A monster fan remembers

Re “Forrest J Ackerman, 1916-2008,” Obituary, Dec. 6

As a girl growing up in the Bronx of the 1950s, I felt like a monster among humans -- not because I grew fangs or flew around at night like a bat but because I was female and loved monster movies. I felt like an outsider and misunderstood (just like Frankenstein’s monster), all due to circumstances beyond my control (I feel your pain, Wolfman!).

That was, until I opened my first issue of “Famous Monsters of Filmland.” I discovered I wasn’t a freak or an alien. There was an entire magazine devoted to kids like me (and yes, some of them were girls) whose fascination with the icons of monster, sci-fi and fantasy films would last a lifetime.

Thank you forever, Forry. Your legendary spirit will continue to ignite imaginations far beyond the atoms and the stars.

Deedee Messana

Los Angeles