Godzilla and Other Monster Favorites on TCM in June

From Turner Classic Movies

Thursdays this June, the cable station Turner Classic Movies will be airing a series of “Drive-In Double Features” of monster movies from the 1950s and 60s such as THEM!, THE VALLEY OF GWANGI, THE BLOB, TARANTULA, THE BEAST FROM 20000 FATHOMS, and THE THING. The lineup features fifteen movies never before aired on TCM, including four favorites from the Golden Age of Japanese movie monsters… GODZILLA, KING OF THE MONSTERS, RODAN, GHIDORAH THE THREE-HEADED MONSTER, and GODZILLA VS MONSTER ZERO. Also on the schedule are Toho’s THE H-MAN and the Japanese/American co-production THE MANSTER. All will be shown in their English language, US release versions.

Check the TCM website for the complete list of “Drive-In Double Features”.

TCM Japanese Monster Movie Schedule for June, 2011

Thursday, June 2
8:00 PM EST- GODZILLA, KING OF THE MONSTERS (1954/1956)
Nuclear tests awaken a prehistoric monster. Director: Ishiro Honda. Cast: Raymond Burr, Takashi Shimura, Momoko Kochi, Akira Takarada, Akihiko Hirata.

9:45 PM EST- RODAN (1956/1957)
Miners uncover the nest of a giant pterodactyl. Director: Ishiro Honda. Cast: Kenji Sahara, Yumi Shirakawa, Akihiko Hirata.

11:15 PM EST- GHIDORAH, THE THREE-HEADED MONSTER (1964/1965)
Mothra, Godzilla and Rodan join forces to take on a space monster. Director: Ishiro Honda. Cast: Yosuke Natsuki, Yuriko Hoshi, Hiroshi Koizumi, Akiko Wakabayashi.

1:00 AM EST- GODZILLA VS MONSTER ZERO (1965/1970)
Aliens try to use Godzilla, King Ghidorah and Rodan to take over the Earth. Director: Ishiro Honda. Cast: Nick Adams, Akira Takarada, Kumi Mizuno, Akira Kubo.

Thursday, June 16
3:30 AM EST- THE MANSTER (1958/1962)
A mad scientist turns a reporter into a two-headed killer. Director: George P. Breakston. Cast: Peter Dyneley, Jane Hylton, Satoshi Nakamura, Jerry Ito.

Thursday, June 30
9:30 PM EST- THE H-MAN (1958/1959)
Nuclear tests create a radioactive man who can turn people into slime. Director: Ishiro Honda. Cast: Yumi Shirakawa, Kenji Sahara, Akihiko Hirata.

PREVIEW : GODZILLA: KINGDOM OF MONSTERS #3

Godzilla, Rodan, and Anguirus continue their devastation, and the worldwide media begins to chime in. As people around the globe suffer, celebrities band together to save the monsters from human counterattack, and the president is criticized for being "soft on monsters." Meanwhile... a mysterious giant egg washes ashore in France. And what's with those creepy little twin girls?

STORY BY Eric Powell, Tracy Marsh

ART BY Phil Hester

COVER BY Eric Powell, Jeff Zornow

PUBLISHER IDW

COVER PRICE: $3.99

RELEASE DATE Wed, May 25th, 2011

Godzilla Corps Pics By Jamie Snell

Godzilla as a Red Lantern.

Godzilla with a Sinestro Corps ring.

Godzilla Solicitations For August 2011

Godzilla: Gangsters & Goliaths #3 (of 5)
John Layman (w) • Alberto Ponticelli (a) •  Dan Brereton, Ponticelli, (c)
Detective Makoto Sato has been framed, disgraced and left on the run.  But beware a desperate man... with a friend like MOTHRA! Sato strikes back at the Takahashi crime empire and the criminal underworld is powerless to fight back against the winged kaiju. Yet before Sato can finish the job, he learns that no man can truly control a monster! 
*2 regular covers will be shipped in a 1-to-1 ratio 
FC • 32 pages • $3.99

*Variants: 
Black &White Ponticelli cover

Bullet points:
•    This Eisner-winning  (Layman, for Chew)  and -nominated (Ponticelli, for Unknown Soldier) creative team lets loose with an action packed story that has something for everyone!
•    John Layman’s Chew has just been picked up by Showtime!

