Kaiju Godzilla, Reimeisha, 1954

 

The Lucky Thirteen. A Guide to 1950s Godzilla Manga

 

 

By Sean Linkenback

  The history of early Godzilla manga is one of the most fascinating and least documented corners of kaiju culture. Long before manga became a global industry, publishers in postwar Japan were using comics, picture stories, and serialized children’s magazines to expand the reach of a new generation of manga and anime artists. Between 1954 and the late 1950s, Godzilla appeared in several of these now-rare manga publications, including serializations in Omoshiro Book, Shōnen Club, and Bokura, as well as standalone editions issued by smaller publishers such as Reimeisha and Akashiya Shobō. These publications not only helped popularize Godzilla among Japanese children, but also established many of the visual and narrative traditions that later kaiju manga would follow. 

  In this article we will look at and give a timeline to the 13 official Godzilla manga that were released in the 1950s. 

 

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Omoshiro Book, October 1954. The First Appearance of Godzilla

 

The very first Godzilla manga adaptation actually appeared before the release of the original 1954 film, Godzilla. At the time, manga publishing in Japan revolved heavily around children’s magazines, many of which mixed comics with serialized stories, educational material, and illustrated adventures. Among the most important of these magazines was Omoshiro Book (おもしろブック), a Shueisha publication aimed at young readers. Originally launched in 1949, Omoshiro Book became one of the central children’s entertainment magazines of the 1950s. It was here that the earliest and most historically significant Godzilla manga story was released; serialized in Omoshiro Book, cover dated October and November of 1954.  Written by Godzilla author, Shigeru Kayama, and illustrated by Godzilla designer Wasuke Abe, the first 16 pages of the story were inserted into the October 1954 issue of Omoshiro (actually released the first week of September¹) and then continued in a supplement inserted into the November issue of Omoshiro titled: Science Adventure Picture Story Godzilla (科学冒険絵ものがたりゴジラ). The splash page in the October issue proudly states that Godzilla is now filming and would soon be a made into a movie by Toho. 

 

 

Splash Page to the October 1954 Omoshiro Story

 

  It is important to note that the appearance of Godzilla in the October Omoshiro represents the first visualization of the monster to the public! Before this magazine was released, Toho had started to publicize the movie with a weekly radio play, but the movie itself was still filming. The novel would not be released until the end of October, and even the trailer for the film wasn't released to theaters until the middle of October, so this was the very first time anyone (outside of Toho employees) had a chance to see what the monster would look like. The November supplement (Science Adventure Picture Story Godzilla) is notable as being the first cover appearance by Godzilla on any type of magazine.

 

 

 

Left: The Iconic "Train Biter" Image, presented as a fold out poster in the October Omoshiro. Right: Ad inside the October issue announcing the Science Adventure Picture Story Godzilla would be on sale October 7th

 

 

 

Iconic Cover for the Science Adventure Picture Story Godzilla: The 2nd manga appearance of Godzilla and first cover appearance.

 

 

Interior pages of Science Adventure Picture Story Godzilla, showing the influence of "Jiji Manga", illustrations with descriptive prose text.

 

 

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Godzilla. Edited version of Science Picture Story Godzilla from October, 1954. (The 3rd Godzilla manga)

 

 The third entry is quite an interesting one, the Toho publicity department took the combined 122 pages of the two Omoshiro Book supplements and edited them down to a 48-page promotional issue. Simply titled Godzilla (ゴジラ). It was definitely published in October of 1954, as the inside cover has an ad stating that if you would like the complete story please purchase a copy of the Omoshiro Book, and an announcement that the film, Godzilla, would be released nationwide on November 3rd 1954. Most likely this was given to guests of the studio and today it is quite possibly the rarest manga on this list.

