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Image via Storm King Comics
John Carpenter Presents George A. Romero's The Amusement Park graphic novel from Storm King Productions has hit bookstores, comic shops and digital libraries everywhere.
Written by Jeff Whitehead with art by Ryan Carr, the graphic novel adapts Romero's "lost" 1975 film in a horrific exploration of aging under the big top of a surreal and malevolent carnival. While Carpenter and Romero are both iconic household names in the modern horror genre, the graphic novel is the first project to unite the legendary filmmakers. The Amusement Park adaptation provides a visually stunning and unique recontextualization of a since-rediscovered and re-appreciated cult classic film that was restored by the George A. Romero Foundation (GARF).
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The Amusement Park Is A Wild Ride
Ageism And Elderly Abuse Make For A Haunting Cautionary Tale
First conceived as a public service announcement, The Amusement Park comments on how society poorly regards the elderly, wrapped in the piece of cheese that is Romero's signature horror style. Shortly after the GARF restored the film as one of its first projects, the graphic novel began to take shape to bring the film to the page and broaden its appeal to new generations.
The Amusement Park features an elderly man who chats with an impatient passerby about an amusement park from his past. The park becomes the symbol of a microcosm around the challenges of aging as the mind and body deteriorate. The old man faces abuse and is chased by death, until he discovers that he is trapped in a loop, destined to forever relive and repeat the horrors.
The George A. Romero Foundation turned to John Carpenter's Storm King Comics as an avenue for distribution. The comics division was founded by Sandy King, who worked for many years as a producer on Carpenter's various projects. Storm King Comics has become a premiere publisher of horror graphic novels, and the pairing of Romero and Carpenter was a natural fit.
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“George A. Romero’s films are legendary. They already were legendary when I was just a student, and The Amusement Park has a fascinating history. This is a project that’s so important to his legacy as a filmmaker, so I’m glad to lend my name to it,” John Carpenter revealed. The collaboration honors George A. Romero's legacy in a meaningful way by providing a new lens for the story.
John Carpenter's Storm King Comics is well underway with their latest series John Carpenter's Tales of Science Fiction: Pause, while George Romero's legacy lives on in his daughter Tina's upcoming zombie film Queens of the Dead, as well as the seventh installment of the series that Romero began with 1967's Night of the Living Dead in the latest chapter Twilight of the Dead. Based on a treatment written by Romero, the film will be directed by Brad Anderson and stars Milla Jovovich and Betty Gabriel.
John Carpenter Presents George A. Romero's The Amusement Park is now available at comic shops, bookstores and online outlets.
English (US) · 