King Kong, created by writer Edgar Wallace and filmmaker Merian C. Cooper in 1933, sees a new monthly series beginning in July, to celebrate his 90th birthday.  The series is written by Alex Cox with interior artwork by Tommaso Bianchi, and lots of covers for the series from artists including Jackson Guice, Jae Lee, Joe DeVito, Bryan Hitch, and Gary Frank.

The marketing for the series sounds like The March of Time newsreels from the 1930s and 1940s:  The World at War!  While men of all nations fight on foreign shores, an Imperial German U-Boat is lost at sea!  The crew now faces terror beyond imagination!  Monsters from creation’s dawn!  Gruesome, blood-stained death from above and below!  Impossible beasts, reigning by fear and violence in the South Pacific!  And looming over all, the gargantuan ape-god that knows no master! These brave men have faced death before, but now they must contend with… Kong!  

Issue #1 of Kong: The Great War begins after the initial action, and we have a disaster scenario not unlike the first episode of the TV series Lost.  What fate is in store for the German sailors stranded on a desert island?

This series is based on King Kong of Skull Island.  But Kong is Kong, right?

The first issue gets off to a nice start, setting the scene for what’s to come.  But how can this small crew manage to survive beyond a second issue against a giant ape–the first great kaiju beast?

Here are some variant covers for the first two issues:

The first issue of Kong: The Great War is slated to arrive in stores July 5, 2023.  Add it to your pull list at Elite Comics or your local comic shop now.

C.J. Bunce / Editor / borg