For a monster who’s preparing to celebrate his 90th anniversary in March 2023, the big boss of Skull Island, King Kong, shows no signs of slowing down these days—in fact, for a nonagenarian who died in his first screen appearance, he seems to be experiencing a brand-new major boost in popularity that will keep him even busier in the years ahead.
After his return to cinematic stardom in Legendary Pictures’ Kong: Skull Island in 2017, he went head-to-head with the king of the monsters in 2021’s Godzilla vs. Kong, the latest entry in Legendary’s “Monsterverse,” which includes 2014’s reboot of Godzilla, and 2019’s Godzilla: King of the Monsters (which brought us rebooted versions of King Ghidorah, Rodan, and Mothra).
Then in late 2020, Netflix announced that production had begun on Skull Island, an animated series that will probably be set between the events of K:SI and GvK (given the former was set in the early 1970s and the latter was contemporary). That was followed by the news that Legendary had greenlit a follow-up to GvK (under the working title of Godzilla vs. Kong 2) and was developing for Apple TV Godzilla and the Titans, a series set after the 2014 film.
And now yesterday, Disney announced their own project: a King Kong series for the Disney+ streaming service that will be produced by James Wan (director of Aquaman, Saw, and The Conjuring) in partnership with the Merian C. Cooper Estate, based on the licensed Kong novels created by artist Joe DeVito.
The creation of movie producer Merian C. Cooper and author Edgar Wallace, the original King Kong was brought to stop-motion life in 1933 by effects master Willis O’Brien and went on to become a worldwide cultural icon that inspired generations of Monster Kids who grew up to be directors, writers, and special-effects creators.
It also inspired all of us at StarWarp Concepts—here comes the shameless plug—to add the story of the king of the simian monsters to our line of Illustrated Classics!
King Kong is an e-book-only republication of 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 ofThe 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 in the 1933 original 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 1932 novelization) is available directly from the SWC webstore, so visit its product page for ordering information.
