Abbott and Costello make their return to the comics medium in the best way possible: with a comic book featuring Bud and Lou chasing (or being chased by) more monsters!
Monstrous’ Abbott and Costello Meet the Monsters three-issue series (now available to back on Kickstarter) feature the boys with Kolchak the Night Stalker, H.G. Wells’ The Time Machine’s Morlocks, and even Cthulhu.
All stories are written by Aquilone with art by Dave Acosta and Juan Samu and plenty of variant covers to choose from J.K. Woodward, Lukas Ketner, Zac Atkinson, Russ Braun, Colton Worley, Robert Hack, and E.V. Cantada.
Read all about the new series in our exclusive interview with Aquilone right here.
Was your “gateway drug,” like so many others, into the world of monsters Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein?
James Aquilone: Absolutely. That movie introduced me to both horror and comedy. While growing up, I spent most Sunday afternoons watching Abbott & Costello. They were a very big part of my childhood.
What are the origins of the new Abbott & Costello Meet the Monsters project?
Aquilone: I’ve always loved the Abbott and Costello monster movies, and I started thinking about all the monsters they never got to meet. Why stop with the Universal Monsters? There are so many great horror characters out there. I wanted to continue that tradition, and comics seemed like the perfect way to do it. Once we got the estates on board, we were off and running.
You’ve been involved with many Night Stalker projects. Why do Bud and Lou go together so perfectly with Carl Kolchak?
Aquilone: Kolchak is already a funny character. He’s sarcastic, constantly getting into trouble, and nobody ever believes him. So pairing him with Abbott and Costello seemed natural. They’re all in over their heads, but Kolchak at least knows there’s a monster out there. In the first issue, we drop Bud and Lou right into the original Night Stalker movie, where they encounter Kolchak and the vampire Janos Skorzeny.
Probably the most surprising pairing is the duo with HG Wells’ Morlocks. Where did this idea come from?
Aquilone: One of the ideas for this series is to put Abbott & Costello in situations and stories that would be surprising so it seems we’re succeeding!
You also introduce Abbott & Costello to Lovecraft’s Cthulhu. What can you tell us about this story and set-up?
Aquilone: To be honest, this story started with a bit of Lou trying to pronounce Cthulhu, and then I went from there. The story will be a take on the Dunwich Horror. We could do a whole series of books with Abbott & Costello facing Lovecraftian nightmares. Maybe one day we will.
What perks can fans look forward to from the Kickstarter?
Aquilone: We’ve got the first three comics in the series with covers by some incredible artists, including J.K. Woodward, Russ Braun, Zac Atkinson, and Robert Hack. There are also limited editions, trading cards, a collector’s coin, and several T-shirts.
Upcoming projects?
Aquilone: We’ve got more Kolchak comics coming, including the second volume of Kolchak Meets the Classic Monsters, plus the Weird Tales graphic novel and the Kaiju issue of Monstrous magazine.
Abbott & Costello Meet the Monsters is available to back on Kickstarter until November 12.
