IDW's GODZILLA General Discussion

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kaijukurt
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Re: IDW's GODZILLA General Discussion

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I don’t think this has been posted here before, so here’s Christian Gonzalez’s concept art for the Nebulans in the upcoming Gigan issue.

https://twitter.com/seaguns_art/status/ ... aiyHd7OOEg
“seaguns_art” wrote:Aside from the cover for Godzilla Rivals, I also created this concept sheet for the Nebulans that will be featured in the back of the comic. I did my best to inject as much lore into these guys as possible because they deserve it. So, here is my canonical redesign of the Nebulans
Image
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Re: IDW's GODZILLA General Discussion

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Gross. I love it!

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Re: IDW's GODZILLA General Discussion

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That Nebulan art has been around for a good while now, but I don't get tired of seeing it. It's fantastic that they're able to redesign things now, and let's face it, the Nebluans have been in dire need of a redesign.

On another note, here's the full synopsis for Rodan vs. Ebirah:
GODZILLA: RIVALS, Rodan vs. Ebirah

Q4 2022

When Godzilla’s foes, the pteranodon Rodan and the mega-crustacean Ebirah, are sent to the orbiting research facility ParaSOL, connected to Earth by a massive space elevator, it promises to usher in a new era of incredible progress. But when the pair awake, chaos ensues, and they find themselves plummeting down that space elevator towards the surface below… with scientists above and below doing everything in their power to stop them before they hit the ground, unleashing an untold cataclysm. It’s terminal velocity meets terminal ferocity.

Published by IDW

40 pp.

Art: Phillip Johnson
Script: James F. Wright
Editor: Jaz Joyner
http://www.jamesfwrites.com/comics

Its different, I'll give them that. But in all honestly, its the perfect amount of ridiculousness for this franchise. Its unique, so I'll all in.
Houndoom wrote: Mon Aug 08, 2022 12:15 pm Sounds like a super fun idea and really hope this goes on for awhile. There are so many match ups that could be fun reads. Jet Jauger vs King Ceaser, Manda vs Titanosaurus, Baragon vs Megalon, Varan vs Gorosaurus. Give these lesser guys some spotlight!
Not gonna lie, all those ideas sound cooler than anything IDW is actually releasing. :lol: Hopefully future comics use less Ghidorah, Mechagodzilla, or Mothra, and more Varan, Baragon, King Caesar, etc.
LSD Jellyfish wrote: Mon Aug 08, 2022 3:40 pm Super exciting.

My guess is that Godzilla somehow is the catalyst for the fight, and breaks Ebirah and Rodan free from some sort of space prison. But you’re right that Ebirah has gotten so little attention and was drastically overshadowed by Megagurius and the Trilopods. The only other time they appeared was a few panels in issue 9 and in half-century war.

Rodan likewise has been shafted, at least compared to Mothra and Ghidorah. Other than that initial legends issue, and issue 5 of ROE, Rodan has been relatively shafted recently.
Rodan has had a fair bit of attention in past comics beyond those two, but its true that ROE was his last big hurrah. With Rodan, I feel somewhat similarly to Ghidorah in that I prefer to see a depiction closer to the Showa version of the character - in Rodan's case, a monster on par with Godzilla's strength, durability, and intellect. Not sure if Ebirah is the best foe to demonstrate any of that, but I'm always happier to see Rodan than the likes of Mothra or Ghidorah, so I'm intrigued nonetheless.

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Re: IDW's GODZILLA General Discussion

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Shenanigans wrote: Thu Aug 11, 2022 8:17 am

Houndoom wrote: Mon Aug 08, 2022 12:15 pm Sounds like a super fun idea and really hope this goes on for awhile. There are so many match ups that could be fun reads. Jet Jauger vs King Ceaser, Manda vs Titanosaurus, Baragon vs Megalon, Varan vs Gorosaurus. Give these lesser guys some spotlight!
Not gonna lie, all those ideas sound cooler than anything IDW is actually releasing. :lol: Hopefully future comics use less Ghidorah, Mechagodzilla, or Mothra, and more Varan, Baragon, King Caesar, etc.
Yeaahhh upon seeing Mothra vs Titanosaurus I think they're gonna stick to big names to help with the books. Which is a double edge sword. Manda would have been a better match up IMO :(

