Greetings, cool people!
July is rapidly winding to a close, which means this year’s annual G-Fest convention is now in the rearview mirror. It’s amazing how quickly these weekends seem to sneak up with each passing year, and even more shocking how rapidly they pass.
2025’s G-Fest was a big deal in a multitude of ways. The convention celebrated its 30th year, Tsuburaya Productions officially brought Ultraman (and a few of his monster/alien cohorts) to participate in the festivities, and it felt like the list of special guests was twice as long as it usually is. Also, while I don’t currently have the numbers to confirm this, I have a sneaking suspicion this was yet another record-breaking year in terms of attendance. It’s wild how big this con has gotten, and if you were there this year, I’m sure you could feel that bigness. From the packed rooms and expanded footprint across the Hyatt Regency to the fully decked-out main panel room (complete with concert-style lighting, mics, and even a producers booth in the back to keep it all running like a well-oiled mech), everything about G-Fest XXX just felt… big. Legitimate. Maybe even… fancy.
And somewhere in the middle of all that madness was li’l ol’ me.
This year’s G-Fest was certainly an epic event in general, but it has also gone down as easily my busiest, most hectic G-Fest yet. Over the course of four days, I (no joke) co-hosted 12 hours worth of programming across seven panels and a duo of two-hour workshops between Friday and Sunday, talked with countless amazing people, watched five films on the big screen, ate at the same restaurant four times, slept very, very little, drove 10 hours, and made one exceptionally BIG announcement…
Needless to say, by the time it was all over, I was exhausted down to my bones. But through it all, I was, and remain, incredibly fulfilled, excited, and endlessly grateful to have been a part of it all.
As is tradition, what follows is my yearly post mortem on the whole crazy affair, complete with reflections, insights, lots of gratitude, and some fun pictures. So, get cozy and grab your popcorn, because it’s time get this story told…
G-Fest XXX kicked off the same way my G-Fests usually do: with a five-hour drive from Ohio to Chicago. Well, kinda. Owing to both an early departure and what I can only assume was divine providence, my trip was barely four-and-a-half hours, during which time traffic was almost supernaturally cooperative. I even got through the infamously congested Chicago Loop – the stretch of highway where timely commutes go to die – in about seven minutes without stopping once. Not a bad start!
Next came the traditional “double-double-bill” film screenings at the gorgeous Pickwick Theater. This year was a real treat, with the first double feature being a G-Fest premier of Frankenstein Conquers the World (1965) and War of the Gargantuas (1966), and the second being two Big-G birthday bashes: Godzilla vs. Destoroyah (now 30 years old) and Terror of Mechagodzilla (now 50). Seeing Godzilla and his monstrous ilk at the Pickwick is always a mixed blessing: the opportunity to see these films in the format they were created for – particularly the Showa-era films in their glorious TohoScope – is always a treat, as is seeing said films in the company of friends, but the rowdiness of the con crowd often make these viewings a frustrating experience. I don’t care how many times a particular viewer has seen Godzilla vs. Destoroyah, or if they think their God’s gift to comedy… when Godzilla Junior is murdered, you don’t. friggin’. cheer. (Yes, this really happened.) It was embarrassing and disrespectful, and incidents like this really make me consider saving my money and avoiding the Pickwick every July.
Thursday evening ended with the Hyatt Regency’s security system malfunctioning, resulting in a long line of cars stuck in front of the gate waiting to enter as a thunderstorm shot streaks of lightening across the sky. After an hour or so of waiting and wetness, the issue was fixed and we were finally let back in, where I spent a few hours in the lobby assisting with some prep for the following day’s panels.
And ooooooh boy, did I ever have panels the next day. Of Friday’s seven hours of programing between 10:00 AM and 5:00 PM, I was involved with five of them (four of which were consecutive). I was excited and grateful to do it, and even more grateful that several of these panels were the result of invites from folks who wanted me to join… but it was a lot.
