Fabulous Monsters of Movieland: Dr. Macabre

You might recall that back in April and May, I featured a series of 4 commissions by the inestimably-talented Kabuki Katze dubbed "TV Sherpa." Though she invented this name for an earlier series, I asked to recycle it for my own set of fake covers that would spotlight re-imagined public domain heroes. Our NEW TV Sherpa series went off without a hitch, and there was much rejoicing throughout the land.

I had one minor loose end after that set that I wanted tied up. Namely, where were the villains? Well, I had something in mind there, but I wanted to make sure we concentrated on the heroes before moving in that direction. It's only been since we finished up the four separate hero pieces that I let my mind go the way of villainy.

Only, which villain? Easy - Dr. Macabre! Dr. Macabre was a recurring foe of Cat-Man and Kitten, and seemed a likely candidate as a semi-regular guest villain on a TV show. However, while I like the look he originally sported, I couldn't help but feel I needed something a little different to distinguish him among my cast of characters. I ultimately decided the trick would be KISS make-up.

Well, to be more exact, think of The Crazy World of Arthur Brown, since that's what KISS was trying for with their alter egos. As far as the cover itself, I wanted to pay tribute to classic monster magazines, with the Joker cover of Castle of Frankenstein on my mind. I chose to use a parody of Famous Monsters of Filmland in place of a parody of CoF, largely due to the fact that FM is just more well-known and had a more evocative name.

I actually wrote all the copy this time, thank you very much. I included little homages to things like The Green Slime and The Groovie Goolies just to add an appropriate level of text-heaviness. But it was Kabuki who brought it all to life, especially with that amazing effect she incorporated with the watch.

This entry has been a LONG time in coming, but I recommend all of you check out Kabuki's page for this piece! Leave a comment, leave a compliment, leave a cookie! Cookies are always nice.