Get Dark Shadows book signed by David Selby!

Welcome to the Marilyn Rossaissance! Who would have guessed that a 1960s hack writer of gothic pulps would ever see such a revival in the 21st century? All 32 of his/her Dark Shadows novels are now available as audiobooks from Oasis (and read by Kathryn Leigh Scott), which is staggering enough. But the company is also producing audio editions of Ross's other gothic stories, such as Memory of Evil, Dark Legend and Shadows Over Briarcliff.

Not to be outdone, Hermes Press is publishing trade paperback reprints of the Dark Shadows line. Now available for pre-order are books 15 and 16 in the series, Barnabas Collins and the Gypsy Witch and Barnabas, Quentin and the Mummy's Curse. The latter of which is also available in a special edition limited to 200 copies that includes a signed plate by actor David Selby.

Hermes Press previously offered editions of Dark Shadows the Complete Newspaper Strips signed by actress Lara Parker, and Victoria Winters signed by Alexandra Moltke.

You can get started by clicking the links above, or by visiting the Dark Shadows collection at Hermes Press here: https://hermespress.com/collections/dark-shadows-collection

Hermes Press reissuing first Dark Shadows collection

How about some good news?

Hermes Press is bringing the first volume of its Dark Shadows series back into print. Back in 2010 the company began collecting the entire Gold Key comic book series into hardback, a collection that eventually spanned five hardcover books, a "best of" collection and a reprint of Gold Key's 1970 Dark Shadows Story Digest one-shot. All of these books have remained available in recent years, except for the first volume of the Gold Key comics collection. At the moment it's selling for $143 on Amazon, which is the cheapest it's been for years. No, really.

Hermes Press announced this morning that it's re-issuing the volume. While no release date is attached, the book is available for preorder for $49.99 at the company's website HERE. Go get it!

New editions of classic Dark Shadows novels coming in 2020

Hermes Press is done a tremeondous job of restoring much of the vintage anxilliary media associated with Dark Shadows. In addition to publishing hardcover collections of the entire Gold Key comics series that ran from 1969 to 1976,  they also brought us amazing restorations of the complete newspaper comic strip (with the Sunday editions in color) and the 1970 Dark Shadows Story Digest.

In 2020, Hermes Press will be adding reprints of the Marilyn Ross novels to their catalog. The first of 32-book series, simply titled "Dark Shadows," will be available in February and feature the novel's original cover art. After that, the series will be published bi-monthly in pairs until 2021.

It appears that the novelization of House of Dark Shadows will not be among the series, though, perhaps due to rights issues. Perhaps Hermes Press will eventually work those issues out during the coming year.

Earlier this year, the first round of audiobook adaptions of the Marilyn Ross novels went on sale. Read by Kathryn Leigh Scott, the first five books in the series -- Dark Shadows, Victoria Winters, Strangers at Collins House, The Mystery of Collinwood, The Curse of Collinwood, and Barnabas Collins -- are now available on Amazon. The availability of the CD version of these books remains unpredictable, but the entire line is available instantly through Audible.

You can pre-order the first book in the Dark Shadows series from Heremes Press HERE.

Below is the full anouncement regarding the Dark Shadows reprint series

Hermes Press to Reprint Full 32 Volumes of Vintage “Dark Shadows” Novels 

Dark Shadows: The Complete Paperback Library Reprint #1, “Dark Shadows,”; ISBN 978-1- 61345-190-8; $14.99; written by Marilyn Ross; paperback; 6 x 8 inches; printed text; archival edition; first in a series of 32 novels; available in Feb, 2020.

The classic Dark Shadows novels, originally published by Paperback Library in the 1960s and 1970s, return with Hermes Press' archival reprint of all 32 titles in the series. The reprint seriesʼ namesake debut book, “Dark Shadows,” which first saw print in December, 1966, will feature the original painted artwork on the cover.

Each of the 32 novels will present the complete text re-proofed and error free along with the faithfully reprinted cover art. The Hermes Press reprints will present the titles in an enlarged 6 inch by 8 inch format, printed on archival paper and permanently bound for reading enjoyment without cracking or loose pages. Each book in the series is based on the Dark Shadows television serial created by Dan Curtis and was written by prolific fiction author William Edward Daniel Ross under the pen name of Marilyn Ross. The forerunner to today's immensely popular vampire and supernatural themed television programs and theatrical films, Dark Shadows still garners serious attention as an iconic TV show with a devoted cult following and a new primetime series planned for 2020.

Initially focusing on young governess Victoria Winters and the mysterious happenings at the isolated New England estate Collinwood, the stories gradually shift to emphasize tormented vampire Barnabas Collins. Hermes Press' complete reprint of the 1966-72 series of Dark Shadows novels makes the entire collection of these classic books available once again to fans of gothic romance, suspense and alluring tales and compelling characters of Dark Shadows.

Subsequent reprints of books #2-32 will follow in pairs on a bi- monthly basis throughout 2020-21. 

The Marilyn Ross renaissance is upon us

As long as there's loneliness, Marilyn Ross will never go out of style. Ross's books are made to be read alone in bed, preferably on cold, grey mornings. They're pure, undiluted escapism.

