a bonus item, with the tag "Trek Talk," so you can locate them easily. Logical, no? Yes.

A note about my Monster Times posts; over the past few years there have been various announcements from two different sources that all the back issues of this publication were going to be scanned and posted online in their entirety. Realizing that if this were the case, my work at scanning in my own dog-eared copies would be wasted effort; so I refrained from sharing many articles from this source. I, like many others, would enjoy having large-format scans of all the issues. Not only would it mean I didn't have to scan (or even take out to read) my own copies, saving on more wear-and-tear on the paper, but I could read the issues I missed and save them to my own harddrive. However, neither announced plan has come about, and rather than wait longer, I've recently begun posting material from this great magazine on this blog, as well as my others (see side bar for links to these). I hope you get a kick out of it!

Another bonus, below: a nice photo of Nimoy as Spock, looking rather skeptical about something... since it seems to be a third season pic, he's probably skeptical about the show's chances for renewal.

"Oh, Really?

It's a lot of fun getting together with a fellow Trekker and going through each other's collections. Since we can't get together to do this, I'm taking stuff out of mine to scan and share with you. I've always felt a connection to others that love Trek, so if you like these little virtual get-togethers, leave a comment... let me know you enjoyed going through my stuff! After all, you wouldn't just walk in my house and start rummaging through the cabinets, then leave without a word, would you? Would you?

1972 "Nostalgia Special" article

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Clipped from the December 1972 issue of Movie Life, the above article's category of "Nostalgia Special" is somewhat funny to read today, over 40 years after the series premiered. They were waxing nostalgic about a show that had only been off the air for three years! But Trek was only really just starting to emerge in the public consciousness as the cultural phenomenon it was destined to become.

Each month, for about 7 issues or so in '72 and '73, the "Movie Life" magazine would publish another in the series of photos of characters from the show, which made it a priority for me to get. Fortunately, a used bookstore in downtown Macon, GA where I lived at the time made it possible for me to get most of them if I missed them on the stands. It was these monthly black and white photos that really made me begin my first scrapbook and caused it to grow. Each item added was done so with excitement and pride.

Bonus photo: Another black and white publicity shot, from a glossy in my collection. Uhura seems as if hearing Kirk speak is giving her a good feeling, doesn't she? Or maybe she just bumped into Spock behind her and realised he was enjoying looking at her! :)

"Look, Captain... I can write what you're saying with my eyes closed!"

Bonus: Below, the scanned cover of the first Trek calendar, published in the fall of 1975. This was really a big deal to me, so much so that when I learned it was coming out, I made a special trek by bus across town (Ft. Lauderdale) to a large mall where Walden Books had it in stock. I was one happy camper when I came out of that bookstore with the calendar in it's cardboard holder, which I still have it stored in today. All the way home on the bus ride, I gazed at each of the twelve months, and soaked in the montage image created for the middle poster, which I plan on scanning in and posting on a later entry. It is hard to scan large items such as these, and I have to do it in sections then use Photoshop to put them back together in one image.

That is one awesome publicity photo used on the cover there. They've never made a calendar to match that first one. The black and white pictures inside each unused date's oval for the month added to the visual interest and they've never done it like that since.

The one regret I have about it is that I used it as a journal for the episodes I was able to tape from the weekday afternoon showings on TV. In the little oval shapes for each day, I wrote IN PEN (what was I thinking?) the episode title I watched and recorded on cassette. But, what it lacks in collectable resale value, thanks to my writing in it, it makes up for in memories that it invokes as I open it up and look at it occasionally. Most of the time I saw an episode then, it was for my first time, so I have a record of when I initially viewed many of them.

The Monster TImes Star Trek book review

Back in 1972, I had just discovered Trek, and was about to find the Blish novels for the first time.

Up to this point the only Trek I had read was the Gold Key comics, and they weren't exactly true to the show. Below is the scanned in article on those books. If you were a reader of the James Blish adaptations, this will bring back some memories as well as knowing nods.

Here is the famous (or infamous) "Keep On Trekin'" poster from that issue that has now become a part of my blog header!

Below is an ad page from a later 1976 issue that will give you an idea of what we had to choose from as far as Trek items back then. This page served as a Sears Wish Book for me, in that I gazed at it and dreamed of owning so much of what was there. Thankfully, the books I could and did own as time went by. Each one was a treasure, even truncated as they were. I had never seen the episodes they were adapted from at that point, so even the scant descriptions given by Blish were like samples of my favorite dish, and only whetted my appetite to see them.

Yes, every true "trekkie" must own a pair of Mr. Spock ears. Scanned from the same issue.

And here are the scanned covers of my copies of the books that meant so much to me at the time. Getting my hands on them as a young teen helped make some of the best memories I have of those times. Looking at them now brings back a flood of sweet nostalgia!