If you haven't heard the news, Haruo Nakajima, the original Godzilla suit actor, passed away on the 7th. I unfortunately never had the honor and pleasure of meeting him, but through years of watching kaiju films and the wonderful folks at G-Fest, I feel like I have in some way. This man did more than climb into a 200-lb rubber suit and terrorize miniature sets. He brought to life one of the most iconic film monsters ever. He made Godzilla scary. He made Godzilla a hero. He helped fuel the wild imaginations of our inner children.

Despite the sadness of someone's passing, I wanted this piece to be a little uplifting. I tried to convey the same emotion a family would have seeing their child take their first steps. Which is funny, given that my depiction of Nakajima-san is based on that photo of him testing out the half-suit for the original Godzilla film (ergo, his "first steps").Also, while the monsters look towards him, I tried to keep them in character. Nakajima-san endured quite a bit of pain during certain stunts, yet he was dedicated to the craft and tried to stay in-character.  And for those who don't read Japanese, the hiragana in the top-right says "sayonara".

As I said, I never had the chance to meet Nakajima-san, but I hope this tribute from myself to his legacy conveys how much of an impact he made on my life.