And for the superhero fan on your Christmas list …

For the superhero fan
on your holiday list

Holy phenomenon! In the way-out year of 1966, the action comedy “Batman” starring Adam West premiered and triggered a tsunami of super swag, including toys, games, Halloween costumes, puppets, action figures and lunch boxes. Meanwhile, still more costumed avengers sprang forth in TV (“The Green Hornet,” “Ultraman”), movies (“The Wild World of Batwoman,” “Rat Pfink and Boo Boo”), and animation (“Space Ghost,” “The Marvel Super Heroes”). “Zowie!” traces the history of the superhero genre from early films through the 1960s TV superhero craze, and its influence on pop culture ever since. This 192-page hardcover — in pop art colors that conjure the period — spotlights the coolest collectibles and kookiest knockoffs every ’60s kid begged their parents for, and features interviews with the TV stars (West, Burt Ward, Yvonne Craig, Frank Gorshin, Burgess Meredith, Cesar Romero, Julie Newmar, Van Williams), the artists behind the comics (Jerry Robinson, Dick Sprang, Sheldon Moldoff, Carmine Infantino, Joe Giella), and more. Written and designed by Mark Voger (“Monster Mash,” “Holly Jolly”), “Zowie!” is one super read! [$43.95, TwoMorrows Publishing]

Watch the ‘Zowie!’ trailer

Trailer by Ian Voglesong | Music produced by Brian Voger. More HERE.

SEE: 13 weeks of “Zowie Wednesday” previews on the 13th Dimension website HERE.
HEAR: Mark talk “Zowie!” on the “Two Much Scrolling” podcast HERE (beginning at 38:15).
HEAR: Mark talk more “Zowie!” on the “Bobcast” podcast HERE.
HEAR: Mark talk even more “Zowie!” on the “Part-Time Fanboy” podcast HERE.

Buzz over ‘Zowie!’

■ “It’s consistent with your other books, the tone and everything.”
— Wallace Stroby (“Heaven’s a Lie,” “Some Die Nameless”)

■ “If you dug Mark Voger’s ‘Groovy’ and ‘Britmania,’ two lushly illustrated and deeply informative oversize hardcover histories of pop-culture in the ’60s, then you will most certainly want to check out ‘Zowie!’ … I can’t wait for it.” — Dan Greenfield (13th Dimension)

■ “Sold.” — Jim Beard (“Gotham City 14 Miles: 14 Essays on Why the 1960s Batman TV Series Matters”)

■ News flash: “Zowie!” sold out at the 2024 San Diego Comic Con! (I don’t know how many copies they had at the TwoMorrows booth. Maybe it was only five? But it SOLD OUT.)

Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! ‘Britmania’

Remember when long-haired British rock ’n’ rollers made teenage girls swoon — and their parents go crazy? Subtitled “The British Invasion of the Sixties in Pop Culture,” “Britmania” plunges into the period when suddenly, America went wild for All Things British. This profusely illustrated full-color hardback explores the movies (“A Hard Day’s Night,” “Having a Wild Weekend”), TV (“The Ed Sullivan Show,” “Magical Mystery Tour”), collectibles (toys, games, trading cards, lunch boxes), comics (real-life Brits in the DC and Marvel Universes) and, of course, the music. Written and designed by Mark Voger (“Monster Mash,” “Groovy,” “Holly Jolly”), “Britmania” features interviews with members of the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, The Who, the Kinks, Herman’s Hermits, the Yardbirds, the Animals, the Hollies and more. Dropping on the 60th anniversary of the Beatles’ first single … to the day. It’s a gas, gas, gas! [$43.95, TwoMorrows Publishing]

‘Britmania’ trailer by Ian Voglesong

Buzz over ‘Britmania’

■ “Reads cohesively from start to finish.”
— Wallace Stroby, author of “Heaven’s a Lie”

■ “Of course, this is a Mark Voger book, and anyone who has read his previous titles knows that style is as important to him as substance, and ‘Britmania’ over-delivers on that account. It’s full of fab full-color images of comics pages, artist portraits, album covers, adverts, and all the board games, candies, buttons, lunchboxes, jigsaw puzzles, Halloween costumes, and toys intended to cash-in on what was supposed to be a fleeting fad and not a major cultural shift we’d still be gabbing about six decades later.” — Mike Segretto, Psychobabble

