Anyone who has ever done battle with bureaucracy will love the inspiration for the monster in Louie Joyce's new comic.

Louie has written and drawn an official Godzilla comic for IDW publishing called Godzilla: Skate or Die. It's a five-issue limited series – all set in Port Kembla and Wollongong – and the first comic will be out on June 12. 

Thanks to Louie – who 2515 Coast News readers may remember from our cover feature back in May 2018 – for taking the time to tell us more.

Please tell us a bit about yourself.

My name is Louie Joyce, I'm a Wollongong-based illustrator, comic creator and rollerblading enthusiast! I grew up in Newy/Sydney but have been living in the Illawarra for about 10 years now with my beautiful fam.

When did you first come upon the tale of Godzilla?

Honestly I can't recall, Godzilla is one of those iconic characters that you just know about, especially as a kid. The first Godzilla film I saw would likely have been the American version from 1998 which, while not great, is enjoyable for a kid. As I got older I went back and watched the original '54 film and a few of the others that have come out over the years. Most of my appreciation for Godzilla comes from the various movie posters from the years of films. There are so many incredible poster designs and artworks, spanning so many decades and eras of Godzilla that's it's a great place to look for inspiration as an illustrator.

Is writing an official Godzilla comic a dream come true? How did it come about?

Absolutely! I still can't quite believe I'm writing and drawing this comic all about skating and Godzilla that's set in Port Kembla! Originally I was approached by an editor at IDW Publishing to pitch an idea for the Godzilla's Rivals series and that evolved into Skate or Die being its own five-issue mini series.

What is your story about and what inspired it?

They were very open story wise so I took inspiration from the real-life Port Kemba DIY skatepark, which I skate at regularly. It's a great community space that was created during the pandemic, but that the council had threatened to demolish. The community rallied around it however and have even gone so far as to attain a grant to build a permanent skatepark there. So that kind of formed the basis for my Godzilla  story, this idea of a big unwieldy entity coming to stomp on something a community had spent so much time creating.

Though in my story the DIY spot is in the (decommissioned) steelworks and the reasons the Kaiju are approaching are a little more... sci fi.

Is it the first time Godzilla has come to the Gong?

It is! Godzilla has been to Sydney before, in the 2004 Godzilla: Final Wars film. In which it actually fights the version from the previously mentioned 1998 American film, Zilla. The Sydney Opera House gets absolutely destroyed! But yeah, this will be Godzilla's first time in the Gong, and also the first time for Varan the Unbelievable, who is the other Kaiju that is heading right for Port too.

How did you enjoy illustrating the king of the monsters? 

It's been an absolute blast! My work is pretty stylised, so I'm having a great time creating my own unique interpretations of these iconic creatures. Taking inspirations from the many great versions and putting my own spin on it. It's hard to pick who is actually more fun to draw, Godzilla or Varan. It usually changes depending on which one I'm drawing at the time.

Any familiar places to look out for?

The steelworks as the location all parties are headed to means it plays a large part in the story.

Issue 2 has a bit of a chase through the streets of Port Kembla, so we get some iconic Port spots, and these monsters are so big that their battle will likely break free of Port and move into surrounding areas. My kid really wants me to find a way to destroy his school, so I'm trying to work that in there too!

Where can we buy a copy?

The first issue comes out in comic stores June 12th, and it will be available online (Kindle etc) that date too. Unfortunately, Wollongong doesn't have a comic store at this stage, so Kings Comics in Sydney is the best bet, and you should be able to preorder it from their online store the week before June 12th too. From there each issue is released monthly.

For more information, visit Louie's website