Monster Attack Team is Back with Mission #11

Latest Issue of Japanese Sci-Fi and Kaiju Magazine on Sale Now Official Site: Monster Attack Team

In 2010, Monster Attack Team returned from a long hiatus with a new self-published issue. This sparked a period of transition for the fanzine as it went through various formats solicited by Diamond and was then sold at book stores and newsstands for the first time with the massive issue #10 published by Famous Monsters of Filmland in 2013. Monster Attack Team now returns to its roots with the self-published eleventh issue, featuring 80 pages of historic and current information on the golden age of tokusatsu, manga, toys, and Japanese music culture as only MAT can present it. SciFi Japan spoke with their Captain, Edward Holland and Executive Officer, Mike Keller about Monster Attack Team #11 now available as a print on demand magazine and digital download from Indy Planet. For additional information visit the Monster Attack Team website and Facebook page. SciFi Japan: Monster Attack Team is back in print with Issue #11. What motivated you in releasing this latest edition of the magazine? Edward Holland: After our appearances at Comic-Con 2013, AKON 24, Texas Toku Taisen in San Antonio, and Japanese events we decided to present more exclusive material in this issue than ever before in our history. Our writers and artists around the world helped us immeasurably in bringing MAT #11 together. We feature articles from the perspective of those who lived it, breathed it, written and illustrated by our team members who have been following these films and shows for decades. We are also happy to have some of our team members like Bob Johnson, Ed Godziszewski, and Damon Foster back on board after a brief absence in MAT #10. SciFi Japan: Your team of talent has recently expanded, both stateside and overseas. Edward Holland: We branched out and made some new friends including industry professionals in Japan and across the world. We spent our own yen and literally hit the tollways to bring some of these features direct from Japan to you. We are an organization of artists, writers, translators, photographers, editors, culture enthusiasts, musicians and professional geeks. In addition we are expanding to online content as we speak, so we plan on stepping up our online presence later this year. Monster Attack Team is not a job, it’s a non-profit adventure for us and maybe one day we will be approached about a book deal, but we’re not holding our breath. The air is poisoned you know, so we’re moving, we’re moving, we’re moving to the moon now. We wish.

SciFi Japan: What was the reaction to Issue 10? Edward Holland: The reaction to Issue 10 was very positive. From US east coast art galleries, to toy stores in Los Angeles, comic book shops in Texas, animators, filmmakers, to fans from France, Mexico, Japan and elsewhere everyone we heard from enjoyed the majority of the issue. Mike Keller: Not bad for a 132 page mook (magazine book). SciFi Japan: What was your goal for MAT #11? Mike Keller: MAT 11 leads where 10 left off, exploring legends and their historic careers. We touch on the manga anime worlds of Leiji Matsumoto and Shotaro Ishinomori in this issue; something we wanted to do for a while. Each aspect of MAT 11 is interrelated and interesting on its own. We have decided to cover what we enjoy and in this issue we feature our extended coverage of staples like GODZILLA VS. THE SMOG MONSTER. Edward Holland: Issue 11’s mission is to highlight and polish some of the golden tokusatsu nuggets not really covered elsewhere in a magazine and bring it up to date with new perspectives and information. SciFi Japan: When MAT started it was more of a fan club and a popular cable access program. What has kept you guys in the mix promoting Japanese kaiju culture? Edward Holland: That movement before the internet boom died out lives on in our wasted memories. Those booze-lazed nights of putting MAT together at Mike Keller’s house, while his parents woke up to go to work, was a kinder more friendly era and it was not even that long ago. I remember the excitement of going to see GUYVER at its North American release in Dallas and having a blast with [director] Screamin’ Mad George signing my copy of Uchusen magazine. We embrace that time but all the while we will never look back. I do wish some of those pioneers like co-founder Joe Riley were still with us. I know Ultra Joe is getting a kick out of us releasing an issue dedicated to the Smog Monster and still talking about him in print and person. He was a true genius and a real fan, and was never in it for the fame or the fortune, but for the fun!

