The Mighty Gigantic Grape Ape!

Posted on May 22, 2024 by bloodlinematt

Hanna-Barbera cartoons were very big in my youth as I grew up in the 1980’s and 1990’s, and they seemed to be on every Saturday and Sunday mornings, with me watching many of them when they first aired and others via reruns on USA Network’s show The Cartoon Express. And while you longtime readers know that Yogi Bear is my favorite Hanna-Barbera character, another one that is at the top of my list is Grape Ape as his cartoon was so silly and entertaining that he became a must see toon for me. And over the years I feel that I have not covered enough of the classic Hanna-Barbera cartoons that shaped my childhood as up to this point we have only covered FooFur, Inch High Private Eye, GoBots and Yogi Bear and now Grape Ape will be joining their ranks. So if you are ready to go on an adventure with a massive purple ape who is called Grape Ape, let’s get this update started!

The Grape Ape Show was a cartoon that was created by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera to release via their Hanna-Barbera Productions for ABC to air for their Saturday Morning Cartoons lineup. The show would start airing on September 6, 1975 and would end on December 13, 1975, lasting for one season and a total of 16 episodes. Even though it would only run for a very short time, the cartoon would remain airing in reruns until 1978 and was very popular with the kids. The show would then end up in airing on the USA Network as part of their Cartoon Express and would find even more fans and viewers and would make Grape Ape an even bigger star in the world of cartoons. Oddly enough over the years the show has not gotten the complete series released on VHS, DVD nor Blu-Ray even though it remains a highly requested series for Warner Brothers to release. But for some reason you can get the series only digitally via Amazon. I know for many of you readers it is shocking to thank that only 16 episodes were made for Grape Ape as when I was a kid it seemed like he was always on via reruns.

Grape Ape is a 40 Foot Tall purple-furred ape that is very childlike who wears a green jacket, black bowtie and green hat that has only two things he can say and that’s “Grape Ape, Grape Ape” and “Beegly Beagly”. He has a very big sweet tooth and likes to eat ice cream and due to his size, he is very misunderstood by those who come across him as to them they see a giant monster but really his is sweet and super friendly. Because of his size he can also move cars like toy cars and can easily save the day as he is always looking to do the right thing. Besides The Great Grape Ape Show, he has also appeared in such cartoons as “Laff-A-Lympics” as part of Scooby-Doo’s team and over the years also has made a cameos of some sort on shows like Dexter’s Lab, Harvey Birdman Attorney At Law and Robot Chicken. Voice actor Bob Holt was behind Grape Ape in his original run who was a well-known cartoon voice actor in his time.

Beegle Beagle is a talking dog that is the best friend of Grape Ape and is the one that drives him around, gets him into all types of adventures as well as is the one who takes him out for ice cream! Beegle was a fan of the color red as he would wear that color for his hat as well as vest and would also rock a very cool bone bowtie. And it is clear that while Beegle does some silly things and wants to make money off his giant friend from time to time, but it is also very clear that he cares and will watch out for Grape Ape. Beegle can also drive a car and he is how the two get around as Grape Ape sits atop the vehicle. Marty Ingels is the voice behind Beegle Beagle and he was a very popular voice actor for the time as he also voiced such characters as Pac-Man and The Devil for Darkwing Duck. Beegle Beagle is the perfect style cartoon straight man to the childlike antics of Grape Ape.

Over the years, Grape Ape has had some very cool merchandise based around him and many of his fans truly enjoy getting these collectables for their collections. Like if you are a fan you can get Grape Ape toys, dolls, shirts, posters, board game, air freshener, coloring books, buttons, comics and stickers to name a few. And growing up I can remember having a Grape Ape coloring book and over the years got the comics. And for many collectors, they really enjoy the Funko Pop release of Grape Ape. But as you can see lots of cool stuff to collect and shows just how big Hanna-Barbera use to be.

So as you can see, Grape Ape was a very cool classic cartoon series that was very popular with the kids at the time and was a cartoon that my brother and I always had to watch when on as how can you not like a giant ape and his wise talking dog friend. I would like to first say thanks to Hanna-Barbera Productions for making so many amazing cartoons that shaped so many kids’ childhoods. I would also like to thank the Etsy Seller who had both of these issues in stock and made this update possible, as these comics are a little rare and hard to find. I would like to also remind you all that I grade these comics on a star scale of 1 to 4 and am looking for how well the comics stay to the source material, its entertainment value and its art and story. So let’s see what Grape Ape has in store for us in the world of kid comic books.

