Godzilla - Kai-Sei Era Discussion

[ebirahsmeg1]

Not sure how many total issues and different titles of this Kai-Sei Era comic there will end up being (Godzilla, Escape the Deadzone, Godzilla Starship thus far), so post your thoughts on whatever pops up in this series here.

A cover from the terrific Art Adams (aside from occasional variant/RI cover, how in the hell has he not worked on a single IDW comic??? What a crime). Too bad the "Kai-Sei Goji" design doesn't look anywhere near as nice as this Art Adams cover

[daveblackeye15]

I was very "we'll see" but with the Free Comic Book Day preview I'm quite excited now.

[LSD Jellyfish]

A lot of covers and previews of some interior art has been revealed, and it’s got me a lot more excited. Happened alongside the other big interview. It seems stuff got pushed back, but some got pushed forward?

Deadzone’s interior art is cool, and it seems like a wholly unique concept and setting. I’m just curious how Toho creatures will fit into this.


Starship Godzilla also has some cool covers. I like the one with the red RODAN like birds even if Mechagodzilla doesn’t have much detailing on it. The Star Wars reference color is fun too.



There’s also more of the upcoming “Godzilla” ongoing. Surprise surprise Angurius. Very bulky but very cool.

[daveblackeye15]

I think I found the covers you were talking about. Angurius? I don't see a cover with Angurius. I saw one with a hulk like mutate though.

[Cryptid_Liker]

I think I found the covers you were talking about. Angurius? I don't see a cover with Angurius. I saw one with a hulk like mutate though.

He isn't on any covers but he IS in the first issue itself. Can't remember if we found out via the New Heroes or a standalone preview, though.

Also, I find it worth mentioning that in a Reddit AMA with the editor for IDW's Godzilla comics, he revealed that there's already a fourth Kai-Sei book planned for release next year. No further information besides that just yet, naturally.

[daveblackeye15]

Ah here's Anguirius...wow that is a big body indeed.
https://static1.cbrimages.com/wordpress ... =750&dpr=2

Man I'm getting some Sharptooth from The Land Before Time vibes from that head...I like this Godzilla design, makes me think of GMK Godzilla of being this brutal and strong thug.
https://www.comicsbeat.com/wp-content/u ... 015737.jpg

The Hulk/Gozilla thing I mentioned from Dead Zone #2.
https://www.comicsbeat.com/wp-content/u ... 744865.jpg

And good old Bob got to do a cover for Starship Godzilla.
https://www.comicsbeat.com/wp-content/u ... 444305.jpg

I dunno I'm really excited for this shared universe they want to do.

[daveblackeye15]

Oh some details about Starship Godzilla. Despite the humans in the cast they are not Earthlings. Also supposeded there is a Simian among the cast. I like that, seeing not just new aliens but old aliens existing. Plus bad guy race getting a hopefully good portrayal.

[daveblackeye15]

New article. https://www.fangoria.com/godzilla-comic ... exclusive/
Also meant to post last week that kindle version of Godzilla and Escape #1 are up to pre-order.

[B34sT]

Escape the Deadzone is the most intriguing one to me. I can’t tell how Godzilla and other Toho kaiju are actually involved in that story or if it’s its own story that has the background of the other comics.

[daveblackeye15]

"Initially, I went with blue for the dorsal fin, but our editor Jake Williams made the right call and suggested we go with green, which became the main feature along with its glowing veins around the body. “"
I kinda like the green with Godzilla. It just helps make this universe, this comic series, stick out a bit more since kai sei seems to be a power and its tied to certain people. Otherwise I'd be like 'eh green looks cool on Godzilla I guess.'

"The series artist Pablo Tunica describes the plot as “a mix of Cormac McCarthy and raving mutants, where Godzilla is an unspoken presence.” "
Funny I thought of the book All Your Ruins as being 'kaiju meets Corma McCarthy.'

"This series is the most under lock and key so far because it's going to do some big things with the aliens of the Toho roster. It will be the first time we get to see the connections of the more expansive Toho universe, and it's all starting here in the Kai-Sei era."

Yeah I'm super excited for that aspect.

