Warning! Spoilers for The Rise of Ultraman by Kyle Higgins, Mat Groom, and Francesco Manna

Marvel’s new series The Rise of Ultraman started off with a bang in its first issue. Between the monstrous Kaiju that threaten the Earth and the top-secret military organization sworn to fend them off, it’s looking like this series could turn out to be the Pacific Rim of Marvel Comics, which is incredibly exciting.

The Rise of Ultraman is a revival of the Japanese TV series Ultraman from 1966. While there have been several sequels and spin-offs of Ultraman over the years, Marvel’s series is a retelling of the character's origins. The story is set in the modern-day to introduce new readers to the property, while also including enough of the original elements to please longtime fans. The original series follows Shin Hayata, an officer in the Science Special Search Party (SSSP), who is killed after a meteor of red light collides with his plane. The meteor is actually transporting a giant, humanoid creature called Ultraman, who out of guilt over accidentally killing Shin, decides to merge with him to save his life. This allows Shin to transform into Ultraman using something called the Beta Capsule, a power he uses to fight off monsters called Kaiju and protect the Earth.

Related: 10 Best American Kaiju Movies

The Rise of Ultraman’s main story may take place in 2020, but issue #1 actually opens in 1966 - the same year the show made its debut. The first few pages show a pilot named Moroboshi seemingly being killed by a meteor of red light, the same way Shin merged with Ultraman in the original story. Shin still encounters the meteor himself at the end of the issue, but the circumstances are fairly different. For one, Shin doesn’t actually work for the United Science Patrol (or USP, the new version of the SSSP). He applied, but was rejected, and has since tried tracking Kaiju on his own, only to have his equipment confiscated whenever he runs into the USP. His friend Fuji, however, is a member of the USP. The two are out to dinner when Fuji gets a call about the meteor. Shin offers to drive her to the site, which leads to him coming into contact with the meteor and merging with Ultraman.

The original Ultraman TV show undoubtedly helped inspire Pacific Rim, which in turn, now seems to have had an influence on Ultraman’s revival. Shin’s eagerness to prove himself to the USP is not unlike Mako Mori’s determination to become a Jaeger pilot in Pacific Rim. Mako is one of the protagonists of the film and the adopted daughter of Marshal Stacker Pentecost, the commanding officer of the Pan Pacific Defense Corps, an organization that, just like the USP, works to defend the world against Kaiju. Pentecost is uneasy about Mako piloting one of the Jaegers (giant mech-suits used to fight the Kaiju) and initially opposes her involvement, but she manages to convince him to allow it and proves she is more than capable. It isn’t a stretch to imagine Shin will win the favor of the USP in a similar fashion by helping to defeat Kaiju as Ultraman. And since Ultraman’s primary power lies in his massive size, it stands to reason we’ll see massive, Pacific Rim-style action sequences as the series goes on.

The Rise of Ultraman is set to be a five-part series, so four more issues are on the way. In the meantime, the graphic novel Pacific Rim: Tales From Year Zero and the mini-series Pacific Rim: Tales From The Drift, which serve as prequels to the movies, can provide enough Kaiju-content to tide you over.

More: Pacific Rim 3 Updates: Will a Kaiju Sequel Happen?