The Great Grape Ape # 1 **1/2
Released in 1976 Cover Price .30 Charlton Comics # 1 of 2

“The Great Grape Ape Escape” in their trusty van Grape Ape and Beegle Beagle are following a car full of mobster bank robbers and watch as they pull over and run into the bank to steal the money. Grape Ape ends up putting their get away car on top of a building, but this does not stop them as they end up taking Beegle Beagle hostage and make him drive them to the airport so that they can make a clean get away. But while in the air Grape Ape grabs the plane from the sky and delivers the mobsters to the cops and saves the life of Beegle Beagle. “The Great Grape Ape Sees A Ghost” while driving around and using their last bit of money to wash the van Beegle Beagle and Grape Ape run out of gas and decided to take a challenge to stay a night in a haunted house to win $100.00! And Beegle Beagle gets inside and is scared of the ghosts that haunt it, but once Grape Ape removes the roof to join his friend the Ghost flee in fear and while they win the prize money the end up owing it back due to the damage caused by Grape Ape entering it! “Bring Em Back Alive Clive” while driving down the highway Grape Ape by accident knocks himself out by running into an overpass and he ends up on the highway, but his troubles soon become worse when Clive, a conman who runs a circus, nabs the knocked out ape with a crane and takes him prisoner, but soon when Grape Ape wakes up he wonders around causing damage and Clive ends up climbing into a giant robot version of himself, only for it to crumble after one punch from Grape Ape! In the end Grape Ape and Beegle Beagle leave the circus and Clive is happy to see his prisoner leave!

The first issue of Grape Ape features three short stories with each of them showcasing Grape Ape and Beegle Beagle in all sorts of strange adventures from being in a haunted house to stopping back robbers and even escaping a circus and all the while the lovable giant ape has a smile on his face and a playfulness in his heart. Grape Ape is very kind and childlike in the issue as he has no fear of ghosts and does not even seem to understand that he has been Ape-napped by a conman! But because he has no fear this does allow him to scare some ghosts as well as annoy and bring down some mobsters who were very mean spirited in nature. Beegle Beagle does what he does best and that is watch over his giant friend as well as drive them around from place to place. But sadly due to his size and the fact he is a dog, he does seem to get treated poorly by the crappy people they come across on their adventures. The plots for these three stories are very simple and have a quick pace and some truly silly and fun moments, but because they are so basic they do lose a little charm as I feel that at least with this first issue they lack the true kids comic silliness of say the Whitman Looney Tune Comics. But with that said, I do feel that the comic series also did a good job of capturing the charm of the cartoon it’s based on…so I would have to say that over all it really is a entertaining comic for fans of Grape Ape. My favorite story of course is The Great Grape Ape Sees A Ghost as you can never go wrong with a spooky tale of a haunted house and ghosts. The cover is fantastic and showcases both Grape Ape and Beegle Beagle enjoying some ice cream while the interior art is really well done and truly looks like the cartoon versions, but sadly I could not find who the artist was so this is another for Unknown Artist to claim as his own. I have to say this is a really good comic if you enjoy classic Hanna-Barbara Cartoons.

The Great Grape Ape # 2 **1/2
Released in 1976 Cover Price .30 Charlton Comics # 2 of 2

“Timberrrr!” while driving through the woods Grape Ape and Beegle Beagle come across a fallen tree and find that the giant Paul Bunyan and his ox Blue are the ones doing it as they are stealing all the lumber for themselves and chasing off all the other lumberjacks! Grape Ape ends up standing his ground against the giant lumberjack and finds out that both Paul and Ox are robots being controlled by a rich man who truly wanted all the lumber for himself. Grape Ape destroys the robots and saves the day and even gets a job offer before he and Beegle Beagle ride off into the woods. “The Great Grape Ape vs. Snap Dragon” while driving through California Grape Ape and Beegle Beagle come across a town that is being tormented by a power shovel that has gone rogue and is destroying the town and drinking up all the gas and oil as it now spits fire! But Grape Ape has seen enough and decides to help the town and does so by punching and breaking the power shovel ending its reign of terror, and with that the town’s people are thankful and Beegle Beagle and Grape Ape continue their quest. “Frisbee Fun” while driving around Beegle Beagle and Grape Ape watch some kids play with Frisbees and this makes Grape Ape sad as they are too small for him to use, but just then UFOs from Mars try and invade and Grape Ape grabs one and flings it back into space causing them all to flee and stop the invasion! Grape Ape is a hero but all he really wants is a Frisbee his size to play with.

