Adam Graham's Blog: Christians and Superheroes - Posts Tagged "godzilla"

Essential Godzilla, Vol. 1 by Doug Moench

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


In 1977, Godzilla joined the Marvel Universe and not as a separate spinoff but in the main 616 Universe. Godzilla makes landfall in Alaska and begins a swath of devastation through Seattle and San Francisco before turning inland towards Las Vegas and Salt Lake City.

The first twelve issues chronicling these adventures are okay. Its what you'd expect of any Godzilla story except S.H.I.E.L.D. is the government authority taking charge with Nick Fury handing the Godzilla affair to Dum Dum Dugan after the first Issue or so. There's a Japanese scientist and a boy named Rob who is annoying squirt who insists Godzilla is really not bad even as lives and home are destroyed.

The big problem with the first half is that except for S.H.I.E.L.D. it doesn't feel like Marvel story at all with the exception of the Champions (an obscure superhero group that was a precursor of the West Coast Avengers.) The second half is far more interesting with Issues 13 and 14 involving Godzilla taking on cattle rustlers. Only Marvel would think Godzilla would make a good Western.

S.H.I.E.L.D. then gets shrinking gas from Hank Pym and shrink Godzilla to miniature and take him to New York and then a pint sized Godzilla escapes. What follows includes several issues featuring the Fantastic Four, Doctor Doom's time machine sending Godzilla to the stoneage, the Avengers including a battle between Thor and Godzilla over the Empire State building, and a three panel guest appearance by Spider-man.Also J Jonah Jameson reacting to Godzilla.

The book is a rarity and while the quality in the beginning is mixed, the second half easily lived up to the expectations I had for the series.



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