KONG
LOMERATE
KONG
LOMERATE
Real Name: Monk Keys
Identity/Class: Human mutate
Occupation: Former owner of
Swamp City;
former construction worker
Group Membership: Formerly the chief of the stockholders of Swamp City
Affiliations: Band of the Bland (Black Hole/Morton Kribbee, Sitting Bullseye/Olivier Bedwette, Spanker/Fred Hovel, Tillie the
Hun/Matilda von Tromp), le Beaver/Pierre Dentifris, Black Talon/Thibodaux Boudreaux, Bzzk J'oh, Doctor Angst (Floyd Mangles), Doctor Bong (Lester Verde), Jackpot, Jokester, Greedy Killerwatt,
Maller,
Pro-Rata, Puffin, Quizling,
and Wally Sidney;
formerly
Anne Darrow
Driscoll
Enemies: Amy
Driscoll,
Jock Driscoll,
Howard the Duck, Man-Thing, Beverly Switzler, people of Swamp City;
presumably Andy the Angel, Chirreep, Jennifer Kale, Korrek, Master C'haaj, Hemlock Shoals, Claude Starkowski (see comments)
Known Relatives: None
Aliases: None
Base of Operations: Currently unrevealed;
formerly the Empire Hotel, Boardwalk, Swamp City, in the Florida Everglades
First Appearance:
(Imaginary version) Howard the Duck I#10 (March, 1977)
("Real" version) Howard the Duck II#7 (1980)
Powers/Abilities: Kong Lomerate has superhuman strength, agility, etc., roughly comparable to a large gorilla.
Additionally, Kong was somehow able to use a set of dice to affect the fate of those within Swamp City: a low roll indicated their current efforts would make very limited progress, while a higher roll allowed them to get much farther. He also distributed random cards, which granted good or bad fortune, including sudden inheritance and lottery winnings or tickets directly to jail.
Kong was formerly extremely wealthy, as exemplified by his Tower of Power, a mountain of microwave ovens, video tape recorders, nail polishers, and other home appliances.
History:
(Howard the Duck II#7 (fb) - BTS) - Monk was a high school football player, and
he dated cheerleader Anne Darrow. They had "some nights in his Chevy."
(Howard the Duck II#7 (fb)) - Swamp City was designed by architect Jock Driscoll as the city of the future, a place where all Americans could afford to live and work and raise their families. For months Driscoll and his workers labored to lay down their foundation in the heart of the Everglades, where real estate was cheap. At that task, their builder, Monk Keys, proved a genius; unfortunately at everything else he proved to be a lecher and a crook.
Monk literally swept Anne Darrow Driscoll off her feet, attempting to rekindle their old affair, but her husband, Jock, punched Monk to the ground. Monk got up and left, but he threatened to take everything away from Jock.
(Howard the Duck I#10 - BTS) - While locked up at Sauerbraten Mental Health Facility, Howard had many delusions, among them a vision of Kong Lomerate, who claimed that his word was law because he only existed on paper, and he threatened Howard with cancellation.
(Howard the Duck II#7 (fb) - BTS) - A "big ape" at heart,
Keys' ruthless instincts for survival and revenge on Jock Driscoll somehow
caused him to evolve into a big ape. Changing his name to Kong Lomerate, he
manipulated his stocks, bought up Driscoll's mortgage, and undermined Driscoll's
every position in the community. Via various types of pressure, Kong forced all
of Swamp City's stockholders to sell out to him, and he replaced them with
people loyal to him.
(Howard the Duck II#7 (fb)) - Jock and his family moved into a new house in Swamp City, which also took in several urban settlers, but then Kong foreclosed Driscoll's mortgage. Driscoll confronted Kong Lomerate, who revealed how he had accomplished his takeover and then told Driscoll he was going to take his home, his livelihood, and even his family. Kong then bought up all of Swamp City: the police, the bank, the local institutions, everything. Any who refused to pay up were either forced to leave or arrested on one trumped up charge or another. To any women that entered Swamp City, Kong acted like a feudal lord, "demanding the right of the first night."
(Howard the Duck II#7 (fb)) - Kong led his men to abduct Jock and Anne Driscoll, but after foreclosing their house, Kong told them to leave Amy Driscoll behind: "She is a cripple and cannot possibly hurt us!"
(Howard the Duck II#7 (fb) - BTS) - Anne Driscoll was seduced by Kong's promises of material wealth (his Tower of Power), and she left Jock and became Kong's woman.
(Howard the Duck II#7) - Howard the Duck arrived in Swamp City, following the trail of the Man-Thing, who had picked up Beverly Switzler and carried her into the city. Howard received a racecar and $200 upon his arrival, and Kong Lomerate watched from a distance, affecting his progress via his dice...and via chance cards. Soon enough, Howard went directly to jail; he did not pass "go" or collect $200.
Howard escaped from prison by faking his own death, and he and Jock joined up with Beverly and the Man-Thing, who had followed an empathic call by Amy Driscoll, who had been left alone after both her parents were taken away by Kong. Howard, Beverly, Jock, and Amy tracked Kong to the Empire Hotel on Boardwalk, and they were soon followed by the Man-Thing.