The final issue in the very short lived Grape Ape comic series is a pretty entertaining one as we once more join him and Beegle Beagle in three adventures that this time have them fighting robots as well as stopping an alien invasion and of course all the while Grape Ape is a hero that is doing what he thinks is right and that is stopping the baddies. Grape Ape in this one seems to be ready for a fight as he beats the heck out of robot versions of Paul Bunyan and Blue as well as a fire breaking Power Shovel with his big bare fists and even tosses a UFO away with ease and has fun doing it! The one think that I do have to point out that the comic gets wrong is they have Grape Ape say more words than he should and that kind of makes its feel slightly off. In other words Charlton Comics needed to have Grape Ape not say as much as he does through both these issues. Beegle Beagle in this one seems more like a background player as he is featured in all three stories it’s clear that Grape Ape is the true star and is the one who gets almost all the panel time. I have to say also that Snap Dragon the Power Shovel gone crazy truly reminded me of the made for TV film “Killdozer” mixed with Godzilla and a Dragon…and I for some reason really enjoyed that showdown the best as I think it is my favorite story in the issue. Plus you have to once more enjoy the fact that this issue brings the Horror and Sci-Fi elements into the stories. I have to say that while it does have a very small amount of flaws that makes the comic feel slightly different from the cartoon I do think that if you are a fan of Grape Ape, you will really like these comics. The cover for this second and final issue is great and has Grape Ape squaring up against Snap Dragon and is super eye catching, and Unknown Artist once more did a great job of brining top notch interior artwork that does look like the toon its based on. If you really do enjoy Grape Ape or just Hanna-Barbara cartoons, make sure to checkout this series. Take a look at the artwork below to see the style used in this comic series.

As you can see, Grape Ape not only was a great cartoon but also a very fun comic book series as Charlton Comics proved that they knew how to make kids comic based on popular toons at the time and you can never go wrong with their series based on Hanna-Barbara Cartoons! And really this update was a blast to work on as it made me not only feel like a kid again but also brought back my love for the character Grape Ape that I feel is very much overlooked in this modern time…I say give me Grape Ape over 99.9% off all the modern cartoons flooding the airwaves now. Anyways I now just sound like an old man yelling at the clouds so with that I think our time with Grape Ape and Beegle Beagle has come to an end and our next update will take us to the Ultraverse as we take a look at Sludge the monster hero of Malibu Comics! So until next time, read a comic of three, watch a cartoon or two and as always support your local Horror Host. See you next update for a muck monster of a gooey good time.

From Horror Movie To Horror Comic: Gorgo (1961)

Posted on May 17, 2019 by bloodlinematt

For this second update of my “From Horror Movie To Horror Comic” Kaiju Month, we will be traveling to jolly old England to take a look at their giant monster named Gorgo! This is one of those Horror Movies I grew up watching on TV as TBS use to show it all the time, and I can always remember being glued to the screen when it was on. Many fans of giant monster movies seem to forget about Gorgo as he is always over shadowed by the likes of Godzilla and King Kong, but today he and his Momma will be getting the respect they deserve and it will be lots of fun to talk about them. So if you’re ready to find some shelter as Gorgo goes on the destruction city stomp, let’s talk about him and the film he’s from.

So first let’s see what Gorgo brings to the table when it comes to his destruction ability and his way to dispatch humans who are unfortunate enough to be in his way. Gorgo stands at 200 feet and has a reptilian appearance and an aggressive attitude. Gorgo hates humans and will not only use his massive size to stomp and smash but will also use his sharp teeth and claws to dispatch human lives. He also can use his appearance and roar to scare humans into being in frenzy, leaving themselves open for panic and leading to accidents that could cause death. Gorgo not only is a threat on land, he is also very dangerous in water as he can swim and breath underwater for long periods of time. What makes Gogro a big threat to mankind is the fact his mother Ogra is over 250 feet tall and is even more pissed and can cause way more damage. While Gorgo is a massive creature, he can be hurt as he hates fire, and even explosions and firepower can cause some damage. He can also be captured and by large nets and be kept as a prisoner by mankind. So while Gorgo might not have any special fire breath nor any other powerful abilities, he and his mother do have the tools to bring mankind to their knees if they truly go on a rampage.

So that’s what Gorgo brings to the table when it comes to his path of destruction and his way to deal with pesky humans. We should now take a look at the 1961 film Gorgo that this Kaiju appears in. As always, the film’s write up will be taken from our pals at IMDB and I will talk briefly afterwards about the film’s production as well as my thoughts on the film. So if you’re ready, I am ready to take a look at Gorgo!

Gorgo (1961)

“A salvage vessel is nearly sunk off the Irish coast by an undersea earthquake. A few nights later, a walking sea monster tangles with the fishing boats and enters the town. The salvage vessel captures Gorgo and takes it to London for display. Gorgo’s mother, who is upset and significantly larger follows his trail to London leaving a wake of destruction in her path.”

Gorgo is a British giant monster horror movie that was released by MGM in America and British Lion-Columbia in England. The film was directed by Eugene Lourie and cast such actors as Bill Travers, William Sylvester and Mick Dillon as the man in the Gorgo suit. The film had a pretty normal production for this type of movie at the time and MGM was hoping that this film would be a mega hit for them and would be their Godzilla at the Box Office and usher in a new monster icon. Gorgo was released in 1961 alongside such other frightful shockers like Konga, The Curse Of The Werewolf, Reptilicus, Brainiac, Doctor Blood’s Coffin, The Pit And The Pendulum, The Beast Of Yucca Flats and Mr. Sardonicus to name a few. And the film ended up doing pretty well and built up the world of Giant Monsters at the cinema that was sparked by the success of Godzilla in 1954. There’s not much special about this production besides at one point the film was going to be set in Japan first and then was changed to France, Australia and finally was settled on England. And the film for the time was also praised very highly for its monster special effects.