First up at 11:00 AM, I joined my good friend Elijah Thomas of the Kaiju Conversation podcast for a deep-dive discussion on the kaiju filmography of Shinpei Hayashiya. The unique mind behind Gamera 4: Truth and the Deep Sea Monster Raiga trilogy has long been a source of inspiration and entertainment for me, and that passion culminated last year when Elijah and I got to host the audio commentary for the SRS Cinema Blu-ray release of Hayashiya-san’s War of the Ninja Monsters: Jaron vs. Goura. (You can snag a copy here if you’d like to hear it!) This year, we were determined to celebrate him and his films for the G-Fest crowd.
The panel went great, highlighted by some prize giveaways courtesy of our partners at SRS, a special video introduction filmed by Hayashiya-san specifically for the panel, and a magical moment where the entire room stood and cheered, creating a 60-second standing ovation that Elijah filmed and sent to Hayashiya-san. I hope seeing all that joy and support showed him how beloved he is by U.S. fans.
After a quick snack break, I ran downstairs to take part in the yearly Kaiju Writers Panel. Several years back, I co-inherited this panel from its founder, kaiju author Neil Reibe, and it’s been my genuine honor to participate in, and help run, this event at every G-Fest since. This year’s gathering of monster wordsmiths was stacked with talent: writer/poet Donny Winter (who was part of the Eisner Award-winning team behind IDW’s “Godzilla 70th Anniversary” anthology comic), the aforementioned Neil Riebe (longtime G-Fan contributor and author of “I Shall Not Mate” and other kaiju novels), John LeMay (the mad genius behind the “Lost Films” book series and literally dozens of kaiju reference tomes), Christofer Nigro (the purveyor of the amazing Wild Hunt Press), and Nathan Marchand (a guy who hosts podcasts, writes books, acts in audio dramas, and has interesting taste in hats). For two hours, we answered questions, offered advice, provided feedback, and nerded out with a room full of aspiring writers, all of whom came extra-curious and eager to hone their craft!
This particular Writers Panel was particularly unique, as it was not only double the typical length, but also a lead-in to a full-on G-Fest Writer’s Workshop on Saturday. This proved a double-edged sword for the panel; while it was amazing to have the extra time for more questions, its association with the workshop led to the con stuffing the event into a tiny room in the basement. In years prior, the Writers Panel was held in one of the main ballrooms, allowing for larger crowds and greater exposure. Last year, nearly 100 participants joined the fun. This year, the shoebox dimensions of the basement room held barely more than 30 people. It was a massive downgrade, and Neil spent the better part of Thursday night and Friday morning scrambling to add extra tables for the hosts and as many seats as possible for the participants. Yikes.
Despite the cramped conditions and the out-of-the-way location of the panel, we made it work, and the turnout was still solid. This panel was also the most personally significant event of the weekend for me, for reasons that I’ll circle back to in a bit… (I know, I’m such a tease!)
No sooner had the Writers Panel concluded than I found myself racing to my third panel of the day: a 30th anniversary celebration of Godzilla vs. Destoroyah. This panel was a last-minute addition to my already hectic day; due to a schedule change, it became necessary to slot a panel into the 3:00 PM time slot, and Destoroyah was the lucky pick! Nick Crispino, Billy Dubose, and yours truly spent about 50 minutes looking back on the emotional bookend to the Heisei era by exploring its history, its deeper themes, and its special place within the franchise three decades after its release. Nick even shared some amazing photos he’d taken at the recent Destoroyah retrospective event in Japan, which included some astonishing props and suits from the film!
Once that wrapped up, it was off to another ballroom for another panel. (I’m truly not sure how I could see straight at this point.) But gosh darn it, Gamera was having a big birthday celebration, and I wasn’t gonna let the titanic terrapin down! The 60 Years of Gamera panel ended up being a highlight of the weekend; Nick Huber, Nathan Marchand, Elijah Thomas, and myself did our darndest to help the beloved turtle titan ring in his big 6-0 in style, and lots of folks came up to us to say we did a good job. If you were one of them, I thank you!