[ebirahsmeg1]

Starship Godzilla #1 Retail Incentive cover by Bob Eggleton, whose terrific covers for Heist have gone completely to waste....let's hope the contents of this book are much more deserving of this cover:

[daveblackeye15]

Now I'm wondering if they will still do minis during the Kai-Sei set outside of it or not.

[LSD Jellyfish]

Now I'm wondering if they will still do minis during the Kai-Sei set outside of it or not.

They said they’ll do one shots and other things within the continuity.

I have a strong feeling we’ll definitely get less miniseries, but I wouldn’t completely count it out. A lot of it will depend on sales obviously.

[ebirahsmeg1]

Preview of Godzilla: Escape the Deadzone #1 (https://godzilla.com/blogs/news/exclusi ... publishing):

Exclusive Preview: 'Godzilla: Escape the Deadzone' #1
Godzilla: Escape the Deadzone #1 arrives in comic shops on August 6, 2025.

06/26/2025

The world of Godzilla is about to get weird. In IDW Publishing's new line of Kai-Sei era comics, a mysterious, earth-altering energy powers kaiju, select super-powered humans, and… something – or someone – in-between. And we've got an exclusive first look, all from the pages of Godzilla: Escape the Deadzone #1, arriving in comic shops on August 6.

Written by Ethan Parker and Griffin Sheridan, illustrated by Pablo Tunica, and lettered by Nathan Widick, Godzilla: Escape the Deadzone #1 offers a gritty, survivalist counterpoint to the more superhero vs. kaiju flavored flagship Godzilla title.

From IDW's official solicitation:

What’s going on inside the Deadzone?! Find out in the second book of the KAI-SEI ERA, IDW’s new connected Godzilla universe! Inside the new IDW Godzilla universe, there exists a mystery larger than any other…what is the Deadzone? Inhabitants of this new world know the Deadzone to be a walled-off portion of the Pacific Northwest, sequestered after the most disastrous Godzilla attack the country has ever faced. The government would have its citizens believe that nothing is still alive inside the Deadzone…but do you believe that? There are stories of a man. Or rather…a half kaiju, half man…who travels freely throughout the Deadzone. Some say he can even kill a kaiju. Some say…he’s not the only of his kind. Journey into this mysterious new world in Godzilla: Escape the Deadzone with the Eisner-nominated writing duo Griffin Sheridan and Ethan S. Parker (Kill Your Darlings) and fan-favorite artist Pablo Tunica (TMNT/Ghostbusters 2, Sea Serpent’s Heir).

IDW's trio of Kai-Sei era titles kicks off in Godzilla #1 on July 23, followed by Godzilla: Escape the Deadzone #1 in August, and rounded out with Starship Godzilla #1 in October.

"Godzilla’s universe is vast, and we couldn’t be more excited to help build its strangest and most dangerous corner," wrote Parker to Godzilla.com, "The Deadzone is the world left in the wake of all-powerful kaiju, filled with creatures and freaks like you’ve never seen before. If you like insane monster fights and exploring worlds full of mystery, tell your comic shop you need to add Godzilla: Escape the Deadzone to your pull list. Did we mention the first appearance of a human-kaiju hybrid? Only in the wasteland."

"Of the many things that excite us about Deadzone, chief among them is finding new ways to explore Godzilla and its world," wrote Sheridan, "We want this to be a thrilling and ultimately rewarding experience for readers – both life-long fans and those who have yet to truly meet the King of the Monsters. Get this on your subs list and take the leap with us into this weird and wild tail (pun intended).”

Check out five pages from Godzilla: Escape the Deadzone #1 below, and download new Kai-Sei comic wallpapers.

Advisory: Preview includes mature language.

Wow, he said "fuck" in a G comic....how edgy

[mikelcho]

You could never have gotten away with that way back when. I'm glad the Comics Code Authority is long since gone. That was a mistake right from the start. Sure took them long enough, though.

[LSD Jellyfish]

Awesome preview. I was a bit worried about the hybrids, but the art is so cool I don’t care. I said this before and I’ll say it again; Deadzone doesn’t really look like a Godzilla product, but the art and what is so intriguing I don’t care. I might actually be bored if they cram in some random Toho creatures just for the hell of it.