■ “This one really tops it all, especially if you’re a fan of the British Invasion. I mean, this book is just beautiful.” — Keith Roth, “The Electric Ballroom”

■ “I LOVE THIS BOOK. It encapsulates its subject(s), touching on everything. An overview with a visual feast of well presented graphics.” — Richard Kolkman, “Jack Kirby Checklist: Centennial Edition”

■ “You’ll love this illustrated history of the British Invasion.” — 13th Dimension

■ “Blimey, mate! The bloke has bloodly well done it again!”
— Andrew Prendimano, author-illustrator of “The Children’s Alphabetical & Illustrated Guide to Devils & Demons”

■ 5 out of 5 stars Amazon customer rating (based on not one, but two global ratings)
■ LISTEN: Talkin’ “Britmania” on “The Electric Ballroom” radio show HERE.
■ LISTEN: Talkin’ “Britmania” on the Too Much Scrolling podcast HERE
■ LISTEN: Talkin’ “Britmania” on the Part Time Fanboy podcast HERE
■ LISTEN: Talkin’ “Britmania” with Bob Cahill on The Bobcast HERE
■ READ: “Britmania” review by Mike Segretto HERE
■ Amazon ranked #267 in TV History & Criticism (on Nov. 30, 2022)
■ 13th Dimension preview HERE
■ Mark guest-picks a “Britmania”-themed Retro Hot Picks HERE

RetroFan magazine

Be on the lookout for my RetroFan magazine column, Voger’s Vault of Vintage Varieties. TwoMorrows Publishing’s bimonthly RetroFan is a bona fide print magazine edited by Michael Eury, which celebrates “the crazy, cool culture we grew up.” Find it at Barnes & Noble, comic shops — support brick-and-mortar, yo! — or order issues online HERE. (Digital editions are also available, natch.)

ORDER AT: TwoMorrows, Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Target, Walmart

Break out the candy canes!

“Holly Jolly” is a joyous sleigh ride through the history of Christmas, from its religious origins to its emergence as a multimedia phenomenon. Subtitled “Celebrating Christmas Past in Pop Culture,” this full-color hardback explores movies (“Miracle on 34th Street,” “It’s a Wonderful Life”), music (“White Christmas,” “Little St. Nick”), TV (“Rudolph,” “The Grinch”), books (Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol”), decor (1950s silver trees), comics (super-heroes meet Santa) and more. Featuring interviews with Charles M. Schulz (“A Charlie Brown Christmas”), Andy Williams (TV’s “Mr. Christmas”), Darlene Love (“Christmas, Baby Please Come Home”) and others. Written and designed by Mark Voger (“Monster Mash,” “Groovy”), the profusely illustrated “Holly Jolly” takes readers on a time-trip to Christmases past that you will cherish all year long. [$43.95, TwoMorrows Publishing]

SEE: 40-page preview HERE.
READ: “Holly Jolly” excerpts HERE.

‘Holly Jolly’ trailer by Ian Voglesong

ORDER AT: TwoMorrows, Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Target, Walmart

What people are saying about ‘Holly Jolly’

■ “Mazel tov!” — Wallace Stroby, author of “Heaven’s a Lie”

■ “Voger has proven, once again, to be the master of all things nostalgic.” — Bradley J. Birzer, The Imaginative Conservative

■ “Voger is a master of evoking nostalgic joy.” — Mike Segretto, Psychobabble

More “Holly Jolly” reviews HERE.

■ 4.6 out of 5 stars Amazon customer rating (based on 54 global ratings)

■ Ranked #92 in “TV History & Criticism,” #561 in “Pop Culture in Social Sciences” categories (on Dec. 17, 2021)

It’s all too beautiful!

