Kolchak: The Night Stalker 50th Anniversary

by James Aquilone (Editor), Jonathan Maberry, David Avallone

A graphic novel celebrating the 50th anniversary of Kolchak: The Night Stalker.

Genres: Horror, Comics, Graphic Novels, Anthologies, Fiction

Paperback

Published October 21, 2022

About the author

James Aquilone was raised on Saturday morning cartoons, comic books, sitcoms, and Cap'n Crunch. Amid the Cold War, he dreamed of being a jet fighter pilot but decided against the military life after realizing it would require him to wake up early. He had further illusions of being a stand-up comedian, until a traumatic experience on stage forced him to seek a college education. Brief stints as an alternative rock singer/guitarist and child model also proved unsuccessful. Today he battles a severe Tetris addiction while trying to write in the speculative fiction game. Demons, robots, dragons, superheroes...that sort of thing. His short fiction has been published in such places as Nature's Futures, The Best of Galaxy’s Edge 2013-2014, Unidentified Funny Objects 4, and Weird Tales Magazine. His first novel should be out soon. Suffice it to say, things are going much better than his modeling career.

He lives in Staten Island, New York, but don't hold that against him.

Reviews

[John Durgin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I first heard of this anthology when author Nick Roberts posted about it. I was immediately intrigued as someone who loves horror and comics. This book was incredible! With so many amazing stories and beautiful artwork throughout. James Aquilone should be proud of the book he put together and edited. I also want to say that I came into this as someone who was only vaguely familiar with the source material, and I feel that’s important to point out as it did NOT impact the enjoyment I felt while reading these stories. And now all I want to do is go find the show and movies and dig in. Very well done! I’ll be recommending this to all my horror/comic loving friends

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

A nice collection of Kolchak stories in both illustrated and prose form that stayed true to the original. Having recently re-watched the TV movies and some of the shows, I could literally hear him and Tony Vincenzo as I was reading. But that wouldn't have been possible without writing that understands Kolchak and the types of situations he gets into. I liked that there were several pre-1972 young Kolchak adventures to get some background and that one of the tales was written from Vincenzo's perspective. This was the best Kickstarter I've contributed to.

[Books For Decaying Millennials · Rating 5 out of 5]

Notes from a Decaying Millennial:

I purchased this hardcover, variant cover, edition of the Kolchak: The Night Stalker 50th Anniversary comic anthology as a 39th birthday gift to myself. It came autographed by the editor James Aquilone and included a postcard sized print of some of the art showcased in the collection.
This is Not a Paid Review
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Released in 2022, Kolchak: The Night Stalker 50th Anniversary collection brings the story of Carl Kolchak, under dog reporter of the unsettling truths, full circle. Through a collection of short stories and comics, the life of Kolchak is fleshed out, from the late 1930s through the turn of the century. In past reviews I have written about the timeless nature of Carl Kolchak. Each story, re-affirms that, while Carl is indeed a product of his time, a man of his generation, his character and quest to bring the strange truths into the light are timeless.

The comics included in this anthology include a diverse range of styles, with each artist showing Kolchak in a different place and time. Each author included brings their own voice to the collection, while retaining the trademark voice of our beloved reporter. I was happily surprised to see other characters, inspired by Kolchak, who made appearances. This collection could be considered Kolchak's victory lap, his swan song. This book was wonderful read from cover to cover. However, when the last story ends, the reader is left with a bitter sweet smile. Our dear Carl submitted his final story, ended his career on his terms.

[Horror DNA · Rating 5 out of 5]

On the 50th anniversary of Kolchak’s debut, James Aquilone brings a wonderful graphic novel with an associated host of writers and artists to capture Kolchak’s origins, his ends, and numerous tales in between. It does not disappoint.

You can read Zachary Rosenberg's full review at Horror DNA by clicking here.

[Sheldon Wiebe · Rating 5 out of 5]

I saw the original Night Stalker TV film the night it premiered. I saw the Night Strangler tv film it premiered.

In the first, a bedraggled the-day-is-behind-him reporter, Carl Kolchek did what cops couldn't do. In spite of being a coward, he fought through his fearas and defeated both.

When, not too much later, the tv series Kolchak: The Night Hunter turned our hero into "The Night Stalker" totally ignoring that he was still active at night.

On the 50th anniversary of the Night Stalker's premiere, James Aquilone decided it would be a great way to celebrate th guy in the blue seersucker suit and porkpie hat, Amost o the stories are exceptional.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid and faithful homage to a wonderful character. This is a collection of short comics, telling tales that span the entire life of Carl Kolchak, from his pre-teens to his very last days. The stories are necessarily compressed given the format, but they convey the flavor. Overall the plotting is solid and the writing is great. For me the art is a bit inconsistent; some pieces I loved, while a couple were not up my alley. Still, it was a real delight to savor all these takes on the life and times of the greatest investigative journalist of the past century.

[Donald Armfield · Rating 4 out of 5]

Packed with the uncanny, monstrous and mysterious creatures this graphic novel tips its hat to the 50th Anniversary of Kolchak. I remember watching this television show back in the day. Aquilone compiled a masterful lineup of Night Stalkers’ and cases that leave us screaming for more.

My Favorites
The White Lady
The Enemy Within
The Nest
Satanic Panic ‘88

[Robert Hultman · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great collection of Kolchak! From an origin to the end with an array of writers and artists, this book is very cool. I had never read any Kolchak prior and was largely unfamiliar with the character, and this book made me a fan! Some art fits better or is more my own personal style, but all the writing is good to great and each story works and ends up interesting to read.

[Rob Saucedo · Rating 4 out of 5]

The James Aquilone-edited KOLCHAK 50th anniversary graphic novel is an incredible anthology celebrating everybody’s favorite monster-busting journalist. Packed full of short comics plus prose tales, the book follows Kolchak through his career, from beginning to end. Loved it all!

[Fen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've been a fan of Kolchak: the Night Stalker since I was way too young to be watching that sort of show, so I had to pick this up when I found it. It's a compilation of stories by various authors and artists and I found the overall quality of both to be extremely uneven.

[Jeff · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent tribute to The Nigh Stalker. The comics are excellent: Rodney Barnes, Voodoo Child and James Chambers, The Last Byline are dare I say perfect. Excellent collection all around

[Levbutts · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic addition to the canon of Kolchak. Art is fantastic writing is great (and believable). If given the choice, pick up the deluxe edition for about 10or so extra prose stories.

[Lori Forrester · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent!

[Michael Gordon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun collection of comic stories by some talented writers and illustrators exploring Kolchak’s life from cub reporter to seasoned correspondent. The hardcover edition also includes ten prose stories well worth the additional cover price. All the tales employ the “monster of the week” format, many with better results than episodes of the original tv series.