Reviewed by Weird – Kongutan vs Kraken
If you were to bring together the recipe of what fuels my weird, one of the ingredients at the top of the list is giant monster battles. I can’t tell you why, but what I can tell you is that there is something about two giant creatures locked in primal combat that brings out the excited little kid in me. So when I heard about Gary Proudley’s Gestalt Comics‘ most recent book, Kongutan vs Kraken, you could color me interested in reading this book! Not sure what a Kongutan or a Kraken is? Don’t worry, Gary has you covered:
KONGUTAN is a 60-foot-tall ape based broadly on Gigantopithecus, an extinct ape from east and south-east Asia who lived approximately 350 thousand years ago, though this one is still very much alive. We coined the name Kongutan as “Gigantopithecus vs Kraken” didn’t quite have the same ring to it. Alliteration is always awesome.
THE KRAKEN is a 120-foot-long squid based broadly on the Giant Squid, a creature that still roams our oceans to this day.
That is the entirety of our dramatis personae, and they do not like each other. That’s pretty much all you need to know.
Sometimes, books can get overly complicated. You have one singular story that stretches out over several issues, and you have to make sure you don’t miss an issue because if you do, you are going to miss some key story elements, which make the story a little harder to follow. And you know, there is nothing wrong with these kinds of books. But sometimes, you just need a couple of characters, throw in a combustible element to set off some conflict, and BAM, you have your recipe for a good old-fashioned story featuring a battle of good vs evil.
This was a great book! I think it’s hard to tell a story without using a lot of dialogue, but Gary did an incredible job of telling the story with emotions and actions. Mitch Collins’s art perfectly complemented this story, highlighting the action during the battle between the Kongutan and the Kraken, and his bright, vibrant colors make this book a must-read if you are a fan of big monster battles!
Fresh off the heels of the recently successful Kickstarter, this book isn’t quite available in stores yet, but make sure you keep your eyes on the Gestalt Comics website to get your copy as soon as it’s available!
Chris Dailey
A jack of many trades, but a master of none, Chris dabbles in many nerdy hobbies including toy collecting, reading comics, writing fiction, reading novels, and playing video games. He’s also a huge wrestling fan, and knows more about it than most normal people should.
When he’s not writing or hosting podcasts for Geek Network, he can be found listening to podcasts and hanging out with his wife, his two daughters, and his little dog Gertie.