The hours following the Gamera panel were spent in a flurry of conversations with GNP readers, panel attendees, and dear friends who only cross my path this one weekend out of the year. After a refreshing cheeseburger at the the Red Bar (the Hyatt’s bougie built-in restaurant), it was time to settle in for the con’s traditional Opening Ceremonies. While previous years have included extensive video content (a tearful “in memorium” video honoring kaiju alumni who’ve passed away in the 12 months between cons, kaiju movie trailers, the latest Dojo Studios fan film shot during the previous G-Fest), this year’s ceremonies were rather truncated. After the incredible folks who run the show introduced themselves and the special guests got a moment to greet their fans, a video played showcasing each of the guests, and then… that was it. Very strange, but just as well, as I was aching to lie the heck down after my obscenely long day. Of course, that meant skipping Godzilla vs. Megaguirus at the Pickwick, but my eyelids were simply not having it. And in matters like this, my eyelids typically get the final say.
After a not-so-refreshing night of sleep (why my body kept waking me up at 6:00 AM the whole weekend, regardless of when I’d fallen asleep, is beyond me), my day kicked off with the first of two sessions for G-Fest’s inaugural Writer’s Workshop. For me, this was the absolute highlight of all the programing I co-ran, and a delight through and through. This workshop was something of a grand experiment; while G-Fest has had rooms for modeling, drawing, gaming, indie film screenings, and much more, there has never been a place for aspiring writers to congregate and get hands-on experience crafting stories under the guidance of established writers/authors. The two-part workshop was designed to fill this void and become a safe, supportive, and inspiring space where writers could come together to learn, to share their passion, and most importantly, to create!
And I’ve gotta say… mission accomplished! During the first session, attendees sat and wrote a piece of kaiju flash fiction, and during the second session, those stories were read aloud for critiquing/feedback. It was all hands on deck as Donny Winter, John LeMay, Nathan Marchand, Neil Riebe, Christofer Nigro, and yours truly answered questions, offered suggestions, helped research, and – during the second session – split the packed room into small breakout groups to share our stories.
The sheer amount of raw, impactful, and pure creativity I witnessed in my group was deeply wonderful. Everyone’s stories were special, ranging from fan fictions with familiar characters to entire worlds with original monsters to populate them. Seeing the excitement, joy, and bravery (it takes guts to write a story in two hours and then read it out loud to a circle of strangers!) in the group was legitimately inspiring, and a good, energizing time was had by all.
If you were a participant in the workshop, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for being a part of it. Your creativity and passion blew me away, and it was a privilege to be in the presence of such enthusiasm and talent. I hope to see your stories grow and evolve alongside your skills, and I’ll be looking for your names on the shelves of my local Barnes & Noble some day!
(Also, the feedback from attendees was glowingly positive, and I’d be shocked if this workshop doesn’t happen again next year. With any luck, they’ll put us in a bigger room next time!)
The three-hour gap between the two workshop sessions afforded me just enough time to do something I hadn’t had a chance to do the day before: enter the hallowed halls of the G-Fest Dealers Room. After three years of congesting the main Hyatt hallway where the con typically sets up camp, the dealers were relocated to an entirely different ballroom closer to the elevators, and the line began forming – I kid you not – on Thursday night, a full 14 hours before the room opened on Friday morning. Insane. Due to my packed schedule, I was only able to enter the Dealers Room a couple of times, losing my chance to meet up with several dealer friends and support them. That was a real bummer. Regardless, I managed to navigate the shoulder-to-shoulder unpleasantness of the hall and snag a couple of cool things for my collection.
Mere minutes after the Writers Workshop concluded, I was conscripted into helping judge the art contest a few doors down in the basement. As always, seeing the artistic talents of the con attendees was a blast, and I hope the winners enjoyed their shiny new ribbons! By the time I left the art room, I’d missed two different dinner invites, but managed to snag a seat at the Red Bar and consume my third cheeseburger of the weekend. I was so tired, I completely forgot the costume contest was happening downstairs. A lot of the con simply passed me by this year, both for better and for worse.
Thankfully, the night ended on a “better,” as I joined dear friends “Kaiju Kim” Lacanilao, Nate Marchand, and Damon Noyes for a Pickwick screening of 2019’s Godzilla: King of the Monsters. Now, I realize this is one of those G-flicks you’re not supposed to admit you enjoy, lest the internet crucify you for the grave sin of enjoying a motion picture, but guess what? I adore this film. It makes me happy whenever I watch it, and seeing it on the big screen again after six years was a joyous experience for me. Was it a late night? Definitely. Did my eyes droop a couple of times? Maybe. But it was worth it.