Godzilla: 100 Cover Charity Spectacular
Alex Ross, Eric Powell, Various (a) • Matt Frank (c)
This March, IDW unleashed an unprecedented promotion in the direct comics market. A chance for retailers to have their stores smashed by Godzilla! When count was done, there were 100 covers of this landmark issue. Now, it’s a chance to own all the covers, and for a good cause! IDW will be donating all proceeds from this one-of-a-kind one-shot to the International Medical Corps for tsunami relief in Japan.
FC • 100 pages • $7.99

Bullet points:
•    See all 100 covers from IDW’s unprecedented promotion!
•    All proceeds will be donated to the International Medical Corps for tsunami relief in Japan








Godzilla: Kingdom of Monsters #6
Eric Powell & Tracy Marsh (w) • Victor Dos Santos (a) • Eric Powell, Jeff Zornow (c)
Monsters continue their relentless rampage around the world, demolishing cities and shrugging off military resistance. When drastic defense measures backfire, humanity's struggle to survive takes an ugly turn. Can anything be done to stop the monster mayhem? And seriously—how many of these things can there possibly be?! Sorry, mankind... in Godzilla: Kingdom of Monsters #6, the hits keep coming.
*2 regular covers will be shipped in a 4-to-1 ratio (4 Eric Powell, 1 Jeff Zornow cover)
FC • 32 pages • $3.99

*Variants:
    Matt Frank “Kumonga” cover   

Bullet points:
•    Ask your retailer how to get a different character cover for each issue. In this issue: KUMONGA!
•    Powell & Marsh continue the devastation and new threats join the fray!

New Book Toho SFX Actress Encyclopedia Now Available

The new Toho SFX Actress Encyclopedia is a treasure trove of photos and information about the leading ladies of Toho's fantasy films. © 2011 Yosensha Co. Ltd./ Toho Co., Ltd.

Author: Loren Portillo Official Site: Toho SFX Actress Encyclopedia Released in Japan barely a month ago, the incredible softcover book Toho SFX Actress Encyclopedia (別冊映画秘宝　東宝特撮女優大全集, Toho tokusatsu jouyuu taizenshuu) covers 50 years of Toho special effects film actresses, from 1954 to 2004. Published by Yosensha Co. Ltd., this 158 page marvel includes a stunning amount of rare color and B&W photographs of some of the most beautiful women ever to grace the screens at Toho Studios. 

I would assume finding photographs of these beautiful actresses would be considered very common in Japan, but for the foreign fan it is quite a treat to be able to see so many favorites here in this great book. My particular favorite page is a beautiful 1962 color photograph of all of Toho’s top actress’s in kimono outfits… a very stunning picture, indeed.

There is also a selection of very interesting interviews with such well known genre favorites as Akiko Wakabayashi (DOGORA, GHIDORAH THE THREE-HEADED MONSTER), Yuriko Hoshi (MOTHRA VS GODZILLA, GODZILLA VS MEGAGUIRUS), Yuriko Hishimi (GODZILLA VS GIGAN), Tomoko Ai (TERROR OF MECHAGODZILLA), Megumi Odaka (Heisei Godzilla series), Keiko Sawai (FRANKENSTEIN CONQUERS THE WORLD, MONSTER ZERO) and, of course, everyone’s favorite femme fatale, Kumi Mizuno (MATANGO, MONSTER ZERO, WAR OF THE GARGANTUAS). The Mizuno interview is a standout; extensive and accompanied by an excellent photo collection. I am sure this will please many fans to see her first-hand recollections about her experiences working at Toho Studios during their golden years.
Toho SFX Actress Encyclopedia is a very exciting book to add to your collection, and can be ordered through online retailers such as Amazon Japan.
Publisher: Source: Yosensha Co., Ltd.
ISBN: 9784862487025
Product Format: Softcover, A4 (29.4 x 21 x 1.2 cm)
Pages: 158
Text: Japanese
Release Date: March 28, 2011
SRP: ￥1,785 (approximately $22.00 US)

