Following the King of the Monsters’ 70th anniversary, IDW Publishing has announced an all-new shared universe of Godzilla comics. The setting, dubbed the “Kai-Sei Era,” will revolve the titular mysterious energy source, which awakened Godzilla and other kaiju in 1954, and also feature superhuman characters with their powers. It will kick off with a Free Comic Book Day issue, Godzilla: The New Heroes, on Saturday, May 3, and then an ongoing series, simply titled Godzilla, by writer Tim Seeley (Godzilla vs. America: Chicago) and artist Nikola Čižmešija (Batman and Robin), in July.
In 1954, an experiment with a mysterious energy source called Kai-Sei awakened Godzilla and other terrifying kaiju. For decades, humanity has endured an onslaught of monster attacks. While Japan views these unstoppable rampages like natural disasters, the United States’ G-Force is attempting to fight these seemingly immortal titans. Now, they’ve found a boy who wields the power of Godzilla. Will he save the world… or bring about its doom?
The universe will expand in August with the post-apocalpytic Godzilla: Escape the Deadzone, written by Ethan S. Parker and Griffin Sheridan (Kill Your Darlings) with art by Pablo Tunica (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles).
Introducing the first-ever half-human, half-kaiju hybrid in Toho history, GODZILLA: ESCAPE THE DEADZONE will explore the biggest mystery of the new connected universe… What is the truth behind the post-apocalyptic Deadzone? The search for answers will forever change how fans view this new universe as they experience this thrilling and shocking ride.
Rounding out the slate in October is the space opera Starship Godzilla, by writer Chris Gooch (In Utero) and artist Oliver Ono (Godzilla: Monster Island Summer Camp).
For the first time in Toho canon, this trip through the stars will bridge the gap between the various alien races. They’ve come to Earth in past tales, but now it’s time to visit their worlds as a crew of misfits embark on high-risk high-reward kaiju-based missions with a secret that could impact the whole universe.
Jake Williams, editor of IDW’s Godzilla line, states, “The Kai-Sei Era is the only ongoing Godzilla story of its kind – crafted for comics readers who have never bought a Godzilla book, and Godzilla fans who have never read a comic. We aim to bring you the absolute best stories possible – whether those stories contain super powered G-Force members trying to kill Godzilla, mutants in a wasteland trying to survive in its wake, or mercenaries flying around space in Mechagodzilla. Every month readers will be able to take a peek inside a brand new universe composed of unimaginable horrors, kaiju old and new, and heroes to keep it all at bay. We’re telling the best Godzilla stories in the world, inside the best comics on the shelves.”
In the meantime, fans can head to the official Godzilla website to check out interior art from each of the series, as well as Čižmešija’s design sheet for the Kai-Sei-powered King of the Monsters.