Much like King Kong and Godzilla, the mighty Gorgo has always seemed to be a part of my life as I have seen this film so many times on TV as well as home media like VHS and DVD, and I have seen this film over a dozen times…in fact even while writing this update I re-watched the film again on DVD! And while I really enjoy Gorgo as a film, I have talked to many other Horror Fans of Kaiju films and one phrase always seems to come up and that’s, “It’s good but it’s kind of bland” or some phrase like it, and I think I know what they mean as the film is a little slow moving in spots and has a very British slow paced feel until the amazing climax. And I get what they mean for the most part as the film itself is a great giant monster film that showcases two massive and cool monsters, but it does have a very slow pace like many of the Hammer Horror films released in the 60’s and 70’s. But for me, the pacing and slow build are kind of what makes this film special as the over all runtime is pretty short at only 78 minutes long. The film also spawned not only the comic book series but also had a novel adaptation of the film, model kits, shirts, posters and many more merchandise items showing that Gorgo does have his own cult following. There’s not much more to say about Gorgo besides it’s a fun Kaiju film that delivers monster mayhem and shows just how popular these giant monster movies were back in the 60’s.

So now that we have taken a look at Gorgo as a Kaiju as well as the film he is from, I think it’s now time we take a look at the comic book adaptation of the film that was released by Charlton Comics! I want to send a big thank you to the Ebay seller that had this comic in stock and made this update possible. I want to also remind you all that I grade this comic on a star scale of 1 to 4 and am looking for how well the comic stays to the source material, its entertainment value and its art and story. So if you’re ready let’s see just how monstrous Gorgo really is when it comes to the world of Horror Comic Books.

Gorgo # 1 ***
Released in 1961 Cover Price .10 Charlton Comics # 1 of 24

Sam Slade and Joe Ryan are business partners who search the sea for hidden treasure when a massive storm hits that is so bad that fish from the bottom of the sea are coming to the top. And after the storm they return to a small port that as well has been hit hard by the storm and are run off by Professor McCartin who is searching the sea for something. They soon follow one of McCartin’s ships, and they send a diver down who later comes back with a fist full of Viking gold but also dies of fright before their eyes! Sam and Joe dive next as Joe wants the gold and Sam wants to make sure his greedy partner comes back alive, and while down in the ocean they soon come face to face with a giant monster that makes them flee. Once back at the island they watch as the townspeople do a ritual and then watch as a massive creature Gorgo comes from the water and is forced back by fire by Joe and Sam who have figured our the creatures weakness. The villagers praise the pair as they Joe comes up with an idea to capture the massive creature with a steel shark net and the idea works and they take their massive find to London and are making tons of money showing it to the world. But Professor McCartin warns them that Gorgo is just a baby and that his mother is on her way to get him back, and she does show up and rampages across London until she gets her son back! The army, fire, electricity and everything is useless against the mother who grabs her offspring and heads back to the water ending her terror.

Gorgo was made for comic books and that’s why he lasted 24 issues even though the final issue was renamed Fantastic Giant as he is a cool monster that has an amazing look to him. This comic follows the plot of the film pretty well and has humans capturing Gorgo and turning him into a paid attraction and by kidnapping him they unleash his even more massive mothers rage on the city to get him back. Our hero is Sam Slade, who is a man who co-owns a company that finds treasures at the bottom of the oceans and also is the one who don’t like the idea of capturing a massive Kaiju when all around him warn of dangers and bring it to a city…he and they were wise for their fears! Joe Ryan is a sleazy conman who allows money to rule his life and seem to not even care about other peoples lives and safety if money is involved, in fact even when everything goes to hell he is still willing to wait it out in order to see if he can come out ahead. Ogra is Gorgo’s Mother and she is one massive creature of the sea who can not be stopped once she starts and her child is involved, she brings down the military with ease and even shrugs off fire like its nothing…in other words she is really unstoppable! Gorgo while just a baby as well is a creature of destruction and if not for his fear of fire he could have crushed the small island and all those on it! Gorgo, just like his mother, seems to always be in a destructive mood and always in a bad one. While this comic does a good job capturing the film, it does feel a little rush and some characters from the movie seem to take more of a back seat in the comic like the Professor and the young boy who is his assistant. The comic is bloodless but does have death, injury and destruction in it and has a real classic Horror Comic feel to it. The cover is very eye catching and fans of the movie I am sure flocked to get a copy of the comic just based on it! The interior art is done by the amazing Steve Ditko and is top notch stuff and shows that his art and giant monsters go hand and hand. Over all this is a great adaptation of a solid Kaiju film and is one that you should check out if you like Gorgo and other giant monsters like him. Check out the art below to see what Ditko brought to the table.

