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.

GODZILLA, MOTHRA, and KING GHIDORAH: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack Review

Godzilla, Mothra, and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-out Attack (will be abbreviated "GMK" for the rest of the review) has a rather interesting reputation among fans. Some claim it to be one of the greatest of the films, likening it to a "masterpiece." Some say after the Baragon fight it quickly deteriorates into mediocrity. There is some truth to both these claims to be sure. It's definitely a good Godzilla film. It has many great things about it. This is because TOHO got the director of the fantastic 90's Gamera trilogy, Shusuke Kaneko, to direct. Sadly, TOHO is not generally not very loose when it comes to the big G, and it shows how little creative control the director had here. Still, it's one of the more notable entries in the franchise.

 Fifty years ago, the Japanese Defense Forces killed Godzilla or so they thought. When a series of terrifying natural disasters begin to plague Japan, including the inexplicable offshore sinking of a U.S. submarine, a mystic old man warns his nation that Godzilla has come back to destroy Japan as revenge for all the souls lost in the Pacific War. When mere military might cannot squash the monster, the mystic man awakens the Holy Beasts of Yamato — King Ghidorah, Mothra and Baragon, sleeping giants that protected Japan in ancient times. These untamed mammoth beasts take on Godzilla with frightening supernatural brute power that has been 2,000 years in the making. Tradition and technology collide in this chilling high-tech, cutting-edge fable.

The most unique aspect is Godzilla himself. While previous Gs range from villain, hero, to anti-hero, never has he been displayed as pure evil before. He has never purposely targeted humans before, just buildings and nuclear plants. Interestingly, while there's so much destruction, very rarely do we actually see people dying in the movies. We see them running around, but rarely actual death. Here it's different. The most powerful scene is when after hearing a lady's scream, G turns around and gives her and the rest of the fleeing people attention. He then precedes to unleash his atomic blast on them. The film then cuts to a classroom where students and the teacher can see the explosion, which looks like the aftermath of a bomb. (With Japan's and Godzilla's history, it's even more powerful.)

The film has some of the best city destruction scenes in all of the franchise. In fact, it could be fair to say this might have the best and most thematic destruction since the original film. Godzilla's emergence is grand, and he continues on to be one of the most engaging Gs created. The design itself is fantastic, with the white eyes and no pupils further giving the impression that he's pure malice. The reason why he's evil is intriguing. Apparently he has the collective souls of World War II within him. How that works and Hirotoshi claiming that G is "still an animal" is quite an interesting and confusing thought. This spiritual aspect is representative of Kaneko's work on "Gamera," and it's a shame it wasn't explored more. Nonetheless, despite intriguing but too little explored concepts, this Godzilla remains one of the best.

Of course, it couldn't be called "Giant monsters all-out attack" if Godzilla was the only kaiju. Here's perhaps the most infamous thing about this movie: the inclusion of Mothra and King Ghidorah. You see, Kaneko originally wanted to use Anguirus and Varan to join Baragon. But TOHO decided that Mothra and Ghidorah, being much more popular, would be better for the film $ wise. From a business standpoint it makes sense. Still, it would have been great seeing those two monsters re-imagined. (Sadly Varan is still confined to only one movie and two flying cameos in DESTROY ALL MONSTERS.) Some say having Angurius and Varan would have made it made better. After watching it again, I don't think it would have made much of a difference in the overall quality. Once you get past the fact that Ghidorah is a hero, the two actually aren't that bad.

Before diving into the two aforementioned monsters, let's talk about Baragon. (Who sadly wasn't popular enough to make it into the title) This is his first appearance since "DESTROY ALL MONSTERS" (33 year difference!) and his redesign is easily one of the best parts. It looks great, and his burrowing ability is used to great effect. The fight against Godzilla is probably the most well-done aspect of the film. Since Baragon is a non-beam fighter here, the battle was more traditional than compared to the climax. The viewer also greatly feels for Baragon, as he tries to hopelessly battle the evil Godzilla. In fact, this is one of those rare times when the viewer is rooting against Godzilla. When the director can pull that off, you know this is truly something else.

