Everyone knows the story of Champ, the mysterious monster allegedly living at the bottom of the big lake that inspired its name. But what about the bats with human faces sighted outside Rutland? How about the pet-eating Pigman of Northfield? Or the cats with freakishly long legs that roam the dumpsters in Burlington? Thankfully, there is now a guide to the monsters, creatures and oddities that observers say have been haunting Vermont's woods and lakes for hundreds of years.
"I wouldn't say that Vermont has more monsters than other states," said Joseph Citro, author of "The Vermont Monster Guide," published this month by the University Press of New England. "But we are home to some of my favorite monsters." Stephen R. Bissette, who drew the outlandish and sometimes grotesque drawings of the monsters in the book, agreed, adding that since Vermont is an "old state," it has collected a unique bunch of monster tales.
"For some people, Vermont still sounds like a fantastic and exotic location," said Bissette, who pointed to a tabloid article from the early 1990s that proclaimed bats with human faces had been found in the Green Mountain National Forest near Rutland.
The unknown is not new territory for Citro and Bissette. Both native Vermonters, the two friends previously collaborated on "The Vermont Ghost Guide," which tracked spooky tales across the state.
Citro, who said his love of these stories came from his father "spinning yarns" while he was growing up in Chester, has made a career out of writing about weird regional legends. Bissette, a retired cartoonist living in Windsor and teaching at the Center for Cartoon Studies in White River Junction, is known for his horror comics, including his 1980s Swamp Thing stories with British writer Alan Moore.
"Steve was the perfect collaborator for this project," Citro said. "His style really brings these creatures to life. He's just really good."
To view the rest of this article, please visit the source
[img]fpiconarticle.gif[/img].
Views : 1
Two New Zealanders will leave for Mongolia's Gobi Desert next week on an ambitious expedition to find the fabled acid-spitting and lightning-throwing Mongolian death worm.
The worm has never been documented but some Mongolians are convinced it exists. They call it Allghoi Khorkhoi, or "intestine worm" because it resembles a cow's intestine and is about 1.5m long.
They say it jumps out of the sand and kills people by spitting concentrated acid or shooting lightning from its rectum over long distances.
Auckland-based journalist David Farrier, who is organising the expedition, and Motueka-based cameraman Christie Douglas, leave on Tuesday to spend two weeks in the Gobi, trying to verify the worm's existence and making a documentary about it.
They will hire local Mongolians to help them; a guide, translator and cook.
Farrier, who works for TV3, told NZPA he had always been fascinated by cryptozoology, or the search for hidden creatures.
The expedition and documentary, which would cost him between $15,000 and $20,000, would take a serious look at the worm and what it was, Farrier said.
He said he was interested in the death worm because it was one of the most outrageous creatures that were rumoured to exist.
[i]To view the rest of this article, please visit the source[/i]
Source
Views : 152