Godzilla Rulers of Earth
By Chris Mowry, Matt Frank, and Jeff Zornow
592 Pages/IDW Publishing/$13.99
I grew up in the 1960s when the first Godzilla movies became part of the monster movies frequently found on television at all hours of the day or night. I recall being thrilled to be taken to see Destroy All Monsters because it was the monster team-up I always imagined.
But I never thought Godzilla lent itself to comic books, no matter who tried their hands at it, beginning with Marvel in the 1970s. So much depended on the iconic roar and the man in the suit. Company after company has tried, and it appears IDW found a winning formula with this particular series. It ran for 25 issues, the longest run for any Godzilla title, and remains fondly recalled by fans of the character. If you, like me, skipped this, you can now get a nicely priced omnibus of the complete series at the 6’ x 9” size.
The stories here pick up after the ongoing Godzilla as the kaiju begin appearing around the world. This typical problem is enhanced by the arrival of shapeshifting Cryogs, aliens bent on conquering the world. They form an alliance with the undersea Devonians, an ancient civilization new to the reader.
This alliance appears to spell the end to humanity, with Destoroyah and Biollante dispatched to destroy Godzilla (as if). Meanwhile, the Counter-Kaiju Reaction Forces (CKR), led by Commander Steven Woods and a team of Kaiju Watchers, fronted by Lucy Casprell, represent the main humans involved in the story.
Across the first dozen issues. We watch battle after battle, as buildings are toppled, people flee in panic, and the CKR try to hold things together. Things look pretty bleak for mankind until the Devonians betray their alien partners, resulting in the CKR and Godzilla turning the tide.
Undaunted by their seeming defeat, the Cryogs unleashed the Trilopods, parasitic aliens that absorb the DNA and powers of any kaiju they bite, creating hybrid clones of Earth’s monsters. Now we have something new to worry about, but it sure gives artists Matt Frank and Jeff Zornow something fun to draw, and they make it work, issue after issue. Their humans are never quite right, but their kaiju and aliens are lovely.
Things are looking pretty bleak as one by one, the kaiju are defeated and trussed up in Los Angeles hives. This, of course, puts all the creatures in one place for the climactic battle in the final issue.
Chris Mowry paces things nicely, making certain his humans have things to do and feel even though it’s clear he, like the artists, does better with the kaiju and aliens. Mowry certainly has been steeped in the Toho lore, and there are some nice deep cuts for long-time fans.
If you want monsters, you get them all: Godzilla, Gigan, Rodan, Mothra, Zilla, Kumonga, Gorosaurus, Anguirus, Titanosaurus, Battra Hedorah, and Mechagodzilla. Even SpaceGodzilla gets some screen time.
Reading this took me back to the first battle royale with the monsters, and it felt nostalgic in a good way.
English (US) · 