DARK SHADOWS FORUMS
General Discussions => Current Talk Archive => Current Talk '25 I => Current Talk '04 II => Topic started by: ClaudeNorth on December 20, 2004, 07:23:22 AM
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[spoiler]And If she tried to commit suicide, why didn't the Collins family get her to a doctor?[/spoiler]
That's a good question. Why didn't these people ever ask for help. Remember David trying to do away with his father (at least twice) but it's just swept under the rug. Liz almost ended up jumping off Widow's Hill a few times. However, Liz does call in help for David the time he's being terrorized by Barnabas.
Don't know if you've read any of the Marilyn Ross DS novels (which are hilarious), but Liz is forever sweeping things under the rug in them. In one of them (in all of them?), Vicki is subjected to all sorts of sadism by an unknown assailant and when she suggests going to the police, Liz dismisses her suggestion, saying that she'll handle things in her own way.
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claude, is the "unknown" assailant you refer to by any chance professor mark veno aka the "phantom mariner"?
i have a few of the ross novels and they are bizzaro.talk about parallel-time.they bear almost zero resemblance to the show itself.
i mean,who knew that liz and roger had another brother? [shkdg] [shkdg] [shkdg]
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claude, is the "unknown" assailant you refer to by any chance professor mark veno aka the "phantom mariner"?
i have a few of the ross novels and they are bizzaro.talk about parallel-time.they bear almost zero resemblance to the show itself.
i mean,who knew that liz and roger had another brother? [shkdg] [shkdg] [shkdg]
ROTFLMAO [a1f5] [a1f5] [a1f5] [a1f5] [a1f5] [a1f5]
I forgot all about him! The incident that always stands out in my mind is when someone wraps a noose around Vicki's neck, drags her across the lawn of Collinwood, and dangles her down a well. I think all of the novels involved some sort of strangulation, come to think of it.
And if you want to experience the ultimate in parallel time, check out the Gold Key comics. In one of them, Liz and Roger are husband and wife! In another, Liz refers to Barnabas as 'Barnaby'! And when Angelique casts spells, she often says "When the moon is in the seventh house," and, "In-a-Gadda-Da-Vida."
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i don't specifically remember vicki being dragged-and-dangled...but she did suffer unrelenting torment in the ross novels...almost more than in the actual show.
what was it about this dear girl that inspired never-ending persecution? [rleyeg]
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In an interview, Dan Ross stated that it was Matthew Morgan who was the unknown attacker on Vicky.
The first Gold Key DS comic book is hilarious in that everytime Barnabas is shown, he is seen running with one arm raised while holding his cane in his hand!
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The first Gold Key DS comic book is hilarious in that everytime Barnabas is shown, he is seen running with one arm raised while holding his cane in his hand!
It's funny because Barnabas is often depicted running around, while I cannot imagine the TV Barnabas even walking hurriedly.
And don't you love the way he's always shouting, "(Character name) MUST DIE!!!!!!!" and bearing his fangs during casual conversations?
I think my favorite Gold Key moment is when Barnabas sets fire to Collinwood in order to frame an old beggar as an arsonist. The "real" Barnabas would never do anything to harm his beloved Collinwood. Shows how out of touch the Gold Key people were.
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In an interview, Dan Ross stated that it was Matthew Morgan who was the unknown attacker on Vicky.
The first Gold Key DS comic book is hilarious in that everytime Barnabas is shown, he is seen running with one arm raised while holding his cane in his hand!
matthew morgan might have been vicki's attacker in some of the ross novels[spoiler]...but in "the mystery of collinwood" it's professor veno/aka/the phantom mariner.i can't recall exactly why he was tormenting her(probably a very flimsy reason).[/spoiler] in this book widow's hill was called "suicide cliffs".
these early books tried to market victoria as a "nancy drew" type character.girl-solver of mysteries(an ability she sadly lost on the t.v. show).their intended audience seemed to be teenage girls.they have that perfect "i read it in study hall" feel.