 

  The fourth Godzilla manga has long been considered one of the most important releases by collectors, as it was the first Godzilla release to be sold independently and not as a supplement to an existing magazine. Released on November 25, 1954 by Reimeisha, Kaiju Godzilla (怪獣 ゴジラ) was also the first Godzilla manga to utilize modern manga storytelling methods with cinema-style continuous panel flow and word balloons. The story was once again adapted by Shigeru Kayama, but this time featured artwork by Sansei Fukuda. This 96-page hardcover was so popular that it went into a second printing in April of 1955 to be released in time for Godzilla Raids Again, the quickly made sequel to the first Godzilla film. 

 

Kaiju Godzilla, cover and interior spread. Story by Shigeru Kayama, with art by Sansei Fukuda. Reimeisha, 1954 (the 4th Godzilla manga)

 

 

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Picture Story Godzilla, Supplement to Bokura. March, 1955 (The 5th Godzilla manga)

 

Godzilla's fifth appearance would return to a supplement issued with an existing manga anthology. This time it would be a bonus to the March, 1955 issue of Bokura (ぼくら), published by Kodansha. entitled Monster Picture Story Godzilla (怪獣絵物語 ゴジラ).  With story by Koichi Yoshida and illustrated by Shunichi Iwaigawa. The main story from the first film (and the depiction of Godzilla himself) is edited from the first film. Godzilla more resembles a T-Rex now with no back fins, and the character of Ogata is missing entirely; instead replaced by two brothers,Hagiwara and Shinkichi. 

 

The sixth appearance would also happen later in March of 1955, this time as a supplement to Shōnen Club ( 少年クラブ), published by Kodansha.  Godzilla’s appearances in Shōnen Club reflected the growing commercial competition between publishers eager to capitalize on the monster boom created by Toho’s films. Once again just titled Godzilla, this time the story and art are both by Shigeru Sugiura who reinterprets the Godzilla story in a more surreal, absurdist style. The brother and sister team of Shinkichi and Emiko Yamane take center stage in this story that features a talking Godzilla and this time Shinkichi delivers the Oxygen Destroyer to the depths of the ocean. 

 

 

Godzilla, Shōnen Club March Supplement by Shigeru Sugiura. (The 6th Godzilla manga)

 

 

Interior pages from the Shōnen Club March Supplement, by Shigeru Sugiura

 

 

 

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Godzilla Raids Again, by Shigeru Kayama, with art by Sansei Fukuda. Reimeisha, 1955 (The 8th Godzilla manga)

 

With the release of Godzilla Raids Again to theaters in April, 1955, the next manga releases finally stopped doing interpretations of the first film, and instead turned their attention to the sequel. This included a new standalone hardcover release from Reimeisha, entitled Godzilla Raids Again (ゴジラの逆襲). The artwork was once again provided by Sansei Fukuda with a story credited to Shigeru Kayama. This was released on April 25th, and would be the second of three adaptions of Godzilla Raids Again released during the next two months.

 

 

Shōnen Club's version of Godzilla Raids Again . 1955 (The 7th Godzilla manga)

 

The Reimeisha adaption was actually beaten to the stands by a few weeks by another supplement. Shōnen Club, so happy with the reception to their adaption of the first film, released their own hardcover version of Godzilla Raids Again as a supplement to their May issue (but on sale in early April). Story was once again by Shigeru Kayama, with incredible artwork provided by Hisao Yukawa, who was already popular for his drawings of fantastic beasts in the pages of Shōnen Club. 

 

 

Incredible double-page spread by Hisao Yukawa for the Shōnen Club version of Godzilla Raids Again.

 

 

Godzilla Raids Again, illustrated by Naotoshi Kago for Bokura, 1955. (The 9th Godzilla manga)

 

Not to be outdone, Bokura released their own version of Godzilla Raids Again. This time they abandoned the serious style of their prior Godzilla adaption, and went with a comical absurdist look, provided to them by artist Naotoshi Kago. This supplement was included in the June, 1955 issues of Bokura. 

 

 

 

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The 10th Godzilla appearance: June 1955 issue of Omoshiro Book, featuring Rampage Godzilla

 

There would be one more Godzilla manga appearance in 1955. Omoshiro Book, perhaps seeing all the success other publishers were now having with a creature they first helped introduce, inserted another Godzilla story into their June 1955 issue.  Entitled Rampage Godzilla (大あばれゴジラ), it would be notable not only for a return of the comical style of Shigeru Sugiura, but it also introduces other (Toho-approved) monsters to the Godzilla story outside of a film for the very first time: Gyottos, Sugon, Zottos, and Osoros would join Anguirus in fighting Godzilla. In fact the first battle in the story is between Anguruis and Gyottos before Godzilla interjects to challenge them both. As unique as this story and approach were, it would be over two years before Godzilla would return to the manga pages.

 

 

Two pages from Rampage Godzilla by Shigeru Sugiura, featuring a host of zany monsters

 

 

 

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The Last Godzilla, supplement to the October 1957 Omoshiro Book. (the 11th Godzilla manga)

 

The 11th Godzilla manga would not see light until late 1957. This would again be a supplement and once again Omoshiro Book brought it to us with their October, 1957 issue. Titled The Last Godzilla (さいごのゴジラ), with story and art by Yoshiharu Hashimoto. 

The story itself is inspired by the release of the Americanized version of the 1954 Godzilla, which had been released to Japanese theaters earlier in the year. In it, a Godzilla (which turns out to be a baby Godzilla, another first that predates the introduction of Minilla by almost a decade) comes to life through the movie screen showing the Godzilla film and calls for its parent. The daddy Godzilla shows up to save the baby and more craziness ensues as they both get hungry and starting eating animals from the Ueno zoo while battling the Japan Self Defense Force.

 

 

pages from The Last Godzilla by Yoshiharu Hashimoto

 

 

 

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It would again be a full year before the final two Godzilla mangas of the 1950s would be released. Released back to back in October and November by Akashiya Shobō, these two 96-page hardcover editions with art by Shigeru Fujita were worth the wait as they are quite possibly the two most outstanding releases of the decade. Faithful movie adaptions of the first two Godzilla films, simply titled Godzilla and Godzilla Sequel; Anguirus Raids Again (ゴジラ/続ゴジラアンギラスの逆襲). Highly coveted by collectors, these two volumes were released in an otherwise dead period for both Godzilla merchandising and movies; three years since the last Japanese film was released, and still four years away from the next. As a result, they are considered two of the toughest Godzilla manga to locate, but certainly worth the hunt. 

 

 

Godzilla and Godzilla Sequel, Anguirus Raids Again with art by Shigeru Fujita. Published by Akashiya Shobō, 1958 (the 12th and 13th Godzilla mangas)

 

 

Beautiful interior art by Shigeru Fujita.

 

  What makes the 1950s Godzilla manga especially interesting is how they reveal the rapid evolution of the character in Japanese popular culture. In the original 1954 film, Godzilla symbolized nuclear terror and national trauma in postwar Japan. Yet within only a few years, manga creators were already re-imagining him as a comic wrestler, adventure hero, or children’s fantasy creature. The magazines that carried these stories — Omoshiro Book, Shōnen Club, and Bokura — served as the bridge between the terrifying cinematic monster and the child-friendly icon that would dominate Japanese pop culture for decades.

  Today, these manga remain difficult to study because of their scarcity, incomplete archival preservation, and limited translation into English. Nevertheless, they are increasingly recognized by historians and collectors as essential artifacts in the development of both the Godzilla franchise and postwar manga publishing. These works from Shueisha, Kodansha, Reimeisha, and Akashiya Shobō offer a rare glimpse into the earliest years of Japan’s most enduring monster icon  

 

¹ Important to note that while all Japanese books include a release date for publication, the cover date on periodicals is actually the "pull from sale" date, with the release date usually being four weeks earlier for monthlies. Thus while a book might have a release date of November 25, 1954, and that would be the actual on sale date at the book store, a magazine dated November 1954 would actually be available/for sale sometime in October.  

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