Edward L. Holland Talks About the Big Return of His Fan Favorite Magazine Author: Bob Johnson Official Site: Monster Attack Team
In the early 1990s, Edward Holland and the late Joe Riley began Monster Attack Team (the name taken from the anti-monster team in RETURN OF ULTRAMAN) as a Dallas, Texas fan club for aficionados of Japanese science fiction and fantasy. It soon evolved into a cable access television show and a small newsletter that grew to become a fan favorite magazine which ran for eight issues. The print version now returns with the all-new Monster Attack Team #1, shipping this month. Unlike the earlier, self-published issues, the new MAT will be printed and distributed by Famous Monsters, the grandaddy of movie monster magazines. SciFi Japan recently spoke with Edward Holland about the history and future of Monster Attack Team. For additional information, please visit the Monster Attack Team website and Facebook page. Order the new Monster Attack Team #1 from Famous Monsters at Captain Company. Bob Johnson: Let`s start with you. Tell us about your background and how you grew up to be such a Japanese pop culture enthusiast? Edward L. Holland: I grew up in Dallas, Texas, a place in the 70s devoid of Japanese superheroes. We had Japanese anime, SPEED RACER, BATTLE OF THE PLANETS, STAR BLAZERS and, of course, Japanese monsters like Godzilla and Gamera on Saturday morning matinees, sometimes including the Johnny Sokko film. But not much hit the fan until UTRAMAN was syndicated in the 80s. However as a child, I had a Japanese friend who exposed me to KAMEN RIDER, MIRROR MAN and other heroes that seemed so mystical and far from the beaten path of my World`s Greatest Heroes Mego and GI Joe dolls that I collected. He filled my mind with desires of traveling to Japan and that ultimately happened a couple of times and now I live here temporarily as a government paralegal. My hobby of studying the shows and cultural aspects of monsters, heroes and music has really exploded over the years. Bob Johnson: Monster Attack Team started out as a public access television series. How did you start that? Edward Holland: Monster Attack Team started out as a public access program in combination with a fanzine and fan club all rolled into one. Co-founder Joe Riley and I were not your casual fans, at least by Dallas standards, then. Just prior to WAYNE`S WORLD we were doing that show but on Japanese tokusatsu level. We would raid the local Japanese grocery store, seek out anything related to the culture and incorporate it into our fanzine and show. This caught the attention of other states, Japan and Europe on a small scale, then it all kind of folded gradually. But during those times others took notice and G-Fan -- which we predate -- spawned Kaiju-Fan and Ultra-Fan. There was Kaiju Review, Ben Dunn`s Sentai and of course Damon Foster`s Oriental Cinema and a few others. We like to think we were partly responsible for that.
And, of course, POWER RANGERS hit the airwaves. I was actually on the set just prior to the series airing and at that time was invited to the set of ULTRAMAN POWERED (aka; ULTRAMAN THE ULTIMATE HERO) with yourself and August Ragone. So basically you had all the execs and veteran special effects gurus from Tsuburaya in the hills of Burbank with Markalite and Monster Attack Team on the set, with Ultraman and Dada slugging it out not far from where they shot M*A*S*H. ALIEN DEATH SQUAD was a carbon copy of MAT but with more anime and music and it challenged the public with some controversial bondage, fetish segments and lots of partying on screen. Heck, the first episode of that show had Cybortronik Media`s David May and myself shooting live Russian assault rifles right past the cameras. You could not do that on TV today, I guess. I was not really down with it, but said `what the heck`. We did not harm anyone and never intended to. We actually were contacted by the BBC and they featured us in a show about western culture and we included an official clip of ULTRAMAN 80 provided by Tsuburaya`s defunct western office, Ultracom. MAT was and has always been a pretty family friendly affair. I grew up watching the movies and had the distinct pleasure of watching GODZILLA VS THE SMOG MONSTER to my heart`s content with my 2nd grade class on a field trip that was geared to teach us about ecology. That worked on this fan, at least; I never threw a single piece of trash on the street after watching that film. And I pretended that Godzilla was my friend, even though I wanted him to smash everything in sight. Bob Johnson: Who were some of the contributors in the early days? Edward Holland: When ADS started, MAT took on more of a magazine style but still printed on the cheap, with myself funding the entire production. It stepped up in the writing, but lacked the focus we really wanted to strive for and we closed up shop officially with issue 7. Writers at the time included yourself, Kip Doto, Kevin Grays -- who is still with us-- and others. In fact, Kevin contacted me from a print ad I put out eons ago. Japanese fans contacted me, too, plus people who worked for TV Guide Japan and others from around the globe. When people first joined they received a membership card and a hand painted pin of either an Ultra Monster, Ultraman or Kamen Rider figure. Joe Riley poured the resin, hand painted them and we mailed out the issue, plus the card and pin. If you have one of those pins consider yourself lucky. Joe left us in 2007 and some of his artwork and monster related masks are worth a lot. I remember Joe, to my knowledge, making the first highly detailed Smog Monster garage kit with a removable eye lid. He was amazing and we worked on professional films and productions outside of MAT together. He and I would have mini-parties and just watch shows and films or literally play with toys, like we did on MAT the access show, and talk on the phone for hours about Japan. Dallas was unique for getting the premiere of GUYVER back then with [director] Screamin` Mad George in attendance and, years later, GAMERA: THE GUARDIAN OF THE UNIVERSE. Bob Johnson: There was quite a long break between the last issue of MAT as it was and the first new, improved issue. What was happening during that time? And what made you decide to bring MAT back?
