Wait—Kolchak meets Abbott and Costello?
A new comic book features brand-new adventures with the 1940s comedy duo—including a meetup with 1970s monster hunter Kolchak: The Night Stalker!
Monstrous Books is launching a Kickstarter campaign for a new series of Abbott & Costello comics. The mini-series Abbott and Costello Meet the Monsters—written by James Aquilone—features three full-length comics.
But what got me the most excited is that one issue has the comedy duo teaming up with Kolchak: The Night Stalker! (This is totally a candy bar mashup!)
Who are Abbot & Costello?
In the history of comedy, classic duo Abbott & Costello made all kinds of stuff. During their heyday in the 1940s and 1950s, they made lots of movies, a TV show, were on radio, did live shows, and whatever else.
But to me, their best comedy was their monster movies. (Monster Complex has talked about these a few times. You can find specific links to those stories below.)
As for this brand-new comic book, Aquilone told PEOPLE magazine:
“Abbott and Costello were my introduction to horror as well as comedy. They’ve been a huge influence on my work and it’s unreal to be bringing my heroes back to comics in a genre that is near and dear to me—horror-comedy, which might not exist without Abbott and Costello.”
As part of Universal Studios, the comedy team had access to the official monsters—as seen in 1948’s Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein. (With them actually meeting the official Universal monsters version of Frankenstein’s monster, Wolf Man, and Dracula!)
In their movies, A&C also crossed paths with the Invisible Man (1951), Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1953), and the Mummy (1955).
What about Abbott and Costello Meet the Monsters?
The comedy duo makes their return in the world of comic books with Abbott and Costello Meet the Monsters:
The first issue, Abbott and Costello Meet the Night Stalker, centers on the world of the TV series Kolchak: The Night Stalker. The comic features interior art by Dave Acosta and covers by Zac Atkinson, Lukas Ketner and J.K. Woodward.
The second issue, Abbott and Costello Meet the Morlocks, features the cave-dwellers from H.G. Wells’ novel The Time Machine, along with covers by Russ Braun and Colton Worley.
The final issue, Abbott and Costello Meet Cthulhu, about H.P. Lovecraft’s fictional entity, has interior art by Juan Samu and covers by E.V. Cantada and Robert Hack.
The Kickstarter campaign also includes exclusive merchandise, like t-shirts, original artwork, trading cards and more. Check out the campaign here!
Who is Kolchak The Night Stalker?
A newspaper reporter with a fondness for the supernatural and the weird, Carl Kolchak was introduced in the blockbuster TV movies The Night Stalker (1972) and The Night Strangler (1973), and the 1974-1975 TV show Kolchak: The Night Stalker. Played by actor Darren McGavin, the reporter regularly investigated mysterious crimes involving monsters, plus other sci-fi and fantasy elements.
Despite his short time on screen, Kolchak’s influence has continued to resonate in the decades since. X-Files creator Chris Carter cited Kolchak as a “tremendous influence.” Several novels and comics based upon the original series have been published.
Aquilone told Cemetery Dance:
“Kolchak is a huge influence in the horror genre, especially in television. It of course directly inspired The X-Files. Without Kolchak, you probably also wouldn’t have had Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Supernatural.”
Recent comic books starring Kolchak include the Kolchak Meets the Classic Monsters mini-series. Those issues feature Kolchak crossing paths with Dracula, Frankenstein’s Monster, and a werewolf. The trade collection includes all three issues—plus a BONUS story where Kolchak faces off with the British giant ape Konga!
Who is James Aquilone?
In addition to being the owner of Monstrous Books, James Aquilone is also the writer of the Dead Jack, Zombie Detective series, and the editor of several anthologies, including Creepshow: 13 Tales of Terror, Dead Detectives Society, Classic Monsters Unleashed, Shakespeare Unleashed, and the Kolchak: The Night Stalker 50th Anniversary graphic novel collection. He’s won a Bram Stoker Award and two Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Awards.
Find out more about Aquilone’s work at:
And be sure to check out details about the comic book series Abbott and Costello Meet the Monsters on Kickstarter!
More from Monster Complex
Abbott and Costello vs. 13 Monsters—including Dracula, Mr. Hyde, more
Hold the Ring: Fighting Hellboy, The Hulk, The Munsters, more
Making ABBOTT AND COSTELLO MEET FRANKENSTEIN: Behind the scenes
‘Classic Monsters Unleashed’ by Jonathan Maberry, Seanan McGuire, Owl Goingback, and more
13 Supernatural Detectives—from Nancy A. Collins, Kevin J. Anderson, more
The impact of Kolchak: Night Stalker—plus new books coming this year
Bram Stoker Award win for horror comic ‘Kolchak: The Night Stalker: 50th Anniversary’
26 Swamp Monsters from Myths, Comics, X-Files, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and more
This new comic spotlights 1940s comedy duo Abbott & Costello dealing again with monsters—and meeting up with 1970s monster hunter Kolchak: The Night Stalker! (Totally a candy bar mashup!)