From ‘Moby-Dick' to a molasses flood, ‘Godzilla vs. Boston' is a monster-sized love letter to New England

Boston Globe

21-04-2025

As a character that's been around since 1954, this isn't Godzilla's first time wreaking havoc in Boston. The city served as the battleground for his onscreen match-up with
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The upcoming issue isn't tied to the ongoing 'Monsterverse' cinematic series on the big screen. It features a number of standalone stories set in different time periods.
"Godzilla vs. America: Boston" cover A art by Hayden Sherman.
Courtesy of IDW
Bringing Godzilla to Boston was 'an easy choice' for the team producing the comic, according to a joint statement from editor Jake Williams and associate editor Nic Niño, noting the city's appeal due to its deep historical roots, and for being 'home to some of the finest comic book artists on the planet.' Each 'Godzilla vs. America' issue includes stories created by writers and artists with connections to the cities featured.
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Boston's 'historical footprint' is also what inspired GLAAD and Eisner Award nominee Steve Orlando to work on the upcoming 'Godzilla vs. America' issue.
Orlando, who moved to Boston in 2018, previously got to bring a fan-favorite character to the Hub during his stint writing 'Wonder Woman' for DC Comics, which saw the famed super hero dispense justice from the Back Bay to the North End. While he got to blow up his fair share of Boston landmarks in that series, for Godzilla, he wanted to tap more into the city's 'maritime lore and whaling, which in of itself was monstrous,' Orlando said in a recent interview.
To pen a story set in the 1800s, Orlando teamed up with Philadelphia-based comic artist Matt Emmons, who grew up on the Bay State's North Shore, for a Godzilla tale inspired by the Herman Melville classic 'Moby-Dick.' According to a synopsis, their contribution to the issue revolves around sailors who swap stories about their encounters with Godzilla, culminating with an attack on the city.
The King of the Monsters is ultimately taken down by 'a wave of molasses,' a clear nod to the
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Steve Orlando
Provided
'It just felt like an opportunity, especially because this is a time period that you couldn't necessarily visit in other cities, at least not in the same way,' Orlando said of getting to write a story set in the era of 'Moby-Dick.' 'I just thought, look, this is one of literature's greatest monsters. Let's compare and contrast, and let's use them as a send up to one of film's greatest monsters and sort of dig in and celebrate not just Boston and Godzilla, but the background.'
Emmons called the project 'a nice excuse to think about Boston' and jumped at the chance to draw Godzilla. Growing up north of the city, Emmons recalls his parents purchasing a 'fixer-upper farmhouse that they're still fixing up,' with fond memories of the 'old barn' and the way nature took hold over time, inspiring his love of 'animals and monsters and fiction' — all things he now draws as a professional comic book artist.
"Godzilla vs. America" promotion art by Jacob Edgar.
Courtesy of IDW
'The older I get, the more I look back on where I grew up at the foot of wetlands, picking up frogs ... sort of spilled into a huge, deep interest in the natural world,' Emmons said.
The issue also features the work of award-winning illustrator and writer Hanna Cha, a Rhode Island School of Design alum who lives in Boston. Other New England natives involved with the project include Eisner-nominated writer and artist Jesse Lonergan, who grew up mostly in Vermont and lived in the Boston area for a long time before moving to Philadelphia, as well as artist Hayden Sherman, another RISD alum who now lives in Allston.
Sherman's story for the issue taps into a cuter chapter in Godzilla lore, with the infamous Godzilla Junior held in a secret facility underneath a movie theater that may look familiar to anyone who's visited Brookline's Coolidge Corner. But before any official name-drops can be included, Sherman plans to ask for the theater's blessing on the comic book mention.
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'It is meant to be a loving homage to them,' Sherman said. 'That their building gets torn down in the story [is] the highest compliment I could give them, hopefully.'
Jesse Lonergan
Provided
Meanwhile in Lonergan's tale, Godzilla goes face-to-face with a 'kaiju-sized' blue lobster, leading to a 'Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs' situation as lobster meat rains down from the sky after the giant reptilian hero saves the day. Lonergan, now in his forties, remembers watching old Godzilla movies when they were only on at off hours and didn't feature the state-of-the-art CGI scenes audiences see today. As a longtime fan of Godzilla, getting to work on the comic allowed him to live out a personal passion, touching on his love for those campy films when the monsters were just people in suits.
'My dream, still, I think, is to get to be in the Godzilla suit and destroy a city,' Lonergan said. 'If something ever goes right and I can have that kind of birthday party where there's a city built for me, it's like my dream.'
'I don't know, I have a 3 year old,' he added. 'Maybe it's just touching on that destroy urge.'
'Godzilla vs. Boston' hits shelves July 30.
"Godzilla vs. America: Boston" Cover B by Jesse Lonergan.
Courtesy IDW
Matt Juul can be reached at