A new era of Godzilla comics is upon us.
With Godzilla: The New Heroes debuting this weekend for Free Comic Book Day, the launch of IDW’s new “Kai-Sei” era of Godzilla comic books is gearing up for a big launch. With three titles previously revealed, much speculation was on what these books would exactly be about, with minimal synopses being attached as part of traditional comic book previews. IDW’s Godzilla Editor, Jake Williams, recently sat down with AIPT and divulged more details on what we can expect from Godzilla, Escape the Deadzone, and Starship Godzilla.
Long thought mere tie-in material, the goal for Jake (and IDW as a whole) is to bring in a totally new and original experience to Godzilla comics – the same way you go see spectacle such as Minus One or Godzilla x Kong – but with the advantages that only the comic book medium can provide.
Jake Williams commented on this translation, stating:
“The Kai-Sei Era is about building a new universe for Godzilla that plays to the strengths of the comic book medium. When you translate Godzilla to a comic book page, you lose some of the spectacle and grandeur of going to the movies —but you gain so much when you use the medium correctly.”
Godzilla (Ongoing)
THE KAI-SEI ERA, IDW’S NEW GODZILLA UNIVERSE, STARTS HERE!
First up is the inaugural issue of the new ongoing Godzilla series by Tim Seeley (Grayson, Hack/Slash) and Čižmešija (Batman and Robin, Sword of Azreal), releasing on July 20. Basically, IDW opted to skip ahead in the timeline 70 years, and have this world infested with Kaiju. Per their synopsis, different countries have incorporated various ways to deal with the Kaiju, with Japan treating them like natural disasters, and America’s G-FEST aiming to destroy them once and for all. (Sounds remarkably like how the two cultures treat their monsters…)
Additionally, the Americans have discovered a young boy named Jacen that has the power of Godzilla, harnessing the “Kai-Sei” energy (of which this era takes its namesake) the same way the Big G does. Will he use it to destroy Godzilla and save the world, or bring about its doom? Guess we’ll have to read and find out!
Williams remarked upon this book and what kind of books it will feel similar too, adding that it’s a goal to get this ongoing book to 100 issues.
“The Godzilla ongoing series is all about the American G-Force attempting to eradicate Godzilla. It’s a unique blend of a modern American superhero comic (like the original Ultimates) and a shonen fight comic (like My Hero Academia). It’s a thriller that’s going to twist and turn in all sorts of crazy directions.”
Godzilla: Escape the Deadzone
Next is the post-apocalyptic, Mad Max esque story Godzilla: Escape the Deadzone, which features writing duo Griffin Sheridan & Ethan S. Parker (Kill Your Darlings) and artist Pablo Tunica (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) teaming up to tell a rather unique Kaiju tale. In this book, a cataclysmic Godzilla event resulted in a majority of the Pacific Northwest being deemed uninhabitable… but legends speak of a half man, half Kaiju hybrid with immense power wandering the wastelands. This book will become available to readers on August 6, 2025.
Williams also provided some stories that were clear inspirations for Deadzone, adding:
“Escape the Deadzone is our take on a wandering ronin story. It has the vibes of Lone Wolf and Cub, Sweet Tooth, Mad Max, and Over the Garden Wall. It also surprised me by being really damn funny. I think it’s our most early Vertigo-esque title. This book gets very, very weird.”
Starship Godzilla
Lastly, the vibrant and colorful Starship Godzilla will enter orbit on October 1. Pitched previously as “Guardians of the Galaxy meets Godzilla,” the book will explore a team that flies around in Mechagodzilla (Kiryu) and encountering various alien races that have inhabited the vast library of Toho stories over the years. This time, every single invader from across Godzilla history inhabits the same known galaxy, and we’re visiting their home worlds on “high risk, high reward kaiju-based missions, with a secret that could impact the whole universe.”
Interestingly, Jake Williams compared the book to both Star Trek AND Star Wars, remarking:
“Starship Godzilla feels like renting an ’80s space anime from the video store. You’re definitely gonna pick up on some Cowboy Bebop, some Firefly, stories of that nature. But it’s unique in that every planet they visit is going to be shaped by their interactions with kaiju in one way or another. I like to say this one starts off as Star Trek, with our characters having various episodic stories across the galaxy, but becomes Star Wars as they get involved in a galactic power struggle.”
Which book are you most excited to pick up in this new era of Godzilla comics? Let us know down below!
