The First Monster Magazine?
Plus: Cloverfield Podcast with Yours Truly, Pentagon Blues

Is this the first monster zine? Forrest J. Ackerman has long said so, and I've yet to find anything to pre-date it as a solo-genre zine. A gem!

Hooooooooooooooooooowwwlll!

Thanks to the marvelous online dealer Patrick Giraud (of Versailles, France, at ebay as 'Pgmovies'), I at last have acquired for my collection the long-cited 'first monster magazine' of all time, the French filmzine Cinema 57, and a real beauty it is, too. I'll write about it in some depth in March, but wanted to acknowledge Patrick's service -- great communication, fast ship, and as pleasant an ebay and online dealer experience as I've ever enjoyed! -- now rather than later.

Patrick has also given me access, initially through his always fascinating auction items, to a little gold mine of European treasures; I'm a very happy customer! Over the past two months, I've secured an eye-popping Druillet Quest for Fire movie poster and a clutch of delightful European movie photo-fumettis I'll be writing up in March (with page samples!).

Incredible as it may seem, Patrick now has another copy of Cinema 57 up for auction on eBay, and here's the link -- if you're at all interested, now's the time to jump on this rarity.

Patrick also has these goodies up for auction just now,

or visit his eBay store anytime to see what he's offering.

Recommended, and good luck!

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Dave Kraus and I had a long chat about Cloverfield last weekend, a film I wrote about briefly here and will write about more as time permits. I've caught Cloverfield twice on the big screen, and loved it both times; it's the monster movie of the year thus far, though of course we're only just into February, so you could say I'm hedging my bet. Nevertheless, Dave caught me when the first viewing was fresh and my desire to talk about it high, so his podcast conversation with yours truly may be of interest to those of you with a similar bent.

Check out Episode 20 and (later this weekend) 21 of Nine-Panel Nerds -- the first installment offers a panel discussion, the second episode (21) some one-on-one discussion, including my input. Enjoy!

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On top of the Pentagon malfeasances I discussed yesterday, there's plenty to keep an eye on, even given the ongoing shroud of secrecy President Bush, Vice President Cheney and the current Pentagon staff have obsessively nurtured and maintained since 2001 -- as obsessively as they've labored to stripmine our privacy as citizens in the selfsame name of 'national security.'

No surprise, then, that that very secrecy continues to erode the Pentagon's ability to prosecute "detainees" as the perverse miscarriages of justice continue unabated with precious little to show (save persecution) for the President's Kafkaesque sense of 'justice.'

The secrecy shrouding government files on terror suspects continues to stymie the Pentagon's effort to hold trials at Guantanamo Bay, with defense attorneys continuing to accuse the government of withholding potential evidence, making any notion of fair trial (even under military tribunal standards) impossible.

Meanwhile, the erosion of our military might under the watch of this bunch of bozos -- how did even a sliver-thin 'majority' of Americans fall for the line of shit the Republicans put out that they're the party of national security? They've done more to threaten our national security then Osama bin Laden has! -- continues to manifest.

This past week's classified Pentagon assessment concludes that "long battlefield tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, along with persistent terrorist activity and other threats, have prevented the U.S. military from improving its ability to respond to any new crisis."

Got that? The President's policies, and steadfast refusal to address reality, have placed us in danger while straining the military to a breakpoint -- this is gross, irresponsible mismanagement from their (and our) Commander in Chief.

It's Admiral Mike Mullen, current chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who completed the new risk assessment, which will be delivered to Capitol Hill later this month; given the classified status of this new document, we may or may not know more once it is delivered.

"Because he has concluded the risk is significant, his report will include a letter from Defense Secretary Robert Gates outlining steps the Pentagon is taking to reduce it." Note, too, this isn't news: "The risk level was raised to significant last year by Mullen's predecessor, Marine Gen. Peter Pace;" when will Bush be held culpable for blatant dereliction of duty?

The Teflon President must spray himself daily with political Pam; he's the no-stick President.