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I haven't read the Ross novels in more than 30 years, though, when I did, I often read them in school during study breaks instead of doing my homework (kids don't follow my example :-X ). But I wasn't a girl ;) - or even a teenager when I did that. I was 12 and still in (Catholic) grammar school (middle school for those who went to public school). I honestly lost interest in actually reading the books soon thereafter and only bought them for their cover photos. So, if they were aimed at teenage girls, well, maybe my loss of interest is your proof of that. [b003]
I've thought about getting around to reading the ones I never dfid. But then I usually remember what the ones I did read were like, and, funny, I just never seem to find the time. [lghy]
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The best of the Ross novels were the early ones. There is some continuity between the first six or seven from "Dark Shadows" to "The Foe of Barnabas Collins". They are also most like the series, though there is a cosuin named Ernest Collins, whom Vicky is in love with. He is written out in "The Curse of Collinwood", which also ties up the loose ends of some of the characters, paving the way for Barnabas to be introduced in the next novel "Barnabas Collins".
[spoiler]Apparently, some of these loose ends were taken from Art Wallace's "Shadows on the Wall" Bible for the first year of DS:
-Elizabeth learns that her husband she thought dead is alive and has a career in the sea. Upon learning that he is alive, Liz decides to leave Collinwood and join the community again after 20 years.
-Roger's wife has died.
-Ernest Collins is killed in a plane crash. (not from the DS Bible)
-Burke and Vicky start a romance.
The first three take place in about the first three pages of the book![/spoiler] This is a really fast read and not as gothic but more horror like then the previous novels.
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All this discussion of the novels makes me wonder........I donated a substantial number of those paperbacks to my local library some time in the late 1970's. And the library routinely sold old books off to make room for new acquisitions.
I'd laugh like hell to know that some of you are in possession of my old copies!!! [lghy]
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I got most of mine in the mid-1980s at my local library (Drexel Hill, PA). They had a paperback swap rack, and I noticed a few of the DS novels. I grabbed them and asked the librarian if there were any others. She went into the office and came out with a bag filled with them! The entire series wasn't there, but still, to be handed most of them for free was a treat.
Another find was the HODS novelization, which I bought from a thrift store for only ten cents.
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Speaking of the DS novels and those Gold Key DS Comics, does anyone recall a COMIC STRIP version of "Dark Shadows" in the daily/weekly newspapers back in the late 60's? Vaguely, I remember it was alongside Mary Worth, Blondie, Beetle Bailey, Little Iodine, Dick Tracy, etc., and was an on-going story, though different from the plots on the series.
Anyone know if these exist in book form somewhere, who wrote the strip, or how long it lasted in syndication? I'm having flashbacks...
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Kathryn Leigh Scott, through her Pomegranate Press, issued a paperback containing the entire run of the DS newspaper strip, along with information about the writer and artist. As I recall, the strip ran for exactly one year.
I think you might still be able to order the book from her website (http://www.pompress.com) or through Amazon.com or from a bookstore.
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Thanks, J-C.
Leave it to KLS to provide such a luxury... though I'm tempted to hear a review or two on the comic strip book prior to making a purchase. Some things play better in memory... as when I dragged out my "Barnabas Collins/Dark Shadows" Milton Bradley game recently. Back in 1970, it meant so much to be the first kid to construct a full glow-in-the-dark skeleton, as the winner got to wear the Barnabas fangs. Nowadays, I see some of my own teeth turning into fangs, and it ain't pretty.
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what was the gist of the gold key comics?did they consistently portray barnabas as the evil character he was early on on the show or did they try and work in the guilt-ridden,romantic side of his character?
what other characters from the show appeared in the comic?
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what was the gist of the gold key comics?did they consistently portray barnabas as the evil character he was early on on the show or did they try and work in the guilt-ridden,romantic side of his character?
what other characters from the show appeared in the comic?
