It’s Storytime with King Kong at Simian Saturdays

Posted on March 11, 2017 by steven

Browne-King-Kong Over at the StarWarp Concepts blog, you’ll find the latest installment of Simian Saturdays, a series of reviews I’ve been doing that examine the movies (and other media) that focused on King Kong, the giant monkey who’s captured generations of monster fans’ hearts. It’s part of SWC’s celebration of King Kong, the latest addition to its Illustrated Classics library that’s now on sale.

In week 1, I reviewed the original King Kong, from 1933. Week 2 was the 1976 remake of King Kong. Week 3 was the 2005 remake of King Kong by director Peter Jackson (The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit). Today it’s Anthony Browne’s King Kong, a children’s book adaptation of the original story by Edgar Wallace and Merian C. Cooper. Go check it out!

King Kong (the SWC Illustrated Classic) is an e-book-only release 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. The SWC 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.

King Kong is on sale right now, so visit its product page at StarWarp Concepts for ordering information.

StarWarp Concepts’ Classics Collection

Posted on March 9, 2017 by steven

This past Tuesday saw the release of King Kong, an e-book-exclusive release that’s the latest entry in StarWarp Concepts’ growing collection of classic dark-fantasy titles. 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’s the novelization of the original 1933 film that introduced monster-movie fans to a version of “Beauty and the Beast” like no other. The SWC edition features 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. The SWC version also features six original black-and-white illustrations by comics artist Paul Tuma.

King Kong, however, isn’t the only title that Panatics might find interesting—just check out the following:

Carmilla is J. Sheridan Le Fanu’s 19th-century classic vampiric tale of love gone wrong. Laura is so desperate for a friend that when a young woman named Carmilla practically turns up on the doorstep of the castle owned by Laura’s father, she thinks her prayers for companionship have been answered. But as she comes to realize, Carmilla isn’t as interested in making friends as she is in spilling blood. Regarded as the one of the earliest female vampire tales—if not the first—Carmilla was an influence on author Bram Stoker in the creation of the vampire brides in his seminal novel, Dracula, and remains a popular character in fiction to this day. Just like with A Princess of Mars, our edition contains six original illustrations done especially for StarWarp Concepts by the super-talented Eliseu Gouveia (The Saga of Pandora Zwieback #0, The Saga of Pandora Zwieback Annual #1).

Snow White is the classic story by the Brothers Grimm, and was the first of our e-book-exclusive titles. You know the tale: A wicked queen, jealous of her stepdaughter’s beauty, plots to kill the girl so that the queen can become “the fairest of them all.” But standing in her way are seven dwarves who’ve taken quite a liking to the young lady—and they’re not about to let the queen win this particular beauty title. Featuring lush full-color illustrations first published in 1883, it’s always on sale for the wickedly low price of just 99¢!

White Fell—The Werewolf: Originally published in 1896 as The Were-wolf, the launch title in the new SWC Horror Bites line was written by renowned author, artist, and suffragette Clemence Annie Housman, and is regarded by scholars as perhaps the first feminist werewolf story. In it, a beautiful woman named White Fell wanders into a snowbound village—and into the hearts of twin brothers, one of whom immediately becomes smitten by her. The other brother, however, soon grows suspicious of the enigmatic White Fell. Where did she come from? Why does she always carry an ax? And is her sudden appearance somehow related to the recent sightings of a bloodthirsty wolf in the area? He may come to regret being so inquisitive…

Carmilla and White Fell—The Werewolf are available in both print and digital formats; King Kong and Snow White are digital exclusives. Visit their respective product pages at StarWarp Concepts for ordering information.

King Kong Now On Sale!

Posted on March 7, 2017 by steven

King-Kong-Final-FrontCvr Hey, Panatics! On sale today from the StarWarp Concepts webstore is King Kong, an e-book-exclusive reprint of the 1932 novelization of the original motion picture, and the latest addition to SWC’s line of classic books. Written by Delos W. Lovelace, based on the story by Edgar Wallace and Merian C. Cooper, the SWC edition features six brand-new illustrations by pulp-comics artist Paul Tuma (Tales of the Green Hornet, The Twilight Avenger).

