Indie Comic Spotlight: Creator Corner: Kolchak the Night Stalker

On Tuesday, January 11, 1972, KOLCHAK: THE NIGHT STALKER terrified and delighted audiences on ABC. The TV movie — written by horror legend Richard Matheson (I Am Legend) and based on an unpublished novel by Jeff Rice — was the highest-rated TV movie in U.S. history. It subsequently spawned both a second TV movie, THE NIGHT STRANGLER, and a cult TV series that ran for just one season, but inspired a generation of storytellers, notably including X-Files creator Chris Carter.

In 2022, Moonstone Books will celebrate this pop culture milestone with a Kickstarter campaign for KOLCHAK: THE NIGHT STALKER 50TH ANNIVERSARY GRAPHIC NOVEL, edited by James Aquilone (Classic Monsters Unleashed). This all-new, 100+ page, full-color graphic novel will feature 10 startling stories chronicling the life of monster-hunting reporter Carl Kolchak. The stories are written by such master storytellers as Rodney Barnes (Killadelphia), Kim Newman (Anno Dracula), Peter David (The Incredible Hulk), and Jonathan Maberry (V-Wars) and illustrated by such amazing artists as Colton Worley (The Shadow), Warwick Johnson-Cadwell (Mr. Higgins Comes Home), J.K. Woodward (Star Trek), and Paul McCaffrey (Anno Dracula). THE NIGHT STALKER 50TH ANNIVERSARY GRAPHIC NOVEL features a cover by Colton Worley, as well a cover by Jerry Ordway (The Power of Shazam!).

KOLCHAK: THE NIGHT STALKER 50TH ANNIVERSARY GRAPHIC NOVEL also includes an introduction by Richard Christian Matheson, the bestselling horror author/screenwriter/producer and son of THE NIGHT STRANGLER and THE NIGHT STRANGLER writer Richard Matheson, an essay on the 50th anniversary by Mark Dawidziak, the author of The Nightstalker Companion, and a retrospective of Moonstone Book's Kolchak publication history by publisher Joe Gentile.

The KOLCHAK: THE NIGHT STALKER 50TH ANNIVERSARY GRAPHIC NOVEL ANTHOLOGY will be available in limited-edition softcover and hardcover editions, both with variant covers. In addition Moonstone Books is creating a special 40-page standalone comic for the Kickstarter, featuring the story "Satanic Panic '88," written by James Aquilone and illustrated by Colton Worley, featuring a cover by Dan Brereton.

“It’s been half a century since Carl Kolchak made his first appearance on TV and it seems the fandom for the character is stronger than ever,” said editor James Aquilone. “I wanted to create something very special for the anniversary: a look at the life of my favorite monster hunter, from his childhood to his last case…the ultimate Kolchak story, full of creatures, frights, and the reporter’s iconic wit.”

"Carl Kolchak is one of the great horror genre characters of the 1970s,” said Kim Newman.

“KOLCHAK changed my life,” said Killadelphia writer Rodney Barnes. “The story we're telling brings the character into some wholly unexpected places and it’s a genuine thrill to be a part of this incredible anthology.”

More contributors will be announced in the coming months. For updates, follow James Aquilone on Twitter andInstagram and follow Moonstone Books on Twitter and Facebook. To get a notification when the Kickstarter launches, click on the pre-launch page: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/manbomb/kolchak-the-night-stalker-50th-anniversary?ref=7xf2fh