Ross was one of many pen names used by Dan Ross, a one-man gothic romance Gutenberg press. The sheer volume of his work was enough to land him in Guinness World Records. In about five years, Ross churned out 32 Dark Shadows novels, alone, before they ceased publication in 1972. (Among that number was the novelization of 1970's House of Dark Shadows.) That adds up to more than 5,100 pages.

Early in 2020, the Dark Shadows series will be going back into print. My source tells me the announcement is pending, but we can expect to see the classic Dark Shadows novels in print beginning in February. Hermes Press, the company that painstakingly restored the entire Dark Shadows comic series from Gold Key and the syndicated newspaper strip, is publishing them.



Earlier this year, the first round of audiobook adaptions of the Marilyn Ross novels went on sale. Read by Kathryn Leigh Scott, the first five books in the series -- Dark Shadows, Victoria Winters, Strangers at Collins House, The Mystery of Collinwood, The Curse of Collinwood, and Barnabas Collins -- are now available on Amazon. The availability of the CD version of these books remains unpredictable, but the entire line is available instantly through Audible.

Stay tuned for more details.

Lara Parker signed Dark Shadows hardcover announced

Hermes Press will have a limited edition variant of its upcoming book "Dark Shadows: The Complete Newspaper Strips" available for sale at this year's Comic-Con in San Diego, Calif.

The 224-page hardcvover is set for release on July 10 and gathers the entire Ken Bald-illustrated newspaper strip that ran from 1971-1972. I was lucky enough to get an advance look at this book and it's gorgeous, but the edition that will be available at Comic-Con has a few key differences. Not only does it have a modified cover design, but it comes with a special tipped-in plate signed by Lara Parker. This edition is available for pre-order through the Hermes Press website HERE but can only be picked up or purchased directly at their Comic-Con booth July 19-22.

You can pre-order "Dark Shadows: The Complete Newspaper Strips" from Amazon at https://amzn.to/2tNNjgN.

A closer look at Dark Shadows: The Complete Newspaper Strips

It's not a hoax! It's not a dream! The hardcover, restored edition of "Dark Shadows: The Complete Newspaper Strips" is finally happening!

Hermes Press publisher Dan Herman has shared a video that takes us behind the scenes of the new book, which has been in development for several years. In the video, Herman touches on the "detective work" needed to track down the missing strips, discusses the steps taken to restore the color on the Sunday strips, and teases a "special" edition of the book ... which has already been printed! You can watch the video at the bottom of this post.

Hermes Press has been fighting to get this collection published for almost as long as The Collinsport Historical Society has been around. The company successfully reprinted the entire run of the Gold Key comics line (as well as the "story digest" novella from 1970) but production of this particular title have stalled on several occasions.

And the 224-page hardbound collection looks to be a keeper. While the various DARK SHADOWS comics that have appeared over the years have featured some terrific artwork, Ken Bald's linework on the newspaper strip might the best of the bunch. It's reportedly Bald's favorite work of his career, which is no small statement given that Guinness World Records has crowned him as the world's "oldest comic book artist." The man has worked on everything from "Doc Savage" and "Captain America" to "Dr. Kildare."

The edition coming from Hermes Press differs in some significant ways from the collection published by Pomegranate Press in 1996. First off, it includes the Sunday strips in color for the first time. More importantly, though, the landscape edition of the book allows for the individual strips to be printed 10-15 percent larger than they appeared in newspapers. The artwork in these strips is finally getting the showcase it deserves.

The release of "Dark Shadows: The Complete Newspaper Strips" is just a few short weeks away. You can pre-order it now on Amazon for 20% off at https://amzn.to/2J2CvFT. It is also available directly from the publisher HERE.

The Dark Shadows newspaper strip collection is at the printers

The Dark Shadows newspaper strip made its debut on this day in 1971, so it seems appropriate to share some news about a collected edition of this series: the hardback, restored collection that's been promised by Hermes Press since 2014 is now at the printer!

Hermes Press has been fighting to get this book published for almost as long as this website has been around. The company successfully reprinted the entire run of the Gold Key comics line, but pre-orders for this particular title have stalled on several occasions. This has been disappointing to me, personally, because the Ken Bald illustrated newspaper strips are among the best of the licensed materials ever spun out of DARK SHADOWS.

The 224-page hardbound collection looks to be a keeper. Not only is it chock full of bonus material, but this edition reprints Sunday strips in color for the first time. While the various DARK SHADOWS comics that have appeared over the years have featured some terrific artwork,  Bald's linework on the newspaper strip might the best of the bunch. It's reportedly Bald's favorite work of his career, which is no small statement given that Guinness World Records has crowned him as the world's "oldest comic book artist." The man has worked on everything from "Doc Savage" and "Captain America" to "Dr. Kildare."

A paperback collection of these strips was published in 1996 by Kathryn Leigh Scott's Pomegranate Press. For whatever reason, those strips were published in format that emulated the dimensions of traditional comic books. This meant shrinking the strips down to sizes that weren't always pleasant to the eye. The Hermes Press edition presents the strips in a landscape format, two strips per page to better appreciate Bald's artwork. (Note: The Sunday strips have three-deck layouts and get entire page to themselves.) Also, this collection presents the Sunday strips as they were original published ... in color.