Not familiar with the story of the king of the monsters and the woman with whom he falls in love, resulting in one of the strangest “beauty and the beast” stories of all time? For shame! I thought all monster fans knew Kong’s story by now. Well, no biggie—allow me to present you with the back-cover copy from SWC’s edition:

Ann Darrow was a down-on-her-luck actress struggling to survive in Depression-era New York City 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…

Originally published in 1932, this fast-paced novelization includes scenes that never appeared in the final version of the classic 1933 film—the most famous of them being the gruesome Skull Island “spider pit” sequence, in which hordes of monstrous arachnids attempt to devour Ann’s rescuers!

Critics have certainly enjoyed this novelization:

“A cracking adventure that shoots along at breakneck pace.”
—The Science Fact & Science Fiction Concatenation

“Lovelace’s novelization is an interesting read and moves with a breezy pace. Fascinating for fans of the film.”—Library Thing

“Recommended for hard-core Kongites.”—Sci-Fi Dimensions

King Kong is available right now for download, so visit its product page at StarWarp Concepts for further information, including a free pair of sample chapters.

Simian Saturdays Hobbits Along with King Kong 2005

Posted on March 6, 2017 by steven

king-kong2005 Over at the StarWarp Concepts blog, you’ll find the third installment of Simian Saturdays, a series of reviews I’ve been doing that examine the movies (and other media) that focused on King Kong, the giant monkey who’s captured generations of monster fans’ hearts. It’s part of the SWC countdown to the March 7 (tomorrow!) release of King Kong, the next addition to its Illustrated Classics library.

In week one, I reviewed the original King Kong, from 1933. Last week, it was the 1976 remake of King Kong. Now it’s the 2005 remake of King Kong by director Peter Jackson (The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit), starring Naomi Watts (The Ring), Adrien Brody (Predators), Jack Black (Kung Fu Panda), and motion-capture artist Andy Serkis (Avengers: Age of Ultron) as the giant monkey who likes climbing New York skyscrapers. Go check it out!

King Kong (the SWC Illustrated Classic) is an e-book-only release 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. The SWC 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.

King Kong goes on sale tomorrow, March 7, 2017. In the meantime, visit its product page at StarWarp Concepts for further information.

That Monkey Has Aged Really Well…

Posted on March 2, 2017 by steven

king-kong-cvr Hey, fellow monster kids! Can you believe it? Eighty-four years ago today, on March 2, 1933, New York movie audiences got to feast their eyes on, and get the crap scared out of them by, the Eighth Wonder of the World: King Kong! Looks good for his age, doesn’t he?

Of course I’m not just mentioning this momentous occasion because I’m a lover of that big ol’ lug’s movie—after all, star Fay Wray was my first scream queen—but because, as I’ve none-too-subtly mentioned a number of times at this blog, Pan’s publisher, StarWarp Concepts, is publishing a King Kong title of its own.

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. The SWC 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? Well, here’s the back-cover copy from the SWC edition 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.

King Kong (the SWC edition) goes on sale next Tuesday, March 7, 2017. In the meantime, visit its product page for further information.

Simian Saturdays Climbs the World Trade Center with King Kong 1976

Posted on February 25, 2017 by steven

KingKong-1976 Over at the StarWarp Concepts blog, it’s the second installment of Simian Saturdays, a series of reviews I’m doing that examine the movies (and other media) that focused on King Kong, the giant monkey who’s captured generations of monster fans’ hearts. It’s part of the SWC countdown to the March 7 release of King Kong, the next addition to its Illustrated Classics library.

Last week, I reviewed the original King Kong, from 1933. Today, it’s the 1976 remake of King Kong, starring Jessica Lange (American Horror Story), Jeff Bridges (Iron Man), Charles Grodin (Midnight Run), and effects master Rick Baker (An American Werewolf in London) as the big ape with the deadly obsession for blond-haired actresses. Go give it a read!

King Kong goes on sale on March 7, 2017. In the meantime, visit its product page at StarWarp Concepts for further information.

Simian Saturdays Looks at the First King Kong

Posted on February 18, 2017 by steven

king_kong_ver7 Over at the StarWarp Concepts blog, today is the premiere installment of Simian Saturdays, a series of reviews I’m doing that examine the movies (and other media) that focused on King Kong, the giant monkey who’s captured generations of monster fans’ hearts over eight-plus decades. It’s part of the SWC countdown to the March 7 release of King Kong, the latest addition to its Illustrated Classics library.

