GODZILLA IN HELL Retrospect

GODZILLA IN HELL ended last week with its fifth issue. For a short review, it was definitely interesting. Dave Wachter wrote Big G well and the art was very good. The shocking thing was the ending.

Godzilla rises out of the ocean, in real time.

So apparently the entire series featured Godzilla not in the actual Hell, but in his own personal hell. Basically, he goes through inner demons and eventually...conquers himself?

I will admit the concept is pretty interesting. Godzilla never actually died...or did he? As I type this it becomes a little more confusing because Big G could have died but somehow came back to life after going through all this. I'm inclined to believe, based on the quote provided in the last issue, that he never actually entered Hell, but as started earlier, he went through hell in the mind, which is definitely interesting.

Still, it could also be a disappointment since the descriptions kept telling us different things. Sure, one could make an argument that all the summaries were talking about hell inwardly. But one description talks about King Ghidorah sending him there, while another instead shows us the world blowing up because of a battle with SpaceGodzilla.

As you can see, continuity wasn't consistent, making this the most confusing Godzilla related thing yet. Confusing doesn't equal bad, of course. There's too much unique storytelling for any fan to miss. The first issue established the tone with the "Abandon Hope all ye who enter Here." It was the perfect starter as Godzilla battled a nightmarish version of himself. The second issue might be my favorite, for Bob Eggleton's elegant writing and incredible art. (It was the first actual painted Godzilla comic!)

The third issue was perhaps the most strange. We had these Mothra angels trying to get Godzilla to enlist in battling the demons. As I said in my review, that was too cool of a concept to bring up and throw away. I was also not a fan of how it tried to depict these angelic beings as antagonistic. Considering the title, it would have been nice to see some angels aiding Godzilla out of the place.

(But if this is some kind of dream landscape, then technically none of this actually happened in real time.)

Issue 4 had Godzilla's two greatest enemies: King Ghidorah and Destoroyah. If this is a personal hell, then it's fascinating to see this since Godzilla himself considers battling these two together one of the most brutal things imaginable. The final issue sort of brings it all together. As already stated, it ends with him rising out of the water.

So looking back, when looked at from #5 ending's perspective, GODZILLA IN HELL offers a very unique view into the mind of the monster, which very few things have done in the past. We see G enter his hell in the first issue, fighting a nightmarish version of himself. At the end of Issue 2 he battles whom he considers his greatest adversary. In Issue 3 we see the world, his home, blowing up. Issue 4 we see a nightmare scenario: him battling his two greatest foes. And finally we see him literally being turned into a skeleton in the final issue which is the final hell, death. But it doesn't end there. He rises, beating death, eventually reaches the summit, and rises out of the water.

Still, there are those strange dialogue inconsistencies. The issues are 95% without dialogue, but there is some contradictory narration detailing the events. This makes me think that the original idea was to have G go through the actual Hell, but in the end was changed. Besides the inconsistencies, the story is a definite must read. The Big G has never been in a story like this, and probably won't be again anytime soon.

S.H. Monsterarts Destoroyah Review

The S.H. Monsterarts Destoroyah is finally upon us. People whom had paid using EMS as their shipping should have received it earlier, and if not, tomorrow afternoon. Talking personally for a second, this was my most anticipated figure ever. Why? Destoroyah is my favorite Godzilla antagonist, I grew up with the 1995 movie. Now, let's talk about the character in question. Destoroyah, (kown in the dub as 'Destroyer') was the final monster Godzilla fought in the Heisei series. Godzilla vs. Destoroyah was a grand movie, having a very climatic fight and...G died. Destoroyah is famous first of all for his amazing design. He looks like a demon straight out of Hell. Combine that with his rather sadistic way of doing things, he became a fan favorite instantly. It has been argued countless times, but this demonic monster may just be the most powerful of Godzilla's adversaries. G never truly even defeated him! So here we have the Monsterart, completing the Vs. Destoroah set. We had the critically acclaimed Burning Godzilla, then came little Junior, and finally this guy. While Ghidorah will go down as the most anticipated figure of this line yet, at least there has been no disappointment with Destoroyah. It's pretty much everything you want with less risk of things breaking.