These days some claim or present themselves as the experts on certain aspects of the genres. We never claimed that and never will. Our love for these productions new and old speaks for itself. We have been involved with events and happenings and we will continue to be a part of this generally positive environment until we are vaporized. We have established relationships with some of the stars and artists covered in MAT 11 and it is beyond anything we ever expected. We have grown older and maybe more wise-asses, while the younger Kaiju generation and their voracity for such entertainment continues to blow us away. Nowadays kids are dipping into their life savings to purchase an X-Plus kaiju figure. That is something that was not possible during our childhood. We were lucky if our parents were cool enough to take us to a bad part of town to watch GODZILLA VS. MECHAGODZILLA. Today. by the grace of God, we are still at it in the field bringing you what we can and particularly for those who might not be able to visit Japan for themselves. Mike Keller: We frequently are introduced as MAT and not even by our first names at conventions and gatherings. The charities we are involved and the donations we have given to Kickstarter projects and others are all done because we want to forward others promoting our same interests. Doing this magazine is in itself a volunteer operation and always has been. We pour out more funds than we have ever received. None of us made any profit from MAT 10. We highlight kaiju, superheroes, manga, art, toys and music culture in a way that maybe no one else ever will. We both want to continue that if we can. SciFi Japan: This issue focuses on some of the legends from the past who are still popular today. What was it like connecting with some of these famous artists, like Leiji Matsumoto and KAMEN RIDER AMAZON star Toru Okazaki? Edward Holland: I think by luck we connected with these industry giants by demonstrating our pure enjoyment of Japan’s cultural icons that will live on long after we are gone. You have to laugh when Bandai Visual artist and friend, Kenichi Muraeda shockingly says, “Why do you know about BAROM-1?” Of course the only logical response is, “I am maniac!”

I feel it’s okay to have fun as long as you are truthful and from the heart, and speaking the language a bit does really come in handy. We are foreigners and will never be Japanese, and we don’t intend to, but we embrace the culture with deep passion. Just shaking hands with someone who penned cherished manga like Leiji Matsumoto, or Toru Okazaki who rode KAMEN RIDER AMAZON’s trusted steed, Jungler has made my dream come true and possibly my children`s dreams come true. Mike Keller: We are thankful of our friendships with some of the greats in the entertainment world, not just from Japan but stateside too. SciFi Japan: What do you think is the most interesting aspect of the latest issue of MAT? Edward Holland: Good question... all of it will hold interest on different levels. We think overall that MAT has been applauded for being the only all-English language full color magazine covering such entertainment period. This is a tribute to some of the legends of the movement started by Eiji Tsuburaya 60 years ago. Tokusatsu Special Effects Director Koichi Kawakita recently picked up an issue of MAT, and a big smile grew on his face as he started up a conversation about his past while looking at the cover. We knew we connected with one of our primary target audience members, a creative mind who made it happen and still does so today. We are fortunately introduced as professional fans with our hearts in the right places. Being a fan is great and to a degree you are respected for what you do. For me a true fan is someone who sacrifices to make it happen for others. A true example that comes to mind is someone like Mark Jaramillo and his KAIJU GAIDEN project honoring those indie filmmakers, because he loves the historical aspect of these professionally made fan movies. MAT is making a road trip to meet up with him soon to share in his enthusiasm. That is something we are looking forward to. Mike Keller: That is the club aspect of MAT that attracted me to what Edward and Joe Riley were doing at the Dallas Fantasy Fair years ago before even G-Fan. I was drawn in immediately. They acknowledged Japanese Fantasy Film Journal, Markalite and Oriental Cinema, but that was not their inspiration. They were on a wild do-it-yourself tangent that really caught on in the Southwest. I thought to myself, wow these fans are organized somehow I need to get involved.

