Just like Carl Kolchak, James Aquilone (the owner and publisher of Monstrous Books) recently set out in pursuit of the original Kolchak source material with dogged determination, culminating in a brand new edition of Jeff Rice’s Kolchak: The Night Stalker novel.
The original novel is back in a limited, deluxe hardcover edition from Monstrous Books, and Aquilone has turned once again to the Kickstarter platform to bring the long out-of-print novel by Jeff Rice to the adoring Kolchak masses.
We got a chance to speak to Aquilone once again about the new Kolchak project in this exclusive interview.
Why was it so important to you to bring the original Night Stalker novel back to the world of the living?
James Aquilone: There’s been a resurgence in the Kolchak fandom the last few years. There are very active groups online and people are discovering or rediscovering the series online. Every time I go to a convention someone is dressed as Kolchak. But the novel that started it all gets little attention, in my opinion, and there has never been a deluxe edition. Plus, previous editions, including the original, have notoriously been filled with typos and errors. I wanted to see a corrected deluxe edition that was worthy of the story that inspired so many artists and writers over the last 50 years.
What was the process like in getting the project off the ground?
Aquilone: First, I had to acquire the literary rights, which I was able to do once the previous license expired. Then it was a matter of correcting the manuscript and restoring it to its original shape, minus the typos. James Chambers, who won a Bram Stoker Award for his Kolchak graphic novel in 2016, edited the book and did an amazing job getting it into shape.
The novel has a surprising history, as the screenplay and TV movie were both released before Jeff Rice’s novel, correct?
Aquilone: Right. Jeff Rice’s novel hadn’t been published when he brought it to Richard Matheson’s agent for representation. It was then optioned to the studio and they made the TV movie with Matheson as the writer. The Night Stalker TV movie aired in January 1972, but the novel, which it was based on, wasn’t published until late 1973.
You have assembled quite a few notable fans of the Night Stalker to write introductions and forwards to the novel. How did you get everyone involved?
Aquilone: Late With the Devil star and Count Crowley creator David Dastmalchian wrote the foreword, Killadelphia creator Rodney Barnes wrote the afterword, Mark Dawidziak wrote a profile on Kolchak creator Jeff Rice, and Russ did all the artwork.
Once I started work on the Kolchak 50th anniversary graphic novel in 2021, the Kolchak superfans made themselves known to me. It’s not difficult getting people involved in Kolchak projects. I have come to learn that horror fans love Carl.
What can we expect the new edition to look like? Special features? Stretch goals?
Aquilone: The book will be a hardcover with red painted edges and a sewn-in bookmark. It has a gorgeous interior design, which you can see on the Kickstarter page, filled with illustrations.
The main stretch goals will be for extra interior illustrations. We have three so far, but I’m hoping to have at least six.
Future Kolchak projects?
Aquilone: Work has already begun on the next Kolchak project, which will be an original work. Monstrous Books will publish Kolchak comics, graphic novels, anthologies, short stories, and novels. This is just the beginning.
The limited edition Kolchak: the Night Stalker novel will be available to back until July 11 on Kickstarter.
