Godzilla's Monsterpiece Theatre
Godzilla crashes the Jazz Age in Tom Scioli's literary mash-up miniseries— pitting the King of the Monsters against Jay Gatsby, Sherlock Holmes, and the Time Machinist in 1920s New York.
📖 IDW Publishing • Started 2024
What if Jay Gatsby threw a party and Godzilla crashed it? That’s the glorious, gonzo premise of Godzilla’s Monsterpiece Theatre, Tom Scioli’s audacious three-issue miniseries from IDW Publishing—and somehow, it’s every bit as unhinged as it sounds.
The year is 1922. Mysterious millionaire Jay Gatsby throws his legendary Long Island soirées, desperate to win back Daisy Buchanan. But his latest bash attracts something far more dangerous than an old flame: Godzilla. The King of the Monsters doesn’t just gatecrash—he levels the mansion, stomps the Jazz Age dreams to rubble, and sets off a chain reaction of literary chaos.
Now Gatsby trades his tailored suits for a singular obsession: revenge. He joins forces with Sherlock Holmes, H. G. Wells’ Time Machinist, and a rogues’ gallery of public-domain icons—Dracula, Jules Verne, Thomas Edison, and more—in what Scioli calls “a story about the 1920s told in the 2020s.”
Each issue clocks in at a monstrous 48 pages, more than double the standard comic length. Scioli fought for the expanded format because, as he told Godzilla.com: “Godzilla needs as big a stage as you can find.” Those extra pages deliver sprawling monster rampages, tense detective work, and quieter character beats that let Gatsby and his unlikely allies breathe between explosions.
Scioli’s art has never been more playful. He drops Godzilla into an era of silent films and horse-drawn ice wagons—before comic books, before King Kong—and the contrast crackles. His signature Kirby-esque linework, dense layouts, and bold coloring make every page feel like it’s vibrating with raw energy.
Originally published as three issues from October 2024 to January 2025, the complete saga was collected into a trade paperback in July 2025. And the chaos isn’t over: a follow-up, Godzilla’s Monsterpiece Theatre: Romeo & Juliet & Godzilla, was announced for 2025, with more literary mash-ups brewing at IDW.
Perfect for fans of literary mash-ups, Godzilla in all his forms, Tom Scioli’s trademark Kirby-esque energy, and anyone who’s ever wondered what the Jazz Age would look like with giant monster footprints through it.
Created by Tom Scioli.
