60s TV COMICS: DARK SHADOWS

Our pals at Hermes Press have brought you some fantastic 1960s pop culture books over the past few years, including the Gold Key reprint collections of Time Tunnel, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Land of the Giants, as well as The History of the Illustrated 007, and a number of great Gerry Anderson-related titles. Spy Vibers who are still in the Halloween spirit will be psyched to hear that Hermes is back with a new collection of Gold Key's comics based on the cult TV Gothic fave, Dark Shadows! Hermes always goes the extra distance with fine printing, excellent reproductions, and supplemental material. I really enjoyed seeing all of the extra stills and memorabilia in their Irwin Allen TV re-print books. I was pretty scared of Dark Shadows as a kid- the mansion and music seemed so spooky! Check out this new book if you're a fan of Gold Key, Dark Shadows, or 60s cult TV. By the way, I love the costume on this vampire. Barnabas had style!


Dark Shadows ran from 1966-1971 and was essentially a Gothic soap opera about the Collins family and their eerie struggles with the supernatural. The main vampire character who returns to the family mansion, Barnabas Collins, was played by Canadian actor, Jonathan Frid. Costume designer Ramsey Mostoller contributed to another cult classic, Santa Clause Conquers the Martians! Dark Shadows has been released on DVD and is available as streaming content on Netflix. The show was updated recently for TV, and Hermes includes a Tim Burton re-make in their press release below. For more info, check out Dark Shadows Journal Online here. You can even order a reproduction of Barnabas' stylish wolf-head, silver walking cane.

Here is a clip of the beginning credits- the chilling score and mansion that scared me so much as a kid:

From Hermes: Hermes Press proudly announces the complete reprint of Gold Key Comics' television tie-in of the legendary supernatural suspense series Dark Shadows in a series of five hardcover volumes. The forerunner to today's immensely popular vampire-themed television programs and theatrical films, Dark Shadows still garners serious attention as one of the most memorable TV shows of the last forty years. As anticipation builds after director Tim Burton's announcement at Comic-Con International 2009 that his next project would be a big-screen remake of Dark Shadows starring Johnny Depp in the role of reluctant vampire Barnabas Collins. The time seems perfect to reprint the full run of 35 Gold Key comic books based on the show, first published from 1968 to 1976.

From Amazon: Hermes Press proudly announces the complete reprint of Gold Key Comics' graphic tie-in of the legendary, supernatural suspense television series, Dark Shadows, in a series of five hardcover volumes. The forerunner to today's immensely popular, vampire-themed television programs and theatrical films, Dark Shadows still garners serious attention as one of the most memorable TV shows of the last forty years. First published from 1968 to 1976, the 35 Gold Key comic books featured in this completely digitally restored collection present archetypal tales of vampires, werewolves, and the supernatural. In addition to reprinting the stories, Hermes Press will supplement each volume with poster art, pin-ups, and documentary material from the show, as well as essays about the history of Dark Shadows.