By Allison Watkinson
TLL Reporter
City stomping lizard Godzilla will face off with The Mighty Morphin Power Rangers in a monstrous five-issue comic series from IDW Publishing.
The crossover comic comes about thanks to a licensing deal between Godzilla brand owner Toho, the Power Rangers IP owner Hasbro, IDW and comic book publisher BOOM! Studios. The upcoming comic books will mark the first time that Godzilla and the Power Rangers meet.
“When BOOM! Studios first stepped into the world of the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, we had some big plans and huge dreams, so it’s amazing to be able to bring to life the biggest and most exciting monster mash-up of the century,” said Dafna Pleban, Senior Editor at BOOM! Studios.
“It’s been an incredible process to put together this epic series with our friends at IDW, Toho, and Hasbro. We can’t wait to show fans everything they could ever hope to see and more from the King of the Monsters and the Power Rangers universe.”
Set to launch in March 2022, the mini-series will be created by two well-known names in the comic-book industry.
The writer of the cross-over series will be Cullen Bunn. He is known for writing the 2014 mini-series, Godzilla: Cataclysm.
“I am honored to bring two iconic franchises like Godzilla and the Power Rangers together. I’ve been a massive Godzilla fan since before I could read, and my love for the King of Monsters has never faded in all those years.” said Bunn. “Likewise, I’ve always loved Tokusatsu superheroics, and vividly remember watching the first episode of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers when it came out.
“This is a crossover that I suspect will take readers by surprise—but it makes complete sense! Writing for these characters is a dream come true for this giant monster-loving kid-at-heart, and when readers pick up this book, I want them to feel that sense of awe and wonder that these characters have inspired for decades!”
The art for the comic-book series will be done by Freddie Williams II, who is known for his contributions to the Batman and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchises.
“This will be the biggest, most stratospheric crossover I’ve ever drawn!” said Williams. “It’s the combination of so many big genres: Giant Monsters vs. Mechs, martial arts vs. science and magic, with lots of collateral destruction! I’ve been watching Mighty Morphin Power Rangers episodes and Godzilla films to submerge my brain space, and have been reminded how fantastic and charming these designs are and how much fun prior creators had with their designs. I’m excited to contribute to the long legacies of these franchises!”
The first issue of Godzilla Vs. The Mighty Morphin Power Rangers will have multiple cover variants. Cover A will be made by Williams II and Cover B will be made by comic book artist E.J. Su.
A retailer-incentive edition by Williams II will also be released. This edition will combine with the retailer-incentive covers for issues 2-5 to make a panorama image of the conflict between the Zords and the kaiju.
“We couldn’t be more thrilled about this latest crossover event at IDW Publishing,” said editor Tom Waltz. “Not just because a story featuring both Godzilla and the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers checks off every awesome box on a comic-book crossover list, but also because we’ve got two of the best in the business—Cullen Bunn and Freddie Williams II—combining to bring it into being.”
The storyline of the comic books will involve Power Rangers villain, Rita Repulsa, using an ancient artifact to cross universes. After following Repulsa, the Power Rangers find themselves confronted with Godzilla, the King of the Monsters.
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