Guys, because, in a very informal way (of course), all of us are contributing to what could almost be observed, in some candlie-lit lights, anyway, as a small history of pop culture...

Some accusatoions, and misstatements of fact, can't just be left to stand.

Neither "The Monster Times" NOR "Castle of Frankenstein" was "famous" for lifting other people's articles.

It's a fabrication.

As in, not true.

With TMT, I'm wondering if someone is remembering the fun page that started appearing at some point, where the mag/paper would feature stories from around the world of interest to fantasy fans... (This was the page that also showed photos from related ads, and the like.) But editor Joe Kane did this with ATTRIBUTION, crediting the source(s).

Kane, and publishers Larry Brill and Les Waldtsein worked too hard to suddenly be accused of any kind of plagiarism.

(If there were some unknwon, isolated incidents, Let's hear about them! But I would bet heavily it was an accident. (Heck, Brill was very good about paying me for ANY of the small amounts of work I did for his company. The amounts may not have been large, but in retrospect, they were just about right for the times, and other considerations.)


As for Cal Beck and CASTLE OF FRANKENSTEIN...

There were some pretty neat film articles in some of the later issues,which I sometimes wondered how Cal or Bhob Stewart acquired.

But through the years I've heard what must be virtually EVERY WEIRD STORY about Beck, and being accused of lifting articles piece-meal was certainly not one of them.

Such an accusation now seems particularly sad, with the recent passing of the great Bhob Stewart, who edited many of COF's best issues for Cal.

If there were isolated incidents... Let's again, hear about them!

But it was NEVER, EVER... (again), policy, or something that was notorious.

(And, just top make sure... I TALKED with some of both mags' contributors, who confirmed my memories.)


CASTLE OF FRANKENSTEIN and THE MONSTER TIMES hold a lovely part of many of our pasts.

And, at the very least, they are part of the building blocks for the history of the fantasy media magazine genre.


Let's not invent tales, or spin webs, where only the glow of enchantment waits to be met, or rediscovered.