Join myself, Bob Eggleton, August Ragone and the MONSTER ATTACK TEAM at A-Kon in Dallas this weekend!

Check the website for more details!
[link]

This weekend! If you're in the Houston area, come on out!

Remember, there will be copies of the GODZILLA VS. THE POWER RANGERS print for sale!

Check the website for details!
[link]

So the SPFX geniuses over at Amalgamated Dynamics (ALIEN anyone?) are making a killer-looking feature film called HARBINGER DOWN.
[link]

They definitely emphasize that they have nothing against CGI as a tool, but after the majority of their work on THE THING (2011) was either replaced or painted over with shoddy CG, they decided to pool their own resources to make a new, THING-esque film with ALL practical effects and monsters. Granted, they need a little help, since it'd be almost impossible to get this sort of film made today.

The fact that this hasn't already been funded staggers me. Go support it RIGHT NOW.

Few people outside of film geekdom and kaiju fan circles seem to know just how important a figure Ray Harryhausen has been to the art of cinema and special effects. The mastermind behind the modeling and stop-motion animation effects of films like CLASH OF THE TITANS, THE 7TH VOYAGE OF SINBAD, JASON AND THE ARGONAUTS, and the film that is said to have influenced GOJIRA's production more than any other, THE BEAST FROM 20,000 FATHOMS, has passed away at the ripe age of 92.

Ray lead a hell of a long, fruitful life. He gave us all so very, very much, and now is not so much a time for mourning as it is a time for remembrance and celebration of a life well lived.

Many will recall that my first full one-shot comic was WRATH OF THE TITANS: CYCLOPS, a tribute to Harryhausen's immortal imagining of the Cyclops. Ergo, Ray had a special place in my heart.

My friend and writer Richard has penned a nice article on Harryhausen, in which he includes a brief recounting of my own meeting with the special effects legend.
[link]

As well, check out TCM's tribute video to Harryhausen. Lots of great memories here.
[link]

Long Live the Legacy!

Greetings my little monkeys!

So, basically you all need to drop what you're doing and watch this:

[link]

If you're a fan of kaiju flicks, Evangelion, Miyazaki, or hell, just special effects in general, you owe it to yourself to watch this. It's a short film made by Shinji Higuchi (The GAMERA trilogy), Hayao Miyazaki (Everything amazing ever) and Hideaki Anno (Evangelion). And it's nearly ALL PRACTICAL EFFECTS. Some CGI overlays and a few touch-ups and lasers and stuff, but yeah, practical effects. Explosions and miniatures and puppets.

Secondly, check out these podcasts from the Underbase! They review both MARS ATTACKS THE TRANSFORMERS and SPOTLIGHT: TRAILCUTTER, both of which were comics drawn by yours truly

[link]

[link]

Why dig all over the internet for ROE info? We gots us a Facebook page!

[link]

Delicious, delicious Facebook Like us! LIKE US FOREVER.

While we're at it, here's our KAIJU COMBAT FB page!

[link]

Since the news broke today, I figured it'd be ok to reveal that, in addition to our main cast of characters, fan-favorite and beloved "nephew" of Godzilla, GODZOOKY, will be a recurring cast member of GODZILLA: RULERS OF EARTH!

"We decided that, due to the overall serious nature of the comic, we could use some levity to the cast," writer Chris Mowry stated on the inclusion of the renowned character.
"Godzooky is known to fans around the world, and he would bring out a new sense of humor and hilarity, even to the mighty Godzilla!" said Bobby Curnow, editor of RULERS OF EARTH.

Godzilla will frequently have to save his little relative, according to the creative team.

"We had such a great response from including Zilla (the American Godzilla) for the first issue, that we decided to expand our monstrous roster once again," said Matt Frank, interior artist and co-plotter for the series. "We looked at the rest of the Toho kaiju cast, and none of them had the same appeal or potential for character growth that Godzooky retains...it'll be wonderful to draw him in every issue!"

