AUSTIN (KXAN) — The King of Monsters will stomp through Texas on his ceaseless path of destruction in May, on the pages of an upcoming anthology from IDW Publishing.

“Godzilla vs. Texas” is the publisher’s latest installment of “Godzilla vs. America,” a series that has seen the kaiju crush American cites such as Chicago, Los Angeles, Boston, Kansas City and Portland. But unlike prior entries in the series, this raid will target more than just one city.

“Godzilla couldn’t settle for one city in the Lone Star State, so it’s going to trample over all of them,” IDW said in a summary of the work. “Hopefully those cowboys have a saddle big enough for the King of the Monsters…or else things are about to get ugly.”

One of the covers for Godzilla vs. Texas, illustrated by Texan Matt Frank. (IDW Publishing/Matt Frank)

One of the covers for Godzilla vs. Texas, illustrated by Texan Matt Frank. (IDW Publishing/Matt Frank)

The anthology features four comics, including one from illustrator Matt Frank, a lifelong Texan who has drawn Godzilla for 15 years. Originally from San Antonio, he’s lived in Austin for nearly 20 years after graduating from the University of Texas at Austin.

“My story has him traveling from Corpus (Christi) up through San Antonio, as a little stopover, but then the majority of it takes place in Austin,” he said. “Let’s just say something has drawn his attention here and Godzilla can’t leave well enough alone. He’s got to investigate… and by investigate, I mean destroy.”

Frank called the creative process for the comic “extremely cathartic.”

“At a certain point during the creative process while I was writing the story, my editor had to remind me like, ‘now Matt, I know it’s really fun for Godzilla to destroy everything, but let’s make sure — you do like living there, right?’” Frank told KXAN.

Frank noted that he does like where he lives; in fact, he also saw the comic as an opportunity to show how Texans can come together in times of crisis.

“Godzilla is a perfect vehicle for that,” he said.

One of the covers for Godzilla vs. Texas, illustrated by Sam Lofti. (IDW Publishing/Matt Frank)

One of the covers for Godzilla vs. Texas, illustrated by Sam Lofti. (IDW Publishing/Matt Frank)

One of the covers for Godzilla vs. Texas, illustrated by Texan Matt Frank. (IDW Publishing/Matt Frank)

One of the covers for Godzilla vs. Texas, illustrated by Texan Matt Frank. (IDW Publishing/Matt Frank)

Godzilla has always been the embodiment of disasters and destruction ever since his first attacks on Tokyo in the 1954 film. He’s symbolized prominent disasters in Japanese history: earthquakes, tsunamis, imperial aims, nuclear attacks and tests.

Texas has grappled with a different set of disasters, such as wildfires, floods and hurricanes. Those informed how Frank approached the work. A particular disaster cited by Frank was Hurricane Harvey in 2017. The artist recalled how volunteers went to Port Aransas to help.

“It was a great example that stuck out to me in my mind about setting an example for helping out your fellow Texans,” he said. “How does the quote go? You look for the helpers, you know?”

Other Texans contributing to the anthology include Joe Eisma, John Lucas and Devin Kraft.

The anthology releases on May 13 and can be preordered from local comic shops until April 6.

Godzilla artist’s favorite comic, film

Frank’s favorite Godzilla comic? “Mothra: Queen of the Monsters,” written and drawn by Sophie Campbell and colored by Frank.

It’s probably one of my favorite things I’ve ever done, because it’s something different,” he said. “It’s really laser-focused on Mothra, who is in so many ways the counterpoint to Godzilla. Whereas Godzilla is a bit of a chaos elemental, Mothra is a little more about order and natural harmony. And it was really fun to work on this.”

Favorite Godzilla film? The 2001 Toho film “Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack,” which Frank noted served as inspiration to the director of the 2024 film “Godzilla Minus One”.

“There’s a lot of thematic resonance under the hood, so to speak… It’s a very emotionally charged film, especially for Japanese viewers,” he said. “It’s still practical effects, like the rubber suits and the miniatures, but it’s like some of the best it’s ever looked.”

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