Mothra's redesign is truly beautiful. While Larva could have appeared more, the emergence of her Imago form makes up for it. (That, and the fact the Larva actually attacks a bunch of lawless teenagers in her one scene!) While Mothra makes sense as a guardian monster, Ghidorah does not. Still, Kaneko makes the best of what is given. While it may be appalling to see a version of the "King of Terror" who is basically a weakling when compared to G, (he wasn't even the one that finished off G in the end) it nonetheless makes for an interesting "what if." That, and one can't deny how realistic the suit looks. When it emerges in the city it just looks good. The climax with it being given wings thanks to Mothra's sacrifice (very well-done) scene makes for an exciting final battle. Underwater sequences can be very boring in kaiju films sometimes, but it's utilized well here. (The CGI for Godzilla swimming looks incredible. In fact, almost all of the CGI is fantastic, especially Ghidorah's transformation and then blast attack)

While the monsters are of course what make the film at the end of the day, the human characters either bring up the rating...or down. While not bad, the characters here aren't particularly too notable either. The main one is Yuri Tachibana, a reporter for a mockumentary show. She's okay, not particularly interesting but not bad either. I must give credit to the subplot with her father, Admiral Taizo Tachibana. It was quite emotional since she had the knowledge he was going to be the one attacking Godzilla head on. A lot of the side characters however need desperate help. There's some silliness that bring down the rather grim tone. For example, the owner of the Mt. Myoko park comes to force out Yuri and her crew, but is soon enticed by her saying that tourists will come. This is not bad, but he way over-acts. Another thing is Yuri's boss. Kaneko is no stranger to odd characters (Kurata in GAMERA III) and like that guy he's rather too unrealistic. A no-name character apparently wants to hang himself...and we're given no reason why. Another thing is the bathroom scene. It's just unnecessary and awkward. (But, I suppose the scene redeems itself when Godzilla's foot smashes the house, which was well-done.)

Godzilla movies almost always have notable soundtracks. This one is done by Kow Otani. (Who also did the music for the Gamera trilogy.) There are no complaints to be had. From Godzilla's fantastic new theme to the King Ghidorah's transformation, the soundtrack is very solid. (It was ingenious to include the classic ifukube theme at the end, which the 2014 film should have done!) As far as pacing goes, the film does a solid job with that. The tension for Gozilla's first appearance is well executed, which is also thanks to the excellent choreography. The scene when Yuri is riding her bike and sees Godzilla in the distance presents a great ominous picture. One character who deserves mention is Hirotoshi. He added to the unique spiritual aspect, but sadly this was not explored further. The film has that mythical atmosphere which separates itself from all other Godzilla films, but I have a feeling TOHO didn't let Kaneko go as far with it as he would have liked.

Overall, GMK remains a very solid entry in the series. The little problems and unexplored potential stops it from being aligned with the "greats"such as Gojira, Return of Godzilla, MONSTER ZERO, and Mothra vs. Godzilla. But it remains a step above almost all the Heisei films and most of the Millennium ones. The main monster has one of his greatest appearances yet. The fights have a thematic quality, and it has one of the best final scenes in the series. While GMK could have been a masterpiece if somethings were tweaked, fixed, and explored, it will always be an entertaining watch.

4/5

Latest Figure Hauls: Bandai Godzilla Jr. and Bandai Showa King Ghidorah

Two figures in one? How awesome. Technically these guys came a few days ago, but I didn't write up the article because it was my birthday yesterday. But here we are now. First off, Godzilla Jr. This is the Movie Monsters one, cool little figure.

This guy came came in a Bandai pack featuring Titanosaurus, Hyper Gyaos, Showa Anguirus, and Jet Jaguar. All that for $77. Now I already had everyone save Jr, so the rest go up for sale. Titanosaurus alone will fetch like $70, so it'll be a good profit.

