Pacific Rim Knifehead Figure Coming

There are listings but no photos, yet except for the pic above, of a Knifehead kaiju figure. This pic seems to suggest more kaiju to come in the line definitely cool.

CLASSIC COMICS : Gamera: The Guardian of the Universe #1

Gamera: The Guardian of the Universe #1
Writer: Dave Chipps
Penciller: Mozart Couto
Inker: Mike Sellers
Letterer: Clem Robins
Colorist: Art Knight
Editor: Randy Stradley
Designer: Mark Cox
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Released: 1996
Cover Artist: Mitsuaki Hashimoto


In 1996, Dark Horse, high on the success of their Godzilla line of comics, decided to see if it could strike monster gold twice with the only other giant Japanese monster with a long-running movie series—Gamera. The monolithic monster tortoise had recently celebrated his big thirtieth, and Gamera's parent studio Daiei produced a celebratory film, bringing back and reinventing the be-shelled beastie and one of his more popular enemies. The film was greeted by an adulatory public, and even the critics loved it; pretty quick, Daiei was scooping in some considerable cash, and Dark Horse smelled the green. Thus, Dark Horse, to test the waters, planned and executed a four-part mini-series continuing the story of Daiei's beloved reptile reboot. The comic, borrowing the movie title (and adding “the”), was called Gamera: the Guardian of the Universe, or, simply,Gamera (a title I will use here so as to avoid finger strain).

The story picks up a year after the events of the film. Asagi Kusanagi, the girl with the psychic connection to Gamera, and Mayumi Nagamine, the ornithologist/reluctant kaiju expert, are on a trip to Mexico, where Mayumi has been invited to investigate another giant rare bird on an island, and Asagi gets to tag along because “travel is very educational.” While Mayumi goes off to visit the island and look for the latest exotic big bird (this time, the fictional “emerald-crested dapplinger”), she apparently lets Asagi just bounce around Mexico by herself, and thus Gamera's priestess finds herself alone with a bone-headed conman named Lutz, taking a tour in a busted seaplane. Soon, we discover that the folks who invited Mayumi to the island have sinister plans of “mad science.” They are cooking up monsters in their monster lab, and want Mayumi's help in dealing with their newborn Gyaos... Which has escaped and has already grown to Super Gyaos size. Soon, Asagi and Lutz witness Gamera's arrival to fight Gyaos in the city of Guanajota, and in the confusion, Lutz abandons Asagi to a crowd of fleeing Mexicans. Cliffhanger!

Right from the start, Gamera does something right that few Godzilla comics have ever accomplished: It takes likable main characters from the movies, and continues their stories. I recently viewed Gamera: Guardian of the Universe (1995) again, and I genuinely liked Asagi and Mayumi, and wanted to learn more about them (even if Asagi's personality seems to disappear once she gets the amulet). It was great to see more of them here, and the story by Dave Chipps (who apparently is the Dark Horse manga editor, with his lone story credit being Gamera) moves at a rapid clip with plenty of nods to the movie, visually and in the dialogue, including references to the monster fights from before, as well as the slab upon which the prophecy was written, and another mound of Gyaos excrement complete with another pair of glasses. On the other hand, having Mayumi Nagamine go to another island to research another large bird only to discover another Gyaos is taking “inspiration” too far. Nevertheless, like with Godzilla: Legends #3, bringing in familiar cast members does wonders to spike up reader interest.

Granted, the familiar characters don't get to do a great deal here. Asagi meets Lutz because she is interested in seeing the “monster” advertised on Lutz' sign. (Lutz was trying to drum up business by dressing up a Chihuahua with an extra fake head.) Lutz is the focus, and Asagi is along for the ride. Mostly, we get that she is an adventurous, beautiful girl. Mayumi, similarly, is along for a different sort of ride—she has been kidnapped by real monster makers, instead of the fake Lutz. Mayumi basically gets to react to being kidnapped with outrage and defiance, but that's about it. The new characters receive the focus, and they are admittedly colorful, but not immediately likable.

Lutz is a criminal trying to escape from his past—and an idiot. The story immediately strikes a farcical tone with his double-headed Chihuahua, and he acknowledges his own lack of intelligence later on. Basically, he's a dope looking for a way to make a cheap buck, and functions as comic relief—and he's the narrator. Mayumi's kidnappers are a duo led by an evil bombshell babe scientist, and their dialogue maintains a campy core (including how they got their nuclear goods at “rockbottom prices”). The comic takes the humor of the movie and amps it over the top while retaining plentiful action and drama. For this issue, I thought the mixture worked well.