For my first review, I take a look at the movie that started it all: the original, 1933 version of King Kong, starring Fay Wray as heroine Ann Darrow, Robert Armstrong as showman Carl Denham, and Bruce Cabot as Ann’s love interest, Jack Driscoll. Makes sense, right? So head on over to the SWC blog for Simian Saturdays, Episode 1—whether or not you’ve ever seen the original Kong, you might learn a thing or two!

King Kong goes on sale on March 7, 2017. In the meantime, visit its product page at StarWarp Concepts for further information.

This Weekend, Get Ready for Simian Saturdays!

Posted on February 16, 2017 by steven

Simian Saturdays? “What kind of alliterative title is that?” you ask. “I bet it’s got something to do with monkeys!”

And you’d be right, although it doesn’t have anything to do with the kind of mythological orang pendek that Pan ran into in the pages of her first novel, Blood Feud (although she’d probably continue mispronouncing it as “orange pendant” if it did).

No, Simian Saturdays is a series of posts that start this weekend at the StarWarp Concepts blog in which I’ll be examining the movies (and other media) that’s focused on King Kong, the giant monkey who’s captured generations of monster fans’ hearts (like yours and mine) over the past eighty-plus years.

It’s part of the countdown that Pan’s publisher, StarWarp Concepts, is hosting that leads to their March 7th release of King Kong, the next addition to the Illustrated Classics library (the other titles being Edgar Rice Burroughs’s sci-fi adventure A Princess of Mars, J. Sheridan Le Fanu’s vampire romance Carmilla, and the Brothers Grimm’s Snow White).

King Kong is an e-book-only release 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. The SWC 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.

As a monster fan, you’re undoubtedly 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). But for those who aren’t, here’s the back-cover copy to bring you up-to-date:

To kick off Simian Saturdays, I figured what would be better than a look at the movie that launched a monster legend: the original King Kong. So head over to the StarWarp Concepts blog this Saturday and check out my review, and then drop by it every Saturday to see what else Kong-related material I’ve dug up—the list keeps growing!

King Kong (the SWC Illustrated Classic) goes on sale on March 7, 2017. In the meantime, visit its product page at StarWarp Concepts for further information.

King Kong Breaks Loose at StarWarp Concepts

Posted on January 10, 2017 by steven

king-kong-cvr Hey, monster fans! If you grew up a monster kid like I did, you’re probably looking forward to the upcoming release of Kong: Skull Island, the latest movie version of the story about that giant, misunderstood ape and the island of monsters he comes from.

Well, King Kong isn’t just about to appear on movie screens this March, he’s also making his debut that same month at Pan’s publisher. How’s that possible? I’m glad you asked!

Coming March 7, 2017 from StarWarp Concepts is King Kong, an e-book-exclusive reprint of the 1932 novelization of the original motion picture. It’s the latest addition to SWC’s Illustrated Classics line of books, joining J. Sheridan Le Fanu’s vampire romance Carmilla, Edgar Rice Burroughs’s space-fantasy adventure A Princess of Mars, and the Brothers Grimm’s fairy tale Snow White.

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, the SWC edition of King Kong features six brand-new illustrations by pulp-comics artist Paul Tuma (Tales of the Green Hornet, The Twilight Avenger, Dan Turner: Hollywood Detective). The novelization also expands on the world inhabited by this famous monster of filmland and includes scenes that didn’t appear in the movie’s final cut, the most notorious of those being the terrifying “spider pit” sequence, in which a group of sailors in pursuit of Kong falls into a chasm infested with giant, man-eating arachnids. (Peter Jackson’s 2005 remake included this scene, with outright nightmare-inducing results.)

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:

SWC will be doing quite a bit of promotion at their blog for Kong’s arrival, with looks at Kong-related movies (including the original, naturally), comics, toys, and more in order to draw attention to the e-book.

More details to follow as we get closer to the book’s March 7 release—which, by the way, is just three days before Kong: Skull Island hits movie theaters. Why, you’d almost think they’d planned that intentionally…

The Saga of Pandora Zwieback

Welcome to Gothopolis

Tag Archives: king kong