07/21/2025
07/21/2025
With the release of the all-new Godzilla #1 by writer Tim Seeley and artist Nikola Čižmešija on July 23, IDW Publishing will officially kick off its comic book Kai-Sei Era. And with it, a massive reveal on the first issue's final page. Fans had already been introduced to the Kai-Sei energy-powered heroes and villains of this new continuity's G-Force in May's Godzilla: The New Heroes Free Comic Book Day release, but this first issue presented a massive surprise on its final page.
Scroll on for the official spoiler interview with Seeley and editor Jake Williams discussing the book's final page and its implications for Godzilla's new ongoing comic book universe. Plus, check out never-before-seen concept art by Čižmešija.
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The interview's focus is on the brand new villain: a kaiju with a human mind, capable of human speech called Lament!
Godzilla.com: The Kai-Sei era is defined by the green Kai-Sei energy that powers not only Godzilla, but also some of the humans in G-Force. Lament looks like a kaiju, but it speaks like a human... Can you hint at exactly what G-Force might be dealing with here?
Tim Seeley: Smart kaiju! Whether Lament is good or bad will remain to be seen...
Jake Williams: Lament is a gift given to us by the 70-years of kaiju-fighting that predate Godzilla #1. There have been a lot of experiments with Kai-Sei…a lot of reckless choices made in the hopes of defeating the monster threat once and for all. But, as years of sci-fi storytelling tells us, playing with forces you don’t understand only leads to more monsters. Lament is as smart as any human…and as strong as Godzilla.
Godzilla.com: The world of Godzilla has principally been home to daikaiju in the past. What can you tell us about the scale of Lament's power? Is this a Godzilla-level threat?
Tim Seeley: Well, kinda. Though as we'll see Lament is more of a schemer, with plans as big as they are.
Jake Williams: Godzilla is a force of nature. It’s a cosmic powerhouse. It’s unbeatable by anyone one on one… but Lament has the size, and the brains. You know how the hulk always beats the Thing in their matchups? Well…what if the Thing had the mind of Batman?
Godzilla.com: "Lament" is a name that carries a lot of history, symbolism, and even cosmology. Is this name self-appointed, or given? And what might that mean for their agenda?
Tim Seeley: It comes from one of Lament's lines... how our key players are trapped in a "circle of lament." Lamet is in a lot of pain, as we'll see.
Jake Williams: This universe is built on years and years of pain and regret. Years of flying too close to the sun… and crashing back down. Lament’s name reflects how it became what it is today.
Godzilla.com: We don't see much of Lament on the final pages of Godzilla #1, but it seems to have some signature Toho monster features. How long might fans have to wait for a full reveal?
Tim Seeley: Not long... Issue 2!
Jake Williams: We’re gonna see a lot more of Lament during this first arc. Fans won’t have to wait long at all.
Godzilla.com: When we see a new kaiju, we immediately imagine them as toys. If Lament got an action figure, what would its action feature be?
Tim Seeley: A speech chip!
Jake Williams: Because Lament is the first kaiju with the mind of a human… I think its action figure should continue that legacy and come with a human brain installed. It should be alive. It should be able to terrorize its owner.
Godzilla #2 arrives in comic book shops and online on September 10!