From Woodstock to “The Banana Splits,” from “Sgt. Pepper” to “H.R. Pufnstuf,” from Altamont to “The Partridge Family,” “Groovy” is a far-out trip to the era of lava lamps and love beads. This profusely illustrated hardcover book — in psychedelic color — features interviews with icons of grooviness such as Peter Max, Brian Wilson, Peter Fonda, Melanie, Donovan, David Cassidy, members of the Jefferson Airplane, Cream, the Doors, the Cowsills and Vanilla Fudge; and cast members of groovy TV shows like “The Monkees,” “Laugh-In” and “The Brady Bunch.” “Groovy” revisits the era’s rock festivals, movies, art — even comics and cartoons, from the 1968 “mod” Wonder Woman to R. Crumb and the underground. A color-saturated pop-culture history written and designed by Mark Voger (author of the Rondo Award-winning “Monster Mash”),“Groovy” is one trip that doesn’t require dangerous chemicals.

SEE ‘Groovy’ preview HERE | ORDER ‘Groovy’ at TwoMorrows, Amazon, Target, Walmart

‘Groovy’ trailer by Ian Voglesong

What people are saying about ‘Groovy’

■ “This isn’t really my thing.” — Wallace Stroby, author of “Some Die Nameless”

■ “A fun, colorful book, crammed with interviews and interesting art. Save a place for it under the Christmas tree — or next to your lava lamp.” — Jacqueline Cutler, The Star-Ledger

■ “’Groovy’ is a treasure, a true and deep examination of a decade of American pop culture, recognizing it not as merely ephemeral, but as lingering and permanently imprinted on the American psyche.” — Bradley J. Birzer, Catholic World Report

More “Groovy” reviews HERE.

■ 4.7 out of 5 stars Amazon customer rating (based on 21 global ratings)

It caught on in a flash!

Time-trip back to the amazing era when monsters stomped into the mainstream. Once Frankenstein and fiends infiltrated TV in 1957, an avalanche of monster magazines, toys, games, trading cards and comic books crashed upon an unsuspecting America. From Famous Monsters of Filmland magazine to the #1 hit “Monster Mash” to Aurora’s model kits to the TV shows “The Addams Family,” “The Munsters” and “Dark Shadows,” the Monster Craze reigned with a creepy, kooky flair. This profusely illustrated 192-page hardback in full color features interviews with James Warren, Forrest J Ackerman, John Astin, Al Lewis, Jonathan Frid, George Barris, Ed “Big Daddy” Roth, Bobby (Boris) Pickett and many others, with a foreword by Zacherley, the “Cool Ghoul.” Written and designed by Mark Voger. [TwoMorrows, $39.95]

TwoMorrows | Barnes&Noble | Amazon | Target | Walmart and others.
SEE: Preview HERE

‘Monster Mash’ trailer by Ian Voglesong

Read about how Ian created it HERE.

MVCOM-RONDO WIN

See the acceptance speech HERE. Read about the awards ceremony HERE.

Monstrous milestones

■ 4.8 out of 5 stars Amazon customer rating (based on 174 global ratings)
■ Amazon sales rank: 3,631 in all books on July 25, 2015
— in your face, “The Da Vinci Code” (at 6,223 the same day)
■ #1 New Release on Amazon in 2015
■ Previews World staff pick
■ Winner, 2015 Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Book of the Year Award
■ Second printing sold out (boo-hoo!)

What people are saying about ‘Monster Mash’

■ “ ‘Monster Mash’ is more fun than a party at Lionel Atwill’s.”
— Wallace Stroby, author of “The Devil’s Share”

■ “A party at George Zucco’s, maybe, but not Lionel Atwill’s.” — Mark Voger

■ “My office is filled with one-sheets, Aurora kits and now your tome.”
— Greg Nicotero, “The Walking Dead” director/zombie designer

■ “I almost cried when I looked through it. … I appreciate the way you connected the dots, from the horror hosts to Famous Monsters to Ed Roth and the Weird-Ohs. … Thank you for doing this book.” — Pat DiNizio, the Smithereens

More “Monster Mash” reviews HERE.

Watch Mark on the ‘Mr. Media’ video podcast

Watch Mark on Edison TV’s ‘Classic Movies’

… I’m not there anymore, but my stories are still online HERE.

For the superhero fan on your holiday list