Sayonara 2012



The Monsterland Ohio Boys meet Ultraman, Bin Furuya

2012 is in the books, and here at Monsterland Ohio it's time to look back on a pretty huge year. Those who care to check this blog out from time to time no doubt noticed a big fat chunk of no posts from September until now. Suffice it to say that my vocation demanded a great deal of my energy and attention over that stretch. The time is right to get back in the game, especially with big kaiju-related treats on the horizon.

The year began with a bang: we had the rare opportunity to attend a filming of Animal Planet's hit series "Finding Bigfoot" and meet the cast. The questions we were given to ask ended up being included, and ever since the episode aired we have had people mention the fact that they had seen us on TV. Although the "best-of" show never ended up on iTunes, I'm hopeful that it will be included on future DVD releases. We were expecially pleased that cast member Ranae Holland visited the blog and gave it a glowing review on her Facebook fan page.

Another highlight of 2012 was having articles included in G-FAN issues 98 and 100. By strange serendipity, my transcript of a panel called "Discovering the Daikaiju Genre" appeared in the milestone hundredth issue, and seemed to fit perfectly from a thematic standpoint. (I have Martin Arlt to thank, so thank you, Martin!)

G-FEST XIX lived up to the hype (and then some). The dynamic duo of Akira Takarada and Bin Furuya helped attract an unprecedented number of fans. We were happy to contribute to the festivities with a Kid's Thread that went very well, and I had the fun of being invited to participate in a panel at the last minute. On a personal note, having my mom and dad on hand made this a very special occasion, in addition to renewing friendships with our kaiju friends from across the globe. The unique fellowship among G-FESTers is one of the main reasons this gathering has become an annual event for us, and we hope to bring more family and friends along for G-FEST XX.



with Robert Scott Field at G-FEST XIX



It was a good year for home video releases. Chief among them was Criterion's Blu-ray release of "Godzilla," featuring David Kalat's commentary track. The Blu-ray release of "Godzilla vs. Biollante" was a pleasant surprise. Christmas additions to our collection were the UltraSeven series and Daimajin trilogy. There should be plenty to watch and review in 2013.

The end of the year was puntcuated by a meeting of the Cuyahoga Kaiju Club. We were able to get together to enjoy some "traditional monster violence." S.H. MonsterArts figures have become very popular with some in the club, and it was cool to see figures like Mechagodzilla up close. Hopes are pretty high for "Pacific Rim" and what it might mean for the impending Legendary Godzilla film. Even though we were there very briefly, it was great to see everyone in the CKC, and it sounds like our group is going to be well represented at G-FEST XX.

We wish you monster fun in 2013!