RULERS OF EARTH hits comic stands this June of 2013!

As some of you may or may not know, the Kaiju Combat Kickstarter page was recently taken down. I received a deluge of emails and calls on the subject, and thought it might be wise to publicly speak a bit more about it.

In a nutshell, back in December, Wizards of the Coast (owners of Magic: The Gathering) contacted Simon Strange, director of Kaiju Combat, and claimed that our game "Kaiju Combat" was infringing on their copyright of "Kaijudo," a card game with monsters and whatnot in it. As I understand it, Simon's lawyer responded by simply pointing out that since they held no copyright over "Kaiju," a common-use word, they had no claim. WOTC fell silent and the matter appeared to have been dropped.

Fast-forward to now, where they seemed to have not only ignored the initial response, but gone over our heads to Kickstarter, issuing a renewed claim...despite the fact that the Kickstarter was already successfully funded.

Here's an article on the subject -
[link]

AND here's a statement from "The Game Attorney" -
"Trademarks apply only to certain classes of goods and services within a specific class in order to avoid "confusion in the market place."  I checked on the USPTO site and Wizards does not have their TM registered in International Class 09 (that applies to video games).  As a result, their claim is overreaching.  These guys probably should have had a lawyer respond to the original Cease and Desist Demand they got instead of just expecting it to go away.  It may well have avoided this mess...See, not all lawyers are bad guys!

Tom B"

(Tom seems to have missed the part that Sunstone DID in fact respond to them already...)

Don't worry, kids. This sort of thing happens ALL THE TIME. We're hoping it'll blow over, as if indeed WOTC is trying to claim some ownership of the word "kaiju," they'd have this to contend with as well:
[link] (the rulebook for Kaiju World Wars was also recently updated, so go download it and get smashing faster!)

I would also encourage my friends reading this that, if they feel the need to contact WOTC directly, PLEASE be civil! We don't need any more radioactive badger incidents!

We have no intention of stopping production, so stay tuned for further character model reveals, Monster Mondays and more!

KAIJU FOREVER.

Man, it's been quite a week for Godzilla news!

First off, Oscar Nominee Ken Watanabe (THE LAST SAMURAI, MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA, BATMAN BEGINS, INCEPTION) is joining the principal cast of GODZILLA!
Unlike most modern blockbusters/revivals/reboots, the studio seems to be going for higher caliber actors rather than superstar recognizable faces. It reminds one of the casting mentality for JAWS (paraphrasing - "We have our star...it's the shark...so let's focus on just getting really GOOD actors, not really famous ones.")
[link]

What's even cooler is the first ever set photo! Check out that charred helicopter!
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But that's not all! Gareth Edwards sends a special message out via Youtube! Seems to be that this set is a Japanese airport...intriguing!
[link]

More shots of the "airport"!
[link]

Excitement abounds!

Oh, one other bit - here's a fan-trailer for the release of GODZILLA: RULERS OF EARTH - good stuff!
[link]

And you should go visit it.

Like right now.

Especially if you're excited for RULERS OF EARTH

[link]

Hey guys,

I'm really thrilled that the fans are so excited for GODZILLA: RULERS OF EARTH. As mentioned before, we're kicking off the series with a heck of a battle - GODZILLA VS. ZILLA (or at least, over the first two issues) - that said, I have an important note to pass along from our editor - it concerns the importance of pre-ordering the new comic, and the strong possibility that it may not last very long.

"Hi guys, Godzilla Editor Bobby Curnow here, just wanted to share some thoughts on "Rulers of Earth" Excuse the double post from the IDW forums. But it's important!

First off, Godzilla fans seem PSYCHED and that's great to hear. We'll need your enthusiasm, and support. Here's why:

Chris and Matt are well-respected (beloved???) in G-fan circles. But here's an important thing: they are virtual unknowns in the greater comic book community. If you're a comic book shop owner, (i.e., the person responsible for ORDERING comics) you're probably not going to recognize their names. Every other Godzilla book has been helmed by established comics pros. So this book is going to be a big unknown, and a gamble for many of the people ordering the books. So how well it will do is in question.