The art supports the story as well. Like the Dark Horse Godzilla comics, the linework is strong, with pretty good depictions of the monsters (although Gyaos is a bit iffy), and well-rendered (if far from movie-accurate) humans and backgrounds. (Asagi and Mayumi don't look like they were based closely off their movie counterparts, though Mayumi looks reasonably similar to actress Shinobu Nakayama.) If only the IDW comics consistently looked this good! Granted, Gamera AND Gyaos seem to be breathing fire rather than blasting plasma balls and spitting sonic beams, but the monster action crunches and smashes things up real good, and just about everything looks competent.

However, when Gamera the comic was released, the prospects for success were not great. As relatively popular as Godzilla is worldwide, Gamera by comparison is and was obscure, and the movie from which Dark Horse's mini-series is built was not yet released in the States. (According to Amazon, it appears the ADV VHS wasn't released until 1997 or 1998—quite some time after the 1996 print of Gamera.) I remember when the comic came out, I was curious, loved comics, was familiar with Gamera, and I still didn't buy the book, despite flipping through it in the store. I didn't buy the ish for the simple fact that I was wary of movie adaptations, as well as being dirt poor. The first issue includes a two-page introduction to the Gamera mythos, plus a synopsis of the movie, and the cover art is the same gorgeous promo art by Mitsuaki Hashimoto that appeared on posters and video covers, but apparently this wasn’t enough to sustain a property as obscure as Gamera past four issues. Having recognizable characters from the movie doesn't help your product if the consumers are unable to see the movie!

Still, after reading this first issue, I was really pleased. Gamera takes the strengths of Dark Horse’s Godzilla interpretations (good art, decent story) and combines them with some of IDW’s strengths (lots of licensed monsters and characters), and makes something fans should really enjoy. Whether that level of quality continues into the rest of the series, however, is another question. For now, I want to bask in the minor joy of a well-done Gamera comic in America, because such a thing is very rare indeed.

'90's Gamera Production Art By Bob Eggleton

Y-MSF Artist EX No. 2 Hedorah Set By Bob Eggleton

"Toy tag for my "Artist Version Hedorah" from Japan. Only 35 available here. I'll let people have details soon! From Toyfreakz!!" - Bob Eggleton.

Update

Designed and manufactured in Japan; Y-MSF figures excel in both detail and accuracy. This small toy company specializes in six inch vinyl figures based on Toho monsters and is often surprising collectors with seldom seen character choices sculpted in very dynamic poses!  

Godzilla vs. Hedorah, also known as Godzilla vs. the Smog Monster, is a 1971 film from Toho Pictures. The eleventh film in the series(chronologically after All Monsters Attack), it was directed by Yoshimitsu Banno with special effects by Teruyoshi Nakano. It was the first film to feature Hedorah. The film contains several strange impressionistic animated scenes portraying the smog monster at his evil work.

This all new Hedorah set includes a beautifully sculpted flying Hedorah along with a rarely seen water Hedorah. Both figures are made of soft vinyl and feature art and color design by Godzilla and fantasy artist-Bob Eggleton. Comes packaged in a poly bag with a beautifully illustrated and numbered header card.  This series is limited to only thirty five pieces worldwide and is available nowhere else!

* Special Edition Artist EX featuring Bob Eggleton

* Includes both flying Hedorah & water Hedorah

* Flying Hedorah is approx. 6” long

* Water Hedorah is approx. 4” long

* Made of soft vinyl

CREATURE FEATURE : Destroyah

Destoroyah (デストロイア Desutoroia), alternatively Destroyah, or Destroyer, is a fictional Japanese monster from the Godzilla Franchise appearing only in the 1995 film Godzilla vs. Destoroyah and in some of the Godzilla video games. He originated as a colony of Precambrian crustaceans that had been awakened and mutated when the Oxygen Destroyer was detonated to kill Godzilla in 1954 (Godzilla). Hedorah may be the inspiration for Destoroyah, since both go through four stages in their life cycles or their gradual metamorphosis.
A possible reason that the name "Destroyer" isn't commonly used in various markets is because the word itself could not be trademarked. It is referred to as "Destroyer" in the dubbed version of the film, while "Destoroyah" is Toho's official name for the character.

