'Creature From the Black Lagoon" lurks into comic shops in April 2024

Midweek Update: Skybound Entertainment will provide new adventure of Gill-Man

A creature from the deep is creeping back into comic-book pages. 

According to a news release from Skybound Entertainment Skybound Entertainment in partnership with Universal Products & Experiences will release Universal Monsters: Creature From The Black Lagoon Lives! 

This four-issue limited comic book series features a creative team of writers Dan Watters (Home Sick Pilots, Lucifer) and Ram V (The Many Deaths of Laila Starr, Batman: Detective Comics); artist Matthew Roberts (Manifest Destiny), and colorist Dave Stewart (UltraMega, Hellboy). The first issue is set for an April 2024 release. 

 This is the second miniseries in the collaboration between Universal and Skybound, following “Dracula” from James Tynion IV and Martin Simmonds. 

“We’re so thrilled to announce our second book in the Universal Monsters line,” said Alex Antone, Editorial Director at Skybound, in the release. “Dan Watters and Ram V are two of the most exciting writers in comics, and to be able to turn them loose with longtime Skybound creators Matthew Roberts and Dave Stewart has been an absolute treat. And while James & Martin’s DRACULA was an adaptation of the original film, CREATURE is a brand-new story featuring beloved Gill-Man. Each book in the Universal Monsters line will feel different from the last, with each creative team bringing their own unique flavor and passion to these iconic horror characters. I can’t wait to share what else we have planned!”  

Dell Comics had the license for the Universal Monsters back in 1962, and they created a comic for their Classic Movie series focusing on “The Creature.” 

In 1993, writer Steve Moncuse joined artists Art Adams and Terry Austin for the one-shot “Universal Monsters: Creature from the Black Lagoon.” This was reprinted in 2006 along with the other 1993 monster stories in the collection “Universal Monsters: Calvacade of Horror.” 

Matthew Price, matthew@matthewlprice.com, has written about the comics industry for more than two decades. He is the co-owner of Speeding Bullet Comics in Norman, Oklahoma.