Sunday passed – as Sundays at G-Fests always seem to do – in a blur of final activities, last-minute meetups, and yet more panels. Three more, to be exact, beginning at 11:00 AM with a discussion on the wild and wacky kaiju films of cult filmmaker Minoru Kawasaki. This was another collaboration with my good friend Elijah Thomas, complete with another giveaway from SRS Cinema and lots of deep diving into the unique style, unbridled passion, and unhinged insanity that make Kawasaki-san’s kaiju films such a joy to watch.
One of the biggest casualties of my busy weekend was being unable to attend almost any of the Ultraman events taking place between Friday and Sunday. From character meet-and-greats to full-blown stage shows, Tsuburaya Productions descended on G-Fest like a Spacium Beam explosion, allowing attendees to visit with the original Ultraman, Ultraman Zero, the evil Ultraman Belial, the brand-new Ultraman Omega, and a whole slew of kaiju, including Jirass, Pigmon, Jamila, and Alien Baltan.
It was to the Baltan meet-and-greet that my very tired feet carried me after the Minoru Kawasaki panel wrapped up. I had just enough time to squeeze in this single, solitary Ultra event before the weekend ended, and I wasn’t gonna waste the chance. The results speak for themselves.
The decision to meet Baltan also opened the door for my absolute favorite moment of the entire con. Standing in line in front of me was a family, among them a little girl dressed as Ultraman Tiga. The pure excitement and wonder emanating from this kiddo was magical; she was in her element, happy beyond measure and spreading smiles throughout the entire line, just by being herself. By the time we were halfway to the photo stage, she’d shown me how to properly perform the famous Ultraman Spacium pose and the Baltan “claws up while laughing” pose.
I crossed paths with her and her family a few more times on Sunday, and had a long and wonderful talk with her mom about her children’s love for kaiju/heroes and all the fun they’d had throughout the weekend. To me, it was the perfect encapsulation of what G-Fest is all about. To this amazing little girl, with her costume and poses and happy laughter, the weekend – and everything about it – was magic. And a bit of that magic was shared by everyone she encountered, including my friends and I. Nearly 60 years ago, Eiji Tsuburaya created Ultraman as a tangible hero, a character who could emerge from the TV screen and exist in the real world – Disneyland-style, but better… because it’s Ultraman – as a source of inspiration and wonder for children of all ages. At G-Fest XXX, I saw that wonder in practice, and it was a beautiful thing to see.
Following my Baltan encounter, I joined Kevin Horn and Brady Johnson Jr. on stage in Sessions 1. Our mission: to roll the seven wonders of the world into one by celebrating 60 years of Toho’s Frankenstein Conquers the World. We had a blast talking about its production history, its iconic cast, its exciting special effects, and of course, Baragon! The highlight was listening to Brady tell his amazing story of having seen the film in theaters in the 1960s, and how it felt to be a kid growing up with a love of Japanese monster movies. “Frankenstein was our hero,” he said to the audience. It was an amazing, emotional thing to hear. I dearly hope it was recorded; stories like Brady’s deserve to be preserved, shared, and celebrated.
Next came a desperate scramble to the autograph room. Owing to my limited budget, I only had enough financial wiggle room to secure two autographs: Kurt Carley, the talented actor who donned the lean Godzilla costume for the 1998 film, signed my DVD copy, and Yoshiro Uchida, child star of the original Gamera the Giant Monster 60 years ago, signed a beautiful vintage poster I’d secured in the Dealers Room the previous day. (Pictures of these encounters exist, but I look like death warmed over in all of them, so you’ll just have to use your imagination.)
My avalanche of panels finally, finally ended at 3:00 PM, when Elijah Thomas, Nathan Marchand, and I teamed up to celebrate half a century of Terror of Mechagodzilla. It was a wonderful discussion that explored the fascinating history, layered storytelling, and overall brilliance of the Showa era’s last entry, made particularly special by the fact that Terror was both Elijah and Nathan’s first Godzilla film. It meant a lot to them to be there, reliving memories and chatting about the movie half a century after it first released. I hope they had as much fun as I did.