Edward Holland: The long hibernation was inevitable; I went off into a direction working with the government and just did not have time for MAT. But my friend and graphic designer Mike Keller prodded and persuaded me into resurrecting MAT. With his help we kickstarted it again and set off to make something we could not have done years ago. We made issue 8 which was more like a book and pitched it to Diamond Comics. They made us break it up and offered it worldwide, and just as we were picking up steam they dropped us like a Jet VTOL bomb. We contacted them later and they said "Ah, sales were not that great," and we said, "Thanks," and never looked back. Bob Johnson: At what point did the Famous Monsters offer come along and what does that mean for the future of MAT? Edward Holland: I started networking and decided to pitch it to IDW Publishing and in the process of doing that I changed gears and contacted Phil Kim of Famous Monsters of Filmland who I had met at Comic-Con San Diego. We have talked on various occassions for about the prospect of bringing it back, while I was a contributing writer for their annual Japanese monster issues spearheaded by August Ragone. Tons of messages, emails, skype calls and business meetings and here we are today finally going to release MAT #1 the new V3 supercharged version we could only dream of doing on our own. Ragone has been behind the project from day one since I mentioned it to him and he has blown it up with the FM Ghoul Crew in Karloffornia ever since. What FM means for the future of MAT is that we will finally get some much needed distribution, higher quality, more great artists like multi Hugo Award winner, Bob Eggleton and more yet to come. Actually, as I was putting a fire under FM, Diamond contacted us again and said we want to release some more MAT issues and we just said, "We have other plans we are working on." So in a way we are back from the grave a second time. We hope that the public likes what we are trying to do, which has always been to promote our favorite monsters, heroes and aspects of culture that does not receive its share of the limelight. Now of course Godzilla is huge and the Big G has gone from pushing Dr. Pepper in the 80s, to Taco Bell burritos in the 90s and the future is wide open for next year`s Gareth Edwards film. But the door has not be scratched on all the other characters, at least in the mainstream eye. With the new MAT we hope that will change. All the current productions and the classic ones too, plus music and anime will be covered. The music end has always been a logical mix, some of the greatest Japanese bands and movements cannot be ignored and we plan on covering a variety of topics. Bob Johnson: Can you talk a little bit about the non-monster aspects of MAT?
Edward Holland: The non-monster aspects of MAT whether it was the access show, the fanzine and later magazine is that we showed the culture, the fans and what they were influenced by. As musicians, artists and collectors it was everything from those who built Aurora model kits to those who made life size recreations of the YM-3 Robot from LOST IN SPACE to bands including Man or Astro-Man and Seikima II (The End of the Century). We also covered independent filmmakers like Damon Foster, when he was running Oriental Cinema that was put out by Draculina publishing. The sky is the limit, but more music is definitely in the works for the magazine and webshows when we have time. We recently interviewed people close to the family of hide, the original lead guitarist of X-Japan who took his life over a decade ago. Whether you like Japanese metal or not, this band is the most popular band from Asia in the world. Sometimes you might even hear their songs being piped into local restaurants while visiting Japan. Regardless, hide was one of a kind and is still greatly missed by his fans. Bob Johnson: Any plans of incorporating other aspects of Japanese culture in the new magazine? If so, what? Edward Holland: Yes, incorporating other aspects is a definite. We had always planned to put something in about anime, especially since we are regular guests at AKON in Dallas, Texas, the nation`s longest running anime convention going on their 24th year, happening May 31st - June 2nd, 2013. Last year we brought Tak Sakaguchi (VERSUS, YAKUZA WEAPON, GODZILLA: FINAL WARS) and Isao Karasawa (KARATE ROBO ZABORGAR) to the convention. In front of 230 of his fans, Sakaguchi commented on how he is an otaku and loves anime. We will be covering specific titles -- and definitely not DOKI DOKI PRECURE SMILE for sure -- but we are working on an exclusive with the Admiral of Space Opera Anime, Leiji Matsumoto of YAMATO and HARLOCK fame for later this year. We grew up on the classics and enjoy some of the newer titles, too. We are real excited about the big budgeted CAPTAIN HARLOCK being released in Japan this October.