Appearance
Destoroyah grows quickly and adopts several appearances throughout the film, including its micro form 3-mm, insect-sized, 2-meter, and 18-meter crab-like forms, a larger aggregate crab-like form, a bat-like flying form, and a bipedal 120-meter, demonic final form. Though Destoroyah may seem to be enormous, he is actually the same size as Moguera, SpaceGodzilla, Mechagodzilla 2, the millennium versions of Gigan and Hedorah, Monster X, and surprisingly Biollante.

Origin
Destoroyah first emerges as his small, crab-like form that ends up escaping from the possession of numerous scientists due to the careless actions of a security guard. He makes his way into an aquarium and kills many of the fish. He eventually escapes and grows into its 2-meter form, destroying a bridge and then hiding in a factory. The Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF) sends in numerable soldiers to attempt to destroy the creatures, but their assault rifles cause no damage to them, who badly wound and kill a number of JSDF. Eventually the JSDF attacks them with flamethrowers, badly wounding the aggregates and causing them to retreat. It becomes known that the aggregates are vulnerable to extreme heat or cold.
The JSDF deploy a squadron of Maser Tanks and missile batteries armed with Ultra Low Temperature lasers (ULT Lasers) and cooling shells. When the aggregates emerge again, they begin bombarding them with the freezing barrage. It seems to be working against the creatures, until they all converge on one position and merge into one giant monster. The giant aggregate then transforms into a giant bat-like form and flies away.
When trying to think of another way to defeat the destructive monster, the JSDF decides to try to lure Godzilla to Destoroyah. They reluctantly agree to the plan, despite protests from the psychic Miki Saegusa, and decide to lure Godzilla Junior to Destoroyah, knowing Godzilla will follow. Miki and another psychic fly out to Junior and use their psychic powers to make him change his course for Tokyo. When Junior arrives, Destoroyah attacks him in his flying form. Junior is battered by the stronger monster, until he manages a lucky shot and brings the flying form down. Destoroyah quickly recovers, attacking Junior in his giant aggregate form. Destoroyah pins Junior beneath his massive body and tears into his skin with his double jaw, injecting him with micro-oxygen. When all hope seems lost, Junior fires one last blast at Destoroyah, knocking him into the air. Junior then fires one final radioactive blast, sending Destoroyah flying and crashing into a factory.
When Godzilla finally arrives in Tokyo, the final form of Destoroyah rises from the fires of the factory. The vile behemoth takes to the air and flies toward Godzilla and his son, striking Godzilla to the ground and grabbing Junior in his massive claws. He flies high into the air and drops Junior, sending the young godzillasaur plummeting to the hard ground. Destoroyah then blasts Junior with its micro-oxygen beam, killing the young dinosaur.

Godzilla rises from the ground, enraged by Junior's death. Destoroyah lands and bellows at Godzilla, challenging him to a final battle. Destoroyah proves to be a powerful and vicious opponent, even for Godzilla in his most powerful form. He batters the monster king with bursts of micro-oxygen rays and pummels him to the ground with his mass. Destoroyah then wraps his tail around Godzilla and drags him out to sea, dropping him in the ocean. Godzilla returns to shore and unleashes his full fury upon Destoroyah, blasting Destoroyah multiple times with his red spiral atomic breath and causing the demon to spurt vast amounts of blood and finally explode. Destoroyah quickly counter attacks in his multiple small aggregate forms. As they swarm upon Godzilla, the monster king is overwhelmed by the mass and unleashes a powerful nuclear pulse, destroying the aggregates.
After Godzilla fails to revitalize his fallen son, the grief in his heart causes his Nuclear meltdown to begin to go critical. The JSDF quickly dispatches the Super X-III and the maser tanks armed with freezing lasers to stop Godzilla's meltdown. As Godzilla continues to mourn his son and his nuclear heart begins to overheat, Destoroyah returns again. The evil beast strangles Godzilla with his tail and then throws Godzilla away from his son and prepares to battle again. Godzilla rises, and his dorsal fins and dorsal plates begin to melt and as the meltdown begins. The overload of power causes Godzilla's ray to increase in strength to immeasurable levels beyond infinity. Godzilla then unleashes his breath, increased in power by his meltdown, which blasts Destoroyah apart and decimates the landscape around it. As Godzilla begins to melt Destoroyah notices and being fatally wounded by Godzilla's Red Spiral Destruction Of Death Atomic Breath tries to escape from the meltdown by flying into the air to die elsewhere. However, the JSDF and Super X-III blast out its wings while it is distracted. Destoroyah then plummets towards Godzilla, and misses him just by a few meters. At this point, because of the extreme change in temperature from both the freeze weapons from the JSDF's attacks and the extreme heat from Godzilla's meltdown, Destoroyah explodes and evaporates into a cloud of micro-oxygen that quickly vanishes, killing him for good.

