Anyone Read the Kolchak The Night Stalker Comics?

[mrwoogieman]

Moonstone Books has been publishing all new stories based on the old TV show (from the '70's I think). I remember seeing this show in reruns, and I remember liking it a lot. Kolchak is a reporter and every story he investigates involves the paranormal somehow, like werewolves and the undead, etc. I looked at the first issue which was written by the series original creator but didn't pick it up yet. Anyone read these yet?

[minutekev@50]

That's interesting...yesterday, (as I do sometimes when I have little to do), I started typing things into Yahoo (mostly TV shows, books, toys, etc. that I remember as a kid) just to see what kind of info was out there...for some reason, Kolchak popped into my head...I recall it used to come on late Friday nights, I think, in re-runs, on CBS. CBS used to have those late night television movies that were pretty scary at the time.

Cool, that they have a comic out now...

[Zonker]

Haven't seen the comic, but yes indeed the show first aired in the '70s and was a major influence on Chris Carter's The X-Files. As an homage, an X-Files episode had Kolchak himself, Darrin McGavin, appear as a retired FBI agent who had started the X-Files back in the '40s or '50s.

[SilverAgeGuy]

It was a pretty cool show for it's time. I wasn't aware of the books, maybe I will check it out.

[awe4one]

That's interesting...yesterday, (as I do sometimes when I have little to do), I started typing things into Yahoo (mostly TV shows, books, toys, etc. that I remember as a kid) just to see what kind of info was out there...for some reason, Kolchak popped into my head...I recall it used to come on late Friday nights, I think, in re-runs, on CBS. CBS used to have those late night television movies that were pretty scary at the time.

 

Yep, the CBS re-runs were in the mid-80s if I recall correctly. The original run was on Friday nights (9:00 EST?) on ABC.

 

 

Jim

[Fan4Fan]

The show gave me nightmares...

 

Despite that, I still angled to see every episode my dad was watching from bed after being put down for the night.

 

That series, like Star Trek and many others, just doesn't work for me in any other media format than the original (tho' the books I've seen seem to do a pretty good job of capturing the feel of the show).

 

Thanks,

Fan4Fan

[CosmicBob]

Moonstone Books has been publishing all new stories based on the old TV show (from the '70's I think). I remember seeing this show in reruns, and I remember liking it a lot. Kolchak is a reporter and every story he investigates involves the paranormal somehow, like werewolves and the undead, etc. I looked at the first issue which was written by the series original creator but didn't pick it up yet. Anyone read these yet?

 

I just bought the first issue (based on the original TV movie - one of the scariest things ever on TV). I haven't read it yet though. I bought it from the artist, Gordon Purcell. He told me the other ones that Moonstone did are based on unfilmed scripts from the TV series. I would be interested in buying these if anyone has them for sale.

 

Kolchak was my favorite show of the 1970s. I was bummed when they cancelled it. It was very clever and pretty darn funny a lot of the time.

[minutekev@50]

I remember Friday nights as a little boy, hanging around the TV and checking out the CBS Late Movie...That's where I saw Phantasm for the first time and boy-howdee did it freak me out..I closed my eyes during the last scene...

I think it was during the showing of that pic, that they aired a commercial for Texas Chainsaw Massacre. It was out during re-release at the time. Summers are Hades hot in the South and I think we kept all the doors open inside the house to keep air pumping throughout from the one air conditioner and a host of fans...I was laying in bed late that night, watching my open bedroom door and started picturing Leatherface coming through it...I got up and shut the door and spent the rest of the night hot as hell, but felt much safer...

[mrwoogieman]

Yeah, I remember watching it at 11:30 at night after the local news. I think it was on once a week with other reruns in some kind of rotation.

 

I just went to the Moonstone web site and ordered the first five issues (48 page full color squarebounds w/ cardstock covers for $6.95 each); not sure if I'll get first printings or what. The cover art looks just like the old TV actor who played Kolchak, nice touch. A little pricey, but that's the deal these days I guess. Looking forward to getting them.

[mrwoogieman]

Got the comics yesterday and read the first one: definitely a good read. Captured the feel and pacing of the TV show so well it was eerie. I even set the book down a couple of times to simulate commercial interruptions. Looking forward to reading the rest of the issues.

[Fan4Fan]

Kolchak series is being revived...

[Silver Surfer]

Use to love that show as a kid, really freaked me out.

[mrwoogieman]

Cool! That ought to be good.

 

I've continued buying the comics too since I posted about them in 2003. They started an ongoing series called Tales of the Night Stalker that I pick up as well. Fun stuff.

 

And, a big bonus is that my dad reads them too so I've got that whole inter-generational bonding thing going, which is nice.