We also were involved in the creation of the character, Ikameijin for the up-and-coming video game, KAIJU COMBAT! by Simon Strange of Sunstone Games and Godzilla illustrator, Matt Frank. We designed the character with our colleague, Uky Daydreamer (a toy designer in Japan) and Matt as a team! We are an associate producer of the video game and were very excited to get behind a game that looks destructively promising on all fronts. Fashion, food, travel; anything is game. Bob Johnson: With the backing of Famous Monsters, what do you hope to achieve with the new version of MAT? What are some of the things you can do now that you couldn`t do before? Edward Holland: Yes we will have exclusives, but we will continue to offer that MAT style fan perspective with deep reads on the films, shows and events overseas. We also have some ideas for putting things in your hands that maybe you have not seen before, like Matt Frank`s insert that you can punch out from the magazine and decorate your office or home with at your will. There has always been a niche audience, but we predict that niche will open a bit wider due to all the kaiju and anime related films that are going to eventually get exported or released on DVD for a fraction of the cost in Japan stateside. The days of a few guys sitting in a video room at a convention watching LUPIN, GATCHAMAN, MACROSS, and a few ULTRAMAN episodes are long gone. At Comic-Con a few years ago I assisted Ragone with a Gamera DVD release panel and we stayed up all night getting the presentation ready and then the next day like 335 people showed up and we were blown away by such exuberance for an atomic space turtle. Fashion, food, travel; anything is game for the new MAT. Tokusatsu fans are definitely out there and always have been. They traded MAT on VHS all the way to Chicago and Tokyo, without us sending any tapes ourselves. Recently, in Japan, I have had the distinct pleasure of meeting actors like Tak Sakaguchi and bringing him stateside to AKON-23 in Dallas, Texas where we raised thousands of dollars for disaster relief. MAT is committed to seeing Japan bounce back. Our contribution may be minimal compared to what others are doing, but we are focused on the power of the message the heroes and monster culture have on its public. It is not quite the monster boom of the 60s or 70s, but as a foreigner if you walk around the streets in Japan with a Kikaida shirt on today, people notice and they want to know why you sport their icons. Some of the U.S. fans know more about these characters than their own residents do and that intrigues even the casual fan overseas. Bob Johnson: In a world of internet and there when you want it media, how do you plan to make a magazine that is fresh and offers fans something they can`t get from their computers? Edward Holland: Well fresh is really yesterday`s news by the time it is printed. But exclusives -- in the sense that we are reporting on something from the source and location of where it is happening -- is the motivation for us now, especially since some of our writers are here in Japan. The fan perspective is going to be kept in mind, but in a more contemporary fashion as opposed to the previous issues of MAT. You won`t get the kitchen sink concept in the magazine, but you might see more of the fan element in the webshows as we progress. All information is at the fingertips of your keyboard, but boots on the ground, pounding the pavement and exploring Japan and the current wave of live action, and popular culture including anime, is what we intend to explore and document. Bob Johnson: What is it that has kept your interest in Japanese pop culture burning all these years? Edward Holland: What has kept my interest in Japanese culture burning for all these years were the friendships I started as a child, the honest care-free desire to share each other`s dreams on the playground at school, in college student films, and traveling here. Today I am a staunch supporter of community service. However small your contribution may seem, it means a lot to the overall efforts of the collective worldwide group. Japan really appreciates the support and you can feel that daily.
Also to care about another country`s creative endeavors on the big and small screen is something that has turned a few heads for us. From Godzilla to Ultraman to Kamen Rider -- yes, even Robocon -- it`s hard to not be entertained and captivated by the creative spirit of Japan. Call me a geek, but when I recently saw a live action stage show of the Kamen Riders battling it out at a theme park I kind of lost the sense of time and was transported back to the days when I thought what would it be like to visit Japan one day. And I did not have to wake up from this dream, because I was living the dream for real! Bob Johnson: What are your favorite movies/TV shows from Japan? Edward Holland: Wow, I love so many programs over here. Currently I don`t have Japanese premium cable channels so I am limited to watching anime and live action on Sunday mornings. I really like the latest Sentai, KYORUGER. In my opinion it is a combination of AKIBARANGER - the Unofficial Sentai and the previous Dinosaur Sentai shows that preceded it including ZYURANGER from 1992-1993. I enjoyed the recent film version of the mini series YOKAI NINGEN BEM, based on the classic 60s anime series. I might be in the minority, but I enjoyed GOKAIGER VS GAVAN and, to a lesser degree, GAVAN THE MOVIE in theaters. The latest SUPER HERO TAISEN Z was a step up from previous incarnations and the fact that Kikaida is coming back is pretty exciting. Ban Daisuke mentioned to me recently that he would love to see a new version of Kikaida. In fact he has been saying this for a few years now, so his wish is actually coming true. At a recent Kamen Rider stage show I saw with my family, the MC mentioned "We have a lot of Heisei Rider fans out there". Then she asked, "Do we have any Showa Rider fans out there?," and of course I shouted "Yiii", ala Shocker, amongst the 450 or so people that were gathered. Fans of the old and new coexist here in Japan and it is a magical place to visit, live, or work and we hope we can highlight a bit of that in our magazine and on the net. MAT`s goal was always to promote the films and shows we love and we continue to do that plus raise awareness. We have donated thousands of dollars to Tohoku Disaster relief efforts since 2011 and we will continue that as well. Who doesn`t want to get something cool as in rare items we auction off at conventions and sell with significant portions of those auctions and sales going directly to disaster relief efforts in Japan, which is still recovering from the 2011 Great Eastern Earthquake. Thank you SciFi Japan for being longtime members of MAT and for helping to promote our efforts and others worldwide!
For more information on Monster Attack Team, please see the earlier coverage here on SciFi Japan: