Godzilla 2 Gets An In-Canon Graphic Novel Prequel

Legendary Comics has announced Godzilla: Aftershock, an in-canon graphic novel prequel to next year's MonsterVerse film sequel, Godzilla: King of the Monsters. Following the success of Gareth Edwards' Godzilla reboot in 2014, Legendary decided to expand its giant monster franchise into a full-blown cinematic universe, complete with canonical comic books (much like the Marvel Cinematic Universe). The studio has since incorporated King Kong in the mix with Kong: Skull Island and has plans for Kong and Godzilla to duke it out with one another in 2020.

Before then, however, Trick 'r Treat and Krampus director Michael Dougherty will release King of the Monsters, a sequel that pits Godzilla against King Ghidorah, Mothra and Rodan in a battle for supremacy over the earth. The film will further brings back Monarch, the crypto-zoological agency that's been keeping tabs on the planet's gigantic super-species (aka. Titans) for decades, by the time the latest Godzilla movie picks up. However, before King of the Monsters opens in theaters, Legendary Comics will release a prologue of sorts to the movie, in the form of a comic book.

The King of the Monsters graphic novel prequel, Aftershock, will be released next spring, following its sneak peek presentation at the Los Angeles Comic Con this weekend on Saturday, October 27 in Room 403B. Legendary will further hand out exclusive LACC posters for the graphic novel to the first 500 fans who attend the event. You can check out said one-sheet in the space below.

Written by Arvid Nelson (Rex Mundi) and illustrated by Drew Edward Johnson (Star Wars X-Wing: Rogue Squadron), Godzilla: Aftershock will continue the events of Edwards' Godzilla and pit the King of the Monsters himself against "a terrifying new foe [who] rises from the depths of the earth". According to Legendary Comics Senior VP Robert Napton, Godzilla's opponent in the graphic novel is "a brand new original monster unique to the comic, but true to the legacy of Godzilla". Aftershock will further introduce the Monarch operative Dr. Emma Russell, who's played by Vera Farmiga (The Conjuring) in Godzilla: King of the Monsters.

There are a lot of questions surrounding Dr. Russell at the moment, in particular when it comes to her daughter Madison (Stranger Things' Millie Bobby Brown) and her role in the MonsterVerse's overarching narrative. Farmiga has confirmed that her character figures out a way to communicate with Godzilla and the other monsters, fueling speculation that she may even be able to "control" them in King of the Monsters. A related theory is that Madison is actually one of Mothra's fairies and, much like her mother, serves as a link between the Titans and humankind. Obviously, Aftershock won't reveal too much about the Russells, but (according to the book's synopsis) it will shed additional light on the "terrible secret" that Emma uncovers as she attempts to learn more about Godzilla and his history on earth, leading into King of the Monsters.