That's the main reason you haven't seen longer stories from Chris and Matt before now. In terms of sales, it's a very risky proposition. I've spent the better part of a year trying to convince folks here at IDW that they can pull it off. And I sincerely believe they WILL. This book is going to be tons of fun.

But here's the thing: We'll need YOUR support like never before. This is a Godzilla book by fans, for fans. It will be up to you guys to support this book. It's really important that you tell your local comic book shop directly to ORDER THIS book! Tell them specifically that YOU want to buy a copy (or three!). Spread the word to anyone you know who digs Godzilla— or just fun monster stories in general. We'll provide ordering codes as time goes on, but for right now, just spreading the word is VERY important!

It's awesome that everyone is excited, you SHOULD be! But at the same time, don't take this book for granted. Don't assume your comic book shop will have it! This series will last as long as the numbers support it. It's in the readers hands!

Okay, that's it! Can't wait to get the book in your hands!"

And that said, go to your local store and preorder! Tell them that you want ALL of the covers! We have a lot of great stories we want to tell in this series, so don't let us get cancelled!

Need help finding your local comic store? Check here:
[link]

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Want to pre-order Godzilla: Rulers of Earth #1 from your retailer? Answer: you'd better. And here's how to do it. Give them these codes and order yours TODAY! And share the hell out of this, too.

APR130312 E GODZILLA RULERS OF THE EARTH #1

APR130313 E GODZILLA RULERS OF THE EARTH #1 SUBSCRIPTION VAR

APR130314 J GODZILLA RULERS OF THE EARTH #1 FREE 10 COPY INCV

Can't find your local shop? Use this locator service! [link]

UPDATE! Check this page for the first issue solicitations...and a NEW MONSTER IS REVEALED for the first issue!
[link]

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So...yeah, this happened

[link]

Chris Mowry and I are teaming the hell up to bring you GODZILLA: RULERS OF EARTH.

It's a crazy monsteriffic romp through a new world where monsters vie for territorial dominance. And yes, to re-emphasize, I'll be doing covers AND interiors. I'm also helping our scribe a bit with the story

It's really a thrill to finally be doing interiors on not only an ongoing series, but a GODZILLA series at that! Color me tickled pink!
Expect some really amazing monster battles, some twists and turns, some great characters, and plenty of juicy G-Fan nods and goodness!

And yes, PLEASE go out and preorder this!

Been a while since I posted one of these!

The most recent episode of the excellent ScifiJapan TV series is a tribute to art director Yasayuki Inoue, the man responsible for the look and feel of, well...pretty much all of modern tokusatsu, ESPECIALLY Godzilla. In this video, friends and cohorts of Inoue get together and reminisce about Inoue's talents, how he worked with Tsuburaya, and we even get treated to some VERY rare artwork, including storyboards for SON OF GODZILLA and GODZILLA VS. THE SMOG MONSTER, not to mention a few alternate designs for Hedorah! Look at those lips!

[link]

Of course, I also missed an episode - this is the extended interview with both Millennium Godzilla suit maker, Shinichi Wakasa, and Millennium Godzilla HIMSELF, Tom Kitagawa. And yes, I was present for this interview...although I had no idea what they were saying until now! I just wished I hadn't asked so many redundant questions
You also get some peeks at some leftover props and suits from the Godzilla series in their current, cozy (and a little dusty) home at Wakasa's studio, Monsters Inc!

[link]

Please do watch the series and pass it along to fellow Godzilla fans. I've found that my love for the genre grows more and more by educating myself on the craft that goes into the films and the people who work behind the scenes. The more views the show gets, the more chance it has to stay online!

My wonderful, wonderful little monkeys! It's shaping up to be quite a year!

