Monstrous and Weird Tales Magazine are collaborating on the first-ever official Weird Tales graphic novel, currently funding on Kickstarter with more than 1,200 backers in its first two weeks. And we have an exclusive first look at two limited-edition saddle-stitch comics being offered as part of the campaign.
Weird Tales #1 is a 28-page floppy featuring “Doctor Satan vs. Jules de Grandin” by writer James Aquilone and artist Dave Swartz. It also includes an adaptation of “Ooze,” the very first story published in Weird Tales in 1923, by Weird Tales president John Harlacher and artist Zac Atkinson, who also provides the cover. Weird Tales #2, also 28 pages, features “The Cthulhu Project” by Richard Krepit and artist EV Cantada, and “The Abominable Professor Gaius” by Aquilone and Atkinson, again with a cover by Atkinson.
Here’s a look at the covers:
The companion comics are additions to an already ambitious main graphic novel, a hardcover adapting stories from the legendary pulp magazine’s century-long history. Highlights include Ray Bradbury’s “The Scythe,” adapted by editor Jonathan Maberry and artist J.K. Woodward; Robert E. Howard’s “Skulls in the Stars,” adapted by 30 Days of Night co-creator Steve Niles; and Allison V. Harding’s “The Damp Man,” adapted by Nancy A. Collins and artist Marco Finnegan. An original Lovecraft Mythos story comes from Peabody Award-winning screenwriter Rodney Barnes with art by Lukas Ketner, and Michael Avallone’s “The Man Who Walked on Air” is adapted by his son David Avallone with art by Robert Hack.
“When I was a young teen I got to know and be mentored by Ray Bradbury,” said Maberry. “His extraordinary kindness was matched by deep insights into the art and science of storytelling, and that has influenced every part of life and career. He would be delighted that I’m now the editor of Weird Tales Magazine, which he both loved and was published in early in his career. Adapting his powerful and empathetic story, “Scythe” (Weird Tales, July 1943) is a joyful honor and I can’t help but think Ray would be delighted.”
The main covers for the graphic novel are by Kelley Jones and Eric Powell.
First published in 1923, Weird Tales helped launch the careers of H.P. Lovecraft, Robert E. Howard, Ray Bradbury and C.L. Moore, and is widely credited as the publication that defined the horror and fantasy genres. Monstrous, founded by James Aquilone, has raised more than $500,000 on Kickstarter over the past four years with projects including Kolchak Meets the Classic Monsters and Classic Monsters Unleashed.