Godzilla: Escape the Deadzone, IDW Publishing’s second Kai-Sei Era comic, has been out for just about a week. There’s been fan speculation all over the community as to what is going on in this strange, bizarre world, and just what it all means for the King of the Monsters’ new comics relaunch going forward. Will Godzilla show up in more than just a cameo? What kind of media was the team behind Deadzone looking at for influence? What else can we expect from this unique, character-driven book?
Ponder no further, Kaiju United community! We’ve got some answers for you from IDW’s very own Godzilla Editor, Jake Williams, who has graciously answered some of the most frequently appearing questions in the wake of Deadzone making its big splash. Read on below, and get some behind-the-scenes insight on IDW’s fascinating new read.
Kaiju United: In the past, you have spoken about Escape the Deadzone being heavily akin to the general tone and style of Vertigo Comics — were there any specific runs that influenced you and/or the team behind the book? What other non-comics media influenced the team in shaping this new world and environment?
Jake Williams: We always describe the Deadzone as Mad Max meets Over the Garden Wall. And honestly, I think Over the Garden Wall is our main inspiration. We talk a lot about how delightful that show is and how exciting it is that anything can happen in that world. At any point the boys might wander into a clearing that contains a pumpkin monster, a haunted mansion, or a schoolhouse full of animals. We’re trying to do that, but with Kaiju.
As far as Vertigo comics, we’ve mostly been using that comparison as a shorthand for the type of story we’re trying to tell. A lot of Vertigo books were grimy, mature, and featured troubled characters having one-off adventures as they continue along some sort of perilous journey. The most obvious Vertigo comp would be Sweet Tooth.
KU: The kaiju community would like to know… will we see Godzilla fully appear in this book, or will the main King of the Monsters action happen in the main ongoing run by Tim Seeley?
JW: Godzilla will fully appear in Escape the Deadzone. Even in the issues where Godzilla doesn’t, we’re going to be putting in a lot of work to make sure we earn that ‘Godzilla’ in the title.
©Toho Co., Ltd.
KU: When expanding into a shared universe, what are some of the challenges in ensuring continuity and fluidity? For instance, if one thing happens in one book, it carries over to the other, or eventually, when there is a timeline, it all makes sense. Are the Kai-Sei books rigid in that aspect, or are they a bit more loose to allow for more artistic and creative liberties?
JW: In order to give the creators as much liberty as possible, we very specifically sequestered the books from each other. There’s literally a wall between the events of Deadzone and Godzilla, and then Starship Godzilla is taking place in the far reaches of outer space. So at this point, the main thing we have to be consistent on is the history of the world. There are very specific points in the history of the world that brought us to where we are today–and as long as we’re all aligned in those, we can get really crazy with the storytelling in each of these specific sections.
From there, it’s like jazz. The writers hear what the other teams are up to, and they get excited about those ideas and find ways to incorporate them into their own story.
KU: When drafting such a strange and unusual world like the Deadzone, were there any elements that were specifically thrown in to still make it feel “Godzilla” instead of a just a post-apocalyptic monster book aside from the recurring themes and messages of the franchise?
JW: The Deadzone is meant to depict a nightmarish reality built in the image of Godzilla. For the most part, every issue focuses on one specific detail of this strange place that reflects Godzilla itself. In issue 1, that specific detail is the Wanderer. As you’ll see in future appearances…the Wanderer is quite literally built in the image of Godzilla. One thing that might not be clear to readers of issue 1 yet is the fact that the issue takes place exclusively on the outskirts of the Deadzone. As the series progresses, the Wanderer is going to be pushed deeper and deeper into this Deadzone, where more and more of the world is as clearly reflective of Godzilla as he is.
All that to say, I think this question will be very clearly answered by the coming issues, as readers see just how Godzilla-inspired the Deadzone turns out to be.
KU: When pitched Deadzone, what was the thing that most caught your eye?
JW: Deadzone was an unusual pitch process! When doing my initial planning for the Kai-Sei Era, I knew I wanted part of the world to be destroyed and mutated. I also knew that I wanted some sort of kaiju-powered being to be having western/samurai style adventures as they go from civilization to civilization inside of this world. After talking to Griffin and Ethan at Comic-Con last year, they pitched me a bunch of ideas…and I told them to put all of those ideas inside of the Deadzone. They then went to work fleshing out the world and creating the Wanderer.
Godzilla: Escape the Deadzone is now available anywhere you purchase comics. For more on Deadzone, we encourage you to read our review and to check out Jake’s interview with Godzilla.com, in which the series’ newest characters are fully introduced. Stay tuned for more coverage on all things Kai-Sei.