[Jomei]

IDW-kun...

This is not an "era." It's a series. You don't get to call it an era just because you slapped a Japanese name on it that superficially makes it sound like Showa, Heisei, or Reiwa if you don't know what the word means.

[LSD Jellyfish]

IDW-kun...

This is not an "era." It's a series. You don't get to call it an era just because you slapped a Japanese name on it that superficially makes it sound like Showa, Heisei, or Reiwa if you don't know what the word means.

I believe that in this fictional continuity, there’s a mysterious source of energy called “Kai-sei”. Everything in these comics is somehow related to that. Hence the “Kai-sei era”. Think of it more like “Atomic Age” instead of a horrible copying of the Japanese eras. Might be wrong on this.

[Jomei]

IDW-kun...

This is not an "era." It's a series. You don't get to call it an era just because you slapped a Japanese name on it that superficially makes it sound like Showa, Heisei, or Reiwa if you don't know what the word means.

I believe that in this fictional continuity, there’s a mysterious source of energy called “Kai-sei”. Everything in these comics is somehow related to that. Hence the “Kai-sei era”. Think of it more like “Atomic Age” instead of a horrible copying of the Japanese eras. Might be wrong on this.

You mean like Atomic Age of comics?

That's my other gripe with this: terms like that are typically created by observers/historians/critics/fans either retrospectively or at least with enough time passed to get a sense of the character of a long-sustained body of work.

You don't just roll out with the first works and call it an era.

Looks like the kanji on the logo are a combo of kai (mystery/wonder) from kaiju and sei as in spirit/energy, like yosei (fairy) 妖精

It's also used for words about semen, such as shasei (ejaculation) 射精

So... mysterious energy ... or mysterious coom

Anyway, dumb IMO. We don't call anything the Regenerator G-1 era or something like that. This feels like Taylor Swift / Sabrina Carpenter branding of their new projects. OMG Goji is entering his Tortured Kaiju Poets Era, slay. And slapping a made-up Japanese word on it smacks of trying to get some stolen "era" valor by sounding like "Heisei" or something. Calling something an "era" like this adds undeserved gravitas at this stage, and it seems to prey on fans' obsession with classifying and categorizing things. Like, it's a way to sneak their little comic series into Godzilla "era" discussions. But I fully realize this is my own Singular Pointist semantic irritation probably nobody else cares about.

[LSD Jellyfish]

That's my other gripe with this: terms like that are typically created by observers/historians/critics/fans either retrospectively or at least with enough time passed to get a sense of the character of a long-sustained body of work.

You don't just roll out with the first works and call it an era.

Anyway, dumb IMO. We don't call anything the Regenerator G-1 era or something like that. This feels like Taylor Swift / Sabrina Carpenter branding of their new projects. OMG Goji is entering his Tortured Kaiju Poets Era, slay. And slapping a made-up Japanese word on it smacks of trying to get some stolen "era" valor by sounding like "Heisei" or something. Calling something an "era" like this adds undeserved gravitas at this stage, and it seems to prey on fans' obsession with classifying and categorizing things. Like, it's a way to sneak their little comic series into Godzilla "era" discussions. But I fully realize this is my own Singular Pointist semantic irritation probably nobody else cares about.

Everything you said here is correct.

However, you answer why it was chosen as a name itself; it’s just a marketing toy. Sure, people with more intimate knowledge on the Japanese language will find it amusing, but for casual Godzilla fans it’ll just be an easy way to distinguish all of this from what came before, and what will come after. IDW needs this continuity to stand out from the crowd. It’s competing in the (small) headspace of Godzilla fans against Marvel, DC, the GGO manga, and even other IDW projects.

And, in an ironic twist, the name is working wonders for what it’s doing. I don’t know how interested you are in the comic series, or comics in general, but the simple title of the series being mildly amusing to you, has led to you putting attention on it. Regardless of intent, or whether the attention is positive or negative, the title has done its job as a marketing ploy.