Firstly, it's important to mention that thing is massive. The Heisei monsters were complete opposites from the Show era's. In this era they were rather bulky and immobile, Destoroyah is an example. He's extremely slow, but insanely strong. The figure captures that wonderfully. If you pair him up with Ghidorah, it's quite the difference. (Of course Ghidorah is still the tallest because of the articulated heads.) Because Destoroyah obviously wouldn't be able to walk around much in his film, he was naturally given wings. They look really nice on the figure. Ghidorah still wins with having the most magnificent looking wings. (However, if we're talking which are more prone to break, that's a different story.) The face is done well, the horn on top looks fantastic. Minor complaint is the eyes, they look way too dark. The Bandai Vinyls has the eyes colored yellow, which I think is better since the dark red contrasts with the burgundy on the face. Everything else is superb.

WATCH OUT! When you open the box, (very nice box by the way) you'll have to manually insert the tail yourself, like with the Ultra Act Gomora. Only thing is that you have to be really careful when holding the figure and inserting. I made the mistsake of inserting and without a proper grasp. What followed was pretty much the entitre figure coming apart. (It was put back together after the great annoyance had subsided.) But yeah, be extra careful when inserting that tail, which is also beautifully sculpted. With such a massive figure, articulation wouldn't be as plentiful as some of the past figures. You can pose Destoroyah in a few different ways, some unique if you want to be adventurous. While there isn't too much articulation, I do like how the little claws can be moved, a very nice touch. Now for the accessories...wait a second, there aren't any. A problem with Burning Godzilla was the sad lack of accessories. Two little maser tanks doesn't quite cut it. Destoroyah has none! Where's his oxygen ray? It's pretty much a crime that it wasn't included.

Despite a lack of accessories, the S.H. Monsterarts Destoroyah is a fine figure, and easily the best Destoroyah out there. He scales perfectly with Burning Godzilla. Although if you were to pair him with SpaceGodzilla, the size difference is so severe it's sad. But in the end, the bigger they are the more bang you get for your buck. This Monsterart doesn't have any big flaws, it's a great figure to have. $130 may seem a bit much, but again, despite a lack of accessories, (where is that beam) I'd say it's worth it, especially for fans of the character.

4.5/5

The S.H. Monsterarts are Rolling Out

The SH Monsterarts line from Tamashii Nations is easily one of the greatest figure lines for Godzilla. Starting with the Heisei version of G two years ago, the line has pretty much covered the Heisei era. (The only ones without an announcement at the moment are Mothra, Battra, and Mecha King Ghidorah.) Last week another figure was unveiled, this time from the Showa era, Godzilla 1964.

This was pretty big. For quite a bit now fans have been wondering where would the Monsterarts go after the Heisei era. This figure seems to answer that question, the company is well on their way to the classic movies. In the meantime, we can look forward to my personal favorite figure coming up at the end of the month, Destoroyah.

Awesome, isn't it? We also have the the evolutionary set coming later in the year. (Destoroyah's aggregate and the long awaited Flying form.) We also have the first American monster, the Peter Jackson version of King Kong to look forward to.

But not too long ago, another hotly anticipated monster was unveiled. The thought of her getting a figure in this line was almost unthinkable.  Yes, her. She goes by the name of Biollante.

A couple of months ago this prototype was shown, mainly due to fans requesting her. That's right, the more people that post they want something made, the greater the chance. This prototype is an example of that. Many people kept requesting and it was made. Sadly since then there has been no info. She did get a mention in the latest issue of G-Fan, but that's it. So, once again, the fans must voice their desire to see her released. How? By going to Bluefin's Facebook page here. The more people that post, the greater that chance we'll see this rose of a kaiju sooner than later.

Stay tuned for my review of Destoroyah near the beginning of next month.

