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MIFV Interview Series – James Santana, Writer of Nebulon: Knight of Justice #1 (NOW ON KICKSTARTER!)

Published September 30, 2025

In the first of not one but two interviews Nathan has conducted in the last month, he sits down to with James Santana (again), but this time to discuss James’s first full-length tokusatsu-inspired comic book, Nebulon: Knight of Justice #1. If you love Power Rangers, Ultraman, and/or Kamen Rider, this comic is for you!

Watch the original video interview: https://youtube.com/live/lCaJs6xlTrE.

Support Nebulon on Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1935627238/nebulon-knight-of-justice-1-24-page-tokusatsu-comic.

Read Nathan’s review of the comic for Kaiju United: https://kaijuunited.com/2025/09/15/unleash-a-review-of-the-kickstarter-comic-nebulon-knight-of-justice-1/.

Check out Nathan’s spinoff podcasts, The Henshin Men and The Power Trip, and Henshin Power V3!

We’d like to give a shout-out to our MIFV MAX patrons Danny DiManna (author/creator of the Godzilla Novelization Project); Damon Noyes, The Cel Cast, TofuFury, Eric Anderson of Nerd Chapel, Wynja the Ninja, Christopher Riner, The Indiscrite One, Eli Harris, Jake Hambrick, Matt Walsh (but not that Matt Walsh), Jonathan Courtright, Leon Campbell, Michael Watson, Sam Allred, and Devin Torrence! Thanks for your support!

You, too, can join MIFV MAX on Patreon to get this and other perks starting at only $3 a month! (https://www.patreon.com/monsterislandfilmvault)

Buy official MIFV merch on TeePublic! (https://www.teepublic.com/user/the-monster-island-gift-shop). NEW MERCH NOW AVAILABLE!

This episode is approved by the Monster Island Board of Directors.

Podcast Social Media:

www.MonsterIslandFilmVault.com

#JimmyFromNASALives       #MonsterIslandFilmVault    #Podcast                       #henshin

© 2025 Moonlighting Ninjas Media

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ANNOUNCEMENT – MIFV 6th Anniversary Livestream Coming Sept. 27 at 7pm EST!

Published September 25, 2025

Join us Saturday, September 27, 2025, at 7pm EST on MIFV’s YouTube channel, Twitch channel, and Facebook page to celebrate the podcast’s 6th anniversary with a special livestream! Guests will include Damon Noyes, Christopher “Sentai Guy” Riner, and Matt Walsh (But Not That Matt Walsh). There will be giveaways and MIFV Jeopardy! Don’t miss it!

YOUTUBE LINK: https://youtube.com/live/GaRJBb6EPt4.

Featuring “10 Minutes of Hypothermia” by Metal Man.

Check out Nathan’s spinoff podcasts, The Henshin Men and The Power Trip, and Henshin Power V3!

We’d like to give a shout-out to our MIFV MAX patrons Danny DiManna (author/creator of the Godzilla Novelization Project); Damon Noyes, The Cel Cast, TofuFury, Eric Anderson of Nerd Chapel, Wynja the Ninja, Christopher Riner, The Indiscrite One, Eli Harris, Jake Hambrick, Matt Walsh (but not that Matt Walsh), Jonathan Courtright, Leon Campbell, Michael Watson, Sam Allred, and Devin Torrence! Thanks for your support!

You, too, can join MIFV MAX on Patreon to get this and other perks starting at only $3 a month! (https://www.patreon.com/monsterislandfilmvault)

Buy official MIFV merch on TeePublic! (https://www.teepublic.com/user/the-monster-island-gift-shop). NEW MERCH NOW AVAILABLE!

This episode is approved by the Monster Island Board of Directors.

Podcast Social Media:

www.MonsterIslandFilmVault.com

#JimmyFromNASALives       #MonsterIslandFilmVault    #Podcast                       #kaiju

© 2025 Moonlighting Ninjas Media

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A Review of ‘Kaiju Unleashed’ by Shawn Pryor

Published September 15, 2025

I said on the air when I interviewed Shawn Pryor that I would write a review of his book Kaiju Unleashed for Kaiju United, but then I discovered they’d already published a review. So, I’m instead going to publish my review here. The book will be cited in a future episode of MIFV, so it fits with my decision to write podcast book reviews. However, I’m making this one public since I originally intended to post a public review on KU.