Ah, this is the big one folks. I managed to win a Bandai Showa Ghidorah. Bandai has made only one figure of the Showa version back in 1984, which has been reissued a few times. For a figure that was made that long ago, the detail is incredible.

The three heroes take on the King of Terror

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.

Monster of the Week: Gigan (Showa)

Gigan is the giant cyborg chicken that hails from Space Hunter Nebula M. Alright, maybe he's not a chicken, but it's always fun to refer to him as that. Gigan as you know is a cyborg, which could only mean one thing: he was originally a creature that lived on Nebula M. Obviously it was destroyed and the 'Nebulans' rebuilt him as a cyborg. Probably when he 'died' he had lost all his sanity. Yes, Gigan is the serial killer of the Godzilla world. He stabs and keeps stabbing, the sight of blood just makes him want to keep going. As you can see, he's the most unique looking monster in all of Godzilla. No history is really given before the events of Godzilla vs. Gigan, there's just speculation. The way they talk of him in the film means that he must have existed on Nebula M for awhile. The Nebulans were giant cockroaches in disguise. Their plan? Use Gigan and Ghidorah to take over earth, that's where the events of Godzilla vs. Gigan take place....

The Nebulans had infiltrated Earth, and it wan't long after that they sent a call for Gigan and Ghidorah. Usually these two wouldn't be teaming up, but the Nebulans needed them to, so they mind-controlled both of them so there wouldn't be any problems. The only thing they didn't fully anticipate was the arrival of both Godzilla and Anguirus. Godzilla of course went for Ghidorah, them being the biggest rivals. Our friend Gigan went on to completely beat up Anguirus. Gigan is a taunter, as seen when he openly taunted Anguirus to try and save Godzilla while is buzzsaw was going. (Anguirus eventually did run straight into it, not with pretty results.) As the fight raged on, somehow the human characters managed to destroy the mind control device. Gigan and Ghidorah now had free will again. Upon seeing Godzilla on the ground, Gigan went for him. Either the Nebulans had told him about G, or he just likes attacking downed people. See, Gigan is a bully at heart. He's not quite the bruiser like Ghidorah, he attacks the weaker ones or when monsters are weakened. Upon seeing Godzilla weakened, that's where he showed his true serial killer persona, repeatedly stabbing the King of Monsters to the point where his head opened up. Saying the cyborg chicken is brutal would be an understatement. He then presided to drag Godzilla to Ghidorah, who then slammed him away with his cackling heads. Gigan was obviously enjoying this, putting on his victory dance and clapping Ghidorah on the wing. That alliance was short-lived when Godzilla got Gigan to bang into Ghidorah. The two presided to argue while Godzilla and Anguirus began to plan. Thus began the downfall of the two monsters. Gigan is not like Titanosaurus, he's cowardly. At the FIRST sign of major trouble, he's out. The humiliating part for him is that he tried retreating twice yet kept getting shot down by Godzilla. Eventually the two monsters retreated into space and went their separate ways. However, it wouldn't be long before ol' Gigan ran into Godzilla again...

The year is 1973, when a lot of Japan was strangely empty. That, or no one went out of their houses that particular day. What's special about this day and year is the rise of the Seatopians...or so they had hoped. They had sent their 'god' Megalon to terrorize Japan. Unfortunately for them, Megalon wasn't the brightest or strongest of monsters. Jet Jaguar was making short work of him. The Seatopians couldn't have this, so they asked the Nebulans if they could borrow Gigan for a bit. (Apparently lost civilizations has connections with outer space.) Gigan is apparently very loyal to the Nebulans and will do as they say. They must also have a way with communicating with the monster, since he knew exactly where to go. Now this was interesting, instead of Gigan being basically the lackey for a bigger monster, it was the other way around. He would be calling the shots. Right when he arrived he was telling Megalon that they would be teaming up. He then precided to show the Seatopian god how to REALLY beat up on someone. In one particular scene he really clawed into Jet Jaguar the way Jason would hatchet people to death. Megalon was pretty much enjoying this, he and Gigan shared the iconic scene of a monster high five, claw to drill. Of course, Godzilla appeared, scaring the living daylights out of both Gigan and Megalon. What would follow is the famous 2 on 2 tag team battle. Gigan is a cunning monster, even teaching Megalon the trick of playing dead. Of course, being a bit on the cowardly side, the cyborg doesn't hesitate to take hostages, case in point when he grabbed Jet Jaguar and threatened to cut his head off to Godzilla. What follows is another humiliating scene as Godzilla just plainly blasts him away. The roles would be kinda reverse when Jet Jaguar breaks Gigan's arm and grabs him like a police offiver would a robber. Eventually he would retreat into space since Megalon was defeated. However, that wouldn't be the end for our cyborg friend...

