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Godzilla (comics)

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Godzilla (comics)

Godzilla has appeared in a range of comic books that have been published in Japan and the United States.

In his native Japan, Godzilla has been featured in various comic books since his inception in 1954. These comics, for the most part, were black-and-white publications known as manga. The vast majority of these comics were adaptations of the films. Every film from Godzilla to Godzilla 2000: Millennium received a comic book adaptation with the exception of King Kong vs. Godzilla. In addition, all of the films from Godzilla vs. Megaguirus to Godzilla: Final Wars did not receive a comic book adaptation.

For the most part, there were anywhere from two to four different adaptations of each film; for example, the first comic adaptation of Godzilla vs. Biollante was called Godzilla 1990, while the second adaptation of Godzilla vs. Mothra was called Godzilla vs. Mothra: Great Study. Most of these comics (in particular, the comics from the 1950s to the 1970s) were published in children's magazines such as Bokura, Bouken Oh and Shonen, while others were published in Yellow Pages-sized weekly or monthly publications, while still others were published as one-shots and sold in movie theaters. Many of the latter comics (the 1980s to the 1990s) were published by Shogakukan Comics, Tentomushi Comics and Kodansha Comics. In the early 1990s, many of the original adaptations from the original series of Godzilla films were compiled into two pocketbook-sized volumes and reprinted by Bamboo Books. In 1992, Bamboo would reprint Godzilla's battles with King Ghidorah from earlier manga into a collection called Battle History of Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah.

Most of the time these adaptations would deviate from the original films and flesh out characters or add scenarios to the stories that were not present in the original films. Outside these adaptations, many of the original Godzilla films also received Asahi Sonorama book-and-record sets. These illustrated comic-style book-and-record sets featured painted artwork within.

Outside these adaptations, Godzilla was also featured in original stories as well. A sequel story to the original film was published in 1955 called The Last Godzilla, while a sequel story to Godzilla Raids Again was published in 1958 called Godzilla Continued: Anguirus Strikes Back. In 1979, the Japanese edition of Starlog featured a two-part illustrated story written by Katsuhiro Otomo called A Space Godzilla. Part 1 was featured in issue No. 4 ("Farewell Earth"), while Part 2 was featured in issue No. 6 ("Return to the Stars"). In 1990 an anthology-style comic, featuring different stories by different writers and artists, was published and called The Godzilla Comic. This was followed in 1991 by a second anthology-style comic, also featuring different stories by different writers and artists, called The Godzilla Comic Raids Again: Gigantis the Fire Comic. These two comics featured varying styles of stories, which ranged from typical Godzilla stories to comedic stories, violent stories and even "adult"-themed stories that contained nudity.

In 2014, to coincide with the 60th anniversary of Godzilla and the 40th anniversary of the company's own Big Comic Original Magazine, Shogakukan Inc. released the comic Big Comic Original Godzilla Special Issue. This one-shot comic featured 21 Godzilla-themed comic stories from the industry's top manga artists and writers.

In 2018, Toho produced a manga serial published in Shōnen Jump+ based on the film Godzilla: Planet of the Monsters.

In 2025, a manga serial titled Godzilla Galaxy Odyssey by Ju Ishiguchi began publishing in Young Champion.

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