IDW Publishing has graciously interviewed the creative teams behind Godzilla Legends on Toho Kingdom's behalf. Below is the fourth in a five part series where the publisher asks the creative team of the five comics the same ten questions to compare their responses and answers. This column tackles the creative team behind Godzilla Legends #4.

CHRIS MOWRY (Writer: Legends #4)

1.) If you had the chance, what Godzilla movie would you remake and why?

Chris Mowry: If I had the chance, I'd probably say "Final Wars." To me, it was really ambitious, but I just felt that somehow it missed the mark. And I'm not talking about Minilla riding shotgun in a pickup, either. I thought that was pretty funny, actually. Just more along the lines of how there were so many monsters, yet so little screen time for some of them.

2.) Godzilla has died. Who do you think should take his place as "King of the Monsters?"

Mowry: King Ghidorah. He already has the title.

3.) What was the first Godzilla product you owned and do you still have it?

Mowry: That GLJ bendy Godzilla figure. Luckily, it's one of the only toys from back then that I still have (though the tip of his tail is gone), along with the Tricephalon set. I've had to buy my Shogun Warrior Godzilla and Rodan again.

4.) Godzilla should return to (blank).

Mowry: Saturday mornings. I would love to see a new cartoon series again. Just spare me the comic relief character.

5.) What fiction-turned-reality terrifies you more, giant monsters or zombies?

Mowry: I'd say that giant monsters for sure. Way more destructive and you'd need to know how to fire a howitzer (let alone find one) in order to shoot one in the head. But what if the monster is Ghidorah?

6.) What was the most challenging aspect of creating your issue of 'Legends'?

Mowry: I think for me was to get a good amount of everything in the book. Monster fights primarily, some fun references for the fandom, characters that people might actually care about to a degree, and then to balance it all out into something that people are satisfied with and not feeling like it's too quick of a read. I think I succeeded in that, but I'm my own worst critic, so I know there's way more that I could have and should have done.

7.) What was the most fun part of the process for you?

Mowry: The most fun part was just working with E.J., Priscilla, and Bobby. I couldn't ask for a better team to work with. I've been lucky in the past to work with great people, but this one was personal since everyone has such a love for Godzilla and the genre. Plus, from back in my Transformers days, I've really wanted to work with E.J. and Priscilla. So whether it was talking about how I really wanted to put some fun Easter Eggs in there with E.J., or explaining where the cat came from in the book (spoiler... it's mine!) to Priscilla, or working on a way to wrap up the book with Bobby, it was all a great experience and a dream come true to work on this property and those people especially.

8.) Is there anything you wish you could have done differently?

Mowry: Oh, of course. You have some time to spare? Kidding, I'll try to be quick about it. Absolutely. For one, I would have liked to have changed the ending a bit. I think it works, but maybe how it gets to that point. There were a number of running changes being made during the course of the book, and I think maybe I spent a bit too much time on fight choreography and making sure those beats were being met, and not enough on say, a plot! Ultimately, I like that it's just a big beat-em-up story, but I've heard people say that they were interested in hearing about the team a bit more. So to me, I think I might have missed a good chance to expound on the MG crew's personalities. But who knows, maybe I'll get a chance to do that someday.

9.) What do YOU want to see from future Godzilla comics? From the upcoming new movie?

Mowry: Since I'm the Creative Consultant (which means I answer questions usually... I don't have anything to do with art teams or series development) for IDW's G books, I would like to see as many books on the shelves as we can get, and all of them offering something up to every type of fan. Just as Batman has fans of the brooding, borderline-psychotic character, some people love the campy stuff, too. Godzilla I think is the same way. No reason why we can't have comedy and tragedy and satire and commentary... it's all relevant. I think some of our books hit the mark more than others, and I hope that we keep going with that type of creative output in the future. As for the movie, I just want something that is unique and dare I say, different? You can't recreate the original, so why even try? And honestly, we've all seen that story before. I think the rumors of an additional monster as well as the decision-makers at Legendary Pictures being Godzilla fans will almost guarantee that it will be a good movie... and hopefully something we've not seen before. Oh, and in case anyone involved is reading this... why not do motion capture on a guy in a suit? Best of both worlds kind of thing.

10.) Who's your favorite monster?

