08/05/2024
Can you say "Minilla-sance"? Not only is a chibi version of the "Son of Godzilla" appearing in Chibi Godzilla Raids Again, the kaiju is also front and center on the cover all-new graphic novel, Godzilla: Monster Island Summer Camp by Rosie Knight and Oliver Ono from IDW Publishing. With the book's release imminent, we got in touch with Knight to learn more about the inspiration behind its summer story, its young protagonists, and why Minilla was (one of) the right kaiju for the camp caper on Godzilla's 70th Anniversary. Read on for the full interview, along with select preview pages (click each to enlarge).
Godzilla.com: What was your inspiration for Godzilla: Monster Island Summer Camp?
Rosie Knight: Honestly it came out of me really wanting to make a comic about Minilla and IDW was looking for Godzilla stories aimed at younger readers so it seemed like the perfect fit to come up with something starring the littlest Kaiju themself.
From there I just thought about the kind of stories that me and Oliver like to tell, and while I was thinking on that the idea of Minilla at summer camp wearing a cute little uniform came to me and Monster Island Summer Camp was born! Of course it's a Godzilla story so there's an ecological mystery at the center of the hazy, sweet, slice of life hued adventure that we put together, as well as lots of monsters of course!
Godzilla.com: How did you get connected with artist Oliver Ono, and how did that affect how you wrote your script?
Rosie Knight: I was lucky enough that my first Godzilla editor, Jazmine Joyner, allowed me to suggest the artist that I wanted for what would become mine and Oliver's first collaboration, Godzilla Rivals: Vs. Battra.
I'd followed Oliver online and had become a huge fan of his gorgeous artwork and especially his mech creations. He had such a unique eye and style, and when he was approved as the artist for Godzilla Rivals: Vs. Battra, I immediately reworked the brief I had so that it fit more with his aesthetic sensibilities and built in the use of mecha so that he could flex those muscles.
When it came to Godzilla: Monster Island Summer Camp, I always had Oliver in mind and really wanted to lean into his anime influences, especially his skill at mixing slice of life with massive action. We are both very inspired by Studio Ghibli so I definitely worked that in too.
Godzilla.com: Minilla plays a big part of the story in Godzilla: Monster Island Summer Camp. What made Minilla the right monster for the story?
Rosie Knight: I've always loved Minilla, ever since I first saw them as a kid and my adoration for the dorfy little guy has only grown as I've gotten older. I even have a tattoo of Showa era Minilla on my inner left wrist cos they're my eternal fave. So when I had the chance to pitch on a Godzilla graphic novel with younger readers in mind they were my first go to.
I think that Minilla represents the innocence of childhood and the love that kids have always had for Godzilla and his friends. Plus, it meant that I got to delve into his catalog and find cool monsters to include as well as playing on All Monsters Attack where they act as a psychic helper to a young child. The other reason I really wanted to work with Minilla is because I was desperate to see Oliver's take on his classic character design and of course he totally knocked it out of the park.
Godzilla.com: The world of Godzilla is unique in the all-ages space. Why do you think Godzilla resonates so well with younger comic readers?
Rosie Knight: I think that like the best fictional worlds and creations, Godzilla is both an accessible and interesting property for kids to discover — because who doesn't love giant monsters fighting? — that can then grow with them. We all have distinct memories of watching the original Ishiro Honda masterpiece as children but it would be years later we would come to learn the real horrors that the film and its central monster represent.
So I think that the fact that kids can come to these characters and love them simply because they're cool monsters and then get more from them as they revisit them again and again is part of why we're still here 70 years later talking about them and getting the chance to tell these stories.
Godzilla.com: Do you have a personal favorite Godzilla movie? Phew! What a question. I do truly love pretty much all of the movies with obvious standouts being Godzilla '54, Godzilla vs. Biolante, and Destroy All Monsters. But seeing as this is an interview for Godzilla: Monster Island Summer Camp I have to shout out two of my favorite much maligned movies: All Monsters Attack and Son of Godzilla, which both star our leading monster Minilla. Both of these movies encapsulate the sweet, joyous, and family friendly nature that drew me to Godzilla as a kid and what we wanted to capture in the pages of our book. Plus I just love the Showa era of Godzilla as that's what made me love the films and the monsters.
Godzilla.com: Do you collect any Godzilla figures? If so, what’s on your shelves these days?
Rosie Knight: I have an ever-growing collection of about 30 Godzilla and friends that are slowly taking over my house. There's lots of Minilla's (no surprises there). I'm also a big classic Godzilla fan so I have a few of the big G themself as well as plenty of Mechagodzilla/Kiryu representation. One of my favorite new editions is a little Japanese MOGUERA that we got from a convention.
My most valuable piece is a Japanese Minilla that was released for Final Wars in 2005. Fun fact, during the holiday season I actually made a Godzilla Christmas village using some of our Kaiju collection, and set the monsters up having some holiday fun destroying the town.