Film archivist Bob Furmanek on getting ROBOT MONSTER more attention—including comics!
“I’m especially thrilled to have young talents on our team. They are the next generation of classic film fans and it’s great having them on board.”
The founder of 3D Film Archive talks about the reissue of 1953 alien horror movie Robot Monster (including all the bonus materials) and why he’s following it with a 3-D graphic novel Robot Monster anthology.
When the old sci-fi horror movie ROBOT MONSTER hit its 70th anniversary, the movie was celebrated with a 3-D restoration for a 2023 disc jammed full of bonus materials. Involved with the project was Bob Furmanek—3-D film restorationist, master film historian, and author.
Deciding that ROBOT MONSTER deserved even more celebration, Furmanek is now the publisher and editor-in-chief of the ROBOT MONSTER graphic novel anthology that will feature 3-D comics from a number of contributors. The stories will both celebrate and/or parody the MST3K-ified movie about an alien dressed as a gorilla with a diving helmet.
The project is currently on Kickstater: Find out more about the Robot Monster comics collection here!
In our exclusive interview, Furmanek talks to Monster Complex about how ROBOT MONSTER inspired him to bring the movie all this attention, his favorite parts about the movie reissue, and what he hopes the comics anthology will accomplish.
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Film archivist Bob Furmanek on getting ROBOT MONSTER more attention—including comics!
Q: Between the reissue and now the anthology, what about ROBOT MONSTER inspired you to bring it all this attention?
I’ve always championed the underdog and felt that ROBOT MONSTER has gotten a bad rap. Since I discovered the only complete 3-D copy of the film way back in 1990, I’ve felt that it was worth restoring so that new audiences could experience the original 3-D version that was seen theatrically. Despite the films microscopic budget, they did a terrific job with the stereo cinematography and prior to our 2023 restoration, it had not been seen properly in seventy years!
Q: What were your favorite things about all the bonus features and restoration of the movie for that reissue?
Bringing it back to life for new audiences is a great thrill. The bonus extras were a lot of additional work and I’m very proud of every single one of them. However, if I had to pick just one to shine a spotlight on, I would call attention to Sean Thrunk’s new documentary short, SAVING SLICK. Sean is an immensely talented young filmmaker and you’ll be hearing a great deal more from this extraordinary talent in the years to come.
Q: What led to following up the movie reissue with this graphic novel anthology? What are the goals of this project?
After seeing how well the movie has played in sold out screenings, especially with a young audience, I felt there was much more that we could develop with the characters and plotline in the original film. Paul Castiglia has done a fantastic job of securing SO many wonderful artists and writers for this project. I’m especially thrilled to have young talents like Marley Starr and Carl Scheckel on our team. They are the next generation of classic film fans and it’s great having them on board.
Q: What do you hope monster movie fans get out of all this? (Not just the movie itself, but also the restoration and all the bonus stuff and the anthology?)
I hope that new audiences will have an open mind to explore and embrace our rich cinematic heritage. And perhaps other underdogs like ROBOT MONSTER will be given a new lease on life.
More about Bob Furmanek online
Bob Furmanek (@BobFurmanek) (Twitter—seriously, I’m not calling it “X”)
Bob Furmanek - President and Founder - 3-D Film Archive (LinkedIn)
Bob Furmanek (IMDB)
Related links:
Comics veteran Paul Castiglia on the ROBOT MONSTER anthology
14 Significant Sci-Fi Movies with Robots—From the Amazing to the Weird
Comics Crowdfunding: ROBOT MONSTER COMICS and more projects we love! (Comics Beat)
Robot Monster 3D Comic Kickstarter! (Classic Horror Film Board)
With Further Ado #294: Robot Monster 3-D Comic (Pop Culture Squad)
Robot Monster Movie Gets Graphic Novel (Previews World)
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The Rondo Awards honor the best in classic horror research, creativity and film preservation. This year's winners include the reissue of ROBOT MONSTER, the movie GODZILLA: MINUS ONE, the TV series WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS, and more! Find out the details here.