Anyway…

Kaiju Unleashed: An Illustrated Guide to the World of Strange Beasts is a coffee table book chock full of information and images pertaining to tokusatsu’s heaviest hitters and then some. You’ll find chapters dedicated to Godzilla, Kong, Gamera, and Ultraman but also chapters about outliers like Daimajin and kaiju from countries outside of Japan. The information is by no means extensive, as each chapter could easily be expanded into entire books (and in some cases, that’s happened). However, Pryor dedicates pages to information that is rarely mentioned in the fandom, such as listing all the suit actors who’ve played Godzilla (including those in the Godzilla Fes short films) and not just mainstays like Haruo Nakajima and Kenpachiro Satsuma. Pryor aims to make each chapter, as packed as each one is, to be a primer to get readers interested in the media or as a starting point for further research. This is why he includes a bibliography in the back of the book, which gets a thumbs up from this former graduate student.

Surprisingly, Pryor doesn’t stop at movies. He has chapters on prose books and comic books, which are typically ignored in tomes like this. Given that Pryor has extensive experience with comics, it’s no surprise he would include them. It’s in this chapter where I learned the most and discovered a few titles to track down.

Given the wide breadth of Pryor’s research, the book understandably gets some details wrong. These are never egregious, but they may annoy hardcore fans. For example, Pryor casually mentions that 1955’s Godzilla Raids Again, the first sequel to Gojira (1954), was directed by Motoyoshi Oda but later says that 1966’s Ebirah, Horror of the Deep (aka Godzilla vs. the Sea Monster) was the first G-film not directed by Ishiro Honda. A few of the image captions are also incorrect, labeling them from the wrong movies. Given that the primary audience for this book is new fans, it would behoove them to fact check everything they read in this book, but that’s a generally good rule of thumb, anyway.

All that being said, the book’s greatest strength is its presentation. It’s laid out like a magazine with eye-popping colors, multiple sidebars, and text boxes. No two pages look exactly alike, making each page turn a new surprise. The fonts are always legible and the layouts are rarely daunting. The sheer volume of images, which is the biggest sticking point when it comes to licensing, is almost overwhelming. They add even more color and context to what’s being discussed.

Kaiju Unleashed is a great “gateway” to the wide world of kaiju and tokusatsu for new fans, but it may have a surprise or three to offer fandom veterans. Either way, it’s a colorful new addition to any kaiju lover’s bookshelf.

Score: 8/10

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Episode 105: ‘Gorgo’ vs. Bex vs. Encyclo | The Monster Island World Tour

Published August 13, 2025

Hello, Kaiju Lovers! In this, the penultimate episode of the “Monster Island World Tour,” Nate is joined by MIFV staple (and Jessica’s “bestie”), Becky “Bex” Smith, but this time, she brings her “husbando,” Encyclo, along! They discuss arguably the best (or at least most iconic) British kaiju film, Gorgo, the last of the 1961 European kaiju movies. Why? To pay off a joke that goes all the way back to episode 18! This is the third Eugene Lourie monster film Nate has discussed on the show, so he may have to bent the podcast’s purview to include the fourth and final one. Bex is full of hot takes about the monster suit and special effects, while Nate argues this has the first ever “Kenny” in a kaiju film. That’s just a taste of what they discuss! Since this film takes place partly in Ireland and there are tensions between Ireland and England, the Toku Topic is Anglo-Irish relations.

“Jimmy’s Notes” on this episode COMING SOON!

Check out Nathan’s spinoff podcasts, The Henshin Men and The Power Trip, and Henshin Power V3!

We’d like to give a shout-out to our MIFV MAX patrons Danny DiManna (author/creator of the Godzilla Novelization Project); Damon Noyes, The Cel Cast, TofuFury, Eric Anderson of Nerd Chapel, Wynja the Ninja, Christopher Riner, The Indiscrite One, Eli Harris, Jake Hambrick, Matt Walsh (but not that Matt Walsh), Jonathan Courtright, Leon Campbell, Michael Watson, Sam Allred, and Devin Torrence! Thanks for your support!