Watch Gamera Movies And More On Goohead Internet Channel For Free

Goohead features classic Asian feature films and television series for free in the simplest possible, clutter free way in three clicks or less. Included in the more than one hundred and sixty hours of content are the famous GAMERA series of eleven full-length feature films produced from 1965 to1999, in there original aspect ratio plus some rarely seen complete television series from the '70's. The next series they are adding is ULTRAMAN (1966-1967). Check it out at www.goohead.com

LAYMAN TALKS "GODZILLA: GANGSTERS AND GOLIATHS"

From Comic Book Resources By Shaun Manning

Because one monster rampage is never enough, IDW Publishing is set to follow up its ongoing series "Godzilla: Kingdom of Monsters" with the five-issue miniseries "Gangsters and Goliaths." From the minds of Eisner Award-winning writer John Layman and Eisner-nominated artist Alberto Ponticelli, the mini blends elements of Asian cinema, mafia action and of course Toho monsters, as it finds one Detective Makoto Sato fighting alone to bring down the Tokyo underworld while struggling to survive the behemoths of MonsterIsland.

With the first issue set to crash into comic shops in June, CBR News caught up with Layman, best known as the writer and co-creator with Rob Guillory of "Chew," about "Godzilla: Gangsters and Goliaths" and whatever else he might have up his sleeve.

CBR News: To start, John, what do you remember about the first time you watched a Godzilla movie, or saw one of the other Toho monsters?

John Layman:I've loved Godzilla movies and monster movies for as long as I could remember, the first time seeing them. I'm very old, so I can remember watching Toho movies at weird hours, on weekend afternoons and during late late shows, in the early days before cable, back at the dawn of time. I was absolutely enthralled with the giants of giant frickin' monsters stomping around cities, fighting each other, and smashing shit up.

"Godzilla: Gangsters and Goliaths" launches in June

In IDW's new Godzilla ongoing, Eric Powell, Tracy Marsh and Phil Hester are showing the world's reaction to the first monster rampage. For your story, where are we in terms of monster attacks being a known danger? Are they fairly frequent, or is it just something you have to watch out for, a "if you see something, say something" sort of thing?

"Gangsters and Goliaths" is set in a more conventional "Godzilla" continuity, one where monsters have been around for a while. Godzilla and all the other monsters are well known, and rightly feared, by the citizens of Japan, and Tokyo in particular. There's even a Monster Island where most of the monsters spend their time, on their rampage down-time.

"Gangsters and Goliaths" stars Detective Makoto Sato as your classic cop on a crusade. What led you to take this approach to a "Godzilla" story?

I'm very into Asian cinema, arguably moreso than American cinema, which mostly bores the crap out of me. I wanted to fuse two of my favorite Asian cinema genres -- the monster movie with the hard-boiled gun-fu cops and gangsters movie. So the story is about a framed cop, wanted by the underworld and the police force, trying to clear his name, trying to protect his family, and trying to get revenge. He gets some help when he gets hold of the Mothra Twins, and starts using Mothra to systematically eliminate the families of the Tokyo criminal underworld.

Who are these gangsters Detective Sato is up against? What's his beef with them, and what's theirs with him?

Bad folks, crooks and criminals, and Detective Sato is such an obstinate, hard-headed cop he refuses to take a payoff or a buyout like the other crooked cops on the force. Sato is a familiar police archetype, an Asian Dirty Harry who's gonna do whatever it takes to take down the bad guys, even if he has to go it alone, even if he has to face impossible odds, and he's gonna keep doing it as long as he's drawing a breath.

You've had a few recent projects in addition to "Chew," including the "Identity Wars" story running through the "Amazing Spider-Man," "Incredible Hulk" and "Deadpool" annuals, and now this "Godzilla" series, as well as an as-yet unannounced project with Sam Kieth. Do the various series allow you to scratch a different sort of creative itch than what you're doing in "Chew?"

Yeah. "Chew" has opened some doors for me in that I no longer have to accept anything and everything in order to pay the rent, which I am very grateful for. I'm picking very selectively what I want to do -- and what I have time for -- and you can be sure if my name is on something it's going to be something very near and dear to my heart. Each thing has been satisfying in its own way and is approached very differently than "Chew." 

 

Are there any other series you've got coming up?

I spent the first half of 2010 getting way ahead on "Chew," so I could take on the Marvel annuals, "Godzilla" and the Sam Kieth thing. The books are mostly all done now, but I've lost my giant lead. So I'm gonna bunker down and get about 5 issues ahead on "Chew" again before I even think about taking on anything else. I'm thinking this might turn into my annual pattern. Half year on "Chew," half year doing other stuff. Who knows.

Speaking of "Chew" for a moment, I see you and Rob have a five-pager in IDW's Hero Initiative anthology. What do you have going on in that story?

Tony Chu ingests a designer drug! Five pages of mind-altering madness. [Editor] Scott Dunbier sold us on doing the story in the same book as a story with the original "Sandman" creative team [of Neil Gaiman and Sam Keith], so it was a real honor to participate in the book.

Godzilla Comic Covers Charity Auction for Japan Relief

Godzilla fans can get each and every one of the 83 variant issues IDW created for the first printing of our brand new GODZILLA: KINGDOM OF MONSTERS #1, and it’s for a good cause!

This March, IDW unleashed an unprecedented promotion in the comics market. A chance for retailers to have their stores smashed by Godzilla! When the final count was done, there were 83 covers of this landmark issue. Through this auction, one lucky reader will become the proud owner of each of those 83 variant issues, while donating much-needed funds to help the victims of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan.

All comics are in mint, unread condition. The auction includes:

75 “Smash Your Store” retailer exclusive covers

Both regular covers, one each by Alex Ross and Eric Powell

The rare Eric Powell retailer incentive cover

The WonderCon exclusive cover

The four, never-before-seen IDW covers, signed by the employees featured on each cover

GODZILLA: KINGDOM OF MONSTERS #1 is written by Eric Powell and Tracy Marsh, with art by Phil Hester, and covers by Powell and Alex Ross. In this debut issue, the King of the Monsters rises again,and for the first time in comics, he’s bringing lots of other beloved Toho monsters with him in one destructive saga.

Learn more over at the Godzilla Comic Covers Charity Auction for Japan Relief page on eBay!

Upcoming Godzilla Comic Releases for July

                                                                                                                                       GODZILLA: KINGDOM OF MONSTERS #5 

Written by Eric Powell & Tracy Marsh, art by Victor Dos Santos, covers by Eric Powell, Jeff Zornow.

After last issue's momentous tussle of giants, it's now painfully clear that Armageddon has descended on the human race. The government's bungled attempts to thwart the giant monsters have left an infrastructure in ruin and a nomad society desperately struggling to survive. And also... giant monster fights!ÊDestruction abounds in this issue of Godzilla: Kingdom of Monsters, featuring new artist Victor Dos Santos!

32 pages, $3.99.

GODZILLA: GANGSTERS & GOLIATHS #2

Written by John Layman, art by Alberto Ponticelli, covers by James Stokoe, Ponticelli, .

Detective Makoto Sato returns from Monster Island and he's brought some unusual new friends. Heading straight to the corrupt Chief of Police, Sato makes it clear he'll bring justice to the streets of Tokyo no matter what. To prove his point, Sato decides to show off his new partner... MOTHRA! But Sato might be biting off more than he can chew... after all, there's more than one monster in town!

32 pages, $3.99.