Twilight Zone literature
Encyclopedia
Twilight Zone literature is an umbrella term for the many books and comic books which concern or adapt The Twilight Zone
television series.
himself. An example is Twilight Zone: 19 Original Stories on the 50th Anniversary
, though it was edited by Serling's widow Carol Serling.
Gold Key Comics
published a long-running Twilight Zone comic that featured the likeness of Serling introducing both original stories and occasional adaptations of episodes. The comic outlived the television series by nearly 20 years and Serling by nearly a decade. A later revival of Twilight Zone comics was published by Now Comics
, spinning off of the 1980s revival of the show.
In 2008, The Savannah College of Art & Design and publisher Walker & Company collaborated to produce a series of graphic novel adaptations of episodes from the series that were written by Rod Serling.
published an episode-by-episode guide of the original series
, The Twilight Zone Companion (published by Bantam Books
) which became a best-seller and greatly influenced future tomes on television series.
as editor, The Twilight Zone Magazine featured horror fiction
and to some extent other forms of fantasy
and some borderline science fiction
. From March 1986 until its last issue of June 1989 the editor was Tappan King
, who also edited its "twisted sister" publication, Night Cry. The TZ Magazine reviewed and previewed new movies while publishing articles about the original and revival
Twilight Zone television series, among other cultural oddities. It was the most reliable market for much of the best short horror in that period and appealed to audiences for the likes of Fangoria
and Starlog
as well as for The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction and Whispers
. Like Omni Magazine, which it also somewhat resembled, it was published by a company better-known for "skin" magazines, Gallery
' s Montcalm Publishing. The all-fiction digest-sized companion, Night Cry, makes a cameo in The Simpsons
300th episode, "Barting Over
". On occasion, the magazine and digest reprinted often-anthologized short stories, introducing a new generation of horror aficionados to classic short stories by veteran writers such as "The Voice in the Night
" by William Hope Hodgson
, and The Bookshop by Nelson Bond.
The Twilight Zone
The Twilight Zone is an American television anthology series created by Rod Serling. Each episode is a mixture of self-contained drama, psychological thriller, fantasy, science fiction, suspense, or horror, often concluding with a macabre or unexpected twist...
television series.
Novels
Numerous novelizations were published based upon episodes of Twilight Zone, as were several volumes of original short stories published under the Twilight Zone brand and edited by Rod SerlingRod Serling
Rodman Edward "Rod" Serling was an American screenwriter, novelist, television producer, and narrator best known for his live television dramas of the 1950s and his science fiction anthology TV series, The Twilight Zone. Serling was active in politics, both on and off the screen and helped form...
himself. An example is Twilight Zone: 19 Original Stories on the 50th Anniversary
Twilight Zone: 19 Original Stories on the 50th Anniversary
Twilight Zone: 19 Original Stories on the 50th Anniversary is a collection of short stories written by various authors and edited by Carol Serling, the widow of series creator Rod Serling. Each story was written with themes or styles similar to The Twilight Zone episodes, including narrated...
, though it was edited by Serling's widow Carol Serling.
Comics
The Twilight Zone is referenced several times in the Sunday Newspaper Funnies Comic Buck Rogers in the 25th Century - March 27th 1932 - to describe the area on the planet Mercury between the side that is always facing the sun and the planet side that is always shrouded in icy darkness. Buddy Deering of Earth and Alura Princess of Mars are helping in the battle between The Kollanians - inhabitants of the eternally frozen hemisphere and The Odlannians - of the blazing Desert hemisphere. (Page 114 of the recently republished adventures of - Buck Rogers in the 25th Century: The Complete Newspaper Sundays Volume One 1930 - 1933)Gold Key Comics
Gold Key Comics
Gold Key Comics was an imprint of Western Publishing created for comic books distributed to newsstands. Also known as Whitman Comics, Gold Key operated from 1962 to 1984.-History:...
published a long-running Twilight Zone comic that featured the likeness of Serling introducing both original stories and occasional adaptations of episodes. The comic outlived the television series by nearly 20 years and Serling by nearly a decade. A later revival of Twilight Zone comics was published by Now Comics
NOW Comics
NOW Comics was a comic book publisher founded in late 1985 by Tony C. Caputo as a sole-proprietorship. During the four years after its founding, NOW grew from a one-man operation to operating in 12 countries, and published almost 1,000 comics books....
, spinning off of the 1980s revival of the show.
In 2008, The Savannah College of Art & Design and publisher Walker & Company collaborated to produce a series of graphic novel adaptations of episodes from the series that were written by Rod Serling.
Guides
In 1982, Marc Scott ZicreeMarc Scott Zicree
Marc Scott Zicree is an American science fiction author, television writer, and screenwriter. He is also the author of "The Twilight Zone Companion", a detailed history of Rod Serling's series The Twilight Zone...
published an episode-by-episode guide of the original series
The Twilight Zone (1959 TV series)
The Twilight Zone is an American anthology television series created by Rod Serling, which ran for five seasons on CBS from 1959 to 1964. The series consisted of unrelated episodes depicting paranormal, futuristic, dystopian, or simply disturbing events; each show typically featured a surprising...
, The Twilight Zone Companion (published by Bantam Books
Bantam Books
Bantam Books is an American publishing house owned entirely by Random House, the German media corporation subsidiary of Bertelsmann; it is an imprint of the Random House Publishing Group. It was formed in 1945 by Walter B. Pitkin, Jr., Sidney B. Kramer, and Ian and Betty Ballantine...
) which became a best-seller and greatly influenced future tomes on television series.
Magazines
Beginning in 1981 and with T. E. D. KleinT. E. D. Klein
Theodore "Eibon" Donald Klein is an American horror writer and editor.Klein has published very few works, but they have all achieved positive notice for their meticulous construction and subtle use of horror: critic S. T...
as editor, The Twilight Zone Magazine featured horror fiction
Horror fiction
Horror fiction also Horror fantasy is a philosophy of literature, which is intended to, or has the capacity to frighten its readers, inducing feelings of horror and terror. It creates an eerie atmosphere. Horror can be either supernatural or non-supernatural...
and to some extent other forms of fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
and some borderline science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
. From March 1986 until its last issue of June 1989 the editor was Tappan King
Tappan Wright King
Tappan Wright King is an American editor and author in the field of fantasy fiction, best known for editing The Twilight Zone Magazine and its...
, who also edited its "twisted sister" publication, Night Cry. The TZ Magazine reviewed and previewed new movies while publishing articles about the original and revival
The New Twilight Zone
The Twilight Zone is the first of two revivals of Rod Serling's acclaimed 1950/60s television series of the same name. It ran for two seasons on CBS before producing a final season for syndication.-Series history:...
Twilight Zone television series, among other cultural oddities. It was the most reliable market for much of the best short horror in that period and appealed to audiences for the likes of Fangoria
Fangoria (magazine)
Fangoria is an internationally-distributed US film fan magazine specializing in the genres of horror, slasher, splatter and exploitation films, in regular publication since 1979.-Planning:...
and Starlog
Starlog
Starlog was a monthly science-fiction film magazine published by Starlog Group Inc. The magazine was created by publishers Kerry O'Quinn and Norman Jacobs. O'Quinn was the magazine's editor while Jacobs ran the business side of things, dealing with typesetters, engravers and printers. They got...
as well as for The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction and Whispers
Whispers (Magazine/Anthologies)
Whispers was probably the most widely respected and one of the most ambitious of the new horror and fantasy fiction magazines of the 1970s. It became at least as visible and nearly as influential as a series of mostly original anthologies in the 1980s....
. Like Omni Magazine, which it also somewhat resembled, it was published by a company better-known for "skin" magazines, Gallery
Gallery (magazine)
Gallery is a men's magazine begun by Montcalm Publishing in 1972. It is one of the more popular "skin" magazines that arose on the Playboy magazine pattern in the 1970s...
The Simpsons
The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
300th episode, "Barting Over
Barting Over
"Barting Over" is an episode of The Simpsons advertised by Fox, and indicated on-screen, to be the 300th episode of the show . It aired on February 16, 2003. In this episode, Bart discovers that he used to be a child star in commercials—and that Homer blew all the money he earned...
". On occasion, the magazine and digest reprinted often-anthologized short stories, introducing a new generation of horror aficionados to classic short stories by veteran writers such as "The Voice in the Night
The Voice in the Night
"The Voice in the Night" is a short story by William Hope Hodgson, first published in the November 1907 edition of Blue Book Magazine.The story has been adapted a number of times, most prominently in the 1963 Japanese film Matango....
" by William Hope Hodgson
William Hope Hodgson
William Hope Hodgson was an English author. He produced a large body of work, consisting of essays, short fiction, and novels, spanning several overlapping genres including horror, fantastic fiction and science fiction. Early in his writing career he dedicated effort to poetry, although few of his...
, and The Bookshop by Nelson Bond.
See also
- Science fiction magazineScience fiction magazineA science fiction magazine is a publication that offers primarily science fiction, either in a hard copy periodical format or on the Internet....
- Fantasy fiction magazine
- Horror fiction magazineHorror fiction magazineA horror fiction magazine is a magazine that publishes primarily horror fiction with the main purpose of scaring or frightening the reader. Horror magazines can be in print, on the internet, or both.-Defunct magazines:*The Arkham Collector...
- Online magazineOnline magazineAn online magazine shares some features with a blog and also with online newspapers, but can usually be distinguished by its approach to editorial control...
- MagazineMagazineMagazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...