I think that will always be a driving force for us, what Edward and Joe set up then. They received a lot of flak for promoting the industry in Japan by the general public in Texas and I respected their go for it attitude. I am the Managing Art Director and it is something I enjoy doing very much. Edward Holland: There are very few experts. I can count all of them on maybe 1 hand. We consider the experts to be the filmmakers and artisans themselves. Being a historian is great and we could claim to be authorities on certain subjects, but there is not much satisfaction in that. Our crew knows their stuff, but we choose not to be megalomaniacs, and prefer to be fans of MEGALOMAN, the 1979 Toho Ultraman-like series from a bright time gone by which we cherish. Our ingredients include the old, new, manga, some anime, and music culture, basically a melting pot of historically significant films, programs and movements is what MAT is about. We hope that readers will find the coverage interesting in 2014. SciFi Japan: What articles in the magazine are you particularly proud of? Mike Keller: I like the JUSPION article because of all the original research and translation that went into it. It flows nicely into an anecdote from Damon Foster about his visit to the set of the show, and Damon’s stuff is always entertaining. I like the Leiji Matsumoto interview, the layout co-designed with Edward was a lot of fun. Matsumoto-sama goes into a lot of interesting stories and history that paints pictures of his inspirations growing up in “magical” Kyushu as he describes it. I like the SMOG MONSTER article because I like the movie... Edward Holland: Me too... since I was 7 years of age, still brainwashed. That image of the cat on the stairs was always puzzling, a bit unsettling, but yet it made me think of the motivation of Yoshimitsu Banno. I never met the director; I have his autograph, and really enjoyed the recent SciFi JAPAN TV interview with the Co-Executive Producer of GODZILLA 2014. Just to see his name in the credits of the new film put me at ease even before the Big “G” hit the screen. Mike Keller: ...and again, it flows well and is appealing. Edward did a lot of research about the climate around the movie even interviewing recycling program officials in Japan. That might make an interesting book someday. I cannot speak for others living in Japan, but some of the stories and experiences Edward has been a part of might make a nice book. Edward Holland: Yeah, who would buy it? I would not mind joining with a few others and putting out a collection of stories living in Kaiju Land. It would be a lot of fun. Writer Christian Divine did the article on GODZILLA VS. THE SMOG MONSTER. It was good and fun to add a few things here and there. He has the spirit and according to him it was one of his dreams to write something in print on the film. We are happy to have made that happen for him.

Mike Keller: KAMEN RIDER AMAZON is a good piece where the actor Toru Okazaki, who played Daisuke Yamamoto, went into some interesting discussions. He has not done too many interviews, even in Japan. Scoring that was something we worked hard to make happen. I believe that interview was approximately 2 years in the planning. We also have a great article by Ed Godziszewski on the sound effects used in the Toho films, something that hasn’t really been delved into before. The whole magazine is full of variety; so it’s hard to choose just one thing we enjoyed putting together most. Edward Holland: One thing I regret was we had some pieces like the Ultramanland photo essay showing the world what a great place that park was. That piece was cut unfortunately, but we’re planning on releasing that in some fashion. Additionally, our interview with Simon and Matt Frank of the video-game COLOSSAL KAIJU COMBAT did not make the cut just because there was not enough space. That was a Kick Starter project that we became a key sponsor of and we look forward to playing the game with our character Ikameijin, created by toy designer, Uky Daydreamer, Matt Frank and ourselves. I would be remiss if I did not mention that I think Mike did a bang up job with the layouts and in dealing with my edits, editorially and graphic changes. Whatever you do in life you have to trust and put faith in your friends and everyone worked admirably together. SciFi Japan: You`ve had some non-tokusatsu material in your previous issues. Is there any in this one? Mike Keller: Yes. In this issue there is an article on the group sounds music scene by Gentleman John Battles. It focuses on the 60s band THE GOLDEN CUPS and American ex-patriot musician Alan Merrill and his humble glam-rock beginnings. It’s a reprint of an article but it’s been beefed up with additional research, so even if you’ve read the old article from the Chicago magazine, Roctober, you’ll want to get this one. There’s also a short interview with the band Daikaiju. We’re all over the map and all over the guitar fret board when it comes to music. Edward and I are big fans of music and one night we had an incredible time partying with some musicians in Yokohama years ago. A dash of that made it into that article on my request. Edward Holland: Another story for the book? Mike Keller: That would be a whole chapter! The band recruited you on the spot to be their drummer. Those guys were twisted, and crazy. Edward Holland: Naturally.

SciFi Japan: Your last issue was printed by Famous Monsters of Filmland. Did they have any involvement with this issue? Edward Holland: This issue is not published by Famous Monsters, but we continue to be good friends with their main staff and maintain a working relationship with them, providing support in Japan. FM in fact has an advertisement in our latest issue. We actually were able to get FM officially on sale at various military bases throughout Japan. It was quite cool to walk into a store in Japan and see a Bob Eggleton Godzilla or a Jason Edminston cover staring back at you from the stands. We designed the new MAT logo with them and FM had one of their artists flesh it out for us as well. Their kaiju issues sell very well and of course we contributed articles to those magazines in the past. We cannot thank Editor, Phil Kim enough for picking us up and releasing MAT #10, which to this date is the biggest English mook on Tokusatsu ever!

