Contributing to the Godzilla Canon: Mothra Queen of the Monsters by Sophie Campbell

 Godzilla Legends-- Mothra: Queen of the Monsters  by Sophie Campbell

Mothra: Queen of the Monsters cover

Artist and author Sophie Campbell

Many thanks to IDW Publishing and NetGalley for sharing an advanced copy Godzilla Legends—Mothra: Queen of the Monsters by Sophie Campbell. I was really excited to find this addition to the Godzilla canon, especially since the story adheres to many of the ideas from the original Mothra film, yet updates them in a compelling and creative manner. However, what sticks out most to me is the incredibly colorful and captivating artwork from Sophie Campbell and Matt Frank. The color scheme is apt- bright colors for the monsters, especially Mothra, while the evil monsters, Antra and Omegaguirus, have darker, gray hues with purple and red around their outer edges. Campbell also uses a dark, drab color scheme to depict the lack of life on Earth, and this is contrasted with the lush greens and blues seen in other periods of time where the sisters travel to retrieve a Mothra egg to bring back to the present. The story has a lot of dichotomous contrasts represented by the sisters’ opposing styles, as well as other dichotomies like the different time periods, the twin priestesses, and the good and evil kaiju. Furthermore, Mira, the more hopeful and excited sister, has been the caretaker for the Shobijin, the twin priestesses who have a connection with Mothra. As Mira explains, Mothra’s energy is dwindling, and if Mothra dies, the Earth, too, will suffer, being overtaken by the evil kaiju. The only hope is to travel back in time to retrieve the egg that will allow Mothra to continue to inhabit the Earth and defend people against the evil Kaiju. Furthermore, Emi and Mira, despite their differences and past trauma, must learn to work in harmony and accept one another to make their mission work and end up in the right places. I liked how these dualities operated in the story, how Campbell and Frank present them with contrasting color schemes, and how the sisters learn to work together despite their differences. However, I really enjoyed that this story adhered to the original framework of the Mothra story, yet cleverly integrated some new and interesting ideas to make it fresh and unique. In addition, Mothra engages in a series of training battles with other Kaiju, and these monsters are also creative and colorful.

This was a fun edition and addition to the Godzilla canon, adding some cool kaiju and a compelling story about Mothra, Queen of the Monsters. I really liked the dichotomies in the story, and how the story itself is a straightforward story about how people can come together to solve a problem to improve their world. What stands out most in this collection, though, is Campbell’s and Frank's excellent, colorful, and creative artwork. As I was reading Mothra, my daughter kept peeking over and was interested in Mothra’s bright colors and her transformation from larvae to moth, as well as her battles with the other kaiju. She also liked the focus on Emi and Mira as protagonists in the story. Godzilla Legends—Mothra: Queen of the Monsters is a fun and engaging story with incredible artwork that makes the story even more compelling. There are also some other illustrations by Matt Frank, Noah Cortez, Miki Ramirez, Nicole Goux, Elizabeth Beals, Roberto Rivera Padro, Jake Smith, Tom Whalen and Samantha Wright in this edition as well that are also great. I’m hoping that maybe these are indicative of future stories and adventures that Mothra, Emi, and Mira will have. Highly recommended!