Godzilla's Ultimate Enemy

Who is Godzilla's greatest enemy? The usual response would be King Ghidorah. That was the first answer I got on Twitter when I asked the question. Ghidorah is definitely Godzilla's most popular adversary, and part of the 'big four' which includes Godzilla, Mothra, and Rodan. He's appeared in six films, seven if you want to count Keizer Ghidorah. A number of people would also claim that Mechagodzilla is his greatest enemy. No, not the government MG II or the anime-like Kiryu, I'm talking about oldschool Mechagodzilla from the 70's. This guy in his first appearance had everything. A (so awesome) 'Fake Godzilla' disguise, beating up on G's sidekick, and nearly killing the big guy himself. Those two are the usual contenders thanks to their immense popularity.

But really, Godzilla's ultimate enemy is neither. It's Destoroyah.

Now this is just my opinion of course, but I really do think this demonic monster deserves the title. Even his origin helps the matter. Destoroyah was created from the Oxygen Destroyer, the same weapon that destroyed the original Godzilla. Unlike Ghidorah, Destoroyah shows personal malice. I have never seen a creature in Godzilla world so intent on killing a human. King Ghidorah was always a mentally insane monster that loved destroying worlds. But in the Heisei era, Godzilla and him were evenly matched. Until he forced Ghidorah to retreat. Godzilla did seem to to have more of an upper hand in the battle. Ghidorah would appear in GMK as a scrawny weakling, then in Final Wars as Keizer Ghidorah. (Whom I count as a different character.) But Destoroyah is the one opponent that Godzilla couldn't beat even though the latter was souped up. He tried and tried, but Destoroyah was dragging him around like a rag doll. Not only that, but he killed Godzilla Junior. The latter was pretty much begging for mercy as Destoroyah was flying while holding him by the neck. Once he had emerged, he just slapped aside Burning Godzilla like he was nothing. After Junior was killed, Godzilla had something personal against Destoroyah, something he never had with any of his foes in the past. It was a personal battle. But the demonic monster had the upper hand the whole time. Godzilla could barely even get close to him without being struck down by his oxygen ray. And when they did go head-to-head, it was Godzilla who was was trying to knock down his opponent desperately. SpaceGodzilla might consider Godzilla to be his greatest enemy, but Godzilla didn't see him other than a very strong opponent to take down. With Destoroyah, it was personal and a battle to win because he was weaker and dying. Destoroyah literally picked him by the tail and threw him like was absolutely nothing! And he mocks Godzilla the whole time. Godzilla must have known he was dying, and he was going to take Destoroyah with him. But ironically it wasn't Godzilla that destroyed him, it was the JSDF that finished him off. Godzilla's most powerful opponent and he wasn't even the one that finished him off. Fun fact that a lot of fans don't know about is that in a deleted scene, Destoroyah rose up and Godzilla battled him until the latter died. Would have been a better ending I think.

Destoroyah is Godzilla's greatest enemy. Even in Godzilla's raged up Burning form, he proved to be even stronger. (Imagine if he battled G in normal form.) Once Destoroyah disposed of Junior, that's when things got personal. Destoroyah may not have considered Godzilla to be anything other than a major nuisance, but the latter considered this guy to be his ultimate opponent. No matter what he did, he just couldn't beat him. Destoroyah was like a malicious killer, he will slowly give it to the opponent while mocking them. These are things Ghidorah and Mechagodzilla never had, and that is why Destoroyah is Godzilla's ultimate enemy.

Battlezone: Destoroyah vs. SpaceGodzilla

Comics, video games, what's missing? Giant monsters, namely from Godzilla. Nothing beats watching a Godzilla fight from one of the films. One thing I would have liked to see more of was other monsters battling each other. We have Mothra who battles King Ghidorah and Gigan, King Ceaser vs. Mechagodzilla, but it's usually Godzilla against someone. So here I'm doing a fan favorite match, two of the strongest characters of the Heisei era: DESTOROYAH and SPACEGODZILLA. This will be different than the rest, cause there is no dialogue. No more time for talking, let's get on with the latest addition of BATTLEZONE!

