When bassist Gene Simmons spreads his rubber bat wings and wags that infamous tongue, the time warp is almost complete; all that's missing is a bucket of fake blood and an explosion or two. Those will have to wait until October 31, when Kiss kicks off its 1998 world tour with a Halloween show at L.A.'s Dodger Stadium, the first half hour of which will be broadcast live at midnight ET on Fox.

"We're throwing down the gauntlet yet again to show every new band out there how the big boys do it," declares Simmons, 49. "For the first time in history, Kiss in 3-D!"

The veteran shock rockers may be pushing 50 and beyond-drummer Peter Criss is 52-but their critics-be-damned bravado clearly remains intact. While the jury's still out on whether watching Kiss through those little cardboard 3-D glasses is really such a hot idea, the fact remains that the band is a huge draw. And Fox is clearly hoping that translates to TV. For openers, Kiss is starring-both as a group and as individual actors-in the October 30 episode of Millennium. And on Halloween, the band is hosting Mad TV before diving into the live concert. "It's basically Kiss Night on Fox," singer-guitarist Paul Stanley, 46, says. "It shows either their tremendous taste-or lack of it. Either way, we support it." Adds Simmons: "We will decimate the competition."

He may have a point. Trotting out the old tricks brought in a lot of treats during the band's 1996 reunion tour, in which the original foursome (guitarist Ace Frehley is the other founding member) hit the road for the first time in 17 years; the tour grossed a reported $70 million. Kiss isn't just a band these days, it's a multifaceted conglomerate. The band recently released Psycho Circus, its 31st album, and just began shooting a feature film, "Detroit Rock City," that is due next year. Long the king of rock & roll merchandising-marketing everything from lunch boxes to action-figures to comic books-the group now has new products like KissOnline, which provides Internet access, and a Kiss Visa card.

Hugely loyal, the Kiss Army has stayed true through good times (Kiss's '70s heyday) and the not-so-good (the '80s, when the group split up, with the departures of Criss and Frehley; Simmons and Stanley continued without the makeup, trying to reinvent themselves as a nonglam rock band). The fans' response to a '95 MTV Unplugged convinced the foursome the time was right for the original Kiss to reunite.

Criss, whose life fell apart in many ways upon leaving the band, couldn't be happier. "I never really appreciated anything as much as I appreciate this now," says the drummer, who, like Frehley, is now sober.

The guys are enthusiastic as they prepare to hit the road, but while it's one thing to rock & roll all night in your 20s, it's quite another when you're a middle-aged dad (all have kids and are married except Simmons, who has two children-Nicholas, 9, and Sophie, 6-with his longtime companion, actress Shannon Tweed). The biggest difference? "A lot more Ben-Gay," cracks Frehley, 47. Despite the aches and pains, Kiss marches on. One handy aspect of the makeup and costumes: Although the band is getting older, it doesn't look like it from the audience. How long can Kiss keep going?

"The only thing that will stop us is when one of us drops dead," Frehley declares. Adds Simmons: "And then we'll sell even more records. So we can't lose." E

Mark Nollinger is a Los Angeles-based freelance writer.

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