That’s right, it was 84 years ago today, on March 2, 1933, that New York movie audiences were introduced to, and terrified by, the Eighth Wonder of the World: King Kong! Eighty-four? Man, he really looks good for his age!
And apparently he’s about to meet a whole new generation of monster-movie fans with the release of Kong: Skull Island on March 10. Produced by Legendary Pictures—the same folks who brought us 2013’s kaiju-vs.-robots Pacific Rim and 2014’s Godzilla reboot—it stars Tom Hiddleston, Brie Larson, John Goodman, Samuel L. Jackson, and John C. Reilly, and based on its trailers it looks really good. Fingers crossed.
But three days before that, we here at StarWarp Concepts will be releasing our own Kong-related project!
King Kong is an e-book exclusive that will reintroduce 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.
Not familiar with the beauty-and-the-beast story of Kong and his “love interest,” Ann Darrow (who was played by the queen of the scream queens, Fay Wray)? Well, here’s our edition’s back-cover copy to bring you up-to-date:
Ann Darrow was a down-on-her-luck actress struggling to survive in Depression-era New York when she met moviemaker Carl Denham. He offered her the starring role in his latest film: a documentary about a long-lost island—and the godlike ape named Kong rumored to live there. Denham needed a beauty as a counterpart to the beast he hoped to find, and Ann was the answer to his prayers.
Mystery, romance, a chance to turn her life around, even the possibility of stardom—to Ann, it sounded like the adventure of a lifetime! But what she didn’t count on were the horrific dangers that awaited her on Skull Island—including the affections of a love-struck monster . . .
King Kong (the SWC edition) goes on sale next Tuesday, March 7, 2017. In the meantime, visit its product page for further information.
