Exclusive Interview: Artist Oliver Ono Talks 'Godzilla: Monster Island Summer Camp'

After months of camping out, fans can finally read Rosie Knight and Oliver Ono's Godzilla: Monster Island Summer Camp as it arrives this week from IDW Publishing. To celebrate the original graphic novel's launch, we spoke with Ono about his artistic inspirations for the series, his mecha leanings, how he relates to the book's young protagonists, and of course, which toys are on his shelf. Read on for the full interview, plus select Godzilla: Monster Island Summer Camp preview pages (click each to enlarge).

Godzilla.com: Which artists or art helped inspire your approach to illustrating Godzilla: Monster Island Summer Camp?

Oliver Ono: When I’m starting a project, finding the tone and feel is always how I get connected to it. Already, a lot of the discussion around this book has mentioned a Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli feel and that’s definitely true. Those books and movies had a major impact on me since I was very young and so I think I always bring some of that flavor with me. This story leans into a lot of Ghibli-esque themes so I think it’s more apparent this time.

With this book in particular, I read and watched some Rumiko Takahashi stories, of which there are too many to count. Our character Rumiko, is actually an homage to her so it was only fitting! Our book also has some sci-fi elements and so I pulled some influence from Masamune Shirow, specifically Dominion.

Music-wise, I also listened to a lot of PinkPanthress, Clairo, and Beach Bunny and I think they influenced the colors a lot. It’s also definitely worth highlighting Nick Marino, who did color assists for the book and pulled out some great color palettes that I wouldn’t have come up with on my own!

Godzilla.com: Were you a camp kid growing up? Do you have any personal experiences that you drew from to tell the story?

Oliver Ono: I never went to summer camp as a kid but always wanted to! I mostly grew up in a very rural town in Ohio and there wasn’t a lot to do so my friends and I would spend our summers on the edges of town out in nature. We’d find an old abandoned railroad or a big ravine and it would feel like we escaped to another world.

Our characters find themselves uninterested in the camp’s activities and spend a lot of time wandering away and getting in trouble so I definitely pulled from those experiences and I think if I were in the story I would have been alongside them!

Godzilla.com: A number of monsters appear in Godzilla: Monster Island Summer Camp. Which Godzilla kaiju are your personal favorites?

Oliver Ono: I always develop a soft spot for the monsters I draw. I’ve been lucky enough to get to draw Battra in Godzilla Rivals, who I absolutely love! Of course in Monster Island Summer Camp, Minilla is one of the main characters and now probably my favorite kaiju. Minilla just has so much personality and represents such a fun corner of the kaiju world!

Outside of my personal work bias, anyone who knows my work knows how much I like giant robots so it’s a pretty easy guess that I’m real into Mechagodzilla. I’m also very into Jet Jaguar who I think deserves a bit more love!

Godzilla.com: Speaking of favorites, do you have a favorite Godzilla movie or other piece of media?

Oliver Ono: Unfortunately, I wasn’t introduced to the Godzilla fandom until I was much older so I missed a lot of those childhood favorites. Our book has a lot of ties to All Monsters Attack and I find that to be such a fun watch! I think I would have been obsessed with it as a kid! That being said, I think right now is the best time ever to be a Godzilla fan!

On the movie side of things I love Godzilla Minus One and Shin Godzilla so much, and the comics coming out get to explore all of these fun little pockets of Godzilla lore. Specifically, I’m really looking forward to getting to read Louie Joyce’s Godzilla Skate or Die!

Godzilla.com: Earlier in the year you confirmed that mechs would appear in Godzilla: Monster Island Summer Camp. What makes for a good mech design, in your opinion?

Oliver Ono: While I’ve always been a mecha fan, I think there’s something very interesting about the concept today. Giant robots are no longer the vision of what our real-world future tech will be and so the question of how they work and what utility they pose is more of an obvious wink and nod between the designer and the fans. If the mech has a pilot, it always becomes a storytelling component of that pilot’s personality, how they fight (or don’t fight), how flashy or utilitarian they are, old and rundown or fresh off the factory floor, etc. A mech design can be one that leans into a specific task or environment or its pilot might repurpose it for their own needs, change it and form it around themselves. In short, I think the best Mech designs are ones that give clues to its story and make the reader ask questions about how they came to be the way they are.

Godzilla.com: Are you a toy person? If so, which Godzilla figures do you have in your studio?

Oliver Ono: I’m a person that gets very involved with my hobbies and collections so the idea of really collecting Godzilla toys is really enticing. I especially really like the iconographic nature of the classic sofubi toys! That being said, I don’t have much self control over that type of thing and the Godzilla toy hobby can rack up quite a large tab so I’ve limited myself to only collecting toys of the Kaiju which I have made stories of. Collecting this way has made each of the figures I have carry such a personal love behind them. So far, I have a Godzilla, Mothra, and Minilla on my shelf and I’m actively looking for the right Battra, Ebirah, Kamacuras, and King Caesar!