Gorgo is a Kaiju that I think the world seems to be gaining more respect for over time as his design, movie and legacy is pretty great, and he deserves to find his cult following. Now that we have survived the rampage of Gorgo and Ogra and before that we barely got out of the way of Reptilicus’, it’s time for the main destruction event as our final Kaiju for this month long themes updates is the one and only Godzilla from the 2014 film and the graphic novel Awakening that was spawned from it! So be ready for that as it will be a massive good time. Until then, read a Horror Comic or three, watch a Horror Movie or two and as always support your local Horror Host! I hope you’re prepared for the Kaiju that is Godzilla!

From Horror Movie To Horror Comic: Reptilicus (1961)

Posted on May 6, 2019 by bloodlinematt

For the month of May, in honor of “Godzilla: King Of The Monsters” hitting theaters and it bringing us one step closer to King Kong and Godzilla battling it out in 2020, we are going to have Kaiju month here on the blof that will be filled with “From Horror Movie To Horror Comic” updates all featuring giant monsters! And our first Titan will be Reptilicus, a sinister dragon-like beast who was the first Danish monster in cinema! Many people seem to forget about the likes of Reptilicus when they think of Kaiju and just giant monsters in general so that is why he was selected as my first choice to start off this event month. So if you’re ready, let’s see the terrors Reptilicus has in store for us and what destruction he leaves behind.

Reptilicus is a massive snake-like reptile that was frozen underground for centuries and is very combative in nature once awoken. The massive Reptilicus has many means to snuff out the life of humans as he can use his size and weight to crush and smash any and everything that gets in his way. He also sports very sharp snake-like teeth that could easily eat, impale and rip apart a man in no time. He doesn’t only attack on land but also water and even air with a strike upward. He also has the ability to grow back missing limbs and can heal from attacks pretty quick as he is a massive monster who can regenerate. Bullets, missiles and even fire from tanks do not hurt him, as he is able to shrug it off and keep on his path of destruction. And we are not even sure what his green acid spit could do when in contact with human flesh! Not to mention just the sight of him will cause panic and leave his human targets more easy to pick off as they make mistakes with minds full of fear. While he is massive and very hard to truly hurt, he can be killed as he hates fire and if burnt too long, he would die. He is also pretty slow moving on land and this also leaves him open for attacks and other means to stop him. He can also be drugged, and it’s even possible make him die of an overdose. While he might not be the most massive or destructive Kaiju in the world, Reptilicus is one of the most cold blooded who goes out of his way to kill and destroy, making him one deadly foe.

So now that we have taken a look at the destructive and killing nature of Reptilicus, we should now take a look at the film he is from. The film’s write up is taken from our friends at IMDB, and after, I will talk a little about the film’s production as well as my connection with and feelings about the film. So if you’re ready, let’s take a look at the film.

Reptilicus (1961)

“A portion of the tail of a prehistoric reptile is discovered in Denmark. It regenerates into the entire reptile, which proceeds to destroy buildings and property and generally make a nuisance of itself. It can fly, swim, and walk, and has impenetrable scales, which makes it difficult to kill.”

In the 1960’s, giant monster movies were all the rage, and in 1961 American International Pictures and Denmark company Saga Studio teamed up to make Reptilicus! The film was directed by Poul Bang for the Danish version and Sidney W. Pink for the English one…as you see, the film was made in two different language in order to maximize the film’s audience with the only major change being the actress who played the character of Connie Miller. Another story goes that the English version was so bad that American International Pictures called in screenwriter Ib Melchior to help shape it up for release. This also caused Pink to be upset and threaten to sue the company, but rumor has it, after watching his version he dropped the lawsuit as he saw how bad it was! The film built a cult following in Denmark as well as the US, but critics were not kind to this film as they all mocked its cheap looking production values. So while Reptilicus might not be as loved and respected as King Kong, Godzilla or even Gamera, it still made its mark on the world of giant monster cinema. A fun fact is that in 2001 director Sidney Pink wanted to remake the film to try and cash in on the 1998 American Godzilla movie…but sadly this did not happen as Pink passed away in 2002 from a long illness.