- Firstly, a call to action - there's only 6 days left to fund this wonderful MY FIRST GODZILLA plush. My concern is that, if this little guy can't get funded, then it'll look pretty bad for Toy Vault and their great Godzilla goodies.
[link]

- Let's get all that juicy Godzilla news out there. As I'm sure many of you are aware, the three major actors currently in talks to be the leads in GODZILLA 2014 are Aaron Johnson (Kickass in KICKASS), Bryan Cranston (Walter White on BREAKING BAD) and Elizabeth Olsen (the considerably more talented Olsen sister from MARTHA MARCY MAY MARLENE). Now we have confirmation that Olsen will be joining the cast - she somewhat un-ironically declares that the film is going to be "a very heavy drama!...a very different take on the past Godzillas..." One can infer that she ACTUALLY means "more like the original film," but she can act, so we'll cut her some slack
[link]

- GODZILLA's most recent draft is currently being handled by the incredibly talented and extremely respected Frank Darabont. In the past I've bitched and complained that this film has too many writers, yatta yatta yatta...but ultimately what matters is the final film. Multiple writers tacked A NEW HOPE back in the day, and it turned into a great film. On the other hand, there's THE PHANTOM MENACE...with only...one...writer... >_>
Regardless, Darabont promises us that Godzilla will be a "terrifying force of nature." Despite turning his nose up at the sequels, it gives me hope that the film is in good hands at the moment.
[link]

- Toys, toys, TOYS! Bandai is putting out even more made-for-USA Godzilla figures, including King Caesar, Little Godzilla, and some great new Tokyo Vinyl figures. Plus a Chibi Kaiju pack! YAY!
[link]

- Monsterarts! Delicious, delicious Monsterarts! While Destoroyah waits in the wings and Biollante lurks on the horizon, we also get to look forward to King Kong (2005) and...GASP! MOSUGOJI??! This series didn't thrill me when it first came out, but after the imposing SpaceGodzilla, just about everything's been gold. Bring 'em on!
[link]
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- PACIFIC RIM gears up! Toys for the Jaeger machines Gipsey Danger, Crimson Typhoon and Striker Eureka are revealed at Toy Fair 2013! EXCITEMENT MUCH. Also, the art book is available for preorder on Amazon
[link]

- By-the-by, if you're attending G-Fest this year, get there early! Thursday night will have an exclusive midnight screening of PACIFIC RIM! And attendees will be treated to a special new print by yours truly!

- Color me excited for this - a new series of Ultraman collectibles, ULTRA BONE, is coming out this month! Get these little skeletons of your favorite Mega Monsters...and swap their bones and bits!
[link]

- G-Fan issue 102 is out! Waitaminute...what happened to 101?! Well, it's coming next! Sadly our poor bedraggled J.D. missed that super-tight Diamond deadline, so he rolled into the followup issue! Don't worry, we love you J.D.!

- I'll hopefully have a very big piece of news to announce reeeeeeaaaal soon!

- And just for kicks, check out this old photo of Ishiro Honda and Akira Kurosawa just chillaxin'
[link]

My good friends at Toy Vault are raising funds for a kid-friendly Godzilla plush!

[link]

Seriously, this thing should have been funded 3 times over by now. GO PREORDER ONE RIGHT NOW. RIGHT NOW. RIGHT NOW. YOUR UNBORN CHILDREN WILL ENVY YOU.

Oof, let these slide a bit!

Over the last few months, I've been on a handful of new podcasts. Spill.com couldn't keep me from bashing down their doors again, Geek Bombast was kind enough to let me in on their 200th episode, and Kaijucast gave me a call!

REMOTE VIEWING - I'm there to talk about Men In Suits...and not much else
[link]

GEEK BOMBAST - This is a LOOOOOOOONG one, but I'm in there pretty early. Give it a listen!
[link]

KAIJUCAST - The special "live" show! This one features guests call-ins from the Monster Attack Team, an interview with David Oaks of ToyFreakz.com, and then little ol' me pops in!
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Nope!

It's apparently a chapter of the Winter Comiket Doujinshi. Maybe it'll pop up online? We'll see!

