G-FAN Magazine # 53 "When Buildings Really Fell"

Issue 53 was published in the immediate wake of 9/11/01. As such, it reflects the shock and sadness of that terrifying day. And it also wrestles with a vaild question, given the context: After 9/11, how can entertainment featuring urban destruction (i.e. kaiju eiga) ever be considered enjoyable again?

I recall dealing with that very issue in the time following 9/11. I had purchased a copy of Godzilla 2000, and at some point after the tragedy I began watching it. However, there was a scene where a UFO causes a building to collapse in "pancake" fashion, and I had to turn it off. It was just too close to what I had actually witnessed on televison. I was profoundly sad for the victims and their families. And in an infinitely less significant way, I was sad that a child-like enjoyment of cinematic fantasy seemed to have been robbed of me. It felt like a new world in which a Godzilla film was no longer appropriate.

Issue 53 acknowledges those mixed feelings in a thoughtful article by Mike Bogue ("Terrorism and Godzilla's Future"), a balanced editorial by J.D. Lees, and honest fan reaction in the G-Mail section. Wisely, no easy answers to the post-9/11 Godzilla conundrum are suggested. J.D. Lees makes a case for an enduring appreciation of Godzilla's noble qualities, while maintaining a sensitive, respectful tone towards those whose fandom was in flux.

One would think, then, that this issue would be freighted with such baggage as to make it unreadable, but that is hardly the case. Instead, the articles themselves reveal what the fan intuitively knows: kaiju fandom is about wonder and imagination, not nihilistic destruction. Beginning with awe-inspiring recaps of three Japanese exhibitions (Eiji Tsuburaya, Gamera, and Ultraman, respectively), Issue 53 is a creative response to creative filmic events. It offers illuminating in-depth interviews with the men responsible for Marvel Comics' GODZILLA series, artist Herb Trimpe and writer Doug Moench. A Giant Robo epsiode guide begins, covering the first thirteen episodes. Shinichi Wakasa, the man responsible for the Millenium Godzilla suit design, is interviewed at satisying length about his career in monster making. Skip Peel's fan fiction winningly covers an Xian/Kilaak war. Mike Bogue reminisces about the days when hunting for Godzilla movies in the pre-video age made the viewing of G-fims more of an "event." J.D. Lees puts the spotlight on other great fanzines such as Mad Scientist and Calling Monster Island. Armand Vaquer closes out the issue with a voyage into what looked like a kaiju paradise: Showcase Collectibles in Atlanta, Georgia. And there is still more in the way of reviews, opinion, fan artwork, and the sharing of memories and experiences involving giant monster movies. Without really intending to be, Issue 53 is a bold response to the creeping anxiety that pervaded our culture at the time of its publication. It somewhat defiantly implied that there were still things worth our enjoyment--and that we will continue to create and imagine even in the face of evil.
Am I overstating things a bit? Maybe. All I know is that eight years later, the United States has mercifully been spared another 9/11, G-FAN still arrives in the mail four times a year, and my son and I are probably going to watch a Godzilla movie tonight. You can judge for yourself how important each of those things are. As for me--I'm pretty thankful for each one.