Justice League vs Godzilla vs Kong 2 #1 review

Alright folks, let’s do this one more time. When I started writing for this site, one of the first series I reviewed was the original JL vs G vs K, starting part way through at #6. I remember being very disappointed in it, and even more surprised that it was due for a sequel. Now, the moment of truth has arrived. Will this series manage to deliver a fun crossover and join the likes of DC x Sonic? Or will it act more like its first iteration…

Monkey Business

When I sat down to read this issue, I can’t say that my expectations were very high. Like I said, I wasn’t the biggest fan of the original, so it’s only natural that this one would follow in its footsteps. After I finished, instead of thinking that it was good or bad, I was trying to figure out what was actually going on.

This book is full of unnecessary, confusing and poorly placed time jumps. We often go from Earth Prime in the “present day”, to Cape Town, “four years after G-Day”. In the present, Barry and Iris are getting married and over in Cape Town, The Suicide Squad are up to…something.

The confusion mostly stems from the fact that the time period is never explicitly stated on Earth Prime, leaving me wondering most of time whether this was happening at the same time, just in a different place. It doesn’t help that none of the stories are particularly interesting either. With a book like DC x Sonic, the crossover is limited to a main cast, ie The Justice League, with a few side characters here and there. The first JL vs G vs K had an enormous roster, and now we’re adding the Suicide Squad? So we’re stuck with a version of the JL and TSS that I don’t care for. Not a very good start.

The little things

My review so far has been quite negative. For the most part, I will try and find something I like in every comic I read. I’ll give it some credit, the coolest thing there is to see is a fight before a very big King Shark and Godzilla. Unfortunately, the sight itself isn’t mind blowing and brings back yet another problem from the original run: the art.

Like the creative team, my issues have stayed the same. The art in this book feels very flat and never particularly helps you feel the scale of these enormous monsters. Sure, giant King Shark may suplex Godzilla (again, very cool) but it may as well be a regular sized King Shark fighting a shrunken down Godzilla. I want to feel now big these Earth-shattering Kaiju are!

Recommend If

• The Suicide Squad seems more interesting than the Justice League
• Big Monkey and Big Lizard.
• You want to see a giant shark wrestle with the aforementioned Big Lizard.

Overall

The biggest crime being commited here is the fact that it’s boring. I’ve seen many a Godzilla and King Kong film and while they may sometimes contain boring elements, they’re overall entertaining. This is just confusing, and pointlessly so. I’m hoping that next time we’ll get to stick to one time rather than redo the dual narrative approach. It doesn’t suit this single issue format.

Score: 3/10

DISCLAIMER: DC Comics provided Batman News with a copy of this comic for the purpose of this review.