Posted in: Boom, Comics, Dynamite | Tagged: boom, dynamite, king kong, King Kong Of Skull Island

Dynamite Grabs King Kong of Skull Island License From Boom & Legendary

Published Wed, 20 Jul 2022 07:59:11 -0500

Dynamite Entertainment has announced they have partnered with DeVito ArtWorks to publish a new line of comics and board games based on King Kong of Skull Island. The licence was recently owned and operated by Boom Studios, who published Kong of Skull Island as a 12-issue comic book series from 2016 to 2017, as an official prequel to the rewrite of the novelization of the original 1933 King Kong film, part of DeVito's King Kong of Skull Island property. They followed that with Kong: Gods of Skull Island, Kong on the Planet of the Apes and a Kong of Skull Island 2018 Special with Vikings landing on Skull Island. Legendary Comics also published a four-issue miniseries called Skull Island: The Birth of Kong in 2017 as both a prequel and a sequel to the new film. In 2021, Legendary Comics released Kingdom Kong, a prequel to Godzilla vs. Kong and their Monsterverse Titanthology. But things change.

"There is perhaps no more famous giant monster in all of fiction than Kong," said Nick Barrucci, Dynamite CEO and Publisher. "Kong was the first classic giant monster who influenced generations of storytellers in all forms of entertainment. These kinds of figures are such an integral part of comics history, going back to the anthology tales Stan Lee was telling with Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko, and others before the Fantastic Four brought superheroes back to the forefront. But no comics fan can say no to a humongous, fearsome ape – sometimes with a heart of gold. And adding Joe DeVito to the equation, an artist who I've worked with for nearly 30 years, who is so talented, it's an incredibly rewarding experience. We're excited to also be bringing games to the table, as Skull Island is such a fascinating setting that will translate perfectly!"

After sailing to remote parts of a still unknown and mysterious world, filmmaker and adventurer Merian C. Cooper conceived something so fantastic that it would forever imprint the planet's collective imagination: King Kong, an immortal Beauty and the Beast tale. A king and a god in his world, Kong, a colossal, terrifying anthropoid, is brought low by his unrequited love for a tiny blond woman, Ann Darrow. This leads to his being captured and brought to New York City in chains, where he escapes to make a spectacular last stand atop the Empire State Building. Protective of Ann to the very end, Kong is finally overcome by a hoard of machine gun firing aeroplanes. Bullet ridden but unbowed, Kong finally plummets to his death a thousand feet below. "The aviators didn't get him…It was Beauty killed the Beast," laments Kong's captor, Carl Denham, in one of the most famous lines in history.

"King Kong has been a passion of mine since I first saw the 1933 classic back in 1960." DeVito relates, "DeVito ArtWorks has worked exclusively in concert with the Merian C. Cooper Estate in creating "King Kong of Skull Island" to delve into all things King Kong and Skull Island. Now is a perfect time to partner again with Nick and expand still further on another fabulous Kong adventure in comic books and gaming–exciting times ahead!"

Founded in 2002, DeVito ArtWorks, LLC is an artist-driven transmedia studio dedicated to the creation and development of multi-faceted properties including King Kong of Skull Island, War Eagles, and the Primordials. DeVito ArtWorks is founded and led by renowned artist, illustrator and author, Joe DeVito. DeVito ArtWorks is represented by World Builder Entertainment.

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