And then, suddenly… it was done. The lights came back on, I climbed down off the stage, and it sunk in that I’d just survived 12 hours of paneling across three of the busiest days of my life. An attempt was made to spend the next hour before the con ended visiting every spot I could, all in a desperate bid to experience anything I could possibly fit in. Alas, the Dealers Room began tearing down an hour early, as did the Artist Alley, the model thread, the game rooms… within minutes of me vacating the stage, it was all disappearing.
Bummer.
Thankfully, all was not completely lost. After my fourth and final Red Bar cheeseburger of the weekend, I met up with friends Kim, Nate, Danielle, and Brendan for what we’ve coyly dubbed the “wholesome hangout.” This introvert-friendly alternative to the drunken chaos of the bigger afterparty typically involves board games, snacks, bad puns, and me doing stupid voices for a few hours until our collective exhaustion catches up with us. This year, a new wrinkle was added: the discovery of a pile of artwork/coloring pages created by the talented kiddos in Minya’s Place, the con’s space for young G-Fans. A few of these pieces became the subject of a delirious night of goofiness and sleep-deprived shenanigans, none of which I can relate here without sounding like a complete lunatic. It’s one of those things you just… had to be there for.
(That said, much of our tomfoolery was recorded and assembled into a deeply incriminating video my Kim. If you want to see what three nights without sleep can do to the human brain, you can watch the video here, but don’t say you weren’t warned.)
By the time Monday rolled around, I was definitely ready to head home. After a weekend of being “on” nonstop, some recharging was desperately needed. And sleep. Lots of sleep. And five hours after jumping back into my packed car, “lots of sleep” is just what I got.
More than any other year by a longshot, G-Fest XXX felt like a working trip. Far from a vacation or a chance to unwind from the daily grind, the weekend left me feeling profoundly exhausted, and my schedule definitely took its toll. I missed a lot, was unable to reconnect with several people, and barely had time to breathe, let alone shop, admire art, or take a breather in my room. I was so tired by Sunday, that I actually left my AV adaptor plugged into the Sessions 1 video cord. By the time I returned to try and find it, the AV company had torn everything down.
RIP AV adaptor. RIP my brain cells.
So, all of this begs the question… why exactly did I do this? Why did I sacrifice so much of my time, my energy, other opportunities, lots of sleep, and more than an expendable share of sanity to put my poor introverted self in front of so many people? Surely it couldn’t have just been because I enjoy talking about this stuff (although that’s true), or that I enjoy not sleeping (which is not true). So, what gives?
Well, there’s absolutely a reason, and despite the exhaustion it caused and the time it reallocated from so much else I wanted to do over the weekend, I believe it was a good reason.
As it turns out, I had something to announce. Something… kind of remarkable. Something I wanted 12 hours worth of audiences to hear about, in the single best place an announcement like this could possibly be made.
If you were at any of my panels, you already know what this announcement is because, well, I announced it! But if you weren’t, take another gander at this picture…
Notice anything suspicious, hiding behind the program book and the tag?
Yeah… something cool is cooking. A project I’ve been waiting a year and a half to announce, and nearly my entire life to get the chance to create.
But all that malarky deserves its own update post. Be on the lookout for the full reveal within the next day or so. I hope it’ll be worth the wait!
And with that, another G-Fest post mortem has come to a close. If you made it down the above wall of text, I thank you for doing so. I hope it was a fun (if often harrowing) read!
As draining as much of G-Fest was for me this year, make no mistake: a great deal of fun was absolutely had. I laughed more than I have in months. I got to meet some amazing special guests, make a couple of cool purchases, eat more cheeseburgers than I probably should have, lecture on topics that mean a lot to me, be in the presence of incredible creativity in the Writers Workshop, and – most important of all – reconnect with the wonderful people who make this con special. My dear friends, my extended G-Fest family… and you, the GNP readers who continue to support and believe in me.
If you were one of the many cool people – friends, readers, listeners, supporters, all of the above – who attended a panel I co-hosted, got creative in the Writer’s Workshop, stopped me to chat, or showed me love during the weekend, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. More than any panel or event, you are G-Fest to me.
I’ll see you again in a day or two for that announcement. Until then, stay happy. Be kind to one another. Find joy however you can, wherever you can. I’m so glad you’re here, and I hope you’ll join me for what comes next…
The Godzilla Novelization Project 