You, too, can join MIFV MAX on Patreon to get this and other perks starting at only $3 a month! (https://www.patreon.com/monsterislandfilmvault)

Buy official MIFV merch on TeePublic! (https://www.teepublic.com/user/the-monster-island-gift-shop). NEW MERCH NOW AVAILABLE!

This episode is approved by the Monster Island Board of Directors.

Timestamps:

  • Introduction: 0:00-27:06
  • Entertaining Info Dump: 27:06-36:22
  • Toku Talk (main discussion): 36:22-2:33:20
  • Podcast Ad – Henshin Power V3: 2:33:20-2:35:30
  • Toku Topic – A Brief History of Anglo-Irish Relations: 2:35:30-3:12:12
  • Outro (housekeeping, etc.): 3:12:12-3:28:32
  • Credits: 3:28:32-end

Podcast Social Media:

www.MonsterIslandFilmVault.com

#JimmyFromNASALives       #MonsterIslandFilmVault    #Gorgo            #MonsterIslandWorldTour     #kaiju  #Britain           #England            #UnitedKingdom

© 2025 Moonlighting Ninjas Media

Bibliography/Further Reading:

  • Barr, Jason. The Kaiju Film: A Critical Study of Cinema’s Biggest Monsters. McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. 2016.
  • Bogue, Mike. Apocalypse Then: American and Japanese Atomic Cinema, 1951-1967. McFarland & Company, Inc., 2017.
  • Derendorf, Kevin. Kaiju for Hipsters: 101 “Alternative” Giant Monster Movies. Maser Press, 2018.
  • Gorgo blu-ray special features (VCI Video):
    • “Before and After Restoration”
  • Gorgo blu-ray/4K special features (Vinegar Syndrome):
    • “9th Wonder of the World, The.”
    • Commentary by Stephen R. Bissette.
    • “Gorgo Lives.”
    • “Gorgo: Behind-the-Scenes.”
  • “Gorgo.” IMDb. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0054938/.
  • “Gorgo (film).” Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gorgo_(film).
  • “Gorgo (1961).” Wikizilla. https://wikizilla.org/wiki/Gorgo_(film).
  • “Gorgo, Queen of Sparta.” Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gorgo,_Queen_of_Sparta.
  • Schoell, William. Creature Features: Nature Turned Nasty in the Movies. McFarlane & Company, Inc., 2008.
  • Warren, Bill. Keep Watching the Skies! (Vol. 1). McFarlane & Company, Inc., 2010.

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MIFV x Kaiju Kim x Donny Winter x Autistic Lizard Productions: The Epic G-Fest XXX Megastream!

Published July 23, 2025

And there came a day unlike any other. When your favorite kaiju podcasters and YouTubers found themselves united to discuss G-Fest XXX. On that day became…uh, what’s their team name? Join us for a MASSIVE livestream event that’s going out to multiple YouTube channels! Also features appearances by kaiju authors Neil Riebe and Danile DiManna (Godzilla Novelization Project).

Watch the live video version on the MIFV YouTube channel!

Check out Nathan’s spinoff podcasts, The Henshin Men and The Power Trip, and Henshin Power V3!

We’d like to give a shout-out to our MIFV MAX patrons Danny DiManna (author/creator of the Godzilla Novelization Project); Damon Noyes, The Cel Cast, TofuFury, Eric Anderson of Nerd Chapel, Wynja the Ninja, Christopher Riner, The Indiscrite One, Eli Harris, Jake Hambrick, Matt Walsh (but not that Matt Walsh), Jonathan Courtright, Leon Campbell, Michael Watson, Sam Allred, and Devin Torrence! Thanks for your support!

You, too, can join MIFV MAX on Patreon to get this and other perks starting at only $3 a month! (https://www.patreon.com/monsterislandfilmvault)

Buy official MIFV merch on TeePublic! (https://www.teepublic.com/user/the-monster-island-gift-shop). NEW MERCH NOW AVAILABLE!

This episode is approved by the Monster Island Board of Directors.

