Wonder - 15

In The Rankin/Bass Kong, Micah Harris uncovers giant apes running amuck in the Rankin/Bass universe – from The King Kong Show to King Kong Escapes to Mad Monster Party? Including an interview with the King’s crush: Linda Miller! Dustin Jablonski discovers Famous Monsters Pizza, a Monster Kid mecca in Decatur, Indiana! Lint Hatcher introduces readers to Franklin Booth, a farm kid who looked at Gustave Doré engravings, decided they were originally inked that way, and so contrived his own incredibly unique illustration style! Mickey Gunter surveys the haunted history and fandom of the creepy/beautiful Rankin/Bass feature film, The Bermuda Depths, while Robert Freese revisits the monster mash special, Mad Monster Party?, and Greg Gick discovers a half-forgotten wonderland in the book, Timeless Toys, while John Morehead gives the thumbs-up to another remarkably high end, monster movie tribute toy from NECA, and Lint Hatcher binge reads the copiously illustrated, Rankin/Bass history books of Rick Goldschmidt! Then, in Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: Crafting a Rankin/Bass Holiday Classic, Mike Bogue takes a deep dive into a veritable lynchpin of stop-motion Christmas joy – and misfit self-identification – for millions of childhood viewers. Plus, Mike traces his own reckoning with adulthood and an eventual rekindling of wonder in A Shiny Nose of a Different Color. Then, Lint Hatcher interviews Bert Stratford on his creative partnership with screenwriter, Romeo Muller, the man who added Hermey the elf, Yukon Cornelius, Bumble, and so many other amazing characters to Johnny Marks’ original Rudolph jingle. And, finally, our unofficial patron saint, G. K. Chesterton, sings the praises of Edward Lear. Over seventy full-color pages of the world’s only children’s magazine for grown-ups!