Toy Fair 2025: Kaiju Crazy at Bandai

People talk about how great it must be to grow up in modern times with all forms of media at your finger tips and some of the best toys ever seen being dished out weekly, but I'd argue my childhood ruled...because of Godzilla. Every weekend I would become one with the couch and revel in the certainty that at least one Godzilla movie and one kung fu movie would be waiting for me on one of the (only) 7 TV channels available. Sure, kids can watch anything nowadays, but would they freely CHOOSE to watch men in rubber suits battle it out in tiny foam cities? Probably not. We didn't have that choice, and we have become better humans for it. Bandai, knowing full well that children who love Godzilla and Ultraman grow up to have adult money, show no signs of slowing down with their merchandise onslaught. Let's check out the latest from Bandai's Toy Fair 2025 showroom...

Get Tropical for the Holidays with Mondo’s Godzilla Tiki Collection

When you think of GODZILLA, you think of warm climates..on fire...palm trees...on fire... ladies in hula skirts....well you get the picture. MONDO, being the experts on pop culture that they are, decided it was high time to celebrate Godzilla's love of tropical living with a unique TIKI COLLECTION!! Bet you didn't see that one commin?

Godzilla Minus One Receives First U.S. Physical Release

Toho International will send the Godzilla Minus One Blu-ray Deluxe Japan Collector's Edition stateside this September! Be one of the first in the US to own Godzilla Minus One and Minus One/Minus Color in a Godzilla Store Exclusive set that mirrors the deluxe 4-disc box set released on May 1, 2024 in Japan. Preserving the Japanese treatment in both packaging and content, the “Deluxe Japan Collector’s Edition” includes all the same features as the original Japan release with the added addition of English menus and the option to select the theatrical release English subtitles for Godzilla Minus One and Godzilla Minus One/Minus Color. 

New Omnibus Collects Godzilla's Original Marvel Comic Series

In 1977, Godzilla became one of Marvel Comics’ biggest stars, headlining a hit solo series set in the heart of the Marvel Universe! Now, thanks to an exciting new collaboration with Toho International, the Japanese studio’s U.S.-based subsidiary that has brought global sensation Godzilla to life, this host of monumental Godzilla escapades costarring your favorite Marvel heroes will be collected next year in GODZILLA: THE ORIGINAL MARVEL YEARS OMNIBUS!

Marvel’s take on Japan’s greatest export represented an incredible creative collaboration between two comic book pioneers: Doug Moench, known for his definitive run of Master of Kung Fu and co-creating Moon Knight, and Herb Trimpe, known for his seminal work on Incredible Hulk and Iron Man. In October 2024, fans can dive into all 24 issues of this fondly remembered chapter of Godzilla’s legacy, each one gloriously remastered and presented in color for the first time, in this long-awaited omnibus collection!

Gamera: The Complete Collection Limited Edition Box Set

This limited edition collectors' set traces the decades-long evolution of Gamera, from the "friend of all children" in his more light-hearted earlier films, to the Guardian of the Universe in the groundbreaking 1990s reboot series, often hailed as three of the best kaiju films ever made. COLLECTOR'S EDITION BOX SET CONTENTS Limited collectors' edition packaging, housed in a large-format rigid box, fully illustrated by Matt Frank Casebound, fully-illustrated disc book containing eight Blu-ray discs High Definition (1080p) versions of all twelve films, with lossless original Japanese audio and a complete collection of English dub tracks, including classic American International dubs on the Showa-era films remastered from original MGM elements Hardback 130-page comic book including a full-colour reprint of the four-issue Gamera comic series originally released by Dark Horse Comics in 1996, and the first-ever English-language printing of the prequel comic The Last Hope by Matt Frank and Joshua Bugosh Perfect-bound 80-page book including a new retrospective on the series by Patrick Macias, an archive interview with Noriaki Yuasa by David Milner, kaiju X-ray illustrations by Jolyon Yates, Fangoria set reports on the Heisei trilogy by Norman England, and a viewers' guide to the English-dubbed versions of the films Double-sided four-panel poster of "Gamera's Map of Japan" in both Japanese and English Collectors' artcards for each film, featuring new artwork by Matt Frank

Toy Fair 2018: Lanard Shows Off RAMPAGE Action Figures **UPDATED 1/13

About a month ago we were mulling over Toy Fair plans and someone from my crew asked if Lanard was going to have a booth now that they've dipped their plastic toes into the warm waters of licensed action figures. Of course, I had no idea, and while we did have new contacts at the company from our Kong coverage, what they did month to month was, sadly, still a mystery. Not having anything to add to the conversation, I offered the shot in the dark disguised as fact "Maybe they'll get in touch when they are ready to show off their Rampage toys!" The call went silent. "They are making Rampage toys? WHY AREN'T WE WRITING ABOUT THIS RIGHT NOW??!!" I explained I was kidding, but really, it was the obvious next step for the company. That said, I thought I'd throw the idea out there and see if anyone knew anything. I got a lot of people who wouldn't talk about anything and then one smirking "Paul...NO COMMENT." ...Which made me happy dance. Unfortunately, between then and now, Lanard was unreachable for confirmation and juicy monster pics, but they clawed their way onto the internets anyway, and today, we can show them off!