Reptilicus was one of those movies I know I saw when I was a youngster and cannot remember if it was just shown on broadcast TV or if it was on a Horror Host program but I can remember enjoying the heck out of it. It would be years and years later that I would see the film again when my friend Jason Gilmore bought it on DVD and we watched it on one of our many late nights of video game playing and Horror Movie watching hangouts. Gilmore and I had a blast laughing at the Reptilicus puppet as it went on its rampage and for a while it was a film we loved to laugh at and reference. One surprising thing isthat growing up I never did have one of the comics by Charlton nor did I have the paperback novel adaptation even though I was into all those things at a young age. I would go on to own the film on VHS and DVD and from time to time still dust it off to give a watch. Many modern Horror Fans have also seen it on the rebirth of Mystery Science Theater 3000 that is on Netflix. I feel that, much like Konga we have talked about in a past update, Reptilicus is often over looked when it comes to Kaiju in movies as the monsters of Toho dominate it, and I feel that’s not fair as many of these less known Giant Monsters are as cool as those we all know and love. While Reptilicus might not be a household name, he is a movie monster that has built a cult following and has left his green acid spit all over the world of Horror Cinema.

So now that we know the killing power of Reptilicus as well as took a look at his only film appearance, I think we should gather our nerve and take a look at Charlton Comics adaptation of the film that ended up spinning off into a comic series. While we run for our lives from the rampage of Reptilicus, I want to remind you all that I am grading this comic on a 1-4 star scale and am looking for how well the comic stays to the source material, its entertainment value and its art and story. I also want to thank an Ebay seller for having this comic in stock and making this update possible! So let’s seek shelter and enjoy this horrifying adventure of Reptilicus.

Reptilicus # 1 **1/2
Released in 1961 Cover Price .10 Charlton Comics # 1 of 8

Svend Alstrup is a foreman and is drilling for copper when he uncovers a bad smell and a chunk of skin that is covered in scales from deep in the Earth. After closing down the drilling, Svend calls for Professor Martens who takes the flesh to his lab. Later on as Svend finds more hunks of flesh of the beast, he delivers them to the Professor whose two daughters have formed a crush on him. One night by accident the freezer door where the flesh is held is left open, and this causes the flesh to grow and heal causing them to inform the United Nations of the discovery who in turn send two military men to supervise the experiment. The army once at the lab dismiss the chunk of flesh as a joke and seem not to be bothered that it has grown 100 times its size in eight days. But things change when a freak thunderstorm roles in and a blot of lightning strikes the tank releasing the flesh that has now grown massive and is called Reptilicus! Professor Martin and the Army come together fast to try and figure out a way to bring down this massive monster and each attempt fails as Reptilicus keeps growing and even learns to fly causing chaos and destruction every where he goes. In the end General Grayson and Professor Miller create a drug that they load into a shell and fire at the creature knocking it out and leaving it open to be disposed of, but little do they know a piece of Reptilicus skin is in the ocean waiting to grow and bring the monster back.

The plot of this comic adaptation is based on both the American Version of the film as well as the Danish Version and delivers a fun read for fans of this monster flick. The major downside is that it’s an hour and twenty minute movie crammed into twenty pages and keeps lots of the boring science and military talk from the film in. The plot is pretty cut and dry and has a blob of flesh being discovered that regenerates into a massive monster that breaks free from a lab and goes onto a massive rampage in Demark as the scientist and army try to figure out a way to stop it. Professor Martens is one of the heroes of this tale as his knowledge of these types of creatures as well as his research on the skin allows him to stop the army from making big mistakes like blowing it up and causing all the small pieces to become full fledged Reptilici (Repitilicuses?)! General Grayson is also a hero as he does not back down from the creatures and does not allow his failed attempts to shake his nerves as he wants to save the people and stop the monsters rampage once and for all. Reptilicus is one mad giant monster who wants to take out all his rage and hatred on humankind and seems to not be phased when attacked by some of mankind’s most used weapons of murder. He also is so powerful that he does not stop when attacked and in fact it only seems to make him rampage more! The comic is bloodless and the body count is very low and all shown off pane, but it fits for this style of Horror Comic. The scares come more in the vein of nature running amuck and the idea of a massive beast crushing your city than blood, guts and gore. The cover for this issue is pretty great and is very eye catching for fans of 60’s monster movies, and the interior art is done by the team of Bill Moino and Vince Alascia and is fantastic classic style. If you like the film Reptilicus and enjoy Kaiju in your Horror Comics, this is one you should read, while not a perfect adaptation it is an enjoyable one. Check out the artwork below to see the style of this issue.

Reptilicus’s rampage might have came to an end, but not to worry friends and readers, Kaiju Month continues next update as we leave Denmark and travel to England and see what destruction Gorgo and his Mother will do! It’s weird that some Kaiju have never gotten a comic book adaptation or series as ones like Kraa!, Q The Winged Serpent and Deadly Mantis all would have made for great comics, and only time will tell if they ever will get their time to shine in the pages of a comic. So until next time, watch out for giant monsters, read a Horror Comic or three, watch a Horror Movie or two and as always support your local Horror Host. See you next update as we witness the destructive power of Gorgo!