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Re: IDW's GODZILLA General Discussion

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I think its too early to tell, the first run was all Godzilla vs x. They're branching out now, and perhaps if these sell well things will get even more obscure down the line. I'm not ruling out Orga v Gabara just yet.
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Re: IDW's GODZILLA General Discussion

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Jetty_Jags wrote: Thu Aug 11, 2022 4:48 pm I think its too early to tell, the first run was all Godzilla vs x. They're branching out now, and perhaps if these sell well things will get even more obscure down the line. I'm not ruling out Orga v Gabara just yet.
I'm not sure how much Orga vs Gabara would appeal to non-Godzilla fans. But that brings up a question I've always wondered: how much of the IDW Godzilla comics are exclusively bought by niche Godzilla fans? Like is it mostly Godzilla fans buying these comics, and keeping them afloat? Or are people getting introduced to the franchise through the comics.
Spirit Ghidorah 2010 wrote: Sun Dec 03, 2023 4:54 pm Anno-san pleasures me more than Yamasaki-san.

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Re: IDW's GODZILLA General Discussion

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LSD Jellyfish wrote: Thu Aug 11, 2022 11:50 pmI'm not sure how much Orga vs Gabara would appeal to non-Godzilla fans. But that brings up a question I've always wondered: how much of the IDW Godzilla comics are exclusively bought by niche Godzilla fans? Like is it mostly Godzilla fans buying these comics, and keeping them afloat? Or are people getting introduced to the franchise through the comics.
Good question!

I’m pretty sure the Godzilla-Power Rangers crossover is attracting “non-niche” buyers, while from a personal standpoint I was the only person buying Godzilla comics from my local shop before it closed down (this was pre-2014, so I’m not sure if there would’ve been an uptick in readers due to the movie). Said comic shop would tag me in their social media posts once any Godzilla books arrived (they’d only order 1 copy, specifically for me :lol:)
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Re: IDW's GODZILLA General Discussion

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LSD Jellyfish wrote: Thu Aug 11, 2022 11:50 pm
Jetty_Jags wrote: Thu Aug 11, 2022 4:48 pm I think its too early to tell, the first run was all Godzilla vs x. They're branching out now, and perhaps if these sell well things will get even more obscure down the line. I'm not ruling out Orga v Gabara just yet.
I'm not sure how much Orga vs Gabara would appeal to non-Godzilla fans. But that brings up a question I've always wondered: how much of the IDW Godzilla comics are exclusively bought by niche Godzilla fans? Like is it mostly Godzilla fans buying these comics, and keeping them afloat? Or are people getting introduced to the franchise through the comics.
When I went into my local shop to get vs. King Ghidorah they said they didn't have any and didn't order enough. So take that how you will. I live by Fort Campbell Kentucky and I'd bet there isn't a large group of Godzilla fans around here though.

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Re: IDW's GODZILLA General Discussion

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Maybe I underestimate rodans popularity, but I don’t think there’s much of a crowd who would pick up rodan v ebirah but not something like orga v gabara. I find it hard to see a kaiju outsider purchasing either, but I have been wrong before, and I do want this series to do well.
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Re: IDW's GODZILLA General Discussion

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I'm sure the comics being released these days have more non-niche Godzilla fans buying them thanks to the Monsterverse and general increased exposure to Godzilla over the years. However, I'm comfortable saying that the majority of the sales still probably come from dedicated Godzilla fans. That was definitely the case with ROE, which had relatively low but incredibly consistent sales, which allowed it all the extensions it got.
Jetty_Jags wrote: Sat Aug 13, 2022 4:55 am Maybe I underestimate rodans popularity, but I don’t think there’s much of a crowd who would pick up rodan v ebirah but not something like orga v gabara. I find it hard to see a kaiju outsider purchasing either, but I have been wrong before, and I do want this series to do well.
This is more or less a question I was thinking about myself - how many average comic book readers are going to be swayed by seeing Ghidorah or Mothra or Rodan on the cover as opposed to Megalon or Baragon or Jet Jaguar? Or is the big "GODZILLA" logo on top of the book all that really matters to most? Rivals may be sticking to featuring one or more big-name characters, at least for the time being, but I do wonder how much that truly helps sell the books. I don't doubt that it makes some difference, but I can't imagine its very much.

