Gareth Edwards' 2014 filmGodzillakicked things off in the biggest possible way for Legendary and Warner Bros.' cinematic MonsterVerse, followed up by this year’s fantastic action-adventure film fromJordan Vogt-Roberts,Kong: Skull Island.With two of the heaviest hitters in movie monster history now re-introduced to audiences, fans are wondering just how the interconnected entertainment universe is going to bring them together for the inevitable, epic clash.
In 2019, the adventure continues withGodzilla: King of the Monsters, which pits Japan’s famous and fearsome monster against a rogues gallery of classic beasts, followed by the 2020 cinematic collision that isGodzilla vs. Kong.But since those films are years away, Legendary has launched a monthly comic book series titled “Skull Island: The Birth of Kong” that will help to fill in the gap for anxious fans. The first installment, “Part One: The People Who Came from the Sky”, written byArvid Nelsonwith artwork byZid, will be available in print and on Comixology starting tomorrow, April 12th. Mild storyspoilersfollow.
Let’s letCorey Hawkins' character Houston Brooks introduce you to the story told in the new comic:
This first issue acts as a sequel toKong: Skull Islandand a prequel to films that will follow it, since it’s split into two different time periods. The frame story, taking place in 2012, finds the Australian Navy recovering one of Monarch’s Kevlar float bags from the South Pacific with a curious bit of evidence inside. It’s revealed here that Brooks (Hawkins), who survived the encounter on Skull Island in 1973, had a son named Aaron who followed in his footsteps … and disappeared nearly 20 years earlier. It seems that Aaron joined Monarch, but also discovered that his father, like his ally Dr. Ishiro Serizawa (Ken WatanabeinGodzilla), had been keeping Kong a secret. In Houston’s view, Kong would be left to rule over the island and keep the other monstrosities in check; in Aaron’s view, this plan left the world open to attack from the powerful MUTO.
What follows is the reveal that Aaron and his Monarch team did not embark on an ill-fated research mission to Antarctica in 1995, as he said, but rather returned to Skull Island. As you might have guessed, this does not go well, but I’ll let you discover the fallout from this decision for yourselves when you check out the comics. In the meantime, here are a few of interesting tie-ins from the comic to the MonsterVerse:
Be sure to pick up “Skull Island: The Birth of Kong” #1 in print or digitally on Wednesday, April 12th, and then keep an eye out for future issues!
