Posted By Dan Greenfield on Sep 5, 2025 | 1 comment

Plus, the latest coming from TwoMorrows’ Cryptology…

Halloween’s next month! Oh, hooray!

Well, here are some early treats for you from TwoMorrows — details on the upcoming Son of Monster Mash by Mark Voger, and the next four issues of Cryptology, all due in 2026.

Eek!

Dig the official descriptions:

Screenshot

SON OF MONSTER MASH

By Mark Voger

All new! All grue! It’s the long-awaited sequel to author/designer Mark Voger’s Rondo Award-winning book “Monster Mash: The Creepy, Kooky Monster Craze in America 1957-1972” which redefined Monster Kid fandom with a visually immersive graphic approach. This companion book revisits the period, while examining its literary and cinematic roots of its fictional precedents (Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein,” Bram Stoker’s “Dracula”); early silent films (“Cabinet of Dr. Caligari,” “Nosferatu”); the golden age of monster movies (with such stars as Lon Chaney Sr., Bela Lugosi, Boris Karloff and Chaney Jr.); the 3-D and teenage monster movie trends; the Edgar Allan Poe adaptations and Hammer Studios releases of the period; the monsters of Sixties TV; the eye-popping toys, memorabilia and comics; and the aftermath of the influential Monster Craze. It features interviews with filmmakers such as Ray Harryhausen (“20 Million Miles to Earth”), Roger Corman (“The Pit and the Pendulum”) and Sidney Pink (“Reptilicus”), and stars like Gloria Stuart (“The Invisible Man”), Ricou Browning (“Creature From the Black Lagoon”), Haruo Nakajima (“Godzilla”), Jonathan Haze (“Little Shop of Horrors”), Hazel Court (“Curse of Frankenstein”), Kathryn Leigh Scott (“House of Dark Shadows”), Robert Quarry (“Count Yorga, Vampire”) and many others. No monster fan should be without this treasure trove of terror!

Due: Nov. 25, 2026

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CRYPTOLOGY #8

“I bet you thought I’d forgotten you… but don’t worry, the Cryptologist never forgets his fiends! In this issue, we find out what Bela Lugosi, Boris Karloff, and their cohorts were up to when they weren’t appearing in our favorite horror movies—you’d be shocked! Plus, at long last, I’ve exhumed some of Ghastly Graham Ingels’ gruesome artwork for your delectation. Then we get to meet Norman Bates, courtesy of Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho, Robert Bloch, and his lunatic mentor Ed Gein. Psycho II scriptwriter and Fright Night director Tom Holland will be dropping by for a chilling chat—you will definitely want to hear what he has to say! As if this isn’t enough, our Killer-B section takes you back to high school and a gathering of teenage monsters, and then we launch the first part of our extensive history of the pre-Code comic book, beginning in 1938. There’s all of this and more in my crypt crammed full of the macabre from editor Peter Normanton, made just for you retro horror fans!”

Due: March 18, 2026

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CRYPTOLOGY #9

“It’s me again folks, the Cryptologist, creeping among the gravestones to exhume a few more juicy morsels! This time ’round, one of my favorite leading ladies steps once more out of the dark—it’s none other than Kathryn Leigh Scott, here to discuss her time in Dark Shadows—and what a treasure she is. To help her along, I’ve unearthed a few of those old Dark Shadows comics, along with a selection of trading cards to boot. Our history of pre-Code horror continues, and we also uncover those long forgotten Fawcett horror comics. Then we go back in time to the 1970s to rediscover those ghoulish Blaxploitation movies, before coming face-to-face with Curse of the Demon and the chilling Night of the Eagle. If you have a craving for a classic B-movie or one of Hammer’s scary offspring, look no further—they’ll be waiting for you in my crypt laden with the ghoulish from TwoMorrows, made just for you retro horror fans by editor Peter Normanton!”

Due: May 20, 2026

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CRYPTOLOGY #10

“Don’t turn your back for even a second, for I, the Cryptologist, have returned from the mire to bring you the latest issue of my despicable magazine! For fans of Neal Adams’ horror comics, I’ve got a wealth of his dark imaginings to share with you, plus never-before-seen things to pique your interest. Once you’ve savoured that, you’ll be fascinated to see Batman’s perilous encounters with the macabre, before I disclose some surprising actors who couldn’t resist the lure of the horror movie—one of them being Humphrey Bogart! Spiderbaby’s very own Beverly Washburn will venture into my lair to discuss her time in horror, as a prelude to my setting loose the spiders that terrorized cinema screens, comic books and the pulps. And before you go, I’ll throw in more of those lurid paperback covers along, with your regular dose of B-movie masterpieces and another selection from the Hammer archive. So if you enjoy the dark side, I dare you to step on into my creepy magazine with editor Peter Normanton, solely cooked up for you retro horror fans!”

Due: July 22, 2026

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CRYPTOLOGY #11

“Just when you thought it was safe to venture into the water again, I, the Cryptologist, have plunged into the depths to bring you the Creature from the Black Lagoon! You lucky people will see glimpses of his three mind-blowing films, along with the lady behind this magnificent specimen, none other than Milicent Patrick herself. We’ve got comic books from the black lagoon, along with models and memorabilia galore, and the amazing prehistoric history that spawned the creature. If this isn’t enough, you’ll meet some of my old horror host buddies who first introduced classic spine-tingling films for television. I’ve also thrown in The Golem, from silent cinema right up until The Limehouse Golem, plus the comic books to boot. Bill Stout will be popping by to reminisce on the putrid carrying-on in The Return of the Living Dead; sounds like fun to me! Our gruesome pre-Code comics retrospective continues, and it wouldn’t be Cryptology if we didn’t dig into one of those old Hammer horror movies. So if you dare, pick up this new issue of my creepy magazine by editor Peter Normanton, the perfect read for you retro horror fans!”

Due: Sept. 23, 2026

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Several thoughts:

— Son of Monster Mash is a 192-page, full-color hardcover. It lists for $45.95 ($15.99 digital).

— Each issue of Cryptology is 84 pages and lists for $10.95 ($4.99 digital).

— All of these publications can already be pre-ordered from TwoMorrows. Click here. They will also be available through comics shops.

— We have tons of other TwoMorrows news this week, including the latest on Back Issue and Alter Ego. You can download TwoMorrows’ free 2026 Update flyer here.

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MORE

— WOMEN OF BOND Highlight RETROFAN’s 2026 Lineup. Click here.

— Much-Awaited MARVEL COMICS IN THE LATE 1960s History Book Coming in 2026. Click here.