In the Gold Key books, Barnabas is presented as being the victim of Angelique's curse. However, in the earlier books, he was often portrayed as a monstrous creature, with always-visible fangs and bulging eyes. As the series progressed, he was depicted as a surprisingly athletic hero, running everywhere, and waxing romantic while retiring to his coffin. In a few of the issues, he is described as being free of Angelique's curse, but ultimately his affliction returns. All of this is presented without any explanation.
Other characters from the TV series who appeared in the Gold Key comics are Quentin, Angelique (with red hair), Dr. Hoffman, Stokes, Liz, Roger, and Willie (in the first issue only). I think Trask and Vicki are mentioned in the first issue. As with the Ross novels, many new, oddly-named characters were introduced, such as Damon Coldclaw and Granny Bumpers (who is NOT, thankfully, a geriatric stripper).
I'd love to see a trade paperback collection of all the Gold Key stories. They really need to be seen to be believed.
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What got me about the Gold Key comics was that, with some very rare exceptions, Barnabas was always wearing his cape-coat. Middle of the day, inside the house having tea, summer time, going for a swim, you-name-it, he always had it on. Even when he travelled to the past, he pranced around in that cape-coat (with his 20th century tie peaking out). It seemed he had a Linus-and-blanket like obsession with it.
Gerard
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i'm glad this was brought up because i got a few books at a yard sale
and was disappointed in the stories! sometimes i have the mind of a teenage girl
MB [santa_cheesy] and they don't appeal to me (johny depp now [santa_kiss])
jennifer
and gerard think i saw someone swimming up in maine with a coat and cape
on this summer Could it be?but then again the ocean there is Brrrr... no wonder
none of those Collins' swam!
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jenniferand gerard think i saw someone swimming up in maine with a coat and cape
on this summer Could it be?but then again the ocean there is Brrrr... no wonder
none of those Collins' swam!
<lol> Just imagining how heavy one of those (presumably) wool coat and cape combos would be when wet. Talk about a great upper body workout. I guess that's why Barnabas is so good at strangling and beating people. [santa_tongue]
"Willie and Julia are being especially defiant. I had best do an extra twenty laps."
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I guess that's why Barnabas is so good at strangling and beating people. [santa_tongue]
"Willie and Julia are being especially defiant. I had best do an extra twenty laps."
[lol2]
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<lol> Just imagining how heavy one of those (presumably) wool coat and cape combos would be when wet. Talk about a great upper body workout. I guess that's why Barnabas is so good at strangling and beating people. [santa_tongue]
"Willie and Julia are being especially defiant. I had best do an extra twenty laps."
[santa_grin]
hey that could be a great Years workout CN to shed these holiday pounds [santa_cheesy]
jennifer
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Cassandra appeared very briefly in issue one of the Gold Key comics.
One of the DS fans did an M. A.thesis on the Dan/"Marilyn" Ross books back in the Eighties and wrote an article about the paperbacks which I read. (Frankly, I was stunned to think of any academic worthy of the name signing off on such a thing, but since then, we've had cartloads of scholarly books published on the postmodern polsemy of Xena and Gabrielle, etc.). IIRC, Dan only ever received the script for episode 1 of DS. In the very first book, the first few pages are fairly close to some of the narrative of episode 1. I don't think he ever watched the show because he was too busy. The article mentioned him typing the final chapters of one of the books in the back seat of his station wagon while his wife drove them to the publishers because he was so close to the deadline.
To call them "pulp" fiction would be a kindness. One of my friends used to read them on the beach, a convenience because they have those big barrels in which you could toss the completed, sand-encrusted paperbacks once you were done.
They're worth having for the cover photos. The early issues of the comics had some nice photos. Apart from that, I can't imagine anyone wanting to have them around the house.
Some of the other characters did turn up in the Ross books, notably Quentin, of course. The appearance of the characters was often wildly at variance with how they appeared on the show. Quentin, I think, spent a lot of the books as a mendicant hippie adopting various outlandish disguises. Chris Jennings appeared in one book as a cold-blooded, calculating fiend. Angelique showed up as an olive skinned beauty from the West Indies, and Dr. Hoffman had an entertaining cameo in a couple of the very last books. Dan Ross also got the job of writing up the original screenplay of hoDS in novel form (it included several scenes that were deleted prior to filming), and his depictions of Julia and Professor Stokes were influenced, I think, by his work on that.