From Horror Movie To Horror Comic: Konga (1961)

Posted on December 16, 2018 by bloodlinematt

Giant Monster Movies were all the rage back in the 1960’s and many followed in the giant footprints of the 1933 film King Kong and none followed more closely than the 1961 film Konga as it as well featured a giant gorilla running wild in a major city! And I figured covering the first issue of Konga by Charlton Comics would be a great way to talk about the film and its title monster as it’s an adaptation of the movie! So if you’re ready to once more take a look at a giant hairy movie monster with me this winter and take another journey on a From Horror Movie To Horror Comic update. It’s a great honor that I bring you this look at Konga, a very underrated monster movie.

We need to take a look at Konga himself before we dive into the film that he comes from. Konga was a baby chimpanzee from Africa who is brought to London, England by Dr. Charles Decker, a famed botanist who has discovered a serum to make planets and animals grow very large. Konga is the test subject for this serum and grows to the size of a full-grown gorilla, and, after being given too much of the serum, he grows to super size! Konga has a very violent streak and uses his brute strength and power to choke the life out of humans when he’s gorilla-sized and has been given the orders from Decker. As a giant ape, he has no loyalty and wants to crush and smash people in his way. Konga’s way of killing includes choking, throwing and crushing, and he can easily do so no matter his size. He not only can use his power and strength to dispatch his victims but can also use his massive size to his advantage as he towers over buildings and homes and can carry a person in his hands like a doll. But while he is a giant and strong, Konga does have weaknesses as he can be hurt by weapons like guns and rockets and while large, it also appears as if he loses some of his smarts and becomes confused easily, leaving himself open to attacks. But while he can be stopped and killed, Konga is still a force to be reckoned with and is a killer primate brute who don’t realize he is a killing machine frightful bad guy.

So as you can see, Konga is a massive powerhouse of fury and animal instinct who is a giant monster who can smash and crush us humans. But now that we all know about Konga the giant monkey, we now have to take a look at the movie he stars in! So I will be taking the film’s plot from our pals as IMDB and after I will talk a little about my connection to the film as well as some cool other facts. So let’s learn a little about Konga the film that was supposed to be the first colorized version of King Kong.

Konga (1961)

“Dr. Decker comes back from Africa after a year, presumed dead. During that year, he came across a way of growing plants and animals to an enormous size. He brings back a baby chimpanzee to test out his theory. As he has many enemies at home, he decides to use his chimp, ‘Konga’ to ‘get rid of them’. Then Konga grows to gigantic proportions and wreaks havoc all over the city of London!!”

Anglo Amalgamated and American International Pictures teamed up in around 1959 to make a release of the film Konga thanks to British producer Nat Cohen asking American producer Herman Cohen to make another Horror Picture in the U.K. after “Horrors of the Black Museum” was a major hit in theaters and drive-ins. Herman, who was a big fan of King Kong, decided that he was going to make a colorized version of a giant gorilla this time around running wild in London. So Herman, along with Aben Kandel, wrote the script to the film that was being called “I Was A Teenage Gorilla” and was later changed to Konga. Herman would hire John Lemont to direct and brings on actors like Michael Gough, Margo Johns, Claire Gordon and Paul Stockman as the man in the Konga suit. Gerard Schurmann was brought in to score the movie and was filmed in Croydon and Merton Park Studios in England. With a budget of $500,000.00 production went by pretty easy and smooth and was ready to take cinemas by storm. For marketing the film Herman also paid RKO Pictures a pretty big sum in order to use the words King Kong on his posters and marketing. When released, it was shown on a double feature with the film “Master of the World” and would go one to be a cult classic film. The year of Konga’s release, it was joined in the cinemas by such other Horror titles like Curse Of the Werewolf, Doctor Blood’s Coffin, Beast Of Yucca Flats, Gorgo, Reptilicus, Snake Woman and Brainiac to name a few. When released the film also spawned a comic book series as well as a paperback novel adaptation.

My first memory of Konga was watching it on cable when I was a youngster as I think it was on TBS and I was glued to it as it was like a generic King Kong. Over the years, the film faded in my mind and it was not until MGM released it on DVD and VHS that I remembered it and was able to watch it again, and man did I enjoy this cheesy and fun giant monster run amok film! While Konga is no King Kong, he is a nice knock off version that offers some great moments and a super sad ending that will leave an image of a street and a small chimp forever burned into your memory. Another way I remember Konga is the comic series that was released by Charlton Comics in the 60’s as I would see them at comic shops and even in a few antique stores growing up. The thing about Konga is that he is not super respected by fans of Kiju Films as many do not even put him in that category of Horror and Science Fiction Films and look down upon his rampage and size. Now most of the Kiju we think of all come from Japan or some weird island and are the likes of Godzilla, Gamera and King Kong and most lists of these films leave Konga off, but I feel he belongs. While smaller than many of the above mentioned, he still is a giant monster on a rampage. So here right now on Rotten Ink we are going to give Konga the respect that is long over due and say he is a Kiju Monster and that his film is entertaining and underrated.