Gigan would have a true one-on-one fight with Godzilla in the show Zone Fighter. Here he's given an upgrade by having parachutes. Yes, it looks cheesy as heck. See, Gigan thinks he's pretty awesome. After he lands, he tries to 'impress' Godzilla by slashing some rocks. Of course he's knocked down by G in the next minute. At least here the cyborg shows some of his true strength. After Gigan puts up a decent fight, he is later confronted by Zone Fighter himself. After humiliating Zone Fighter for a bit, the latter finally destroyed him. Yup, Gigan wasn't destroyed with dignity in a movie by Godzilla, he was destroyed in a show by a second rate Ultraman.

That would be the end of the Showa incarnation of Gigan. While not the strongest of monsters from that era, he proved to be the most memorable. With his taunting gestures and cowardly tactics, you can never get bored of this guy. Despite all that, he's by far the most brutal when it comes to fights, right next to Destoroyah. He's the Nebulan's assassin, and we're left wondering why he doesn't ever use his eye laser. Could have been effective in these fights. Ah well, while he's been humiliated on more than one occasion, he's still a monster you do not want to mess with if you're a beginner at the system. He's quite the contrast from his calm and collective Final Wars counterpart. Still, there's no denying that the Showa version of Gigan is one awesome monster in design, concept, and persona.

Godzilla, Mothra, King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack Review

Godzilla vs. Megaguirus had one of the worst box office showings in the franchise. To keep things fresh and to bring back all those un-loyal fans, they decided to go ahead and step out of the norm for this film. First off, this is the only really fantasy based movie in the series, no science fiction here. Now how exactly were they going to make this a standout film? Why, hire the guy who directed the Heisei Gamera trilogy of course, Shisuke Kaneko. Now there was something to look forward to here. Originally the film was going to have Anguirus and Varan instead of Mothra and Ghidorah. TOHO decided that to bring back the people, they would use two of their most popular characters instead of The Unbelievable and Godzilla's sidekick. GMK on its first viewing is one of the greatest things you'll ever witness. Repeated viewings loses a little of its greatness, but it's still a step above the average Godzilla film.

The official description from Sony TriStar:

Fifty years ago, the Japanese Defense Forces killed Godzilla or so they thought. When a series ofterrifying natural disasters begin to plague Japan, including the inexplicable offshore sinking of a U.S. submarine, a mystic old man warns his nation that Godzilla has come back to destroy Japan asrevenge for all the souls lost in the Pacific War. When mere military might can not squash the monster, the mystic man awakens the Holy Beasts of Yamato - King Ghidorah, Mothra and Baragon, sleeping giants that protected Japan in ancient times. These untamed mammoth beasts take on Godzilla with frightening supernatural brute power that has been 2,000 years in the making. Tradition and technology collide in this chilling high-tech, cutting-edge fable.

This is one of the G films where you can actually picture sitting down in a theater and watching. It has that cinematic feel that 2000 established. The film succeeds in making Godzilla out to be an actual giant monster. Camera angles help that, great perspective. You can see Kaneko's elements from his Gamera movies here. There's a great fantasy backdrop here. Earth guardians, 1,000 year old dragon, stuff you'd probably find in some random anime. Whereas Megaguirus was a more fun science film with giant insects, this one is dark and serious. While not as depressing as the original Gojira, it's one of the darker ones. The cast here is pretty good for the most part, but wasn't as great as I remembered.

