Second Comics Collection Cover

Hermes Press have unveiled the cover image for Dark Shadows: The Complete Series Volume 2, which features a great vintage rendering of Barnabas Collins stalking a victim. Click on the thumbnail for a larger view.

The book is the second in a series of deluxe hardback reprints of the classic 1960s Dark Shadows comic books from Gold Key, and is due out on July 29 2010, priced $49.99. Amazon are currently offering the book at a 30% discount, and it can be pre-ordered by clicking here.

Michael Currie: 1928-2009

The Portland Press Herald has reported the death of actor Michael Currie, who played Sheriff Jonas Carter in the early episodes of Dark Shadows. Michael died on December 22 at his home in Freeport, Maine, aged 81. His other work included appearances on M*A*S*H, Soap, Dallas and Cheers. For a full obituary, click here.

Conard Fowkes: 1933-2009

Theatermania has reported the death of actor Conard Fowkes, who played lawyer Frank Garner in the early episodes of Dark Shadows. Conard died on December 14 at the age of 76.

His career included roles on Broadway, stints on Secret Storm and As The World Turns, plus a long-serving position working for the Actor's Equity council, which he held until earlier this year. To read a full obituary, click here.

Final Judgement Due in January

Big Finish's next Dark Shadows audio drama is out on CD and download in January. Final Judgement is an all-new audio drama starring Lara Parker and Kathryn Leigh Scott in an exciting story that sees Angelique and Josette fighting for survival. Here's a teaser synopsis:

"Do you swear to reveal to this jury of your peers, the truths you’ve withheld from your lord and master?"

In the afterlife, Josette has made a pact with the Dark Lord to try Angelique for crimes against true love. But Josette’s time spent as a restless spirit has taken its toll. Is she strong enough to take on her old adversary? If Angelique is convicted, then her soul is forfeit, restoring Josette to life and beauty. If not...

"I received an email from Lara Parker saying that she'd always wanted to do something where she and Kathryn Leigh Scott could really go at it,” reveals author Debbie Smith. "I immediately thought that was a wonderful idea."

Final Judgement is the second release in the new series of Dark Shadows Dramatic Readings, following on from September’s Curse of the Pharaoh. From January-May 2010, there will be five new stories, including scripts by Stephen Mark Rainey and Torchwood novelist James Goss. To order online, click here.

Dark Shadows Movie Confirmed for 2010

It's been a long time coming, but SciFiWire reports that Dark Shadows has been confirmed as Tim Burton's next film. The big budget feature film will begin shooting in late 2010, starring Johnny Depp as Barnabas Collins. 

The project had previously been delayed by director Tim Burton's ongoing commitments on his current project, Alice in Wonderland. Dark Shadows producer Graham King, updated the production's status at a recent press conference for The Young Victoria, revealing that pre-production is underway:  

"We've been working on the script a lot... John August wrote the first screenplay. We're making some changes, but the film's going to be in production [by] September or October of next year."

Second Volume of Gold Key Reprints Announced

Hot on the heels of the announcement of the first volume of 1960s Dark Shadows comic book reprints, Hermes Press has confirmed the release of a second volume, due out in Summer 2010. The publisher plans to issue the entire series in five hardcover books.

Dark Shadows: The Complete Collection Volume 2 is due out on July 29 2010 and includes digitally restored strips, plus bonus content and other features. To pre-order the book at a 30% discount from Amazon, click here. Volume 1 is still due out on March 29 2010 and can be pre-ordered by clicking here.

Ron Sproat Dies

It is with sadness that we report the death of longtime Dark Shadows writer Ron Sproat. Ron died at his apartment in Manhattan of a heart attack on November 6, aged 77. In addition to contributing numerous scripts for Dark Shadows, Ron was a key player in the development of the character of Barnabas, who cemented the show's transition into mainstream popularity. 

In addition to his work on Dark Shadows, Ron contributed scripts to several other soaps, including Strange Paradise, Never Too Young, Secret Storm and The Doctors. His other television credits included United States Steel Hour and General Motors Presents. Latterly, he worked as a magazine and feature writer, and as a lyricist contributed to musicals such as Ravenswood and Abie's Island Rose.

He is survived by his sister, and Frank Evans, his partner. Click on the links to read obituaries from Playbill and Variety.

Halloween Press Cuttings

With Halloween approaching, Dark Shadows has been getting plenty of mentions in the media:

Canadian news source CNews profiles Jonathan Frid (Barnabas), with An Interview with a 'real' Vampire; Speaking to the Los Angeles Times, Kevin Williamson, executive producer for CW's The Vampire Diaries acknowledges Dark Shadows as an influence on his new show; while Phil Guarnieri discusses the nostalgic appeal of Dark Shadows for the Floral Park Dispatch. 

Rounding off things, New York's Paley Center for the Media will host Dark Shadows at Twilight: A Paley Center Vampire Weekend, taking place on November 13-15. Dark Shadows DVD producer and author Jim Pierson will be discussing the show on Saturday 14. For more information, click here.

News Round-up

• Dark Shadows fans could recently see some familiar faces amidst the new US fall line-up. US Ivana Milicevic (2004 Angelique) guested on the October 14 episode of ABC's Eastwick, while Michael Cavanaugh (1991 Sheriff Patterson) turned up in the October 22 episode of FlashFoward.
• Barnabas Collins is featured in a poll currently being conducted by the Paley Centre for the Media. You can vote for Barnabas as your choice in the TV Vampire (S)Takedown by clicking here.
• Several readers have emailed in about the recent iTunes release of Night of Dark Shadows, which features some audio not included in the theatrical release, including additional music and some unheard dialogue. Dark Shadows movie expert Darren Gross tells me that this release accidentally uses the film's original magnetic soundtrack master, which includes some unmixed edit joins from the film's last-minute editing session. These were later smoothed out for the final release. Darren located the longer director's cut of the movie over 10 years ago, and has been working on a restoration effort, which includes reconstructing the full soundtrack. So while these glitches may leave iTunes viewers scratching their heads for now, they will play their part in the eventual restoration: "It's this aspect of the original master that's so helpful," explains Darren. "All these little bits help indicate what music was used in the scene that follows or the scene preceding it." 

