Godzilla vs. Marvel six-issue series coming next year

Back in 1976, Marvel Comics editor-in-chief Stan Lee was able to score the licensing rights to bring Toho’s iconic monster Godzilla into the Marvel world. Running for 24 issues from 1977 to 1979, the Godzilla, King of the Monsters comic book series, written by Doug Moench and drawn by Herb Trimpe, saw Godzilla rampaging through the United States and taking on the likes of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, the Fantastic Four, Devil Dinosaur and Moon Boy, the Champions, and the Avengers. Now, it’s time for a rematch. Marvel re-printed the entire run of Godzilla, King of the Monsters in color for the first time last year, and to celebrate they created fifteen variant covers for various comic books that featured Marvel heroes facing off with Godzilla. Turns out, those variant covers were paving the way for Godzilla vs. Marvel, a six-issue series of one-shots that will include the Fantastic Four, Hulk, Spider-Man, the X-Men, and Thor.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the six comics will take place over different time periods, with the first issue of Godzilla vs. Marvel coming in March. Godzilla vs. Fantastic Four will center on the Fantastic Four battling classic Godzilla antagonist King Ghidorah, who has been imbued with the power cosmic as the new herald for Galactus, the giant devourer of worlds. In this issue, Godzilla will actually team up with the Silver Surfer in order to attempt to save the Earth. Ryan North is writing, with John Romita Jr. providing the artwork.

Sven Larsen, Marvel’s VP of licensing and publishing, has been talking to Toho for years, trying to make this crossover event happen. Marvel editor-in-chief C.B. Cebulski said, “We approached them initially for our reprints, but a while after those conversations, it was clear that both of our teams were excited to do more together. These crossovers started coming together over that time, in direct collaboration with Toho, and we felt the perfect time for them was for Godzilla’s 70th anniversary. We’ve been thrilled to work with them on these, and we hope this will be a sign for more exciting projects to come.“

Dan Buckley, president, Marvel Comics & Franchises added, “For us, kaiju—and specifically Godzilla—are important parts of Marvel’s comic history, so we knew we wanted to explore something with their teams. We’ve always been fans of Godzilla, but with the steady rise in Godzilla’s popularity over the years, it’s part of our current cultural zeitgeist and a perfect example of the fun that the comics industry can bring. We’re focused on the storytelling first and foremost, but fun opportunities for crossovers like this give both of our fans an entertaining escape that they won’t want to miss.“

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