Destoroyah vs. SpaceGodzilla

THE PLACE: Monster Island. Let's head to the deeper part of the island, where two beasts are locked head-to-head, well, one of them anyway. One of, if not the most powerful monster ever, was breaking apart his latest kill, Kumonga. The over-sized spider had put up a decent fight, but Destoroyah hadn't needed to use even a bit of his strength. Suddenly, the ground shook. Destoroyah threw what was left of Kumonga futher into the island. He sensed some something, something powerful.Then out of the ground near him a giant crystal emerged. Then another one popped out. Destoroyah roared, he sensed a powerful presence approaching.

The ground shook once again. 

In the sky, Destoroyah could see a rather large figure coming. It was levitating slowly to the ground. As it got closer, Destoroyah looked almost shocked. It couldn't be! He sensed an identical DNA pattern of that from his previous foe, Godzilla. There was something different about this one though. It had two large crystals sticking out of his shoulders. On its head it had a strange looking yellow thing, it looked a bit like a crown. Destoroyah sensed great power in the creature, even more so than his old foe.

SpaceGodzilla had arrived.

The Godzilla clone stood a great distance from Destoroyah. SpaceGodzilla wasn't one for long, drawn out fights. He wanted to end this quickly. He lifted his right hand. Destoroyah looked down. He was being lifted off the ground. However, in mere seconds, he was back on the ground. SpaceGodzilla roared in defiance. How could any creature be strong enough to resist his telekinesis? Destoroyah saw that SpaceGodzilla was annoyed and did a roar that sounded like a cackle. SpaceGodzilla knew he wasn't going to win with his special power, so he did the thing a Heisei monster would do: shoot a beam. Destoroyah was caught off guard by how powerful it was. It was similar to the spiral beam Godzilla used against him. Destoroyah also had a pretty power beam, and used it. SpaceGodzilla has high durability, but Destoroyah's micro-oxygen destroyer ray hurt. It stunned SpaceGodzilla, and Destoroyah took this as an opportunity. Despite being a hulking figure, Destoroyah could fly, pretty fast I'd have to add.

He flew toward SpaceGodzilla.

The latter, however, was but stunned for a few moments. He shot a beam at the coming Destoroyah. The latter didn't bother attempting to dodge, he took the beam and collided into SpaceGodzilla. Like sumo wrestlers, they struck the ground slowly. SpaceGodzilla mustered some telekinesis strong enough to throw Destoroyah off. They both stood up, inches apart. They roared, then went at it. SpaceGodzilla hated close range combat, but he had calculated a few different ways taking of Destoroyah by surprise. The latter banged into him. He purposely fell a little aback to get some space between. Suddenly, a large crystal sprung out of the ground to the right of Destoroyah. The monster looked, and then suddenly another crystal sprung out to his left. Beams shot out, stunning a surprised Destoroyah. SpaceGodzilla then shot a spiral blast at the two crystals, creating an explosion. He then struck Destoroyah with a beam, making a huge explosion.

Out of the explosion crawled out three aggregate Destoroyahs. SpaceGodzilla at first didn't know what to make of these things, but then roared with pleasure. He lifted up his right hand. The Destoroyahs were lifted up in the air and suspended. They no longer had the weight of the adult Destoroyah. SpaceGodzilla roared with pleasure again. He had outsmarted his opponent, as he had expected. In his arrogance of roaring with triumph, a sinle aggregate Destoroyah managed to evade his sight from the explosion area. The little thing went to the back of SpaceGodzilla. Its second mouth appeared and dove into SpaceGodzilla's tail. Green blood appeared from the wound. SpaceGodzilla roared in surprise and turned around. The other Destoroyahs were let go and they walked toward Godzilla's clone. The one behind him had climbed up his back. Now the other aggregates were climbing him.

SpaceGodzilla was getting overwhelmed. However, he still had a few tricks.

