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Islands Of Adventure: 'Kong: Skull Island' Comic Book Will Be A Prequel And Sequel

For those who can't get enough of supersized simians, you are in luck, thanks to Legendary Comics and the world of King Kong.

By Tom ChapmanPublished 6 years ago 3 min read
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['Skull Island: Birth of Kong' Credit: Legendary Comics]

For those who can't get enough of supersized simians, you are in luck, thanks to Legendary Comics and the world of King Kong. The MonsterVerse kicked into full swing with Gareth Edwards's #Godzilla in 2014, Jordan Vogt-Roberts continued the trend with the recent Kong: Skull Island, while the two will come to a head in 2020 with #GodzillavsKong. For those who were disappointed with #SkullIsland, there is a chance for Legendary to redeem themselves with a four-part graphic series.

The upcoming Skull Island: Birth of Kong will not only be a prequel that looks back at the origins of Kong, it will also move ahead of Skull Island as a pseudo-sequel to the movie. Legendary promises that the series “delves deeper into the mysteries of Skull Island and the mythic origins of Kong":

"Both a sequel and a prequel to the film, the series tells the story of a secret team of Monarch operatives returning to Skull Island to discover the truth behind Kong and the island he is born to protect. In doing so, they unlock an ancient history of monster conflict, witness the primal war between Kong and an otherworldly ecosystem of deadly new creatures, and finally reveal how this lonely god became the last of his kind."

Written by Rex Mundi's Arvid Nelson, we now have a rough outline of what Birth will contain, as well as a first look at the style of the series before Issue #1 hits shelves on April 5.

Right and Kong

'[Birth of Kong' Credit: Legendary]

First thing to notice is the stunning artwork, emulating Godzilla and Skull Island in both tone and color. Presumably, Birth of Kong's sequel element will focus on the skydiving Monarch team, who come across our banana-munching chest-beater after Conrad's crew have escaped in the events of Skull Island. However, unless Dr. Doolittle is onboard, the inability to talk to gorillas means that Kong's origin story will be told off-panel in flashback form.

It sounds like Nelson's story will chart the tragic tale of how our titular gorilla became the last of his species. We have only ever scratched the surface of the Kong family, so seeing where the rest of his kind have gone promises to be a bold new step. Cue monkey graveyards and Pterodactyl attacks galore, because you just know it isn't going to end well. With the majority of Skull Island taking place in 1973, and Godzilla in 2014, it is unclear where Birth of Kong fits into that timeline. The post-credit scene of Skull Island saw the survivors being interrogated by the sinister organization, while the tech used in the artwork seems to imply a more modern time period.

Bridging the Gap

'Godzilla' [Credit: Warner Bros.]

The writing team may already be assembled for Godzilla vs. Kong, but it is unknown whether Birth of Kong will link the two universes closer than Skull Island's spoilery final scene. With Legendary only planning four issues, it would make sense that at least the last chapter would somehow tide us over until 2020. However, if Birth is a success, could it become an ongoing series? Everything from Freddy Krueger to Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and even the Alien franchise, have all lived on outside their live-action means thanks to medium of comics.

Vogt-Roberts did recently joke that he could envisage a Marlow-centric prequel/sequel to Skull Island, focusing on a young John C. Reilly's time on the island, but for now, it looks like we will have to make do with flicking through the pages of Nelson's work and hoping for God(zilla) vs. Monsters.

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About the Creator

Tom Chapman

Tom is a Manchester-based writer with square eyes and the love of a good pun. Raised on a diet of Jurassic Park, this ’90s boy has VHS flowing in his blood. No topic is too big for this freelancer by day, crime-fighting vigilante by night.

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