Podcast Social Media:

www.MonsterIslandFilmVault.com

#JimmyFromNASALives       #MonsterIslandFilmVault    #GFestXXX     #GFest30            #GFest

© 2025 Moonlighting Ninjas Media

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MIFV MAX #40 (Abridged): ‘Reptisaurus’ (2009) | Ft. Damon Noyes

Published July 16, 2025

Hello, Kaiju Lovers! If you’re joining us just after G-Fest, welcome! In this abridged episode of our Patreon-exclusive podcast, you’ll hear Nathan and executive producer/MIFV MAX “prime” member Damon Noyes discuss (or rather, riff) a “pseudo-remake” (and by that, we mean “second cousin twice removed”) of Reptilicus with the 2009 SyFy movie Reptisaurus. It claims to be based on the Charlton comic, which was a Reptilicus comic for two issues, but the $15 CGI creature looks nothing like it. And there’s no alien named Bob. What about Bob?! Instead, we get a cadre of 35-year-old college students, two bumbling soldiers, and Buck Rogers in his living room, er, office. It may look like an Asylum movie and quack like an Asylum movie, but it isn’t an Asylum movie, no matter what Grok may tell you. (Yes, Nathan experimented with X’s AI assistant to research this and had to fact-check the robot). Strap in, Kaiju Lovers!

Join MIFV MAX on Patreon to hear the uncut version and read Nathan’s research notes:

Check out Nathan’s spinoff podcasts, The Henshin Men and The Power Trip, and Henshin Power V3!

We’d like to give a shout-out to our MIFV MAX patrons Danny DiManna (author/creator of the Godzilla Novelization Project); Damon Noyes, The Cel Cast, TofuFury, Eric Anderson of Nerd Chapel, Wynja the Ninja, Christopher Riner, The Indiscrite One, Eli Harris, Jake Hambrick, Matt Walsh (but not that Matt Walsh), Jonathan Courtright, Leon Campbell, Michael Watson, and Sam Allred! Thanks for your support!

You, too, can join MIFV MAX on Patreon to get this and other perks starting at only $3 a month! (https://www.patreon.com/monsterislandfilmvault)

Buy official MIFV merch on TeePublic! (https://www.teepublic.com/user/the-monster-island-gift-shop). NEW MERCH NOW AVAILABLE!

This episode is approved by the Monster Island Board of Directors.

Podcast Social Media:

www.MonsterIslandFilmVault.com

#JimmyFromNASALives       #MonsterIslandFilmVault    #Reptilicus       #SyFy

© 2025 Moonlighting Ninjas Media

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MIFV Interview Series: Shawn Pryor – Author of Kaiju Unleashed, The Gamer and Power Rangers Comics

Published July 3, 2025

Nathan sits down with a fellow another fellow author! This time it’s the writer of the new book Kaiju Unleashed, Shawn Pryor. Not only did he write this crash course in all things tokusatsu, he’s also created his own toku-inspired comic book, written for Boom Studios’ Power Rangers comics, and written children’s books. We have a lot to talk about!

Watch the original version here: https://youtube.com/live/rVsEXm5XBoM.

Check out Nathan’s spinoff podcasts, The Henshin Men and The Power Trip, and Henshin Power V3!

We’d like to give a shout-out to our MIFV MAX patrons Danny DiManna (author/creator of the Godzilla Novelization Project); Damon Noyes, The Cel Cast, TofuFury, Eric Anderson of Nerd Chapel, Wynja the Ninja, Christopher Riner, The Indiscrite One, Eli Harris, Jake Hambrick, Matt Walsh (but not that Matt Walsh), Jonathan Courtright, Leon Campbell, Michael Watson, and Sam Allred! Thanks for your support!

You, too, can join MIFV MAX on Patreon to get this and other perks starting at only $3 a month! (https://www.patreon.com/monsterislandfilmvault)

Buy official MIFV merch on TeePublic! (https://www.teepublic.com/user/the-monster-island-gift-shop). NEW MERCH NOW AVAILABLE!

This episode is approved by the Monster Island Board of Directors.

