Heads up, Godzilla fans! It’s been a busy time for lovers of the famed monster as he celebrated his 70th anniversary recently, with director Ishiro Honda’s original 1954 cinematic classic originally hitting theaters in 1954. Looking forward, the folks at IDW, who have long published comics based on Toho’s beloved kaiju, are set to deliver a big reboot for the franchise next year. We’re not just talking about one book either, but an entire universe. It all sounds pretty ambitious and pretty awesome, if I may say so.
See also: 5 Monsters We Want To See In The GODZILLA MINUS ONE Sequel – what monsters would you like to see?
Readers will get a glimpse at what’s to come on Free Comic Book Day in May. For those unfamiliar with the annual event, comic book shops all around the country hand out free comics from most of the major publishers. IDW will be giving out Godzilla: The New Heroes Free Comic Book Day 2025, which will feature an exclusive first look at the brand-new universe.
IDW says that this will be “a fresh exploration of what it means to be a Godzilla comic.” The super-sized collection features stories from a diverse line of creators including Tim Seeley (Grayson, Local Man), Nikola Čižmešija (Batman and Robin, Batman: Sword of Azrael) Ethan S. Parker and Griffin Sheridan (Kill Your Darlings), Pablo Tunica (TMNT, Sea Serpent’s Heir), Chris Gooch (In Utero, Under-Earth) and Oliver Ono (Godzilla: Monster Island Summer Camp, Godzilla: Rivals).
For what it’s worth, IDW has done some pretty inventive things with the franchise over the years, including last year’s 16th Century tale Godzilla: Here There Be Dragons and the fan-favorite Godzilla in Hell. Those are just a couple of examples but it sounds like the publisher intends to go even bigger with this new universe. IDW’s Godzilla line editor Jake Williams had this to say about it:
“This FCBD issue will introduce readers to new characters, premiere new Kaiju, and serve as the launching point for our new Godzilla continuity. We challenged ourselves to build up a world around Godzilla that is as interesting as the King of the Monsters itself. A new continuity filled to the brim with super powered humans, kaiju half breeds, stories across Earth and Space, and a fresh new take on Godzilla itself. All in service of one singular goal: tell Godzilla stories that can only exist on the pages of a comic book. Big, bold, bizarre – and above all, cool as hell.”
All in all, it’s quite a time to be a fan of the King of the Monsters. It was recently confirmed that we’re getting a follow-up to last year’s Godzilla Minus One. Apple TV+ is also working on Monarch: Legacy of Monsters season 2 as we speak. Plus, Legendary and Warner Bros. are busy working on the next entry in the MonsterVerse following the success of Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire. Movies, TV, comics, they’ve got all of the bases covered.
Look for Godzilla: The New Heroes Free Comic Book Day 2025 on May 3, 2025. For more, get the details on the next MonsterVerse movie, which will be directed by Grant Sputore.
