“Godzilla vs. America” is a new comic book anthology series that brings the towering “King of the Monsters” crashing through the United States, one city at a time. In “Godzilla vs. America: Portland,” familiar locations are rendered in beautiful detail — only for Godzilla to inevitably destroy them.

This prehistoric, atomic creature also battles other figures from Rip City lore: Bigfoot, Damian Lillard — even the Portland frog. This one-shot issue from IDW Publishing features stories from Northwest creators based in the city: Cat Farris, Caitlin Yarsky, Mark Russell, Eryk Donovan and writer and artist Colleen Coover.

“Man, this city is beautiful…when it’s early morning, the sun is out, but it’s cloudy. It’s maybe had some rain. The Willamette is just shining like a mirror. That’s Portland,” Coover said.

“And that’s the fun part: destroying all that beauty.”

“Godzilla vs. Portland” is out now at a comic book store near you.

Coover spoke with OPB “All Things Considered” producer Donald Orr about her process of bringing Portland into the MonsterVerse.

This conversation has been edited for length and clarity.

Donald Orr: Godzilla is over 70 years old now and has been featured in dozens of movies, team-ups, and iconic battles. What do you think it is about Godzilla that makes him such an enduring character in pop culture?

Colleen Coover: I think it’s because he is conceived as not so much of a monster as he is a force of nature. I should say, I believe that the movie studio, Toho, they regard it as a force of nature. So I think that’s one of the great enduring features of Godzilla. And of course, there’s the whole metaphor for the atomic bomb throughout his history — its history. It’s just a big old monster that’s really fun to play with.

Orr: In your story, you have this force of nature, Godzilla, battling another mythic figure that’s exclusive to the Northwest: a giant version of Sasquatch. These two duke it out in the Willamette River. How did you decide who was going to win?

Coover: Well, I knew who was going to win — let’s not spoil the story! I knew who was going to win, who always wins in a Godzilla story: whatever opposition is placed in its way. Unless, of course, Godzilla is on the side of humanity, which it has been on occasions.

Orr: This book is part of a series featuring other major cities, but I feel like Portland has uniquely built this reputation as a city filled with comic creators, including yourself. Could you speak about what makes Portland so special in regards to the comic book culture here?

Coover: It’s entirely what brought me to the city in the first place, because I wanted to make comics as a professional. When I first moved here, there were two, three, four fairly significant comic book publishers in the area, including Dark Horse in Milwaukie and now Image Comics. It’s not just a reputation, it’s just a fact: a population fact that there are so many comic book creators here. Just because it was a city that welcomed us — and once you start welcoming, others are going to show up.

Orr: This book is told through the lens of Godzilla, but it’s also such a big celebration of the city. In your story, we see the Portland skyline, Mount Hood, the coast. In other stories, we see little shout-outs to the Hollywood Theatre [and] the Umbrella Man in Pioneer Square. What was it like to contribute to a book about somewhere so familiar — about home?

Coover: It was really great. I think it’s the first time I’ve set a story in Portland since I moved here in 2004. And I was going less for landmarks in my story than I was for vibes. I used to live in the Kerns neighborhood, so I would walk down Burnside to go to my studio downtown. So pretty much every day, I was seeing the downtown skyline with Forest Park behind, with the hills. And that is just in so many ways, my visual cue of what is Portland.

Man, this city is beautiful. I remember coming into my studio one day years ago and [said], “This city is so pretty.” When it’s early morning, the sun is out, but it’s cloudy. It’s maybe had some rain. The Willamette is just shining like a mirror. That’s Portland.

Orr: Seeing Godzilla in that skyline was pretty sweet too.

Coover: And that’s the fun part: destroying all that beauty.

The writers and artists behind the book will be at the Northwest Museum of Cartoon Arts on Saturday, April 4 for a book signing.

News Source : https://www.opb.org/article/2026/03/18/godzilla-portland-brings-king-of-monsters-to-rose-city/