Podcast Social Media:

www.MonsterIslandFilmVault.com

#JimmyFromNASALives       #MonsterIslandFilmVault    #PowerRangers            #BoomStudios

© 2025 Moonlighting Ninjas Media

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MIFV Interview Series: Linda Jo Miller | King Kong Escapes | The Green Slime

Published July 2, 2025

Nathan sits down to talk with former model/actress (and now everyone’s favorite grandma) Linda Jo Miller, who famously starred alongside Akira Takarada and Rhodes Reason in King Kong Escapes (1967). Nathan asks her what it was growing up as a military brat in Japan and what life was like after she was in King Kong Escapes.

Watch the original version here: https://youtube.com/live/XVFWdVDJMNo.

Check out Nathan’s spinoff podcasts, The Henshin Men and The Power Trip, and Henshin Power V3!

We’d like to give a shout-out to our MIFV MAX patrons Danny DiManna (author/creator of the Godzilla Novelization Project); Damon Noyes, The Cel Cast, TofuFury, Eric Anderson of Nerd Chapel, Wynja the Ninja, Christopher Riner, The Indiscrite One, Eli Harris, Jake Hambrick, Matt Walsh (but not that Matt Walsh), Jonathan Courtright, Leon Campbell, Michael Watson, and Sam Allred! Thanks for your support!

You, too, can join MIFV MAX on Patreon to get this and other perks starting at only $3 a month! (https://www.patreon.com/monsterislandfilmvault)

Buy official MIFV merch on TeePublic! (https://www.teepublic.com/user/the-monster-island-gift-shop). NEW MERCH NOW AVAILABLE!

This episode is approved by the Monster Island Board of Directors.

Podcast Social Media:

www.MonsterIslandFilmVault.com

#JimmyFromNASALives       #MonsterIslandFilmVault    #KingKong

© 2025 Moonlighting Ninjas Media

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Monster Conversation: Harryhausen Annual #4 – ‘The Valley of Gwangi’ | MIFV x Kaiju Conversation

Published June 29, 2025

Hello, Kaiju Lovers! And Happy Birthday, Ray! Nate and Elijah once again celebrate their birthdays by celebrating Ray Harryhausen’s birthday with another deep dive into the stopmotion master’s filmography: The Valley of Gwangi. This 1969 dinosaur epic combined the monster movie and western at a time when both genres were past their primes. It failed at the box office, but it has since become a cult classic, and it’s no wonder why. Cowboys wrangling dinosaurs, baby! While it aped (pun intended) King Kong (1933), it was Ray’s loving tribute to his mentor, Willis O’Brien, who wanted to make this film two decades earlier. It has some of Ray’s best work but also some underdeveloped characters. Where does it rank in Nate’s and Elijah’s lists of Harryhausen films? Listen to find out!

Additional Music:

  • “Legends of Warcraft” by PSK
  • “The Dark Ages” by Phil Rey

Check out Nathan’s spinoff podcasts, The Henshin Men and The Power Trip, and Henshin Power V3!

We’d like to give a shout-out to our MIFV MAX patrons Danny DiManna (author/creator of the Godzilla Novelization Project); Damon Noyes, The Cel Cast, TofuFury, Eric Anderson of Nerd Chapel, Wynja the Ninja, Christopher Riner, The Indiscrite One, Eli Harris, Jake Hambrick, Matt Walsh (but not that Matt Walsh), Jonathan Courtright, Leon Campbell, Michael Watson, and Sam Allred! Thanks for your support!

You, too, can join MIFV MAX on Patreon to get this and other perks starting at only $3 a month! (https://www.patreon.com/monsterislandfilmvault)

Buy official MIFV merch on TeePublic! (https://www.teepublic.com/user/the-monster-island-gift-shop). NEW MERCH NOW AVAILABLE!

This episode is approved by the Monster Island Board of Directors.

Timestamps:

  • Introduction: 0:00-5:46
  • Production History: 5:46-58:19
  • Toku Talk (Synopsis and Main Discussion): 58:19-2:50:55
  • Outro (housekeeping, etc.): 2:50:55-3:00:00
  • Credits: 3:00:00-end

Podcast Social Media:

www.MonsterIslandFilmVault.com

#JimmyFromNASALives       #MonsterIslandFilmVault    #kaiju   #daikaiju            #giantmonsters           #RayHarryhausen       #KaijuConversation            #valleyofgwangi

© 2025 Moonlighting Ninjas Media

Nathan’s Bibliography/Further Reading:

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