Welcome to ’Warped Week, a weekly recap of what we’ve been up to at ’Warp Central recently. If you missed anything, now’s the perfect time to catch up!
Last Sunday we ran the super-sized Simian Saturday review of King Kong, the 2005 remake by director Peter Jackson that starred Naomi Watts, Adrien Brody, and Jack Black. (Yes, we’re aware we were a day late in posting it—hey, it’s a long movie, and our in-house reviewer [me] had a lot to say about it!)
Also on Sunday we marked the 95th anniversary of Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror, director F.W. Murnau’s classic vampire film that introduced worldwide audiences not just to the terrifying lord of the undead, Count Graf Orlok, but to the actor who so chillingly portrayed him: Max Schreck. (I also got a plug or two in about how I’ve made use of Count Orlok in some of my fiction work.)
On Monday we showed off the full cover design for King Kong, the latest addition to our Illustrated Classics library.
On Tuesday, we unleashed King Kong, an e-book exclusive that reintroduces monster fans to the 1932 novelization of the original movie classic. Written by Delos W. Lovelace, based on the story by Edgar Wallace and Merian C. Cooper and the screenplay by James A. Creelman and Ruth Rose, it includes scenes that didn’t appear in the final cut of the film—including the notorious “spider pit” sequence in which Kong’s human pursuers are attacked by horrific arachnids and insects. Our version features six original black-and-white illustrations by comics artist Paul Tuma, whose pulp-influenced style has appeared in the pages of The Twilight Avenger, Flare, and Dan Turner: Hollywood Detective.
Thursday saw the debut of Hail to the King (Kong), a series of posts that’ll focus on Kong-related merchandise and other things. The first installment showcased some lobby cards that were displayed in movie theaters for the original King Kong.
Friday was the U.S. debut of Kong: Skull Island, the latest cinematic take on the King’s story, with Tom Hiddleston (Thor), Academy Award winner Brie Larson (Room, and star of Marvel’s upcoming Captain Marvel), Samuel L. Jackson (Marvel’s The Avengers), John C. Reilly (Guardians of the Galaxy), and John Goodman (10 Cloverfield Lane) taking on the big ape. So what better time for Kong fans to purchase our King Kong novelization, right? It’s the perfect e-book to read whiole you’re standing on line at your local movie theater!
Finally, Simian Saturdays got back on track yesterday with my review of Anthony Browne’s King Kong, a children’s book adaptation of Wallace and Cooper’s original story by award-winning artist Anthony Browne.
Some week, huh? What’s coming next? You’ll have to keep checking this blog during the days ahead—or join us on Sunday for the next installment of ’Warped Week. See you then!
