Miss Namikawa and Godzilla by Matt Frank

If you were a boy of a certain age and watched your fair share of kaiju movies, you most likely have fond memories of Kumi Mizuno as Dr. Sueko Togami in Frankenstein Conquers the World and the island girl, Dayo, in Godzilla vs. the Sea Monster. However, for me, far and away, her most memorable role was that of Miss Namikawa, the mysterious woman from Planet X, in Invasion of the Astro-Monster (AKA Kaijū Daisensō/怪獣大戦争, AKA Monster Zero, AKA Godzilla vs Monster Zero, and probably a few others). There was something about the sylized haircut and the stylish 1960's era space suit and the mysteriousness of her character(s) that makes this role stand out. Artist Matt Frank, who has drawn many of IDW's Godzilla series and who attended an international comic art con before this year's Tokyo Kaigai Manga Festival, seemingly shares my fascination with the character as, after a bit of discussion, suggested he add Miss Namikawa to my little red sketchbook. (Oh, for the record and by coincidence, Ms. Mizuno was from Niigata Prefecture, which is where I currently abide.)