As the bog-beast approached him, Kong grabbed Amy--in an unsuccessful effort to
try to force her to send the Man-Thing away--and then he climbed to the top of
his Tower of Power to escape the Man-Thing. The swamp creature followed him, and
Howard climbed up the other side in an effort to rescue Amy before the Tower
collapsed under Kong and the Man-Thing's weight. Kong screamed as the Man-Thing
reached for him, and he soon burst into flames and leapt off the Tower. Kong
crashed to the ground, and Howard and Amy used him as a cushion/springboard as
they fell from the Tower, which then collapsed on top of Kong, seemingly
killing him.
(Steve Gerber's unpublished script for Howard the Duck#1 "Secret Crisis II" (fb) - BTS) - Kong-Lomerate was transported -- along with Dr. Angst and the Band of the Bland (Black Hole Sitting Bullseye, Spanker, Tillie the Hun), le Beaver, Black Talon, Bzzk J'oh, Dr. Bong, Jackpot, Jokester, Greedy Killerwatt, Maller, Pro-Rata, Puffin, Quizling, and Wally Sidney -- to within a fire hydrant-like construct in an interdimensional space between the REALITY mirroring the storyline generated by the Poporb of Krylorian techno-artist Chireep. Chaos swiftly erupted as many of their number began fighting amongst themselves.
(Steve
Gerber's unpublished script for Howard the Duck#1 "Secret Crisis II") -
Bong and Angst urged the others to cease their brawling. After
Galactongue disgorged a galaxy into the interspace, Bong his associates
were greeted by the Brotherhood of Evil
Prepositions (Amonger, Arounder, Betweener, Of, Underneather, and
Withiner), with the Underneather starting Kong Lomerate by slithering out from underneath his foot.
The Brotherhood then challenged the two groups to "Play both ends against the middle, and all you
desire shall be yours!"
They were then transported to the boardroom of
a building on a planet in the new galaxy, where Kong Lomerate initially
swung from the chandelier before noting that the boardroom was his
natural habitat and then assuming a
leadership role.
(Steve Gerber's unpublished script for Howard the Duck#1 "Secret Crisis II" - BTS) - Meanwhile,
another group -- Andy the Angel, Dakimh the Enchanter, Howard the Duck,
Jennifer Kale, Korrek the Barbarian, Man-Thing, Master C'haaj
(sp?), Hemlock Shoals, and Claude Starkowski (and they were soon joined
by Chireep and her Poporb) -- had been similarly transported into the
interspace (with a Winnnebago-like construct) and arrived in the
building's mailroom.
(Steve Gerber's unpublished script for Howard the Duck#1 "Secret Crisis II") - Standing
at the head of the table., Kong was flanked by Dr. Bong on his right
and Dr. Angst on his left, and -- as his eyes glittered hungrily, he
explained to the others: "Quite simply, I believe I have
grasped the
(Steve
Gerber's unpublished script for Howard the Duck#1 "Secret Crisis II"
(fb) - BTS) -While at least some of the others presumably targeted Andy
the Angel, Dakimh the Enchanter, Jennifer Kale, Korrek the Barbarian,
Man-Thing, Master C'haaj
(sp?), Hemlock Shoals, and Claude Starkowski, Kong led Maller,
Jackpot, and Greedy Killerwatt to confront Howard and Chireep, who had
left the mailroom. Kong noted, "Gentlemen, I had assumed
my background in business would prove crucial to winning this war. But if these
two represent the caliber of our antagonists, I am ludicrously overqualified. Let
us dispense with subtlety and simply kill them!!"
Comments: Imaginary version created by Steve Gerber,
Gene Colan, and Steve Leialoha.
"Real" version by Bill Mantlo and Gene Colan.
Swamp City was an obvious play on the Monopoly game.
Gerber's unpublished script:
Profile by Snood.
CLARIFICATIONS:
No known connection to:
Stockholders
of Swamp City
Via various types of pressure, Kong forced all of Swamp City's stockholders to sell out to him, and he replaced them with people loyal to him.
--Howard the Duck II#7 (7(fb) - BTS, 7(fb)
images: (not counting ads)
Howard the Duck I#10, p4, panel 2 (in color)
Howard the Duck II#7, p22, panel 3 + 4 (Monk Keys)
p25, panel 1 (stockholders)
panel 2
(Kong, body)
p42, panel 1 (Kong face)
p43 (Kong on Tower of Power)
Appearances:
Howard the Duck I#10 (March, 1977) - Steve Gerber (writer/editor), Gene Colan (artist), and Steve Leialoha (inker)
Howard the Duck II#7 (September, 1980) - Bill Mantlo (writer), Gene
Colan (penciler), and Dave Simon (inker), Lynn Graeme (editor)
unpublished Howard the Duck story by Gerber - 1985
Firstst posted: 06/24/2005
Last updated: 11/10/2022
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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