It’s not an exaggeration to say 2024 was a major year for Godzilla. Not only did last year mark the 70th anniversary of the iconic Kaiju, but the franchise won its first Oscar for Godzilla’s best visual effects: it won a minus one. King of the Monsters is a comic book title that releases new shared universe comic book titles, especially from IDW, and won’t slow you down anytime soon. Fans called the “Kai-sei Era” are looking forward to a new ongoing series next month by author Tim Sealy and artist Nicola Chiezimesiah, entitled simply Godzilla. The Kaisei era will continue to expand in the coming months, as it escapes the Dead Zone book from the postpost Godzilla: author Ethan S. Parker and Griffin Sheridan and artist Pablo Tunica’s creative team.
Beat was able to interview via email IDW editor Jake Williams to get skinny at the launch of the Kai-Sei era. In our discussion, Williams revealed the inspiration for this new design for Godzilla, including the potential aliens of lore that fans can expect!
Up until this Kaisei era line of Taimur Dar: IDW’s Godzilla comics, I didn’t know that Godzilla franchise was divided into several different eras, reflecting its distinctive style. Apparently, many of them are named after the Japanese emperor during production. So, am I interested in how “Kai-sei” has settled down in this IDW comic line?
Jake Williams: We are trying to do everything we can to reveal the word that the Kaisei era is new and different. It’s a change in the earthquake in Godzilla comics. An important part of this was the designation of the Kaisei era. Fans use these ERA titles to separate the different incarnations of the characters. So it’s a great way to tell fans that the new IDW Godzilla is a completely different beast.
Kai-sei is the name of our universe’s energy, and it really separates what we do from other variations. This seems most appropriate. Kaisei is why Godzilla’s heat rays are green, which is the source of our hero’s power and the catalyst for all the mutations in our world. Also, connective tissue is clear, as it already sounds like Heisei, the name of the second era.
Taimur Dar: Obviously, Godzilla has created many different designs and created the appearance over the decades. The infamous American film of 1998 has a significant percentage of critics, but it has soft spots with iguana-like designs. This Kaisei era Godzilla features a new design from Nikolachimemechaija. What was the process of rethinking this version of King of Monsters?
Jake Williams: When we officially got the word from Toho that it was clear to redesign Godzilla, we were ready to start art for question 1. After we knew what we could do… we knew what we had to do. To get your own franchise, you will need to get your own Godzilla. It’s a calling card for your time.
With that in mind, we set out to create designs that quickly clue people into what this new era had in our stores. Nicola worked on the crazy take of the character and then worked with Toho to confirm that Godzilla’s core elements were unharmed.
For the headshape, we turned to Pablo Tunika, the artist of Escape the Dead Zone. It was mean, animalistic and had this fantastic jawline. This looked similar to Thanos. It cried out “villain” in a way. For a new generation of readers, it allows monsters to be scary in a whole new way.
Taimur Dar: Godzilla as a franchise has always been popular, but it has had a notable comeback in recent years. Do you think Godzilla is so resonating right now at this particular point for our culture?
Jake Williams: For one thing, technology really keeps up with this concept. Legendary, and more recently Toho with Godzilla: Minus 1 allows you to draw Godzilla in a way that makes the monster feel realistic. I don’t think it’s possible to come out of one of those films without your imagination brightening up.
Taimur Dar: Godzilla is a character and property that at least knows basic concepts, even if you’ve never seen them. What is your personal history with Godzilla? Have you already been immersed in lore before becoming an editor of Godzilla comics? Or did you become a fan after becoming an editor and have a deeper understanding of the franchise?
Jake Williams: I had a pretty standard relationship with Godzilla. Like everyone else, I went out to negatively do the legendary Monsterverse movie and Godzilla: what came out. In my lifetime, Godzilla films were never released, but I couldn’t see them in theater, but I got a job as an editor and checked out previous films.
These comics are aimed at giant Godzilla fans, but they are aimed at fans like I was. Those who think Godzilla is great still don’t feel like they need to pick up comics featuring characters.
Taimur Dar Shared Universe is a double-edged word, especially in cartoons. In recent years, I think the release of Skybound and DC’s Energon Universe from the absolute universe has been incredible success as each book connects with the others without losing or being forced to buy all of it. What can you say about the balance between connectivity and accessibility of each book during this Godzilla Kaisei era?
Jake Williams: We were aiming to create a world of these books that we felt were generative rather than restrictive. We are not trying to create lore that you have to track. We are trying to create a playground for the story. The concepts presented in this line are intended to stimulate the imagination and create a fertile ground for future storytelling. The characters and concepts of these stories eventually intersect, but they all work their own. One of the three stories appears in space. Of the two stories that take place on Earth, there is a literal wall that separates them.
Taimur Dar: One of the main things that teased me during the Kai-sei era in this manga is the semi-Kaiji semi-human hybrid. The idea of hybrid human/monster characters is definitely something other franchises have played, such as the Alien Resurrection. But this seems to be something different. What can you tease about what makes this human/Kaisy hybrid unique?
Jake Williams: First of all, it’s very unique in the Godzilla world. This is not something Toho has put into Godzilla’s media before, so it really feels exciting. This is a character who can interact with Godzilla universe monsters in ways that he could not do before. This means that readers can interact with their favorite monsters in ways they have never done before.
You can also get a lot from this character in an emotional sense. If Godzilla is a representation of disaster, this character represents how disaster affects humanity. It is our comic bookie ways to show how experiencing trauma and devastation can change you.
Taimur Dar: Starship Godzilla is an interstellar book about the lands travelling through space in Mechagodzilla, encountering alien races. Should hardcore fans expect some established alien races from the Godzilla franchise to look like Exif, Kilaaks, or Nebulans?
Jake Williams: One thing I have to set the record straight: The characters in the Humans of the Spaceship Godzilla are not from Earth. Like Star Wars and other Space Firning Stories, there are human-like beings around the galaxy.
When it comes to other alien races, I’m going to see all sorts! Xiliens plays a big role in our story, and literally has Simian on the crew. And as the book continues, you will certainly see more of the aliens you mentioned.
Taimur DAR: It’s hard to believe that IDW first acquired Godzilla rights in 2010. However, since IDW signed a new licensing agreement with Toho in 2020, it appears that there has been a new creative energy, whether it’s Louie Joyce’s Godzilla: Skate, or Tom Shiori or the Monster Piece Theater for other projects. What is the key to revitalizing IDW’s Godzilla comics?
When IDW first won the right to make Godzilla comics, I think there was a general vibe that we wanted to recreate the kind of stories that fans have come to love in Godzilla movies. Over time, we have grown an understanding that instead we should lean on telling the Godzilla story that we only tell on comic pages. We finally began to realize that Godzilla is a force of nature that can exist in all kinds of stories. Godzilla is the perfect character to offer creators and allow them to tell the story of the monster with their own style of voices. Godzilla is still Godzilla, whether the monster is surrounded by skater punks or literary heroes.
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