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Monster Appearances: Ganimes, Gezora, Kamoebas As part of our summer beach party series from 2022 we reviewed the 1970 Toho kaiju classic Space Amoeba  (also known as Yog, Monster From Space ), directed by the legendary Ishirō Honda. The film follows the chaos unleashed when an extraterrestrial amoeba possesses the animals native to a tropical island, the intended site of a new hotel, creating a triple threat of monster destruction. True to Showa-era kaiju style, the monsters

Monster Appearanes: Gorgo , Ogra In one of our earliest reviews, we revisited the 1961 classic Gorgo , one of the standout non-Japanese kaiju films of the era. The movie delivers well-shot monster scenes and impressively expressive suits and animatronics, making Gorgo a memorable addition to the pantheon of giant monsters. While it leans heavily on bluescreen effects, which can occasionally feel dated, it still captures the chaos and thrill of a rampaging kaiju. Gorgo in Capt

Monster Apperances: Gamera, Zigra Dan & Frank review the 1987 dubbed edition of the 1971 Gamera vs. Zigra movie , a classic entry in the Showa-era Gamera series. True to the Showa tradition, this movie delivers fun, campy kaiju action, but with a fair share of hilarious plot holes that had us laughing from start to finish. As lifelong fans of Gamera, watching this film again after many years reminded us why these Showa-era films hold a special place in kaiju history. From inv

The movie introduces the title monster Ebirah for the very first time, and fans will also recognize the return of the Giant Condor! Of course, no tropical kaiju romp is complete without Mothra, who makes an appearance as well. Packed with fun action, memorable monsters, and a tropical setting, it’s a film that still resonates for many of us as a childhood favorite.

While attending Kaiju Brooklyn this year, we picked up King of Justice: Dasher Blue  Issue 1 from Moon Lair Studios, and it instantly stood out as something special. This indie manga captures the spirit of late ’80s and early ’90s anime, blended with classic Henshin Hero influences, both in its storytelling and visual style. From the very first pages, Dasher Blue  delivers a fast-paced, action-packed experience that wastes no time pulling readers into its world. Fans of vinta

It has been a very long while since we’ve done one of these release lists. Frank used to do this quarterly on Godzilla Island, and we would also do weekly Shorts covering new releases. For now, we’re going to try a monthly list, so here it is! These are the first Kaiju & Tokusatsu–themed books, comics, and manga kicking off the new year. Some indie projects we want to highlight this month include The Territory  trade paperback, which collects the entire series into one volum

This week’s comic review is Kaiju Epic!, the crowdfunded indie comic launched on Kickstarter in 2017. Written by Tom Hutchison & Kari Castor, with art by Renato Rei & CB Zane, colors by Ceci de la Cruz, and letters by HDE, this extra-large 48-page debut issue delivers two action-packed stories depicting a full-scale kaiju uprising and the global chaos that follows. From massive destruction to international stakes, this comic perfectly captures the scope and terror of giant mo

Our Review Of Ultraman: The Ultra Academy Beware The Baleful Baltan!

Dan breaks down the Blu-ray features for Howl From Beyond the Fog , released by SRS Cinema, a company that has done an incredible job bringing Kaiju and Tokusatsu films to U.S. audiences that would otherwise be nearly impossible to obtain or might never receive an official English-subtitled release at all. SRS Cinema’s Blu-ray distribution has played a major role in helping the kaiju fandom grow over the past several years. Released in 2019, Howl From Beyond the Fog  is a kai

Note: This article was originally published in 2022 on Godzilla Island and his since been revised. Zone Fighter!   Toho’s 1973 tokusatsu series has always held a strange sort of mystique among Godzilla fans especially in the West. With its 26-episode run, giant hero battles, and guest appearances from Godzilla, King Ghidorah, and Gigan, it feels like a missing chapter from the Showa era. It fits right into the Godzilla timeline, taking place between Godzilla vs. Megalon  and

Monster Name:  Kiko Monster Appearances:   Son of Kong Kiko, the albino son of the legendary King Kong, is a large, white-furred gorilla who stands around 12 feet tall. He’s not nearly as massive as his father, but he’s still a powerful creature in his own right. When Carl Denham returned to Skull Island, he discovered Kiko trapped in a quicksand pit and rescued him creating a bond between the two. Kiko’s biggest battle was against a massive cave bear roughly equal to his siz