G.
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Dan Ross also got the job of writing up the original screenplay of hoDS in novel form (it included several scenes that were deleted prior to filming), and his depictions of Julia and Professor Stokes were influenced, I think, by his work on that.
Recently, I re-read the HoDS novelization, and I was struck by how easy it is to tell where the source material leaves off and Ross' embellishments pick up. The characters, particularly Stokes, Julia, and Roger, suddenly begin speaking and acting out of character. I found myself thinking, "Stokes would NEVER say that!" ;D
J-C
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<lol> Just imagining how heavy one of those (presumably) wool coat and cape combos would be when wet. Talk about a great upper body workout. I guess that's why Barnabas is so good at strangling and beating people. [santa_tongue]
"Willie and Julia are being especially defiant. I had best do an extra twenty laps."
[santa_grin]
hey that could be a great Years workout CN to shed these holiday pounds [santa_cheesy]
Ugh! My New Year's Resolution: lose 50 to 70 pounds "IN THE PLACES WHERE!"
[attachment deleted by admin]
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But Jean-Claude, you're so cuddly and cute exactly as you are!
And that's not YOUR drink, Cinderella!
Paul-ette
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But Jean-Claude, you're so cuddly and cute exactly as you are!
Well, aren't you sweet! However, such an exterior does not exactly go with my personality, which is of the "cranky old man" variety. >:D I wouldn't want to be accused of false advertising!
J-C
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Hell, I've been a cranky old man since about age 15!
And now I am a middle aged New England Luddite curmudgeon who stays home with his cat most Sat. nights.... watching Dark Shadows, of course!
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And now I am a middle aged New England Luddite curmudgeon who stays home with his cat most Sat. nights.... watching Dark Shadows, of course!
And there's absolutely nothing wrong with that. [wink2]
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And now I am a middle aged New England Luddite curmudgeon who stays home with his cat most Sat. nights.... watching Dark Shadows, of course!
And there's absolutely nothing wrong with that. [wink2]
ditto!! 8)
jennifer
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Hell, I've been a cranky old man since about age 15!
And now I am a middle aged New England Luddite curmudgeon who stays home with his cat most Sat. nights.... watching Dark Shadows, of course!
<LOL>
Yes, Saturday nights aren't what they used to be, although I don't think they ever were what they used to be in my case. ;) Usually, my Saturday nights consist of watching movies on my DVD player or <gasp!> doing homework!
J-C
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This is probably something many have seen before, but I just stumbled upon it the other day and it cracked me up (yeah, go figure)... ::)
http://home.fuse.net/darkshadowsland/Indexpap.htm
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Thanx, Heather. I've heard/read of this site but I have never visited. Nice to see something different and fun.
I flipped out over the images of Barnabas at/outside the old house. That photo session has always fascinated me to no end. What a thrill to see some new stills from it!
dom
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I'm tip-toeing over the possible spoilage in this thread, but I just wanted to say I just bought a few of the Ross novels on ebay last week! I was inspired to get 'em for my Mom b/c she couldn't stop talking about them everytime the DS subject came up in our conversations. She said she lost hers when her second marriage broke up. It was a situation where she had to get away from the guy post haste and she wound up losing ALL of her Marilyn Ross DS books. :( She hasn't found any ever since. So, I mosied on to ebay and found a marvelous deal that included 6 MR DS books, 1 DS informational book w/ pix, and Angelique's Descent. Her bday isn't till November, but hopefully I'll have built up a nice solid collection for her by then. ;) Hope she enjoys 'em! ~DJ
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Hey where can you find the books and comic these days? Do any websites sell them, or is one just stuck with Ebay?
Mel
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Hey where can you find the books and comic these days? Do any websites sell them, or is one just stuck with Ebay?