We know that the Bob Eggleton kaiju shirts are eye candy in the states, but man you should see the salivating stares you get in Japan when you put one of those babies on! Recently at an Ultraman Ginga/Victory stage show I wore the Matt Frank Big WoW design shirt with Godzilla, Ultraman and Kikaida, a similar design we worked on with Matt for a MAT cover during our AKON appearance with FM, and Bob. Anyway, this Japanese boy 10 years old kept getting closer and closer to me, but did not talk, and finally he got bold. He got in my walking path as the line advanced towards the theater, stopping me and asked where the shirt came from and how he could get one himself. If I had an extra one I would have given him the shirt off my back. He was that entranced with the shirt and its combination of the characters on his way to a show to see Ginga and Victory kick some kaiju ass live! SciFi Japan: How will people be able to get the magazine? Mike Keller: It is available on Indy Planet.com and we’ll have it at appearances we make in the future, yet to be determined. Our updated website and Facebook pages will have the latest info as it becomes available. We also are looking into different avenues of distribution while our website is being revamped. SciFi Japan: Apart from the magazine, what other projects has MAT been involved with, or have planned? Edward Holland: MAT was involved in bringing action star Tak Sakaguchi to AKON 23 in Dallas, an event some are still talking about. That was a blast to spend the better part of the week with a true skull crusher and action-star from KAMEN RIDER KABUTO and GODZILLA: FINAL WARS. He recently did all the stunt work for the live action version of KIKI’S DELIVERY SERVICE, too. His stories were hilarious and all the girls were fawning over him at the convention in 2012. Mike Keller: We did an event with Haruo Nakajima (Mr. Godzilla) for the premiere of the new US GODZILLA film in Yokosuka, Japan which was sponsored by Legendary Pictures. The whole event was free on US Armed Forces Day. I cannot think of any event where you can meet someone of Nakajima-san’s caliber for free, anywhere. The whole crowd stood at attention in 2 seconds flat when he was given a Monster Attack Team lifetime achievement award. I was not there, but I heard it was pretty moving to see GODZILLA on screen with a Japanese war veteran in the audience on this special day at a military base. Edward Holland: It’s about the fans. I covered the majority of my expenses on that event. It was a treasure to see a war veteran and his appreciation for American forces in Japan. It was priceless and a couple of US Sailors actually were moved to tears by the appearance of Godzilla in the town he grew up in.

Mike Keller: We covered some online information for SciFi Japan and are working on some more too. We raised money for disaster relief in 2011 - 2013 and the non-profit Wounded Warrior Project. That is something we will continue to do, so look out for more great auctions coming in the future. Edward Holland: We assisted the crew from SciFi JAPAN TV/ ACTV in arranging interviews with Godz-illustrator Yuji Kaida and Haruo Nakajima. We planned to do some more but schedules conflicted. Cannot say enough about J.R. Lipartito and Jim Ballard’s enthusiasm for the genre. We interviewed Koichi Kawakita for G-Fan magazine, and promoted Kawakita’s Legend of Godzilla 60th Exhibit in Tokyo in Japanese newspapers and websites recently, too. Earlier we recruited Robert Scott Field, the M-1 Android of GODZILLA VS. KING GHIDORAH fame, to attend an Osamu Tezuka / Shotaro Ishinomori Art exhibit in Osaka with the direct help of Ishimori Productions. It truly is not a one or two person operation; there are a host of people behind the scenes and we could not have made this issue without them. We are always recruiting others to join our troops, so please drop us a line. Mike Keller: We assisted with the first Texas Toku Taisen event in San Antonio and are continuing our relationship with their efforts to promote tokusatsu film festivals. Edward Holland: Some MAT readers and supporters have been with us for a long time and some are brand new. Some fans are professionals in the field and we have caught up with them at conventions or online. One thing we would like to mention is that we are working on a new official Monster Attack Team t-shirt design with the monstrous artist, Jeff Zornow. In fact, it was Jeff who approached us once in the past about doing a cover for us and now something is finally in the works towards some MAT wear. It will be something to compliment your kaiju culture lifestyle and epic for sure! “Let’s Fight Monsters, Let’s Really Fight!”

For more information on Monster Attack Team, please see the earlier coverage here on SciFi Japan: