Friday, September 01, 2006

I Got Gremlins!


I picked up my copy of "The Gremlins" hardcover yesterday. Published in 1943 and long unavailable, Dark Horse Books is proud to present this landmark book from Roald Dahl, the author of such beloved tales as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, James and the Giant Peach, and Matilda. Digitally restored, this remarkable presentation of Dahl's classic story, lavishly illustrated by the artists of the Walt Disney Studios!
The Gremlins is the story of Gus, a British World War II fighter pilot, who during the Battle of Britain turned to look out on the wing of his plane only to see an amazing sight: a little man, no more than six inches tall with horns growing from his head, drilling a hole in the plane's wing. Gus was the first man to ever see a Gremlin, and what happened after that would change the war, and the world, forever.
Bought by Walt Disney to be produced as an animated motion picture (and considered to be the first story featuring the mythical airplane-sabotaging creatures known as Gremlins), the project was ultimately shelved and is reprinted here for the first time in over sixty years. The book was first published in 1943 and has been unavailable since that time.
Dark Horse Deluxe is producing a a Gremlins Comic book series and a line of toys to tie in with the project, the first time Gremlins toys have been made available in decades!

I am especially excited to add this book to my collection, as I have been kicking myself for years, ever since I passed up buying an original copy of this book at the Lincoln Antique Mall in Fullerton, California. We always set aside a half a day to spend shopping at the Lincoln Antique Mall (unfortunately it is now closed), as it was the largest collection of Disney memorabilia we had ever seen in once place - and all for sale! This particular trip I picked up many great items, including a framed photo of Walt Disney which looked exactly like the one on Walt's office wall. We even heard a story about how the Disney company had been cracking down on stolen Disney Company items that were ending up in collectors shops. On one of their visits to this mall, they actually asked to open up the framed picture to look for the Disney stamp on the back of the Walt's photo. Luckily for me they didn't find one, and I was able to purchase this very cool item! Because I was already spending so much cash, I decided to put The Gremilins book back to save the $250 price tag. Now thanks to Dark Horse, I am finally able to add this book to my collection, and for a measly $12.99 US!

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