So now that we have taken a look at Konga as a monster and the film that spawned him, I think we should dive into his comic adaptation released by Charlton Comics in 1960 a short time ahead of the films release as a tool to promote it before it hit theaters and drive-ins. I want to thank the Ebay seller who had this comic in stock and made this update possible. I also want to remind you that I am grading this comic on a star scale of 1 to 4 and am looking for how well the comic stays to the source material, its entertainment value and it’s art and story. I also want to say that I am only reviewing the first issue in this series as it’s the adaptation of the film and it would cost me a small fortune to get all the issues in this series as well as its follow up series. So if you’re ready, let’s take a look at Konga in the world of comics.

Konga # 1 ***
Released in 1960 Cover Price .10 Charlton # 1 of 23

Doctor Decker along with his pilot are flying over Africa when the plane starts to have issues. Before it crashes, Decker is able to jump out and is found by a small monkey named Konga who takes him to a village of giants. While with the giants, Decker discovers a plant that brings growth when eaten and can bridge a link between planets and humans! Decker returns home to London with some seeds and Konga and has some experiments in mind that will help mankind become more powerful than ever before. Along with his wife Margret, they inject Konga with some of the seed serum and he grows showing this experiment will be a success, but also Decker must return to his teaching job and takes on a new student aid named Sondra who’s boyfriend Bob is not happy nor is the Dean of the school who thinks Decker’s claims of planets and man being linked looks poorly on the school and says he is going to request that Decker takes time away. Decker returns home very upset and injects Konga with more of the serum and now the monkey has turned into the size of a gorilla and he picks up the anger of Decker for the Dean and escapes his cage and kills him! After the attack, Decker meets a fellow scientist who is coming close as well on figuring out planet growth being used on humans and once more after Decker thinks bad of this man Konga escapes and kills him! The crimes are going unsolved and when Sondra steps down from being Decker’s aid due to her boyfriend Bob he once more returns home and upset with the young teenage lovers, and Konga once more escapes and this time injects himself with more serum and grows to be giant and busts the house in pieces. By this time Decker has figured it out and is able to call the police before he and his wife are killed by the house falling apart after Konga busts out. The massive Konga is now in the streets of London and thanks to the Police and Army, they are able to kill the beast who shrinks back down to small monkey size.

This comic was used to help promote the movie a year before it was released, and boy is this story way different in this comic than in the movie! The plot here has Doctor Decker returning from Africa with the idea to help mankind with his experiments done with the seeds of massive planets, and when using his friend, a small monkey, as the test subject the primate grows and picks up the anger thoughts of his friend and kills his enemies for him. But things really get out of hand when the monkey injects himself with lots of the serum and grows into a massive ape that terrorizes London and must be brought down by the army. So as you can see, in the comic Konga is the true bad guy who kills and is out of control with Decker being a kind man who just wants to help mankind, while in the movie Decker is the one who uses Konga to kill and he himself is a sleaze ball with Konga being the gentle one who is forced to be a massive ape. Plus in the comic, Margret is Decker’s wife when in the film she is his assistant who loves him, not to mention in the comic he only wants Sondra to help in in class, while in the movie he wants to have relations with her! Decker here in the comic world is a nice guy who took a bad situation like a plane crash and turned it into a plan to help mankind. He has a big heart with lots of goals in life and wants nothing more than to get his experiments done and become famous for doing something that a positive. Konga starts off as a small ape who is friends with Decker as he watched after him in Africa and comes to London to be a help and soon turns their friendship into a gateway to murder as the more Konga grows, the more bloodthirsty he gets. Just like in the movie, Konga dies in the comic when he is fired on by the Army and Police and in death shrinks back down to his normal size. The comic does not have any blood or gore and the horror element comes from the off panel deaths and the fact it’s a giant ape running loose in a city! The cover for this issue is great and classic and showcases Konga bringing in fans of giant monsters as well as King Kong fans. The interior art is done by comic artist legend Steve Ditko and is really great early comic art from a man who first drew Spider-Man for Marvel and by all accounts co-created him. I think about it two years after this comic that Ditko did Amazing Fantasy # 15. Over all, this is a great early Horror Comic that was based on a film that never has gotten the respect it should. Check out the artwork below to see some of Ditko’s early comic work.

Konga is a cool cult classic film that is also a great comic book that is worth checking out in both forms of media. And think, while the film was only one, the comic series lasted 23 issues and had a second series that lasted 3 issues. So if you love Konga, his giant sized adventures continued in ink for you to enjoy. So while we must leave London and Konga behind, our next update will place us on Christmas Eve and after some major thought and eliminations I decided that I will take a look at Garfield’s Christmas Special as well as have a NES Challenge of the unreleased Garfield video game! So until next time, read a comic or three, watch a giant monster movie or two and as always spend some time with your loved ones. See you next update for a fun time with Garfield as well as the NES.