magazine's return to print. Ackerman died just before midnight on Thursday, December 4, 2008. The revival of the classic horror magazine came in July 2010, with the publication of Famous Monsters of Filmland #251 at the Famous Monster Convention in Indianapolis, Indiana. The success of the print magazine at the Famous Monster Convention and Comic-Con International in San Diego yielded the announcement of the magazine's expansion in distribution and circulation into major bookstore chains and independent retailers throughout North America and select markets in the US, Canada, and UK. Publisher Movieland Classics, LLC announced concurrently that the magazine would be entering into a bi-monthly publication schedule to meet the significant increase in requests from readers beginning with Issue 253. As executive editor of the magazine, Ed Blair steered FM starting with Issue 256 in 2011 through issue 282 in 2015, which saw the transition of editorial leadership go to David Weiner, a 13-year veteran of the syndicated television program Entertainment Tonight. Weiner held the position through Issue 288. In 2015, Famous Monsters launched American Gothic Press, a comic book publishing imprint, marking their first foray into comics since Forrest Ackerman co-created Vampirella. The magazine won the Rondo Hatton Award for Best Classic Magazine in 2015 and 2016. The magazine also won numerous Rondo Awards for cover art, interviews, and articles under Blair's and Weiner’s leadership. Weiner also received a Rondo Hatton Award for Best Interview of the Year in 2015, for his Famous Monsters interview with Mel Brooks for the 40th anniversary of Young Frankenstein. In 2017, Famous Monsters transitioned to an annual print format with Issue 289, which saw longtime associate editor Holly Interlandi take the position of executive editor. Pop-culture connections In April 1981, the punk band The Misfits began using the magazine's distinctive logo font on most albums, T-shirts, and other associated promotional materials. In 1999, The Misfits released an album named Famous Monsters. In his 2000 non-fiction book On Writing, Stephen King describes his own history with Ackerman's work and calls Famous Monsters of Filmland a life-changing publication, adding: "Ask anyone who has been associated with the fantasy–horror–science fiction genres in the last thirty years about this magazine, and you’ll get a laugh, a flash of the eyes, and a stream of bright memories—I practically guarantee it." Famous Monsters was mentioned by Billy Bob Thornton in an infamous 2009 interview with host Jian Ghomeshi on the