Tag: Godzilla

Reed Johnson is one of the most astute culture writers in American journalism, and as all of us have watched moments of calamity, courage and grief play out on the other side of the globe in Japan this month, his thoughts turned to the mirror moments of national disaster that have played out so famously in Japanese pop culture. Here’s an excerpt from his new article on the uncomfortable feelings and thoughts that come with this bundling of contemporary tragedy and pop-culture memory… The sublimely cheesy, enormously popular “Godzilla” films launched in the 1950s depicted a dinosaur-like monster, spawned by underwater nuclear detonations, crashing through the streets of Tokyo. The popular 1973 novel “Japan Sinks” envisions the island nation being physically split in two by a combined earthquake-tsunami. And in the landmark 1988 animated sci-fi film “Akira,” adapted from a manga epic, a nuclear ...

IDW Publishing down in San Diego is thinking big these days — especially when it comes to “Godzilla: Kingdom of Monsters” and its 75 variant covers. That’s right, 75 variant covers. You can find every one of them above and you’ll see pretty quickly that there’s a retail method to IDW’s monster madness. – Geoff Boucher RECENT AND RELATED Godzilla’s legacy emerges from the depths Gamera never goes out of style Superheroes of Japan who predate Superman? Steve Niles scares up laughs with “Doc Macabre” Mignola on Kirby, Hollywood & strange night in Prague Grant Morrison: Evil is the new black Frank Miller: “I’ve taken Batman as far as he can go” Darwyn Cooke’s gamble: Rewriting “The Outfit”

Hero Complex contributor Susan King is big in Japan, and so is Gamera. Look! Up in the sky! Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it’s, um … a giant turtle that spins and spews fire as it flies through the air?  That’s right, it’s “Gamera: The Giant Monster,” which destroys everything that stands in its path — save for little children. Aww, hard shell — soft heart! On Tuesday, Shout! Factory releases a DVD of the original 1965 Japanese horror film produced by the Daiei Motion Picture Co. as a direct competitor to Toho Studio’s established monster, the mighty Godzilla. The competition didn’t really go so well for the massive sabre-toothed, turtleshell terror. While the Japanese version of “Godzilla” is actually a well-made, effective thriller, “Gamera” is pretty cheesy with all the seams showing — including visible wires and rinky-dink miniatures. ...

Randy Lewis is back writing for the Hero Complex. Here’s his look back at the Lizard King of Japanese cinema… The 2004 theatrical reissue of the original 1954 Japanese version of “Gojira,” which washed up on U.S. shores two years later in re-edited form as “Godzilla, King of the Monsters,” gave American audiences lots to rethink about the monster-movie classic. With the restoration of 40 minutes of footage deleted for its stateside release and partially replaced with 20 minutes of new scenes built around the insertion of American actor Raymond Burr, as reporter Steve Martin, the movie and its antinuclear theme come through more powerfully, even though Gojira remains an actor in a rubbery suit stomping his way through miniaturized Japanese cities and villages. The original “Gojira” comes to Blu-ray disc this week in a new high-definition transfer accompanied by an illuminating ...