Halloween is Coming

Halloween is just around the corner, so here's the Dark Shadows Journal's run-down on how to enjoy the holiday, Collinsport style. Way back when, this site hosted a Dark Shadows Halloween micro-site, featuring e-cards, desktop wallpaper and a a downloadable Barnabas jack-o-lantern pattern – just the thing for scaring away evil spirits and mad relatives in the attic.

If you're having a Halloween party, you'll need some party music, so why not check out the Dark Shadows: 30th Anniversary Collection, featuring some fantastic kitschy muzak arrangements of Robert Cobert's character themes. And if you're decorating your home with a flavour of Collinwood, then don't forget the blue candles and cobwebs. For party food ideas, the show's resident phoenix Laura, alias actress Diana Millay, has a great cookbook, I'd Rather Eat Than Act, featuring her personal recipes and tasty treats from Dark Shadows co-stars. Also, for some creepy festive viewing, check out MPI's two new DVD compilations – The Vampire Curse and The Haunting of Collinwood, plus for a midnight matinee round-off, there's the spin-off movie House of Dark Shadows, now available as a digital download.

I also realised this week that it's been 10 years since the Dark Shadows Journal launched online. The exact date is lost somewhere on a dusty hard drive, but this seems as good a time as any to celebrate. So a tip of the hat to everyone who's supported and contributed to this site over the past decade. Thank you all. Have a great Halloween everyone!

News Bites

• Night of Dark Shadows, the second Dark Shadows spin-off movie, is now available as a digital download from the iTunes store source from a new HD transfer. This version is the original theatrical edit of the film and not the mooted extended director's cut.
• Rebecca Staab (1991 Daphne Collins) is to join the cast of ABC's Desperate Housewives, as the show enters its sixth season. Rebecca plays a new permanent resident of Wisteria Lane, and makes her debut on October 25.
  
• Seaview Terrace, the original location for Collinwood, has ended its long-time affiliation with the Salve Regina University. For many years, the property's owners had leased rooms out as dormitories and teaching facilities. Seaview's owners, the Carey family, have now returned the Newport, Rhode Island location to a private property.
  
• The Greystone mansion (1991 and 2004 Collinwood) was featured in the October 12 episode of Fox's House, titled Instant Karma. The show featured exterior and interior scenes of the estate and can be viewed online for a limited time.

News in Brief

• MPI's new Dark Shadows DVD compilations The Vampire Curse and The Haunting of Collinwood are out today. Order them from Amazon by clicking on the hyperlinked titles.
• David Selby (Quentin) guested in the September 6 episode of AMC's Mad Men. His episode, The Arrangements, is available from iTunes. David also features in the LA Theatre Works' production of The Autumn Garden, which has just been released on CD.
• Congratulations to Marley Shelton (2004 Vicki), who has just become a parent. Marley gave birth to her daughter, who she has named West, on September 6.
• Big Finish Productions have announced a second series of Dark Shadows dramatic readings, featuring original cast members performing new stories on CD. The first in the new run, Curse of the Pharaoh, is available now, with five more titles following monthly from January. For more information, click here.

Classic Comic Reprints Announced

Hermes Press has announced that it is to reprint the complete series of classic Gold Key Dark Shadows comics in a series of collector's hardcover books. Each volume will feature full-colour digitally restored strips plus bonus features, including poster reprints, documentary material from the show and new essays.

Hermes' news release for the series describes the stories as: "thoughtful and beautifully crafted; they are the perfect companion for fans of the show, but they stand on their own as fine examples of compelling and effective comic book storytelling." Publisher Daniel Herman adds: "The classic Dark Shadows books have been out-of-print far too long. Our new series of complete reprints will remedy this situation and make the entire run available to old and new fans alike."

Dark Shadows: The Complete Series Volume One is available from March 2010; Provisional cover artwork is shown above. The 208 page hardcover book will retail at $49.99.

Update: Amazon are currently offering the book at a 35% discount from the retail price. To order, click here.

Amazon DVD Sale

Good news for readers with gaps in their Dark Shadows DVD collections, as Amazon are running another sale on the episode box sets. For a limited time, the entire range is available at half price, averaging at just $27.99 a volume. Here are ordering links for the discounted titles:

Dark Shadows: The Beginning (pre-Barnabas episodes):

Collection 1, Collection 2, Collection 3, Collection 4, Collection 5, Collection 6

Dark Shadows DVD Collections (episodes from Barnabas' arrival onwards):

Collection 1, Collection 2, Collection 3, Collection 4, Collection 5, Collection 6, Collection 7, Collection 8, Collection 9, Collection 10, Collection 11, Collection 12, Collection 13, Collection 14, Collection 15, Collection 16, Collection 17, Collection 18, Collection 19, Collection 20, Collection 21, Collection 22, Collection 23, Collection 24, Collection 25, Collection 26

Wayne Tippit: 1932-2009

The Los Angeles Times has reported that Wayne Tippit, who played Hiram Fisher on the 1991 Dark Shadows, died on August 28. He was 76 and had suffered from emphysema for a number of years. His many credits included stints on The Secret Storm, Search for Tomorrow and latterly Melrose Place, plus numerous television guest appearances. To read a full obituary, click here.