Yuri is our main character this around. You'll notice that a lot of the same actors keep appearing in these films. She was.....okay. Then there's her level-headed friend Takeda. He's basically there to give us the scoop on the Guardian Monsters. There's also Yuri's father, the best character in the whole thing. He felt genuine. Then there's the mysterious old man. His role is basically to warn the characters that "Godzilla is coming!!!!!" With that said, with his limited appearances, he was definitely one of the better characters. There are a bunch of side characters (Actor Yukijiro Hotaru from the Gamera trilogy appears with a very similar role, another sighting of Kaneko's take here) but the majority of them are about average. The cast overall isn't that great, but still pretty good. The monsters on the other hand are pretty spectacular on the other hand. (Well maybe not so much Ghidorah.)

Godzilla is really GODzilla here. They really wanted to show the audience how powerful he was, he's portrayed as practically invincible. First off, the suit. You'll notice how different it is. Obviously the standout feature is the eyes, it's all white, no pupils. It's awesome and makes G look just plain emotionless. Here we have him actually attacking humans, you can see the darker approach to his character already. It's good to see such a drastic version of G, it's interesting to see him on the complete evil side. That itself isn't the most shocking part, the big thing here is that Ghidorah is a guardian monster. What that means is that he's the good guy and we're rooting for him. This is one of the most controversial things in all of Godzilla. Ghidorah's a wimp in this film, there's no getting around that. He only becomes half of what he should be when Mothra merges with him. Before that, he's pretty much thrown around like a rag doll. While he looks like an ancient dragon, it's hard to see him getting beaten up so easily. You don't go from being the 'King of Terror' to this weakling. Mothra gets a different look here, a lot more insect-like. It's a unique take and fits the film, but I wouldn't want to see it in a future film personally. And now we have Baragon. He gets a major redesign, he looks fantastic. His portrayal is great, and he's just a fun little monster to root for. He looks realistic, one of the highlights of the film. You really do feel for him as he's getting pummeled by Godzilla.

The soundtrack is a highlight here. We get some very powerful themes here. It may be different than the iconic Ifukube themes, but different is (usually) good. There's the amazing intro theme, King Ghidorah's theme, it's all good stuff. One must admire at how great they made the destruction sequences here, the special effects are some of the best in any G film. The scene where Ghidorah transforms into King Ghidorah is awe-inspiring. Godzilla's dramatic first appearance was great, and the carnage he leaves in his wake is felt. The battles are pretty cinematic, G's battle with Baragon is a nice throwback to the earlier fights in the series. It was also cool to see the jab they did at the 98 film in the beginning, only Godzilla fans would get it. It was also a very nice touch to have the classic Godzilla theme playing over the credits. Such a great ending, and the final fight is pretty climatic.

Overall, GMK is a very solid film. It has that cinematic feel and scope last seen in 2000. Godzilla's dramatic portrayal was great to see. We also get Baragon, a monster that hasn't been seen since DESTROY ALL MONSTERS, which was over thirty years ago. Mothra gets a unique design and Ghidorah.....shouldn't have been here. Rodan should have been here instead. Now that I think about it, that actually makes a lot of sense. Anyways, what's done is done. The special effects are some of the best in any G film, the CGI and the monsters look great. Godzilla, Mothra, King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack is one of the most high quality of the G films. After repeated viewing, you do however realize that the cast is just above sub-par. Still, this film is a highly recommened entry.

8/10.

Godzilla vs. Gigan Review

1972 and 1973 were two declining years for Godzilla. (It technically started with Revenge, but that one's stock footage was used in a dream.) This film started to go back to basics after the strange Godzilla vs. Hedorah. With director Jun Fukuda at the helm, you know we're in for light-toned adventure. Godzilla vs. Gigan is famous for a few different things, really great things. The only thing holding thing it back is its use of stock footage.