Amazon is predicting a July 10 release for "Dark Shadows: the Complete Newspaper Strips," and has the book available for pre-order HERE. (It is also available for pre-order directly from the publisher HERE.)

You can get a look at the cover and interior samples below.

Dark Shadows: The Missing Color Strips

Back in May, Hermes Press announced its intentions to publish a new edition of the DARK SHADOWS newspaper strips. The concept differs in two significant ways from the 1996 black and white Pomegranate Press edition. First, Hermes intends to reproduce Ken Bald's original strips in a landscape format in keeping with the dimensions of the original art. Second, the new edition will present the Sunday comic strips in full color.

The second point is presenting something of an obstacle, though. Hermes is missing a number of the color installments from the final months of the strips run. This is where YOU can help.

DARK SHADOWS fans are notoriously meticulous and have managed to hold onto even the most ephemeral aspects of the original series. Hell, when a single episode of the original series was discovered missing from the archives, a fan stepped up with an audio recording made in their living room back in 1971, helping MPI Home Video recreate it for VHS and DVD releases. STAR TREK fans ain't got nothing on us.

So this task ought to be super easy. Hermes Press needs color scans of just 17 strips to complete the book. Below is a list of the dates of the missing strips. If you have copies, contact the publisher at [email protected] to see how you can help make this project happen. The publisher needs high-resolution scans of the original strips, so a minimum resolution of 300 dpi, please.

Contributors will also get a "thank you" in the finished book!

You can preorder Dark Shadows the Complete Newspaper Strips on Amazon HERE.

About that DARK SHADOWS comicstrip collection: Part 2

UPDATE:  I just received word from Hermes Press that DARK SHADOWS THE COMPLETE NEWSPAPER DAILIES  is "on hold" because of low advance orders. The book has not been cancelled, though, and could be re-solicited in 2015.

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If you pre-ordered DARK SHADOWS THE COMPLETE NEWSPAPER DAILIES on Amazon, you received an e-mail last week notifying you the order had been cancelled "due to a lack of availability." The book had originally been scheduled for release in early September, but the date came and went without orders being fulfilled. I contacted the publisher, Hermes Press, about the situation, and their spokesperson told me that advance orders for the book had been too low to meet that particular deadline. The company still planned to proceed with the book, but it would take a little time to get those advance sales numbers up.

Ordinarily, I wouldn't run an update like this without input from the publisher. I've been getting e-mails from people curious about the book's status, and I simply don't know what's going on. I've sent two messages to Hermes Press since Oct. 27 and have yet to get a response. There could be a number of perfectly valid explanations for this silence, but I've got a lot of dead links on this site leading to the Amazon sales page for DARK SHADOWS THE COMPLETE NEWSPAPER DAILIES that need to be addressed.

At the moment, I'm not exactly brimming with confidence that this book will ever see the light of day. The advance orders were extraordinarily low for a book with the broad fanbase of DARK SHADOWS. Maybe there's just no demand for the product ... but it disturbs me that businesses have a habit of folding after trying to sell DARK SHADOWS products to apathetic fans. Spectre Toys produced exactly three Mego-inspired dolls based on characters from the original series before going out of business. Majestic Studios, which produced three museum-quality DARK SHADOWS dolls, also seems to have disappeared. Dynamite pulled the plug on their various DARK SHADOWS comics, while they've been able to keep bottom-shelf characters like The Green Hornet, Red Sonja and The Six Million Dollar Man in print.

The day I have to run an announcement that Big Finish has ceased production on their line of DARK SHADOWS audiodramas it probably the day I stop updating this website. If fans want to keep DARK SHADOWS alive and relevant, they need to begin mobilizing to support these products.

About that DARK SHADOWS comicstrip collection ...

If you are among those to pre-order DARK SHADOWS THE COMPLETE NEWSPAPER DAILIES, you're already aware that there's been a delay in the book's publication.

Scheduled for release Sept. 9, a representative of Hermes Press told me the book has been delayed because of low pre-orders.While a new release date has not yet been scheduled, I've been assured DARK SHADOWS THE COMPLETE NEWSPAPER DAILIES has not been cancelled. It's just a matter of waiting for the company to received the appropriate number of orders before going into production.

In May, Hermes Press began soliciting help from collectors to complete work on the 224-page hardcover collection. The company was looking for complete copies of the original strips as they appeared in print, covering the publication dates of Nov. 14 1971 to March 4 1972. I suspect these strips were needed specifically as color keys for the Sunday strips, which will be reproduced in color for the first time as part of this publication.

While the various DARK SHADOWS comics that have appeared over the years have featured some terrific art, Ken Bald's work on the newspaper strip might the best of the bunch. It's reportedly Bald's favorite work of his career, which is no small statement. Bald has worked on everything from DOC SAVAGE to CAPTAIN AMERICA to DR. KILDARE during his long career.

If you've got an interesting in seeing this book become a reality, please consider pre-ordering a copy on Amazon.