The crystals sticking out of his shoulders shot beams. It struck the Destoroyahs. SpaceGodzilla then used his telekinesis to hold them in the air. He held them together close, so he could marvel at how pitiful they were to him. He roared, but soon realized his fatal mistake. The aggregates were close enough to merge back into the adult Destoroyah. He hit the ground, creating a small tremor. He then unleashed his deadly x-ray katana. The slashes penetrated SpaceGodzilla's skin. Green blood covered him. Destoroyah then shot a direct hit of his micro-oxygen destroyer ray at SpaceGodzilla's right crystal. It shattered. SpaceGodzilla roared in great annoyance. But then that was stopped when Destoroyah grabbed his jaw. He was attempitng to break it. SpaceGodzilla wasn't going to let that happened. A beam shot out. Destoroyah attempted to move his head, but the blast struck a bit of it. breaking off a few pieces. He had already done his job however. He had a shot a very small blast of micro-oxygen destroyer ray into SpaceGodzilla.

SpaceGodzilla could feel something inside him. He roared once again before blowing up. He turned into motes of energy that drifted up into space. He would reform eventually. But Destoroyah had won this day, and longed for more carnage and destruction.

WINNER: Destoroyah

Yes, I went with Destoroyah on this. These two monsters are very impressive, and rank among the strongest. Godzilla himself wasn't able to beat them without outside help. I think Destoroyah would win, cause I just don't see him going down. Without ice, it'd be pretty much impossible to stop him. It'd be a very close fight.

NEXT WEEK: The Man of Steel battles a Super Saiyan.              

Destoroyah!

Greetings all. Normally I don't write about what's up with me, the last time I did was my Irene post last year. After all, the title of this blog is 'Destroyer's Editorials and Reviews.' But I'll take a short break to talk about my latest addition to my collections: a Destoroyah figure. Normally I wouldn't talk about me getting something new as a blog post, but I thought this would be a fun little entry, plus it's Godzilla related.

I was maybe seven when I walked into the now deceased KB Toys at the Staten Island Mall. I was into action figures, plastic swords, and all that good stuff at that age. I believe it was my mom who called me over to the back section of the small store. When I got there I was face to face with a bunch of Godzilla Bandai figures, $9.99 each. I had always liked Godzilla, but I never owned any figures. I saw the Godzilla 54 one, and I grabbed it. I believe my mom said something like how I should get someone more unique looking and found a Gigan one. I don't remember if I was a big fan of Gigan as I am now, but I ended up getting both. I don't remember if they had Ghidorah or Rodan, but I know they had Rainbow Mothra. After that, I never got another one. For some reason, I was more interested in getting plastic swords and lightsabers than those figures, probably because they weren't meant to play around with that much, and I wanted them to move around. Of course, this was back when I didn't appreciate the term 'collection.'

Fast forward many years later, and I begin to see the error of my ways. Today, good luck trying to find any Godzilla figure in stores. Today, they have become something of a collector's item. If I could rewind time, I would have bought more of those instead of a lightsaber which broke down two years later. It's pretty much impossible to find any for $9.99. Over the past two years I've gained a better appreciation for the franchise, even more so than when I first started watching the films. As a fan, I wanted to get more figures, but the prices were against me. (The Mecha King Ghidorah I've been dying to get is $65.) I put it to the side, but the thought of getting a new Godzilla figure was always on the back of my mind. Recently I've been selling some of my old video games to buy batches of comics over at MyComicShop.com, it  occurred to me what else I've been wanting could I get with the extra money from the sold games? So it hit me I could get a Godzilla figure to add to my collection of two so it could make three. Obviously I couldn't afford the Mecha King Ghidorah one, so what next? I thought about getting the Final Wars Gigan one, but I already had a Gigan, I needed something new. What to get that would look really nice next to my other two figures.....how about my second favorite kaiju?

Destoroyah.

On Amazon, I found the Bandai Destoroyah one for $30. That was disappointing. However, one rule of the internet is to always check the other place if Amazon fails, Ebay. After some searching, I found the same one from Amazon for, get this, $20. In pretty awesome condition. I placed the order Sunday night, and I got it today. It truly felt good to hold the high quality figure, then placing it next to my Godzilla and Gigan was gold. So after about eight years or more, I had finally gotten a new Godzilla figure. The Bandai 7 inch Destoroyah figure is truly awesome, it feels good to own it.

Yes, that's my nice little collection.