Mel
Used bookstores sometimes have the Ross books. Some comic book stores also have back issues of the Gold Key comics. I've found a few of the comics by going through the back issue bins.
- Penny Dreadful
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Hey where can you find the books and comic these days? Do any websites sell them, or is one just stuck with Ebay?
When my hubby was helping me find a few to finish my set he found some at http://www.abebooks.com
LdyAnne
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I just put three Ross books on Ebay. Here they are. Dark Shadows Ross Novel(s) (http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQsofindtypeZ15QQuseridZCrazyjenny1897QQfclZ3QQampQ3BsspagenameZhQ3AhQ3AadvsearchQ3AUSQQsofocusZbsQQcatrefZC5QQfromZR7QQpfidZ0QQsinceZ30QQfsopZ1QQfsooZ1QQfrppZ50)
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Heather, I'd never visited that site before. Hilarious, nay, Hysterical!
G.
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Heather, I'd never visited that site before. Hilarious, nay, Hysterical!
Chuckle... the funniest to me was the secret Julia story--and the one about Count Petofi's *other* appendage... >:D
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Confirm or deny: One of those novels describes Willie Loomis as "ugly" and Jeff Clark as "handsome"? There's gotta be a throw-up smiley here somewhere... lol. ~DJ
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I don't remember, but that would certainly make ME recoil in disbelief.
The author of those ... works (I am not sure just what word should be used to denote the things) once described Angelique as having an olive complexion. That shows he had no idea how the people actually appeared, apart from perhaps Liz, Barnabas, Vicki and anyone else who appeared on the covers.
G.
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There's gotta be a throw-up smiley here somewhere... lol. ~DJ
And here it is! [puke]
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lol. Thanks! [puke] I think that just about sums it up. :D ~DJ
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Wow. That was disgusting yet hilarious. I love these smileys, hehe.
What I want to do to the Sci Fi channel:
[violent4]
and...
Me over the holidays, hehe.
[8285]
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Ahh! Didn't notice the microwave smiley. You know, that reminds me of some cartoons they have over at joecartoon.com . A few of them feature an animated gerbil getting blown up in a microwave. They're interactive, too! So sick, but SO fun. >:D www.joecartoon.com ~DJ
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Ahh! Didn't notice the microwave smiley. You know, that reminds me of some cartoons they have over at joecartoon.com . A few of them feature an animated gerbil getting blown up in a microwave. They're interactive, too! So sick, but SO fun. >:D www.joecartoon.com ~DJ
That's a funny website. Thanks! Oh, have you ever seen any of the HomeStar Runner cartoons? Or Happy Tree Friends? Very funny, yet twisted stuff. I know one of the webpages is: homestarrunner.com....but you might have to google happy tree friends...but it's worth it!
-Mel
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I acquired digital copies of the Gold Key Comics on CD discs. I'm currently working on a project to archive the Ross novels onto disc as well. I've been scanning the first few and saving them to my hard drive. The problem has been finding "reading copies" of some of the later ones. I cannot bring myself to risk breaking the spine of any collectable copy of these books. All of the early novels were reprinted many times and finding beat up copies is not a problem. Many of the later ones (after 20) can be hard to find. Scanning them requires one to open the book wide and squash it under the cover of the scanner.
When I finish a quantity of the novels, I want to offer them to fans on a totally non-profit basis. I don't own the copyrights and concede that I have no right to make money off of them. Still, time is marching on, and it seems unlikely that these will be reprinted. New fans are discovering DS and might want to read these books and comics without paying a fortune for them.
One advantage to reading them on the computer has been the ability to enlarge the text. I'm coming up on my mid-forties and my eyesight isn't what it used to be, even with reading glasses. It's much easier to read the comics on the computer. Also the art looks much better when it's blown up. Using a laptop PC, I can read on the couch, in bed, just about any where in the house. Even at work, I can get through a comic in my lunch hour, comfortably from my desk.
I only question whether there is a demand for this? Are there enough fans out there who are interested in reading the books and don't already have them? As of today, I've scanned the first three novels and the Gold Key Digest.