Powers and abilities
Destoroyah is considered by many to be Godzilla's ultimate foe, a title that is only shared by a handful of other monsters, such as King Ghidorah, Spacegodzilla, and Mechagodzilla. This is because Destoroyah could survive multiple hits from Godzilla's red spiral atomic breath, an attack which instantly killed most enemies in only one shot. Destoroyah also made Godzilla fight extremely harder than in any other movie, only when Godzilla was almost at his meltdown was Destroyah completely outmatched and fatally wounded. Destoroyah is quite possibly the most powerful evil monster ever created, and an exceptionally evil villain, having shown to enjoy killing other life forms. In fact, he is the only villain in the entire Godzilla franchise to succeed in killing Godzilla's son, a feat that many other Godzilla villains never attempted or achieved.
Like Hedorah, Destoroyah is a composite life form formed from trillions of near-microscopic organisms and thus possesses vast capacities to adapt and regenerate. The base organism resembles a miniature horseshoe crab barely larger than a speck of sand. Trillions of these creatures would later combine to form Destoroyah's aggregate form which manifested as several man-sized crustacean monsters which were reminiscent of the Alien. When threatened by the JSDF, the creatures merged again into a larger aggregate form and then into its winged bat-like form. After being wounded by Godzilla Junior, Destoroyah regenerated into its demonic ultimate form and would later temporarily separate into its aggregate form in an attempt to overwhelm Godzilla during their battle. It appears that when the individual Destoroyah organisms fuse, they all die if the resulting creature is killed before it can split up into a smaller form and reform, this is shown when Godzilla fatally wounds Destoroyah by blasting his exposed floral pattern on his chest and Destoroyah breaks up into a smaller form but when the Super X-III and Godzilla blasted out his wings the Super X-III used the ice laser and froze it at a microscopic level, he couldn't separate and thus all the Destoroyah organisms making up the final form were killed.
Destoroyah's primary weapon was a micro-oxygen ray fired from his mouth which could vaporize organic matter and was even capable of penetrating most metals. Despite this, Destroyah's micro oxygen spray wasn't able to dissolve Godzilla's hide. All of Destoroyah's forms possessed the ability to fire the ray but its aggregate form was also equipped with a pair of extending secondary jaws that injected the micro-oxygen directly into an opponent's bloodstream. In its final form, the horn projecting from Destoroyah's forehead had the ability to generate a blade of energy powerful enough to cut through even the strongest monster flesh. The aggregate forms were equipped with spiked claws similar to those of a praying mantis while Destroyah's flying and ultimate forms possessed a tail tipped with a grappling pincer that was strong enough to even hold Godzilla. It also has incredible physical strength befitting its monstrously huge size, able to drag Godzilla along the cold ground while flying. In the video game Godzilla: Save the Earth, Destoroyah has freezing breath for a special ability, which is ironic, because in his film appearance, he is vulnerable to ice.

Oxygen Destroyer

The Oxygen Destroyer was a fictional weapon that appeared in the 1954 film Godzilla. It was an extremely powerful chemical compound that was able to completely dissolve Godzilla and wipe out all life in the Tokyo Bay. It was also the only weapon that was truly effective against the monster.
Unintentionally discovered by Daisuke Serizawa during his experiments, the Oxygen Destroyer dissolved oxygen in water which instantly reduced any and all organic life within range to its skeletal frame. While it's never explained how removing oxygen causes such a destructive reaction, since the laws regarding the conservation of mass state that matter and energy can't be destroyed but only converted into another form, it is possible that the Oxygen Destroyer actually converts oxygen into an entirely different element with highly corrosive properties. In the film, Serizawa was hesitant to use his discovery for fear of the damage it would cause and political implications therein, but ultimately relented when he realized Godzilla was the greater threat. But to prevent the formula from being perverted into a wholesale weapon of mass destruction he destroyed his research documents and subsequently took his own life.
In Godzilla vs. Destoroyah (1995), it is revealed that the Oxygen Destroyer awakened and mutated Precambrian life forms that lived in Tokyo Bay that would merge to form the strongest Kaiju ever recorded (taking Godzilla at the peak of his power, Godzilla Junior and Super X combined to finally destroy him) Destoroyah.
In the continuity of Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack (2001), it is disclosed that the use of the Oxygen Destroyer in 1954 was never made public and the defeat of Godzilla had been officially credited to the Japan Self-Defense Forces. This was done to spare the then newly established Self-Defense Force from public scorn after its inability to defeat the monster militarily.
Stock footage from the first Godzilla film was also used in Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla (2002) and Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S..

