Sorry to hear this terrible news. The Cowsills, Dark Shadows, GI Joe Astronaut, Planet of the Apes, Get Smart, Bewitched, Space Food Stix, The Archies etc are all part of that wonderful weave that was the late '60s. I'm always happy to have been a kid growing up then. I have 3 Cowsills CDs actually. 
I hope for the best.

Michael

The seond best commentary was in NYC in 2001 when I got Johnny Karlen to sign my DoD laserdisc sleeve. The dear, late Dennis Patrick looked over and asked him, "What's that?" John replied, "It's a film I made in Belgium, in BELGIUM. Its an arty vampire. I was NUDE." To which Dennis replied, "Who would wanna see THAT?"  Those two were always magic together.

Michael

Wow, this was out of the blue. I wish to recommend to anyone who hasn't picked them up, the "Fear and Loathing on Dark Shadows" comic books by Chris Pennock. Chris has made quite a character out of Kaplan's eccentricities.

In pace requiescat, Henry

  Moonstone Books is a company that does Graphic Novels on generally established characters, from what I can tell they are a combination of pro, semi-pro, and fan fiction. Their newest book on Carl Kolchak is called The Night Stalker Chronicles and features a short story titled "Kolchak meet Barnabas." Anyone read this? 

http://www.moonstonebooks.com/kolchak.asp  

Michael

"And after each time I shave, I just splash on Brut for that manly fragraance and AAAAAAARRRRRGGGG...not in my eyeeeeeeee!"   

I did some rudimentary searches on the Collins name, and it is common in England, Ireland and Wales. I would tend to suspect this family is English as in 1795, Barnabas moving to England is considered a good cover story, in 1897 Quentin implies he has visited family in England, and in 1967, Elizabeth says, "I didn't know we still had family in England."
         The name Collins derives from two sources, in England it was diminutive for Nicholas; in Welsh-Gaelic, it means roughly "darling", but usually in reference to small animals, most especially puppies or small dogs. (Welsh sp. cuilein)
Maybe this explains Barnabas's puppy eyes. 

Michael

PS I did a scan for "Barnabas Collins" and a few real people came up on some geneaology sites, but it was a kind of a ruse to lead me to signing up for "Ancestry.com".  My own family history book lists an old will circa 1690s in which a family member bequeaths some furniture to, (and I kid you not, this is TRUE) to his "cousin Barnabas Joyner in England!"   

Carolyn samples Sebastian's special "Purple Sunshine" "herbal" tea.