Kara Dennison
October 7, 2024 
Feeling a little nostalgic this month? You may just need to dive into these October manga releases! A new pair of publications is bringing back two of our favorite long-standing franchises. From the king of the monsters to the king of trading card games, there’s lots to enjoy in this duo of new comics. Read our reviews and be sure to pre-order your faves!
Godzilla’s 70th Anniversary
Rampaging across the October manga landscape is the king of the monsters! Godzilla turns the big 7-0 this year, and IDW is releasing a collection of new and classic comics inspired by the kaiju legend. These short stories take place all across time, from the earliest Godzilla sightings to worlds where giant monsters are just part of the landscape. Familiar names like Matt Frank (Godzilla: Rulers of Earth) and Joëlle Jones (Catwoman) populate the pages, each bringing their own spin to the story.
This collection is at its best when it’s interrogating individual human stories within Godzilla’s broader world. Matt Frank’s contemplative “In the Shadow of a God,” featuring poetry by Donny Winter, is a fleeting, touching story of two very small lives in the wake of Godzilla’s movement. Casey Gilly’s “Ain’t No Place for an Angel” is another stand-out entry: a Wild West-flavored tale marking the return of Mothra and her twin priestesses. And Natasha Alterici’s “Aftermath” is a stark reminder that, despite misconceptions over the decades, Godzilla is never the true villain of his story.
The book also features production art and reprints of issues of Godzilla in Hell, Godzilla Legends, and the aforementioned Godzilla: Rulers of Earth. It’s a fabulous collection for kaiju fans or people just wanting to know more about the stories at the heart of this mammoth franchise.
Godzilla’s 70th Anniversary goes on sale October 29.
Destroy All Humans. They Can’t Be Regenerated. A Magic: The Gathering Manga – Vol. 1
One of the most anticipated October manga releases has to be Destroy All Humans. They Can’t Be Regenerated. This coming-of-age story begins in 1998, when Magic: The Gathering was just five years old and looked rather different to its current iteration. Middle schooler Hajime is an eager player, besting peers with his mono-black deck despite model student Emi chiding him for bringing his cards to school. But when Hajime goes to a local gaming café, he makes a discovery: Emi is an expert player with a mono-white deck!
The two become unlikely friends, sharing their love of the game and building new decks together. But Emi believes (or at least claims to believe) in the prophecies of Nostradamus—including one that states the world will end the following year. How will this pair spend their alleged last year on Earth? Who’s the better player? And are they ever going to date, or what?
The manga and its English translation are both stellar, packed with footnotes and endnotes to ensure that every reader knows what’s going on. Long-time fans will appreciate the index of cards featured in the volume, as well as the history baked into the story. But even the most fan-pleasing series of references can’t survive without a story. Fortunately, Hajime and Emi’s blooming relationship is so endearing that even the least informed manga reader will be entertained.
