GVN Talking Comics: James Aquilone Talks ‘Monstrous: The Kaiju Issue’

When you run your own publishing house, the work never stops. When you are also a big part of the creative team, that workload increases exponentially. Luckily for Monstrous Books Editor James Aquilone, he seems to thrive on staying busy, working on completing one task while bringing on board an even more exciting project. This time, he is bringing his love for the Kaiju genre to a book entitled, appropriately enough, “Monstrous: The Kaiju Issue.”

Coming soon to Kickstarter, Monstrous: The Kaiju Issue will feature these exciting stories:

“The Colossus From the Crater,” a brand-new sci-fi short story set on a remote moon and featuring a giant alien mummy, was penned by novelist Greg Cox, who wrote the official prose adaptation of Godzilla (2014), and is soon to be reprinted in a new omnibus edition.
An all-new Konga vs. Gorgo comic, featuring the creatures from the cult 1960s American International Pictures movies and Charlton Comics, written by James Aquilone and illustrated by Dave Swartz (Confederate Monster)
The first appearance of the Kaiju MegaSquatch, in a comic book story by James Aquilone and EV Cantada (Joe Ledger, Grimm Fairy Tales)
Three iconic covers — a Konga vs. Gorgo cover by Larry Tuason (Knightingail: The Legend Begins), a MegaSquatch cover by EV Cantada and colorist Zac Atkinson, and a Godzilla cover.

Recently, we caught up with the ever-busy Editor to discuss his previous work on Karl Kolchak: The Night Stalker, and his upcoming tribute to the Kaiju world. So, let’s welcome back James Aquilone to GVN Talking Comics.

Juggling Projects

GVN: Thank you, James, for once again sharing some time with us. When we last talked, it was about your adaptation of Jeff Rice’s original “Night Stalker” novel in June of last year. This was followed in October by our discussion about “Kolchak Meets the Classic Monsters.” I see you are getting ever closer to finishing the books and eventually fulfilling those pledges (including mine). Considering how many projects you are involved in, how do you juggle so many moving parts between funded projects and new ones that you are getting ready to start? Not to mention, Monstrous Books itself.

James: Simple answer: I make a lot of lists! And I don’t sleep.

Working with William Katt

GVN: Speaking of Jeff’s book, I also had the good fortune of talking to actor William Katt, who did such a nice job of narrating the audiobook. How involved were you in bringing William on board? I know he was quite excited for the opportunity, as it was his first audiobook narration.

James: I’ve wanted to work with William Katt for a long time. I’m a huge Greatest American Hero fan. So when I had the opportunity to do a Night Stalker audiobook I immediately reached out to him.

Living Up to the Mission

GVN: You founded Monstrous Books back in 2022 with a mission in mind: “to create high-quality print and digital comics, graphic novels, and prose books that aim to entertain with their stories and delight with their aesthetics.” Up to this point, how close are you to fulfilling those goals, and what has been the most rewarding thing that you and Monstrous have accomplished?

James: I think we’ve accomplished all that. It’s not done yet — though we’re pretty close — but the Kolchak Meets the Classic Monsters project has been pretty rewarding. It was a huge project, encompassing three individual comics, plus a collection and a separate prose anthology, Kolchak Eras. All in all, that’s five new Kolchak books!

Monstrous: The Kaiju Issue

GVN: Now, let’s get to the reason we are chatting, and that is the upcoming mix of Monstrous and Kaiju named appropriately enough, “Monstrous: The Kaiju Issue.” How did this concept come to fruition, and how long have you been a fan of the Kaiju genre?

James: I’ve wanted to do a kaiju book for a long time and this year there’s been a lot of Godzilla stuff out there for his 70th anniversary so I thought this was a great time. With Monstrous, we’ve usually do a different theme with each issue. First, it was pulps, then we did time travel. Now it’s kaiju. This is our biggest issue which is also appropriate.

Making a “Monstrous” Book

GVN: In conjunction with the Kaiju theme, you are increasing the literal size of the magazine to appropriate “Monstrous” proportions, going from its original 5.5 x 8.5 to 8.5 x 11 inches. But, as they say on TV, “That’s not all.” What else is getting this “zapped” by the Monstrous enlargement ray, and how long will that last?

James: I’m also embiggening the first two issues. If all goes well, I’m hoping we can keep doing the magazine at 8.5 x 11 inches.

Kickstarter Extras

GVN: As usual, you are bringing this book to Kickstarter with an established track record of getting things done. What might fans find in visiting this campaign?

James: The magazine will come in three covers, including a limited-edition Godzilla cover. We have two new comics, “MegaSquatch” and “Konga vs. Gorgo.” Also we’ll have a prose short story by Greg Cox, who wrote the official prose adaptation of Godzilla (2014), and a ton of articles celebrating kaiju.