Godzilla may be the King of the Monsters, and we’re not suggesting that title is under threat, but the King (and the Queen) are going to have to defend their crowns. That’s because a new, deadly kaiju is entering the ring in the form of Antra. This dreadful beast will be entering Godzilla’s universe in the pages of Mothra: Queen of the Monsters, a new five-issue miniseries from IDW. As the title implies, this story is giving Mothra the spotlight. It’s also introducing a new character to this storied franchise.
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Written by Sophie Campbell (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) with art by Matt Frank (Godzilla Rivals: Vs. SpaceGodzilla) Mothra: Queen of the Monsters kicks off its run in March. Antra will debut in the first issue and we’ve got a preview of the beast below. The synopsis for the book makes it crystal clear just how dangerous this new monster is, with Antra creating a world where kaiju roam freely, with humanity clinging desperately to what little they have left. Per they synopsis…
“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.”
IDW has long held the Godzilla license and this year, they’re doing some big things with it. The Godzilla universe is getting a big reboot under the publisher’s direction later this year. Oftentimes, creating new characters and taking big swings is tough in the realm of IP. Fortunately, Toho isn’t restricting IDW with this series. In an interview with Godzilla.com, Campbell explained how Antra came to be.
“The main reason behind Antra was that I love ants, haha. We bounced around ideas for other antagonists like Battra or Ghidorah but ultimately it felt right to create a totally new monster, and obviously it had to be an ant and obviously her name had to follow the same naming convention as Mothra; she's an ant so Ant + ra!”
“I did a bunch of initial concept sketches for Antra but none of them clicked until Matt did his own take on it,” Campbell added. “He has a way of giving things a grandeur that I struggle with, and he really nailed it. Antra's design is about equal parts me and Matt. She is our baby.”
Whether or not Antra would ever make the jump from page to screen remains to be seen. There is no shortage of avenues for that to happen though. We’ve got the upcoming Godzilla Minus One sequel, as well as a sequel to last year’s Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire in the works. Not only that, but Apple TV+ is in production on Monarch: Legacy of Monsters season 2, with several spin-offs in development as well.
Mothra: Queen of the Monsters hits shelves on March 5. For more, check out our list of 20 new horror comics that should be on your radar in 2025.
