Cryptology (2025)

“I, the Cryptologist, am back with editor Peter Normanton and my horrible little troop of ne’er do wells, to inflict the dread of Mars Attacks upon you—the banned cards, model kits, and despicable comics, along with a few words from the film’s deranged storyboard artist Pete von Sholly! The chilling poster art of Reynold Brown gets brought up from my vault by Steve Kronenberg, along with a host of terrifying puppets from film, and more pre-Code comic books Dr. Wertham would prefer you forget! Plus, Tim Leese spends more Hammer Time on that studio’s films, we run from another Killer “B” movie (1959’s The Manster), and Justin Marriot flips through obscure ’70s fear-filled paperbacks. It’s more retro-horror to satiate your sinister side!”

“I, the Cryptologist, throw open my putrid sanctuary, as acclaimed illustrator Alex Ross regales us with the gory lowdown on his Universal Monsters paintings. Tim Leese and Hammer Time then take us face-to-face with that studio’s classic film “Brides of Dracula.” Mark Voger puts the horrors of 3-D movies of the 1950s into focus, and editor Peter Normanton literally brings that era’s 3-D comic books to life with a mini-history, and complete 3-D story reprint! From there, we embark on a journey to discover the early origins of blood-curdling slasher movies, as a prelude to the macabre pre-Code artwork of Atlas’s Bill Everett and ACG’s 3-D maestro Harry Lazarus. Another Killer “B” movie awaits (courtesy of Steve Kronenberg), as does cartoon creepiness by Pete Von Sholly. It’s a crypt full of the macabre, prepared especially for retro horror fans!”

“If you thought you heard the rattle of bones, you were right! This time ’round, I, the Cryptologist, have dug up a few skeletons in the closet of my creepy little magazine. We have the Ghost Rider, from comic books through until his incarnation on the cinema screen! There are skulls aplenty on the covers dating back to the pulps, Martin Goodman’s Atlas Digests, and horror comics from the pre-Code era! We unearth Hy Fleishman’s hideous skeleton covers from the 1950s, along with a few of the stories he drew. “Toys from the Crypt” examines Walt Disney’s skeletons, vintage Pirates of the Caribbean models of the 1970s, plus Last Gasp’s Skull Comics and the films of William Castle. If that’s not enough, our Killer B department has exhumed a few skull and bones classics: House on Haunted Hill, The Four Skulls of Jonathan Drake and The Skull! And don’t forget our Hammertime section. So roll the bones for a magazine made especially for you retro horror fans, by Leese, Voger, the Kronenbergs, and editor Peter Normanton!”

“This time no one gets out alive, for I, your very own Cryptologist, have unleashed the walking dead for the sixth issue of my putrescent tome! It’s a gathering of zombies, journeying back to the films White Zombie and I Walked With A Zombie, before venturing on into the zombie apocalypse of George Romero and Lucio Fulci’s foul imagining. We also stagger through zombies that ran amok in the comic books of the pre-Code years, Bernie Wrightson’s cadaverous creations, and the decomposing abominations that overwhelmed the horror comics of Brazil. The contribution made by the black stars of classic horror cinema is consummately explored, digging out a few more of this atrophied brethren. But I can see you want more—so we have The Plague of Zombies in our Hammertime section, Fantaco’s macabre interpretation of Night of the Living Dead and the chilling Revenant from France. This decrepitude will have you frothing at the mouth, and it’s available especially for retro horror fans, by Tim Leese, Mark Voger, Steve & Michael Kronenberg, and editor Peter Normanton!”

“This time no one gets out alive, for I, your very own Cryptologist, have unleashed the walking dead for the sixth issue of my putrescent tome! It’s a gathering of zombies, journeying back to the films White Zombie and I Walked With A Zombie, before venturing on into the zombie apocalypse of George Romero and Lucio Fulci’s foul imagining. We also stagger through zombies that ran amok in the comic books of the pre-Code years, Bernie Wrightson’s cadaverous creations, and the decomposing abominations that overwhelmed the horror comics of Brazil. The contribution made by the black stars of classic horror cinema is consummately explored, digging out a few more of this atrophied brethren. But I can see you want more—so we have The Plague of Zombies in our Hammertime section, Fantaco’s macabre interpretation of Night of the Living Dead and the chilling Revenant from France. This decrepitude will have you frothing at the mouth, and it’s available especially for retro horror fans, by Tim Leese, Mark Voger, Steve & Michael Kronenberg, and editor Peter Normanton!”

"I bet you thought I’d forgotten you… but don’t worry, the Cryptologist never forgets his fiends! In this issue, we find out what Bela Lugosi, Boris Karloff, and their cohorts were up to when they weren’t appearing in our favorite horror movies—you’d be shocked! Plus, at long last, I’ve exhumed some of Ghastly Graham Ingels’ gruesome artwork for your delectation. Then we get to meet Norman Bates, courtesy of Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho, Robert Bloch, and his lunatic mentor Ed Gein. Psycho II scriptwriter and Fright Night director Tom Holland will be dropping by for a chilling chat—you will definitely want to hear what he has to say! As if this isn’t enough, our Killer-B section takes you back to high school and a gathering of teenage monsters, and then we launch the first part of our extensive history of the pre-Code comic book, beginning in 1938. There’s all of this and more in my crypt crammed full of the macabre from editor Peter Normanton, made just for you retro horror fans!”

"It’s me again folks, the Cryptologist, creeping among the gravestones to exhume a few more juicy morsels! This time ’round, one of my favorite leading ladies steps once more out of the dark—it’s none other than Kathryn Leigh Scott, here to discuss her time in Dark Shadows—and what a treasure she is. To help her along, I’ve unearthed a few of those old Dark Shadows comics, along with a selection of trading cards to boot. Our history of pre-Code horror continues, and we also uncover those long forgotten Fawcett horror comics. Then we go back in time to the 1970s to rediscover those ghoulish Blaxploitation movies, before coming face-to-face with Curse of the Demon and the chilling Night of the Eagle. If you have a craving for a classic B-movie or one of Hammer’s scary offspring, look no further—they’ll be waiting for you in my crypt laden with the ghoulish from TwoMorrows, made just for you retro horror fans by editor Peter Normanton!”