Godzilla: Kingdom of Monsters #1
Publisher: IDW
Writer(s): Eric Powell & Tracy Marsh
Artist: Phil Hester (cover by Eric Powell)
Hey, what’s that smell in Tokyo Bay? Fish…no. Maybe shrimp…no. It’s FEAR! Everybody run for your life, Godzilla is back! Yes, that’s right, everyone’s favorite Jurassic lizard has been brought back to life by IDW’s team of Eric Powell, Tracy Marsh, and Phil Hester. As usual, he’s not happy about something, but honestly, who cares why he’s mad and on a killing spree, let’s just enjoy the mass annihilation while we can.
The story is your usual Godzilla themed book/movie. Some children are playing near the ocean, and get surprised by the monster crashing up through the beach. Godzilla then makes his way to Tokyo, but before he can get there, he must endure a brutal pounding from the Japanese air force. Needless to say, Godzilla comes through it unfazed, and when all else fails, you guessed it, they try to nuke him. That doesn’t work either, and actually seems to not only tick him off even more, but also serve to give him radioactive fire breath as well! I know, things weren’t bad enough already, huh?
I gotta say, I’m stoked for this series for one simple reason. As a youth, I used to watch those old movies with joy and excitement (yes, I was a sadistic little fiend). I couldn’t wait to read the TV Guide to see if one of those monstrous films were coming on that week. Back in the day, Toho Co. LTD. brought us this wild story of Godzilla stomping his way through Japan for one reason or another, and he was seemingly unstoppable. The best movies were the ones where Godzilla faced off with other monsters from Earth and beyond! Powell and Marsh do a nice job with this book as far as keeping with traditional themes, and really make me think back to those days of yester-year. Hester’s artwork is fantastic and there are two splash pages that are just fantastic. Both show the size of the monster perfectly in conjunction with the surroundings. My favorite part, though, has to be the page with President Obama and one of his advisers. It was a really humorous part that came at a time of great urgency, but fit in perfectly.
If you haven’t picked up a copy, don’t worry, it sold out in one day, but on May 11th, IDW will release a second printing! This second printing will feature an Alex Ross foil cover, too! If you are a monster fan, don’t miss out on this book, it’s a great homage to Godzilla, the greatest monster of all time!
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Billy Dunleavy
billy@comicattack.net
Damn! Looks like I’ll end up reading the 2nd issue before the 1st but this thing looks and sounds good. I have several of the older Godzilla comics lying around so I’m interested to see how this book turns out.
@Speech- that gatefold cover is worth the price alone! It was a great monster type book! Definitely get the 2nd printing.
I’m also glad they stuck with the true and most recognizeable image of Godzilla. That crap from the 90s was straight up blashphemy!
@Speech- lol, yeah, agreed. I’m glad they also went with a traditional beginning as well.