I don't buy action figures anymore, just the Godzilla statue figurines. Usually I don't go spending on stuff besides the weekly comics, but I made an exception for the Destoroyah figure. Isn't it a wonderful looking thing? Godzilla figures today are hard to find for a good price, and I probably won't buy another anytime soon, but I'm content with the stuff in that picture. I will get that Mecha King Ghidorah one, someday.

Since getting the Destoroyah figure, I decided that a celebration was in order. What better way than to make a video tribute to his debut film? Here we go.

Thanks for reading!

Godzilla: Legends #1 Review

Godzilla: Legends is one of those series where it's truly the fans who would appreciate it. At its core, the concept is like a fan-fic, Destoroyah vs. Anguirus?! As a Godzilla fan, the concept is something I've always wanted, and now it's happening in the form of Legends. The possibilities are endless. Now Godzilla himself is awesome, but it's his allies and enemies who are just as interesting and deserve tales of their own. I've been anticipating this comic for quite sometime, it may just be my most anticipated comic of the year aside from Kingdom of Monsters #1. Of course, Kingdom of Monsters has disappointed me, but Gangsters and Goliaths was an amazing mini-series, so Legends had a big thing to live up to. Does it? Yes, yes it does.

The story begins with the sudden appearance of the most devastating monster of all time, DESTOROYAH. Before the good folks at G-Force could decide what to do, the monster destroys their building. Only two make it out, and are deciding what to do when a familiar roar is heard. The spiky armadillo known as Anguirus appears, and Destoroyah wouldn't mind a little massacre. Can Anguirus hope to beat the beast? Of course not, so get ready for a slaughter.

Well first off, you have to think for a second about this concept. Destoroyah vs. Anguirus? A bit random. You see, Anguirus is no match for Destoroyah, it's like comparing an ant to a tiger. This issue was perfect in applying the monster's strengths and weaknesses, I applaud at how accurate the story was. Anguirus tried and tried, but was met with unstoppable resistance. It's good stuff, just like how a movie would be.

This being a self-contained story, there isn't much time for development of the human characters. With that said, they were pretty much your average people. You have the loyal second-in-command, the hard-as-nails commander, and the scientist that just wants to do the right thing, always mellowing in self misery. So no one truly stood out, but they weren't bad either, just your generic summer blockbuster types.

Of course, we're here to watch the two monsters battle it out on paper, and it delivers. There are some amazing scenes, such as Anguirus standing in front of  the monstrous Destoroyah. One of things things that made me smile as a longtime Godzilla fan was when G-Force was talking about Anguirus's past encounters with other monsters, it showed Godzilla firing his atomic ray at him, (from Godzilla Raids Again) King Ghidorah grabbing him, (from Destroy All Monsters,) and Gigan slashing him. (From Godzilla vs. Gigan.) I love that, it makes this story canon, it was truly a treat to see those scenes referenced on paper. One amazing scene in the issue was when Destoroyah was slowly breaking Anguirus' jaw, it truly gave the mass murderer persona he has.

The art is another high point of the book, easily beating Kingdom of Monsters and even Gangsters and Goliaths. It has a certain style I like, both the humans and monsters look great. Especially Destoroyah, there are some spectacular scenes with him. He looks, as Doctor Who would say, fantastic. Anguirus also looks great, matching his look from Destroy All Monsters perfectly. The covers are also fantastic. The main one by Arthur Adams is probably the best representation of Anguirus in a comic yet. Bob Eggleton's has some really nice detail, giving off a dramatic atmosphere. (Love how Godzilla is drawn.) The one I got, by Matt Frank, is truly awesome in capturing the feel of the issue, Destoroyah looks amazing on it, and the silhouette of Godzilla in the background was a nice touch. It's in his universe, but the other two are the stars. Now if only Kingdom of Monsters could get Frank doing the art.

Overall, Godzilla: Legends #1 is one of the most simple comics I've ever read. It features a bunch of soldiers deciding what to do while two monsters duke it out, and I loved every second of it. In terms of quality, it doesn't match up to the first issue of Gangsters and Goliaths, it's mainly a fun popcorn style issue. With it's amazing monsters, great battle, and spectacular art, Godzilla: Legends #1 is a must-buy for any Godzilla fan.

9/10.