SATURDAY SHOWCASE : Cool Monster Art

X-Plus Godzilla '84 Sneak Peek

More S.H. MonsterArts Destroyah Pics

CLASSIC COMICS : Godzilla King of the Monsters Special #1

Godzilla King of the Monsters Special #1
Story & Script: Randy Stadley and Steve Bissetts
Artist(s): Steve Bissette and Ron Randall
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Released: 1987
Cover: Steve Bissette

Without a doubt, the darkest of the US Godzilla comics. There's no mention of Godzilla's past at all here, except for the fact that he is millions of years old and is full of displeasure of the world he once knew being changed into a bustling metropolis. The only mention of radioactivity pertains to a mysterious stone slab which attracts not only Godzilla to wake up every 3000-4000 years, but two other monsters (and one Anguirus rip-off, not named) called Soran the thunderbird and Inagos the locus king. Godzilla is the "Fire Monster". Basically the monsters show up after the slab is discovered and proceed to make their way to Tokyo where it is. Godzilla lands in the city first and begins his path of destruction. The scientist who discovered the secret behind the slab, along with a friend of his, load the slab onto a helicopter in an attempt to get it out of the city and out into the ocean. The scientist takes one helicopter to buy time for his friend to get away and ultimately ends up ramming his helicopter into Godzilla's head as a distraction in order to keep his wife and daughter out of Godzilla's path. The other helicopter pilot takes the slab out to sea and drops it into the ocean. Godzilla and the other monsters follow the slab into the watery depths, never to be seen again.

To put it bluntly, this is one dark comic from the artwork to the storyline. Godzilla really doesn't belong in this story, as his part could have been played by ANY monster. The story seemed very thrown together and the other monsters in the story were just knock offs of other Toho monsters (Kamacuras and Rodan). The cover artwork is especially ugly. Godzilla's slug-like appearance with the evil grin is a far cry from what, in my opinion, the true king of the monsters should look like. The supplemental artwork, found at the end of the comic, ranges from artistic to disturbing, you can finally see what happens when Godzilla steps on someone. When I got this comic as a kid, I had never seen Godzilla in this light before. I had seen the original film and knew that Godzilla was a force of destruction, but with this comic, it was as if all involved in it just wanted to make him into something he wasn't.

Godzilla #10 Preview

Art of Godzilla: Yasuyuki Inoue Tribute

TURSACRA From Kaiju Combat

Tursacra - The stone of the Irish countryside come to life.

Kaiju Combat : The Ultimate Giant Monster Fighting Game check it out here.

Charlie Day Discusses His Role In Pacific Rim

From Pacificrim-movie.net

Charlie Day, best known for playing Charlie Kelly in Its Always Sunny In Philadelphia, stars in Guillermo Del Toro's upcoming monster epic Pacific Rim as scientist Newt Geiszler, one of the brains behind the human's counter offensive against the invading Kaiju monsters.

Speaking on the Broken Projector podcast Charlie Day spoke of Pacific Rim, Guillermo Del Toro and his role in the movie:

When asked about his transition from writing It's Always Sunny In Philadephia to acting, and the upcoming movie Charle Day had this to say...

"Certainly doing Guillermo Del Toro's big, gigantic crazy thing was a whole different world in terms of just the scale of everything and how slowly things move. I didn't have to do anything different, it's still acting. Its basically just doing what I have been doing which is trying to make the moment to moment work, as interesting as possible."

When asked how he got the role in the movie, Charlie Day replied...

"Danny (De Vito) called me, and they were on set shooting, and he said 'Hey do you know this guy Guillermo Del toro'. And I said yeah, yeah, I loved Pans Labyrinth. And he said 'Well heres the casting director who is trying to get your phone number'. So Danny wants me to come stand on a picture.

"Guillermo turned out just to be a giant Sunny (In Philadelphia) fan . He's seen like every episode... I met with him, I went up to his, he's got a house in West Lake village, which is a really kind of, for the lack of a better term, pedestrian kind of place to live in Los Angeles, and not where you would expect this dark prince of film making to live. So I was looking around for some twisted castle...