Regardless of all that, I have no qualms with the matchups they're choosing with this series so far. And in all honesty, while I'm obviously down for seeing more "obscure character vs. obscure character", I get the desire to see at least one big/bigger name attached to the story in question. Frankly, I'm totally down for anyone beyond Mothra and Ghidorah, I'm fairly sick of those two in particular (unless they do "Everyone vs. Ghidorah" or something to that effect - "final boss" Ghidorah is the only one I'll make an exception for).

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Re: IDW's GODZILLA General Discussion

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Jetty_Jags wrote: Sat Aug 13, 2022 4:55 am Maybe I underestimate rodans popularity, but I don’t think there’s much of a crowd who would pick up rodan v ebirah but not something like orga v gabara. I find it hard to see a kaiju outsider purchasing either, but I have been wrong before, and I do want this series to do well.
Godzilla is on the cover, its in the middle of a series, one shot and nobody will know for sure unless they take a chance.
"Monsters are tragic beings. They are born too tall, too strong, too heavy. They are not evil by choice. That is their tragedy. They do not attack people because they want to, but because of their size and strength, mankind has no other choice but to defend himself. After several stories such as this, people end up having a kind of affection for the monsters. They end up caring about them." - Ishiro Honda

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Re: IDW's GODZILLA General Discussion

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Surprisingly, there was an interview last year with Duane Swierczynski regarding his Godzilla series.

https://www.neonsplatter.com/editorials ... -interview

Some key quotes that interested me the most:
Stephanie Crawford: Were you approached for this gig or did you campaign for it?

Duane Swierczynski: They came to me. I was with Marvel exclusively for a few years prior. Once that ended, I was sort of free to basically be a comics whore. I did work for DC Comics for a little while, but then I was also free to do other things. I was friends with Chris Ryall, the editor-in-chief at the time at IDW. So, I think he thought of me and mentioned me as a possibility to his editors. The thing with comics pitches is “we might want you, so give us your best shot.” I sent three ideas their way just hoping that one of them would stick, and one did.
SC: How much was Toho involved? Were they very protective?

DS: I think we only heard when things went a little wrong. Honestly, it was mostly minor things. The one thing I remember vividly was that at one point, Simon was drawing Godzilla a little too realistically. And the note was, “make him more like a man in a suit.” Which, of course, is great advice, but I just thought that was funny. I think it's a credit to Simon's artwork that it was still classic yet realistic. But they thought his first few pages were a little too “natural” and not enough of a guy in a suit.

I was pleasantly surprised with what we got away with. I really always try to get myself fired whenever I try to do something to see how far I can push it.
SC: Godzilla fans are a passionate lot. What was the feedback from them like?

DS: Godzilla fans are great, but it can also feel like they’re trying to catch you in things. Sometimes, even now, I'll get weird emails or tweets with things like, “Hey, you used SpaceGodzilla, and he did this thing. But in these movies, he didn't.” It's like, wait, hold on. I'm trying to find what exactly they’re referring to, and my brain breaks. Did I mess up? I'm defensive! All of a sudden it’s like, ”Oh, God, I screwed something up. No, I thought it was vetted!” You know, we all went over these things and Toho signed off on them. So I get a little nervous about that kind of stuff. Every time I see an email that has “Godzilla” in the subject, I still get kind of anxious, like, “what did I do to these poor people?”
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Re: IDW's GODZILLA General Discussion

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Yup sounds like Godzilla fans alright (not necessarily anyone here though)
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Re: IDW's GODZILLA General Discussion

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Jetty_Jags wrote: Mon Aug 15, 2022 4:37 am Yup sounds like Godzilla fans alright (not necessarily anyone here though)
That sounds like a lot of people on here lol.

