MOTHRA: QUEEN OF THE MONSTERS #1 / Script by SOPHIE CAMPBELL / Art by MATT FRANK & SOPHIE CAMPBELL / Letters by NATHAN WIDICK/ Published by IDW PUBLISHING

15 years ago, Mothra stood in defense of Earth against a giant ant monster. She fell. Since that time, Mira has struggled to survive in the post-apocalyptic wasteland formed in the wake of Mothra’s death. She didn’t expect to learn that her sister Emi had somehow survived.

Mira also didn’t expect Emi to credit her survival to the fairy priestesses that once served Mothra. And she certainly didn’t expect to be asked to help them with a quest to travel back in time and retrieve a Mothra egg to save the present. Still, to save her family and the world, Mira will do anything. Even though she does not believe in Mothra anymore.

Mothra has always been unique among the many kaiju created by Toho Productions. While Godzilla has been a threat to humanity and a savior, Mothra has always been portrayed as a guardian spirit. This makes the scenario put forth in Mothra: Queen of the Monsters doubly intense.

The script by Sophie Campbell sets the stakes firmly. More importantly, it gives us a solid dynamic between the two sisters. It also has a fair bit of humor, like when Mira refuses to don the traditional priestess costume without pants underneath. (Magic be damned! It IS the apocalypse!)

Campbell also breathes life into the pages she illustrates, though her style sticks close enough to that of Matt Frank that only subtle changes in the coloring denote the difference in their art. The colors are oddly muted for this sort of story, but that only makes the magical effects stand out stronger as they are rendered in bolder colors.

Mothra: Queen of the Monsters #1 is an interesting first chapter. There is little of the action one expects in a kaiju comic, but it has an intriguing premise, likeable characters, and solid artwork. Worry not, Mothra fans! There are teases enough to suggest monster battles in plenty in future issues.

Mothra: Queen of the Monsters #1 arrives in comic shops on March 5, 2025.