"I'm looking for this house, and eventually I see, oh theres one were the windows are all black... And when you go in the house its an amazing labyrinth of ghouls and monsters and books from medieval times. But he had told me that he'd seen, theres one scene in Charlie Kelly: King of Rats, where I'm haunted for having murdering a bunch of rats, and he said 'theres a scene in this movie where this character, my character, is haunted from seeing something about these monsters'. And he said 'I knew you could do it'. And I was actually, 'alright you maniac I'll take the job'."

When asked how he dealt with Del Toro's on set, often potty mouthed presence, Charlie Day said...

"I'm right at home with people constantly cursing. That guy's a delight to work with, and he's the life of the party on the set. I basically just 'what do you want me to do' and so if was gonna curse I was just gonna sit there... He's the happiest man with like a cartoon mexican accent."

When asked about his role in the movie, Charlie Day replied...

"Sure. I haven't seen the final product, so who knows maybe you guys caught it in a way that what I think it is, it isn't... Basically I'm like a hipster scientist, who thinks he's a lot cooler than he actually is. I'm obsessed with the monsters in the film, and sort of the expert on them, I have my own theories for how we can stop this problem and save the world. And there are guys who are out there tyring to use their muscles, who fight with the giant robots, and there are guys out there trying to use their brains, and we all kinda come together to save the day.
"Its fun, really good fun. They wanted me to bring a little comic relief. I wasn't trying to be, but everyone seems to say that I was really funny. Its a good and a bad problem, where people will laugh at me, no matter what I'm doing."

Listen To The Full Podcast Here!

Godzilla, King Of The Metaphors

From Spinoff Online

Bryan Cranston and Elizabeth Olsen recently joined Aaron Johnson in the cast of Legendary Pictures’ Godzilla, bringing us one step closer to the first American film since 1998 to star the King of the Monsters. This new version, the vision of the Monsters director Gareth Edwards, is said to depict the creature as “a terrifying force of nature” built around a “contemporary issue.” But is there any way to top the powerful metaphor of the original?

The iconic Kaiju is now almost 60 years old, having made its debut in the 1954 Japanese film Gojira. In that story, the atomic bombs dropped on Japan during World War II cause an otherwise benign sea monster to rise from the depths in search for food, leaving destruction in its wake. Less than a decade after the actual bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the threat of nuclear weapons wreaking havoc on civilization was very real, and the film captured the interest of Japanese and American audiences alike. The U.S. release of Gojira changed the monster’s name and cut 40 minutes of the original film and added a sympathetic American character – but it remained a cautionary tale about the consequences of nuclear war.

Even in 1998, a year full of overblown disaster spectacles, the American Godzilla looked pretty ridiculous. Matthew Broderick plays a biologist who studies radioactive creatures, and a whole lot of ‘90s CGI portrayed Godzilla himself. Although the movie was the third-highest grossing release of the year, it was critically panned. In 1998, the threat of nuclear war had been supplanted by global warming, terrorism and worldwide pandemics. Godzilla’s story felt old, a relic of a postwar anxiety that made sense to the generation that had hid under desks during air raid drills, but not to their kids. How can 2014’s Godzilla tell a relevant (and scary) story when the last nuclear bombing of a city was more than 65 years ago?

Since the Fukushima-Daiichi nuclear disaster, there has been a reawakening of sorts about nuclear power and its dangers to civilians. It’s possible that instead of nuclear war, the catalyst for Godzilla’s transformation could be a similar natural disaster followed by a nuclear accident. It would also be interesting if the new Godzilla diverted entirely from the nuclear storyline, and instead was the result of biological weaponry – a more palpable threat.

Today’s monster movies are intensely focused on threats from within (your boyfriend might be a vampire, your next-door neighbor could become a zombie). These creatures threaten one person, or a small group of people – not millions upon millions with a single fiery breath. Bryan Cranston and Elizabeth Olsen are both known for their dramatic work (Breaking Bad and Martha Marcy May Marlene, and it’s likely this film will be a subtler, scarier Godzilla than the 1998 incarnation.

Land of Kaiju

Introducing Land of Kaiju, a collection of Japanese-styled monsters created by Chet Phillips. Kaiju translates to strange beast or monster and has a long and glorious history in pop culture and on the silver screen with the likes of Godzilla, Rodan, Gamera and Mothra, just to name a few. Chet Phillips explores this fascinating world of humongous mutants and irradiated creatures with his collection of whimsical beings that are part animal, part fantasy and all in-your-face fun. Available in a portfolio of trading cards, signed 11″ x 14″ prints and in a limited edition (50) alphabet book. The first 10 copies of the book edition include a beautiful custom Japanese box.

Check out this project and all of Chet's work at his blog ChetArt here.