The 1972 TV movie Kolchak: The Night Stalker became an instant cult classic and even spawned a TV series starring actor Darren McGavin. Horror legend Richard Matheson wrote the movie screenplay based on a then-unpublished novel by Jeff Rice, which was released the following year, and the movie is still beloved by horror fans worldwide. Now, fans can get their hands on a special edition hardcover from Monstrous Books featuring art by Russ Braun and a slew of unique additions from some of today’s horror masters.
Launching today on Kickstarter, fans can back a limited-edition (1,973 copies) hardcover of Kolchak: The Night Stalker with a new forward by David Dastmalchian, a new afterword by Rodney Barnes, an essay about Rice by Kolchak expert Mark Dawidziak, and a cover and spot illustrations by Braun. Each book will also have painted edges and a sewn-in bookmark. Backers will receive a Kolchak Fan Club membership card that flips over to reveal a Kolchak Press Badge as a story tie-in.
Kolchak: The Night Stalker follows the eponymous paranormal investigator Carl Kolchak as he tries to find the culprit behind the deaths of several young women, many of whom worked night jobs. All of their bodies were found drained of blood with unusual puncture wounds on their necks, pointing to a familiar but still scary monster.
“Reporter Carl Kolchak was television’s first paranormal investigator and his determined search for the truth directly influenced a generation of seminal TV shows including Twin Peaks, The X-Files, Supernatural, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” said Aquilone, who edited the award-winning Kolchak: The Night Stalker 50th Anniversary graphic novel. “Jeff Rice was a Las Vegas-based journalist by day and a novelist by night and his original novel is set on the streets of the country’s gambling mecca. It’s a thrilling, pulpy read and our plan is that this new edition of the original novel will usher in a new era for Kolchak books.”
Get a first look at Braun’s spot illustrations for the Kolchak: The Night Stalker hardcover below.
“Kolchak and the world created by Jeff Rice has been such a huge inspiration to the person and storyteller that I have become,” said Dastmalchian. “From my comic, Count Crowley, to the characters, films, and series I love creating, there is always a glow of the ghost of our loveable pain-in-the-neck reporter. Grateful that James and the Monstrous Books team are doing such amazing work in their effort to bring this fantastic narrative to people around the world.”
Barnes said, “Kolchak: The Nightstalker was one of the early inspirations in my writing career. The opportunity to be a part of Kolchak’s 50th anniversary was truly an honor. And the beautiful collection of stories James Aquilone assembled is the perfect statement of appreciation for this iconic character.”
Limited-edition hardcovers of Kolchak: The Night Stalker are currently available via Kickstarter. Only 1,973 copies are being made, so if you want one, you should back the campaign ASAP.
