Writer Frank Tieri and artist Inaki Miranda, the team behind DC’s Old Lady Harley series, will reunite for a new miniseries featuring another destructively iconic character — Godzilla.
“I’ve been very fortunate in my career to have written for quite a few iconic franchises, but I have to admit, there’s something extra special about getting to work on Godzilla,” Tieri said. “Just writing this series I’m instantly a little kid again, watching him fight Rodan or the Smog Monster or whichever Monster of the Week. Needless to say, it’s been a thrill for me…but probably less so for my family, since I’ve been doing the Godzilla roar around the house pretty much nonstop.”
IDW has announced Godzilla: Here There Be Dragons, a five-issue miniseries set in the “era of seafaring and superstition,” aka the 1500s, when maps warned of dragons and monsters in undiscovered parts of the world. In this case, those warnings were right. The comic will tell the story of one of explorer Sir Francis Drake’s lost voyages — one that featured everyone’s favorite radioactive kaiju.
“What could be cooler than a Godzilla tale with pirates?” Tieri said. “Here There Be Dragons is a lost voyage of Sir Francis Drake, told through the eyes of a crewman facing execution. The question is, is he telling the truth? Is there really a conspiracy to cover up what happened to Drake on that island and the existence of Godzilla? Or is this merely another pirate’s tall tale? Avast, ye Godzilla fans, and batten down the hatches at your local comic book shop!”
Here’s the description from IDW:
In the 1500s, before humanity had successfully traveled the entire globe, it was believed that monsters ruled the oceans just beyond the horizon. “Here there be dragons…” was written on maps to denote the areas people dared not go. That is, until Sir Francis Drake circumnavigated the seas, visiting foreign lands and collecting treasure. Or…at least that’s what history tells us. The truth is, tremendous beasts did lurk yonder, dwelling on an island that doesn’t appear on any map, even to this day. And among those monsters was the king of them all…Godzilla!
“Godzilla is one of those unique historic creations that is part pop-culture icon, part pure joy and entertainment, and also a metaphor of the ways of society hurting itself, with humans confronting the raw power of our own fears and missteps,” said Miranda. “I’m genuinely thankful to Toho and IDW for having me onboard to illustrate Godzilla smashing ships and fighting kaiju. Collaborating with my buddy Frank is always a pleasure. I enjoy every scene that he is writing, playing with the myths of the old world. It’s a sure recipe for fun, discovery and fascination!”
Check out some of Miranda’s interior artwork:
Look for the first issue of five in June.