‘The Giant Kokju’ Interview: Kaiju Sex Advice With Gerry Duggan
Interview by Troy-Jeffrey Allen
Image Comics’ THE GIANT KOKJÜ won’t win any points with the stuffiest of comic readers, but the rest of us will have a damn good time. Billed as “a hella screwed up story of a giant monster…with very physical needs,” the three-part series climaxes this week on store shelves.
How screwed up? Well, we talked to writer Gerry Duggan (Deadpool, Savage Avengers) about why this book likely has Frederic Wertham crapping his pants from the afterlife.
Let’s get into Kokju right away. What is the story about?
Well, like all giant monster stories, hopefully, it’s a way of examining something else in our lives. Godzilla was a pop culture reaction to the atomic bombs and the atomic age. We posit THE GIANT KOKJÜ is rampaging against humanity because we trashed the planet. It’s really about having fun.
This concept — I’ll just say it. Where the hell did this come from? Were you watching MOTHRA one day and wondered how the creature gets off?
Honestly, I loved giant monster movies forever — and at a certain point you notice how sexless they are, and that thought grew like a beautiful flower in my mind into the pitch that got Scott on board. It was done during COVID, when everyone was locked away, and the world was ending — cimate catastrophes, mass shootings. It was time to blow off some steam. And blow some minds and some loads.
What can you tell us about Frank Gray? Why is he trying to get between this horny kaiju and…satisfaction.
It’s so funny to me that he predicted the events of the comic. Like, what diabolical mind is trapped in that body? I like the guy. My life was kind of in a skid, and so was his. I put a lot of myself into Frank. The chips were down, and the clothes were too tight, but the world and his family needed him. And he rolled up his sleeve, grabbed the problem, and just throttled it.
What made you want to team back up with Scott Koblish for this particular story?
There is nothing Scott can’t do — from comedy to tragedy, to noir. I want to work with Scott until he cries uncle. He can give you whiplash from one panel to the next, and his storytelling is top-notch. It’s funny — because in almost every medium — comedy is devalued. “Oh, it’s a comedy.” “It was good for a comedy.” Folks, let me tell you…comedy is the hardest gear to possess, and Scott’s a master.
Were you surprised Image signed on for this?
No, they were my first publisher and they’ve stuck by me through the very high peaks and the low valleys. I’m ride or die with them. And honestly, the people upset by a monster with a bus-sized penis flapping around as it shits the bed and destroys a city aren’t going to be the ones picking it up. We’ve gotten some really wonderful feedback. It’s been a while since the world had a comic like The Pro. That was definitely an inspiration. I think our pop culture is at risk of being homogenized by corporate cultures. This is a middle finger to the comics code, even though it’s been dead and roasting in hell for years.
Tell us about your collaborators on the book. Who are the art teams on the title?
Hi-Fi colors are Scott’s go-to color artists. Joe Sabino joins once again. He’s going to get the Dark Room Vol. 2 and more Dead Eyes soon. And Elliott Gray designed our great logo. When he’s not making the best logos in comics, he clocks in at Bungie.
In terms of audience, who THE GIANT KOKJÜ for?
Anyone who needs a laugh about an unjust world before we might get machine-gunned while shopping or seeing a movie.
THE GIANT KOKJÜ is available now at your local comic shop. Reserve your copy with PREVIEWSworld Pullbox.
