Kaiju Unleashed: An Illustrated Guide to the World of Strange Beasts

by Shawn Pryor, Jason Barr (Foreword by)

Overview

Celebrate the world of movie monsters and beasts with Kaiju Unleashed, a complete reference guide to strange creatures in film and how they came to be.

Kaiju (Japanese for “strange creature”) is a film genre that emerged in Japan in the early ’50s. The movies center on giant monsters battling humans, machines, or other beasts. First popular in the ’50s and ’60s, this film category has stomped its way back into mainstream culture.

This comprehensive guide features:

• A foreword by Jason Barr, author of The Kaiju Film and The Kaiju Connection
• A thorough discussion of monster movies (Gamera; Rodan; Destroy All Monsters)
• Insight into how kaiju has impacted international films (Ant-Man; Attack of the 50-Foot Woman; Jurassic Park)
• Stunning movie posters and film stills, plus fan-made tributes to some of the kaiju classics (Godzilla; King Kong; Mothra; Pacific Rim)

If you are a kaiju fan or are interested in kaiju’s cultural influence worldwide, this display-worthy volume provides the perfect general introduction to the genre, reference to its film highlights, and celebration of its practitioners, trends, and stories.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780760392898
Publisher:	Epic Ink
Publication date:	10/29/2024
Pages:	240
Product dimensions:	8.50(w) x 10.20(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Shawn Pryor’s (he/him) work includes the middle-grade graphic novel Fast Break (FSG/Macmillan, 2025), the hi/lo reader series The Gamer (Capstone Publishing), the Cash and Carrie series (Action Lab Entertainment), and several books for Capstone’s Jake Maddox Sports and Adventure series, Graphic Library, and the Kids Sports series. In his free time, he enjoys reading, cooking, listening to streaming music playlists, and talking about why Zack from the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers is the greatest Black superhero of all time.

Jason Barr is an associate professor at Blue Ridge Community College. His work has appeared in African American Review, Explicator, The Journal of Continuing Higher Education, and The Journal of Caribbean Literatures, among others. He lives in Weyers Cave, Virginia.

Table of Contents

Foreword 
Introduction 
STRANGE BEASTS
CHAPTER ONE | Beginnings 
CHAPTER TWO | Godzilla 
CHAPTER THREE | The Showa Era (1954–1975)
CHAPTER FOUR | The Heisei Era (1984–1995)
CHAPTER FIVE | A New Millennium 
CHAPTER SIX | King Kong 
CHAPTER SEVEN | Kong vs. Godzilla
CHAPTER EIGHT | Gamera 
CHAPTER NINE | Rodan 
CHAPTER TEN | Mothra 
CHAPTER ELEVEN | Daimajin 
CHAPTER TWELVE | Ultraman 
CHAPTER THIRTEEN | Other Japanese Kaiju 
GLOBAL DOMINATION
CHAPTER FOURTEEN | International Kaiju Films 
CHAPTER FIFTEEN | Animated Kaiju 
CHAPTER SIXTEEN | Comic Books, Manga, and Prose 
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN | Kaiju in Pop Culture 
Conclusion 
Index 
Sources 
Image Credits 
Acknowledgments 
About the Author 

Editorial Reviews

"If you’ve got a monster movie fan on your shopping list this year, or just someone who enjoys a bit of movie history, Kaiju Unleashed: An Illustrated Guide to the World of Strange Beasts is an excellent choice. The result is a reference book that works for casual fans of Kaiju in general, while also appealing to cinephiles who want to dive deeper into their history/impact within the industry. With fun information and great presentation, there’s a lot to enjoy in this one."

—Jordan Maison, Cinelinx.com

From the Publisher