[link]

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What a way to kick off the new year!

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Synopsis:
"A new nuclear war created by humanity has plagued the world, leaving it in a vulnerable state as a result intergalactic forces come into play and try to take over. Showa Godzilla, and the tough residents of Monster Island combat against the threat, and managed to force them into retreat. At the cost of their lives. Ten years passed, and the threat returns for a final attack. As they enter, so does a newly mature Godzilla, Minilla, along with a new generation of monsters. As the new King of the Monsters, due to mankind's foolishness and losing the closest thing he could call family, will Minilla forgive humanity and defend the world? Or will his wrath wipe everything out?"

APPARENTLY the art is by (one of) the Shogakukan artists from the Heisei Godzilla manga adaptations. No word yet as to the publisher or whether it'll come stateside (hard to say).

Still, I'm plenty excited! If anyone has new info, definitely share!

So! Everyone seems to find themselves compelled to glance back over the shoulders of progress to look back upon this, our year of 2012. And since I'm a sucker for time-wasting public relations, it seemed prudent to make a quick little "Kaijuriffic Moments of 2012!" There's probably a lot I'm leaving out, so feel free to remind me and share in the comments below!

- Big news this year was a relatively small amount of information regarding GODZILLA from Legendary Pictures, slated for May of 2014. We know that there is a (still unseen) teaser that premiered at SDCC 2012. We also know that pretty much EVERYONE involved has been extremely tight-lipped about their intentions for the film, the only conceit being repeated is a "grounded, more realistic" direction. "A true reboot." In addition, only a handful of images have surfaced since the 2010 SDCC t-shirt design by , as well as the fan-art sculpture that got artist hired to design the new Big G - those being the official teaser poster, a blurry image of Godzilla himself, and a shot from the Twitter account of one of the artists supposedly working on digital compositions for the film. Time will tell if this is the Godzilla film that people really want to see!
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[link] (the destroyed city image is hard to find outside of Facebook at the moment)

- PACIFIC RIM caused quite a stir when its trailer dropped. After a month or two of viral marketing, including robot designs via blueprint, we now have a full-fledged trailer!
[link]

- This was a heckuva year for tokusatsu DVD releases. All sorts of celluloid goodness such as...
GODZILLA VS. BIOLLANTE
WHEN HORROR CAME TO SHOCHIKU
ULTRA SEVEN: THE COMPLETE SERIES
GODZILLA VS. MEGALON
DAIMAJIN TRIPLE FEATURE
MEN IN SUITS
...and there's probably several I'm forgetting!

- On the comic book front, IDW has continued their great releases of licensed GODZILLA comics, such as their new ongoing GODZILLA series, and the smash-hit GODZILLA: HALF CENTURY WAR.
No comic store around you? Find them here!
[link]

- Not to toot our own horns, but KAIJU COMBAT got funded on Kickstarter! Expect all kinds of kaijuriffic videogamey goodness!
[link]

- Jeremy Robinson (with a little help from yours truly) put out his "kaiju thriller" novel, PROJECT NEMESIS. Get it here!
[link]

- Bandai's been KILLIN' it with the new line of S.H. MONSTERARTS figures! Check 'em here!
[link]

- Oh. And this happened. Spread the word, tell your friends - watch Matt Frank go to Tokyo and make an ass of himself!
[link]

Like I said, I'm sure there's TONS more, so share in the comments!

Curious as to my wild Japanese adventure with ?

Take a gander at the latest episode of ScifiJapan TV!

[link]

Keep an eye out for Ultraman director/producer Takeshi Yagi, Godzilla suit maker Shinichi Wakasa, Godzilla suit actor Tsutomu Kitagawa, and some toys by Fumiaki Kawakami!

And be sure to watch the full episode - there's a surprise at the end!

We've hit our $100,000 mark!

[link]

BUT.

Let's not jump around and celebrate until the deadline passes and we actually HAVE the money. We've seen what can happen