Heh, I guess this is the part where I say "Kingdom of Monsters has been a mixed read," and all that. Well, I've probably said that a thousand times already, so let's get down to business.
What do you get when you put a giant lizard named Godzilla in the same place with a giant three-headed dragon named King Ghidorah? AN ALL-OUT MONSTER BRAWL! It's a true clash of the titans as these two foes battle it out for what is the greatest battle on earth. Meanwhile, Steven Woods is bitten by a poisonous snake, and MECHAGODZILLA returns......
Unlike in a lot of the other reviews surprisingly, I thought the last issue was a HUGE step in the right direction. Kingdom of Monsters in it's early mid-stage suffered for it's political-references, it gave you the impression that this series was being used to poke at today's world. The last issue helped separate from that, the focus is where it should be: The monsters. This issue had really no real-life references. (Besides the President of course.) It's focus was on the showdown between G & KG (believe it or not) and Steven Woods.
I'm not ashamed to say that this was one of my most anticipated comics of the year. I live for these fights. Surprisingly, there haven't been that many monster fights in this series. There's only been Godzilla vs. Anguirus, Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla, and Rodan vs. Battra, all of which were too short to be satisfying. This is the issue we've been waiting for. With a titanic showdown teased last issue, we get it here, and it was epic.
My eyes were wide as these two titans battled each other. After I was finished with this issue, I wanted to go back and read it again, it's that epic. The best fight in a comic I've seen in a long time. I could hear the roars and beam sounds in my head as I read. That's the focus, but really the main focus is on Steven Woods and Allie. Their plot hasn't really been going anywhere these past issues, they just travel and travel and travel. That's over, when Mechagodzilla shows up. Now it gets interesting. Seeds are planted for the upcoming new arc, and I have rekindled interest in this series.
The only problem that all fans will agree with is......King Ghidorah losing. Now, it's not the actual lost, it's how fast it happens. We can all agree that this three-headed beast is Godzilla's greatest enemy, and one of his most powerful. (Second to Destroyah.) He's based solely on his GMK counterpart, which is fine, but for a lot of build-up, he gets washed away a bit TOO quickly. It seems that this series is favoriting those creepy twins as the main villains, while those like King Ghidorah, get the shaft.
The art for this series has been alright. It shines in this issue, Ghidorah looks awesome, a perfect portrayal of his GMK counterpart. Godzilla looks great too, the fight really comes alive as if you were watching one of the films. There's this really great scene where Mechagodzilla first appears, the art makes him look astounding. The regular cover a lot of people like, it's pretty cool. What I don't get, is why the way Godzilla and Ghidorah are drawn on the cover don't match their interior designs. It's a cool cover, but the looks don't match. The second cover, which showcases Mechagodzilla, is another amazing job my Matt Frank. (And this time, it doesn't give off an illusion that we won't see him in action.)
Overall, this is definitely one of the best issues of the series. It features a big satisfying monster showdown, and that's really all we want, right? Fans will be disappointed at how fast Ghidorah loses, the only real negative. Gone are the real-world references for good, the monsters are the focus. Hopefully it will stay like that.
8/10.
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