Mothra: Queen of the Monsters -Advanced Review
- Matthew Wilding
- 7 hours ago
- 3 min read
Publisher: IDW Publishing
Writer: Sophie Campbell
Artists: Matt Frank, Sophie Campbell
Colorists: Matt Frank, Roberto Rivera Padro
Letterers: Nathan Widick, Darran Robinson
Release Date: 01/26/2026
Solicit:
Mothra has fallen after a fearsome battle with a terrifying new kaiju, Antra. Without its protector, the world has entered into a state of desolation. Kaiju roam freely, and what remains of humankind has been forced into hiding.
But all hope is not lost! Mira is a young woman living in the wasteland, who believes she lost her entire family in Mothra’s final stand. That is, until her missing twin shows up at her door with two fairies! If her sister is to be believed, Mira might hold the key to the rebirth of Mothra and the Earth’s return to normalcy. They just have to travel back in time and get its egg from the Jurassic period first.
Join the kaiju king Matt Frank (Godzilla: Rulers of Earth) and all-star writer Sophie Campbell (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) on the adventure of a lifetime!
Review
Mothra is dead. The only one who can save us is Mothra.
This is the underlying thread of IDW’s new self-contained Kaiju story–a time-travelling story of the apocalypse wherein, like all good giant monster stories, the action centers around desperate people that the Kaiju are happening to. Writer Sophie Campbell does a stellar job with what she’s given here, using a second-tier monster first as background to tragedy, and then as vehicle for redemption for twin sisters Emi and Mira, who are separated as children in a battle between Mothra and Antra. She draws on the history of Mothra from the Toho-era films and nods to classic characters and tropes, while still providing a really fresh and fun take on the monsters’ world.
Campbell’s storytelling is complimented well by Matt Frank’s art–his pages are full and his panelwork is exciting to look at. While much of the battle action between monsters is difficult to render (moth wings and ant pinchers don’t easily offer the kinetic visuals of swinging fists), Frank adds to the action with jagged edges and exciting angles throughout to give a sense of motion even when the panel’s contents alone don’t offer the opportunity.
The five-issue arc runs into a few problems that are mostly related to pacing. Emi and Mira need a conflict in order for them to struggle to manifest the powers needed to set their timeline right, and at times that conflict feels forced and even unfounded. The joy of reunion after a decade of believing each other dead is immediately and inexplicably replaced with resentment over abandonment without much build or explanation, despite Emi’s anger at Mothra being rooted in her separation from her family. Later, chapter four brings us a series of grand Kaiju battles that feel rushed and deny readers the opportunity to see more of Frank’s blow-by-blow battle art that he excels at in earlier issues.
Still, for fans of Godzilla’s oldest frenemy, Mothra: Queen of the Monsters is an exciting good time. Cameos from fan favorites like Manda, Rodan, and Anguirus, as well as deeper cut monsters like Titanosaurus and Maguma, rendered in huge-feeling art, along with small
and satisfying nods to Toho-era films, add up to make this a high-shelf entry into recent Godzilla-lore.
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