Mowry: Godzilla. Then King Kong. But if it's my favorite secondary Toho character? None other than Anguirus. OK!

E.J. SU (artist: Legends #4)

1.) If you had the chance, what Godzilla movie would you remake and why?

E.J. Su: It always seem logical to remake the origin, the first one that makes history, but the geek in me would really want to remake All Monsters Attack (1969). This is one of the most memorable Godzilla movies from my childhood. My parents never liked me watching movies that they deem ridiculous, so monster movies are difficult to come by, not to mention at the time, the only way to get to these Japanese movies on tape in Taiwan was through the black market. When I learned about All Monsters Attack, I remember I said to myself "So many monsters in one movie! I just got to see it!". Luckily for me, one of my classmate had a source.

2.) Godzilla has died. Who do you think should take his place as "King of the Monsters?"

Su: I think that spot should stay vacant. There are many monsters equally if not more powerful than Godzilla, but nothing comes close to taking Godzilla's place.

3.) What was the first Godzilla product you owned and do you still have it?

Su: I didn't get to have many toys, but I did get to collect a bunch of books. There were volumes and volumes of illustrated guides on various topics, most focused on sci-fi related movies and TV shows. I had a quite an extensive collection over the years. My dad eventually burned the majority of my collection, including comic books, because I wasn't getting good grades in school.

4.) Godzilla should return to (blank).

Su: Godzilla should return to terrorize humanity. I don't think he does enough of that in a long, long time. I am a little on fence about Godzilla being a little soft now, and sometimes portrayed as a defender of Earth. He is revenge from nature itself, a reminder of our own mistakes, a lesson to be learned about our own history and should always stay that way.

5.) What fiction-turned-reality terrifies you more, giant monsters or zombies?

Su: Probably zombies terrify me more. I mean the thought of facing friends and families that are turning into zombies, that's really terrifying.

6.) What was the most challenging aspect of creating your issue of 'Legends'?

Su: To me, it's was really the time. I am working as a full time industrial designer now. Most of the time after regular working business hours, I have to be constantly in communication with oversea factories and vendors. Having a four-year-old and a pair of two-year-old twins aren't making it any easier for me at home. The only time I get to have a little bit of time of my own to do any kind of freelance work is after all the kids are in bed, which is usually around 10:00 PM. When I was working on 'Legends #4', I only get to sleep 3-4 hours of sleep per night, and I am not as young as I used to be that I could take this kind of abuse to my body.

7.) What was the most fun part of the process for you?

Su: Drawing is always fun for me, no matter how tired I get. I can't believe how much I have missed drawing comic books, but the most enjoyable part of 'Legends #4' was that I am not only finally get to work with Chris Mowry, but get to collaborate with the amazing Priscilla Tramontano again. Chris and I have talked about working on something together for a long time, but never get to do anything until now. He really understands Godzilla, I really hope he gets to write more of his crazy ideas on the Godzilla universe. Priscilla and I previously worked on Spotlight Jazz together, and I know how capable she is, I am really lucky to be working on such a fun project with these two amazing talents that have such a great love for the property.

8.) Is there anything you wish you could have done differently?

Su: As an artist, things are never good enough. There are so many things that I could have done differently, and if given the chance, the whole book would probably get re-drawn, differently.

9.) What do YOU want to see from future Godzilla comics? From the upcoming new movie?

Su: Chris Mowry shared so many of his ideas for Godzilla comics, I really wish he gets a chance to have these ideas realized. As for the movie, I really don't know what to expect, hopefully there will be some monsters fighting.

10.) Who's your favorite monster?

Su: There are so many monsters I can't decide on just one favorite. As a kid, I used to like Minilla, but as I grew older, I think King Gidorah comes out a little ahead of everyone else.

CHRIS MOWRY AND
E.J. SU

The creative team behind Godzilla Legends #4. Chris Mowry has worked at IDW Publishing on a number of properties, from Transformers to G.I. Joe, before becoming the creative consultant on all of their Godzilla titles. Legends #4 marks the first time Mowry has been in the writer's chair for a title featuring the King of the Monsters

E.J. Su works part time in the comic industry, with his art most often dedicated to IDW in the realm of comics. He has done material for both Transformers and Voltron in the medium.

Date:	02/22/2012
Interviewer:	IDW Publishing

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