To be honest, I sort of forget Godzilla Ongoing. It's not bad, and it was certainly more exciting than Godzilla Kingdom of Monsters. I remember liking a lot of the characters and their dynamics (Boxer and his son for example), and a lot of interesting and unique set pieces with the monsters (Kumonga attacking a wedding, avoiding Godzilla's tail with a race car, blasting one of Ghidorah's heads off with a laser, Kumonga flying with Kiryu). The art was pretty consistent too, and despite being "simple" comparatively to things like Cataclysm or ROE, I really like the stylization in retrospect.
Spirit Ghidorah 2010 wrote: Sun Dec 03, 2023 4:54 pm Anno-san pleasures me more than Yamasaki-san.

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Re: IDW's GODZILLA General Discussion

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kaijukurt wrote: Wed Aug 10, 2022 10:25 pm I don’t think this has been posted here before, so here’s Christian Gonzalez’s concept art for the Nebulans in the upcoming Gigan issue.

https://twitter.com/seaguns_art/status/ ... aiyHd7OOEg
“seaguns_art” wrote:Aside from the cover for Godzilla Rivals, I also created this concept sheet for the Nebulans that will be featured in the back of the comic. I did my best to inject as much lore into these guys as possible because they deserve it. So, here is my canonical redesign of the Nebulans
Image
Oh, I like that. Gets me excited!


Quote of the Year:
plasmabeam wrote: Tue Dec 05, 2023 3:03 am Hear me out on this. What if Godzilla is actually Suko’s father? In GvK when Godzilla defeated Kong and they were roaring at each other, what if Godzilla inseminated Kong at that moment and that’s why they were screaming?

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Re: IDW's GODZILLA General Discussion

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LSD Jellyfish wrote: Mon Aug 15, 2022 5:08 pm That sounds like a lot of people on here lol.

To be honest, I sort of forget Godzilla Ongoing. It's not bad, and it was certainly more exciting than Godzilla Kingdom of Monsters. I remember liking a lot of the characters and their dynamics (Boxer and his son for example), and a lot of interesting and unique set pieces with the monsters (Kumonga attacking a wedding, avoiding Godzilla's tail with a race car, blasting one of Ghidorah's heads off with a laser, Kumonga flying with Kiryu). The art was pretty consistent too, and despite being "simple" comparatively to things like Cataclysm or ROE, I really like the stylization in retrospect.
This especially! Rodan picking off race cars while on track, Gigan using his buzzsaw on a skyscraper, and Monster X just running through buildings also comes to mind.

The Godzilla Ongoing is the definition of a solid book for me, quality-wise. Accomplishes its job good enough in different aspects.
Last edited by kaijukurt on Tue Aug 16, 2022 12:31 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: IDW's GODZILLA General Discussion

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Oi, what?
Godzilla Rivals Gigan, at first appears to be delayed until November 30th...
Amazon lists it as "September 28th",but Wikizilla lists it as "October 23rd. A google search, and previews world, brings up the release date of November 30th:
https://www.previewsworld.com/Catalog/FEB229795

Oh no, do we have another vs. King Ghidorah situation on our hands? Will "Mechni-Jaguar" make another cameo? Won't be so upset if it's worth the wait, but man some crazy delays going on here.
Spirit Ghidorah 2010 wrote: Sun Dec 03, 2023 4:54 pm Anno-san pleasures me more than Yamasaki-san.

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Re: IDW's GODZILLA General Discussion

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Maybe it will be part of Godzilla Rivals IV line?

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Re: IDW's GODZILLA General Discussion

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An extra drop of weirdness that I just realized is that there's no longer "Rivals Series 2".

Originally, it was advertised as:
Godzilla vs. Hedorah
Godzilla vs. Mothra

and then
Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah
Godzilla vs. Gigan

Only a few months ago was Vs. Battra revealed, and originally it had a different logo stating "Rivals 2", which is now absent from the release. And we were going to get "Godzilla Rivals Volume 1" which would include the first 4. We're still getting Volume 1, but it's been delayed until january. Now that we're getting what appears to be a more definitive shakeup, and it appears the vs. Battra issue is getting lumped in with series one. I wonder what changed along the way.
Spirit Ghidorah 2010 wrote: Sun Dec 03, 2023 4:54 pm Anno-san pleasures me more than Yamasaki-san.

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Re: IDW's GODZILLA General Discussion

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Yeah I'm aware they dropped the 'Rivals II' name when I posted.

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