Note: This Review was originally published in 2022 on Godzilla Island. At the time this was written this is what Frank's Ultraman viewing was up to chronologically he has now completed Ultra Q-80, as well as Blazar, & Arc. Return of Ultraman is the fourth entry in the Ultra Series it aired for 51 episodes from April 1971 to March 1972. The series stars Jiro Dan as Hideki Go, a race car driver who gives his life to save a young boy and his dog during a kaiju attack. Ultraman

Monster Name: Nebula Monster Appearance:  Howl From Beyond The Fog Nebula is a sauropod-style monster that dwells in the lake of a small village on Kyushu Island. This four-legged dinosaur has a long neck and a massive body overgrown with moss and algae, so thick that fallen tree limbs can rest on its back. Nebula’s primary strengths are its sheer size, power, and nearly impervious hide, which makes it resistant to gunfire and cannon blasts. Its only displayed special abilit

Monster Name: Jikiro Monster Appearances: Zone Fighter Jikiro is a reptilian robot sent to Earth by the Garogas after Zone Fighter defeated Red Spark. This all-metal kaiju has a long neck, red metallic spines, a large red antenna on its back, a right hand equipped with four cannons, and a sharp spiked claw on its left hand. Jikiro can generate magnetic fields to slow and trap its enemies, fire bullet-like blasts from its hand cannons, and shoot focused bolts of magnetic energ

Monster Name: Mognezun Monster Appearances:  Return of Ultraman Mognezun is a prehistoric kaiju covered in sharp spikes. Its modern-day awakening gave it a deadly new ability: expelling poisonous gas. This development was caused by leftover chemical weapons from World War II Japan had dumped yellow toxic gas in the area where Mognezun had been hibernating. Feeding on the gas triggered this lethal adaptation. Besides its poisonous breath, Mognezun is an expert digger, capable

Monster Name: Antlar Monster Appearances:  Ultraman, Ultraman Max, Ultra Galaxy Mega Monster Battle: Never Ending Odyssey, Mega Monster Battle: Ultra Galaxy Legends The Movie, Ultraman Retsuden, Ultraman Zero: The Chronicle, Ultraman Ginga, Ultraman X, Ultraman Orb Antlar is a beetle-like kaiju with a prominent horn and two massive pincers, which it uses expertly in combat. This monster can burrow underground and fires a powerful electromagnetic beam capable of disabling fire

Monster Name: Stegon Monster Appearances: Return of Ultraman, Redman Stegon is an ancient dinosaur related to the Stegosaurus, with a body that looks almost like a pile of walking fossils. Stegon walks on four legs and has the ability to burrow underground. Its body constantly secretes a powerful acid capable of dissolving organic matter strong enough to be lethal to humans. Stegon can also spray a mist from its mouth that can extinguish fires or act as a smokescreen. Its dur

Monster Name: Dangar Monster Appearances: Return of Ultraman, Redman Dangar is an odd-looking kaiju with long, fleshy appendages that hang around its head like a lion’s mane. It also sports a single tusk-like fang protruding from the front of its mouth. Its hands end in hook-shaped claws, which Dangar uses to slash at enemies. While it lacks flashy special abilities, Dangar can burrow underground and relies on its raw physical strength and thick hide to fight. The first Danga

Monster Name: Ghostron Monster Appearances:   Return of Ultraman, The Ultraman, Redman Ghostron is a large, dinosaur-like kaiju with a body and facial structure very similar to Arstron. Instead of a horn, however, Ghostron sports a large head hump that extends into a frilled ridge down its back. Because of these shared traits, many fans consider Ghostron and Arstron to be cousin species. Ghostron also has extremely poor eyesight and relies almost entirely on sound to navigate

Monster Name: Gorbagos Monster Appearances: Return of Ultraman Gorbagos is a rock-bodied kaiju with an incredible chameleon like ability to camouflage itself so effectively that it can turn completely invisible. Along with stealth, this nocturnal monster can burrow underground and launch fireballs from its mouth. At night it becomes fiercely aggressive, but during the day it’s sluggish, peaceful, and prefers to hide rather than fight if disturbed. Gorbagos was discovered by a