LET'S KAIJU GO!

Based on my observations, kaiju related conventions and events seem to be a bit more common nowadays. But here in Texas, where currently you have a 50-50% chance of spontaneously bursting into flames if you so much as crack open your door, let's just say I wish there were a lot more.
So you can imagine my surprise when during my Facebook doomscrolling browsing, I come across an ad for an event called Kaiju Go! An event taking place in my own hometown.

Of course, me and my good buddy, Kaiju Kidd had to brave the nearly 100+ degree heat to attend.

Here's a link to an article about the inception of this event.

Kaiju Go! was held at the Isis Theater (or Downtown Cowtown at the Isis Theater) located in an area known as the Stockyards just outside Downtown Fort Worth, Texas. The theater itself opened in 1914 and has seen many closings and much needed renovations as recently as 2017 leading to it's reopening in the summer of 2021, look up the history of this theater if you get a chance.

While not having as many vendors as your average event like G-Fest, there was still a nice variety. The upstairs room they were put in was a bit crowded though, so much that eventually only a certain number of people were allowed up at a time and even then navigating the room took a bit of time. 
Most of the figures being sold at the event weren't overpriced at all, even the ones priced over $200-$400 which made me pretty happy. Unfortunately, most of the figures I was considering got snatched before I could act on them. Certainly any SH MonsterArts figures sold out pretty quickly. I seriously debated buying this awesome looking black and gold colored Gigan figure, it was about $200, but someone else got it. I might still be a bit jelly.

But where I got the most bang for my buck was at the Toy Matrix booth with T-Shirts galore! 
Being a quite tall person, I go for 3XL size shirts, a size that tends to sell out pretty quick at events like this. I bought 3 shirts and a Godzilla beanie. I bought enough stuff that one of the sellers offered me a choice of a free tote bag. I had to go for the one with the Monster Zero victory dance because I am a man of culture.

With shopping done, it was time for the first showing of the event, 1964's Mothra vs. Godzilla. Adding to the experience of seeing a classic movie at an old fashioned theater, we were treated to a couple of episodes of the 1940's Superman cartoon. Funnily enough, the second cartoon was cut off to start the main event so I guess Clark and Lois got killed by the mummies that got resurrected. 
As it was with G-Fest, seeing a Godzilla film on the big screen with a room full of fans was a huge treat. There was applause for the main title, the first appearance of our titular stars and the end title. 

After the first movie ended, we took the time to find some food in the area. I had me a delicious buffalo meat burger. When we got back, we were able to catch the rest of the Q&A with the special guests of the event: Bob Eggleton, a legendary Godzilla/Science Fiction artist and John Yurcaba IV, a cover artist for the recent IDW comic 'Godzilla: Monsters and Protectors - All Hail the King' as well as their Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Transformers: Beast Wars comics. 

One of the biggest surprises of the event was that I actually won one of the raffle prizes being offered: a Kaiju Go! event poster signed by the guests! I was quite surprised.

I mentioned before how Godzilla vs Megalon was the type of movie I would have loved to watch in a theater full of fans hollering and cheering, and let me tell you, that experience did not disappoint...
I think there were some people there who've never seen this movie before and that just made it better. In recent years, I've began to show various Godzilla flicks to my friends and it always fills me with joy to see their genuine reactions to them weather it's out of amazement or amusement. 

My loot:

Godzilla 1984 print by Bob Eggleton. Gigan figure from U.S. Toys

When all was said and done, we had to bid farewell to a fun filled day. Chas Foreman, the mastermind behind this event, said in his closing remarks to be hopeful for an announcement that Kaiju Go! will return. I really hope this event can make a return the following year. I wanna try and watch as many Godzilla movies in a theater as I can. And hey, next year marks the 50th anniversary of Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla, that would be a treat to watch!

But until then,
Thank you Chas Foreman, Jay Key, Bob Eggleton, John Yurcaba IV, the vendors and crew of Kaiju Go! and the employees of Downtown Cowtown at the Isis.

-Additional photos provided by KaijuKidd-

Till next time, I have been your host Gryphon

and thank you for joining me here in my lair.

So long...

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