Kaiju Epic Will Eat Your Other Comics

KAIJU EPIC! is the newest title from publisher Big Dog Ink, and a pet project for lead writer, Tom Hutchison. Kaiju Epic! is grounded in the campy, fun-loving genre of the giant monster, such as Godzilla or Gamera, but this particular story also adds a bit of “real” kaiju to the mix, as well as legends of the end of days from around the world. Readers will find monsters they may have heard of, like the Kraken or even Quetzalcoatl, roaming the pages of Kaiju Epic!, but there will also be all-new monsters created just for this series.

Kaiju Epic! will be a 5 volume series each with two separate stories. These stories will take place on opposite ends of the globe and give a real feeling of the end of the world, rather than the destruction of a specific city. Tom is joined by co-writer Kari Castor. Kari is known to BDI fans as one of the writers of the hit mini-series, Shahrazad.

Kaiju Epic! is no standard comic book, either! This is a huge 48 page monster sized comic book!

Shin Godzilla Reviewed AKA Godzilla vs Mega Japanese Politics

Shin Godzilla is a 2 paragraph plot brilliantly executed with a lot of first rate West Wing-worthy chit-chat, so there really is no fun way to review the film without spoilers...so...SPOILERS AHEAD

As a collective pile of Kaiju geeks...nationally or internationally, I'd say our thirst for massive monsters wreaking havoc upon a fairly helpless populace is a fickle one. Our American Godzilla re-imagining was a little light on the giant monster rampage and we let Hollywood know how we felt about that with middle fingers twirling about against a golden sunset like fields of wheat in a very patriotic Kid Rock music video. Pacific Rim should have been everything we ever wanted and yet, we didn't get to theaters in numbers adequate to re-ignite the giant monster wars. Instead, all we were left with was odd half-promises of a Godzillaverse and a trailer where Sam Jackson takes on a building sized King Kong WITH HIS BARE HANDS!! Really..it happened. Go check. (don't check) We continue to wait for a perfect world where once a year, someone cranks out a giant monster movie we can roll around in, but until that world becomes reality, WE HAVE SHIN GODZILLA!! The trailers were so-so...the monster design made people ask if this most evil-looking of monster kings could do anything with those tiny grabby hands...and being geeks, we mostly slagged the movie, doing our best to keep expectations low...but still..secretly...hoping. Friends, I am here to tell you.......this movie kicks a whole lot of ass...and it's not even trying that hard.

The Original Godzilla Returns

I'm just gonna leave this right...here...

The Cinematic Universe of Godzilla, King Kong and Iconic Mega Monsters

Following Legendary’s and Warner Bros. Pictures’ 2014 success with the global reinvention of the Godzilla franchise, the companies have come together to create an epic, new shared cinematic franchise. All-powerful monsters become towering heroes for a new generation, revealing a mythology that brings together Godzilla and Legendary’s King Kong in an ecosystem of other giant super-species, both classic and new. Monarch, the human organization that uncovered Godzilla in the 2014 film, will expand their mission across multiple releases.

The Pacific Rim Comic-Con Teaser Poster

The Pacific Rim Facebook page had dropped a major tease, sending us drooling for giant robot action..and when we say GIANT..we mean these bots can crumple up a Decepticon like a tin foil ball.

For those of you who will be attending San Diego Comic-Con this year, be sure to join director Guillermo del Toro and stars Charlie Hunnam, Charlie Day, Rinko Kikuchi and Ron Perlman for a special look at the upcoming film on Saturday, July 14th, in Hall H at 2:30pm: http://bit.ly/LMIUSb. Hope to see you there!

The Aquabats! Super Show!!

Are you watching this yet? The Hub has taken The Aquabats band and thrust them into planet shaking calamities only their super powers can handle!

The outrageous new series follows a popular alternative rock band as they embark on a never-ending quest to right wrongs, destroy boredom and seek justice for all in an inventive blend of live-action and animated crime-fighting spoofs.

Episode one had the band facing off against the malicious Manant who began his reign of terror by robbing all the burgers from surrounding restaurants..but to WHAT END??!! Now the team must ignore their growling, food deprived bellies long enough to save the day from a terror straight out of a black and white scifi monster movie!

Episode two answers important questions..

1. Do robots have maternal impulses?
2. WHAT'S IN THAT GIANT EGG??!!

The answer is pretty much to be expected but the result is heeesterical. Do all rampaging monsters deserve to be blown to bits? Find out this Saturday!

The Aquabats! Super Show! is like a live GWAR performance without the cursing or beheading (but does have amputation) smushed together with the random goofiness of Adventure Time, an obvious love for giant monster movies and the musical awesome only the Aquabats themselves can bring to the table. Its level of cheesey is so intense, you'll come away from the TV with an odd smelling sunburn. It's like the Power Rangers and Wierd Al had a kid! In short, you'll love every single second of it.

AND NOW...we get to show you a clip from episode 2! Let's watch...


Aquabats Super Show Episode 2 Preview by Nomadixxx

The Aquabats! Super Show! airs Saturdays on The Hub!