Official description from Sony TriStar:

Imagine the fun at the new, high-tech, Tokyo amusement park with its gargantuan make-believe monsters and mechanized rides. But this pastoral playground is nothing more than a staging ground for destruction as a strange group of orange-uniformed "men" unleash a force of devastation the likes of which has never been known. They call their insatiable monster robot Gigan , built specifically to destroy Godzilla. But there's more. To assist Gigan , they enlist the help of King Ghidorah , the infamous three-headed flying hydra. The forces Godzilla to recruit his former foe, the stegosaurus-like Anguirus, in what turns out to be the most radical monster tag-team match-up of all time.

With Jun Fukuda, you know exactly what to expect. All his Godzilla films have a very similar tone and atmosphere. Once again, alien invaders are used. What separates them from the other aliens in the previopus films is that their real forms are cockroaches. (They literally use real life cockroaches, no props there folks.) The characters are truly defined in their traits. The usual main character, a tough-willed female (who is a black belt in karate) an always worried girl, and what fans define as a 'hippie.' (Sunglasses, a goatee, and bananas, don't forget the bananas.) What this film is known best for (besides the debut of the always-awesome Gigan) is the long drawn out fight at the end. It goes on for about half an hour. It's great stuff, but the stock footage really does ruin it sometimes. I think it'd be best if I start talking about the very interesting cast.

Hiroshi Ishikawa portrays our main character, the manga artist Gengo. He's a fun character to watch on screen when there's no monsters around. Though one scene did bother me with him. When he and Tomoko were running up the stairs of the Godzilla tower, he trips amd says "I'm finished." Now that was strange, he was part of this grand plan, then he trips and says he's through? If the purpose was to make the viewer laugh, it succeeded. Then there's his (I presume) girlfriend Tomoko. A lovely fun character for sure. (A black belt in karate no less.) Who can't help but smirk at the scene where she walks in, beats three of the Nebulans up, and forces them to leave the house? Good stuff. Then there's Machicko and her 'hippie' friend. First off, Tomoko Umeda as Machiko gives a very likable and realistic performance. The only real problem is there's really no character development for her. She seems to know a few things, but the film doesn't explain her or her hippie friend much. Then there's the bananas, it was kinda interesting, if not a bit strange. (And then Gengo threw the banana before he had finished it.) Zan Fujita plays the main villain this time around, Chairman Fumio Shudo. He never left an impression on me the first couple times I saw the film, but now I see what a great antagonist he is. What separates him from the other alien leaders is how young he is. I personally think he was the best character in the whole thing, an underrated perforamce. (He's right up there next the Controller of Planet X and the Commander of the Aliens of the Thid Planet from the Black Hole.) And as usual, the monsters stole show, some with mixed results surprisingly.

The Godzilla suit is looking really outdated here. It looked great in DESTROY ALL MONSTERS, but in this film it looks extremely outdated. (It's hard to make out the eyes. I know it's night, but still.) King Ghidorah isn't looking much better. The wings barely flap at all, it had lost its menacing look after being used so many times. Gigan is the new monster this time around. It's no surprise that's he my favorite of them all. With an amazingly unique design and great personality, Gigan makes a fine addition to this franchise. (A giant cyborg chicken-looking thing from outer space with the personality of a serial killer? TOHO really knew how to make them.) The only thing missing is his laser beam, which was showed on the posters for the film. (It's beyond me on why it wasn't used.) But yeah, Gigan is a fantastic monster. (Some great shots of him with the fire from the burning buildings.)

The score is fantastic, done by Akira Ifukube, featuring-wait a second, then you remember one thing: this movie just has stock music. But it's Ifukube's best themes, it fits every single scene in the film well. Then at the same time it doesn't have an original soundtrack. But again at the same time, no other themes would fit the scenes like these do. The main thing about this film is the drawn-out fight at the end. There are wisley put human scenes in-between the fight so it doesn't lose its momentum. As for the actual fight, it's really fun. Sadly, the stock footage ruins it sometimes. Sometimes they work, (the stock footage in Monster Zero from Rodan) but not here. Day switches to night instantly, and the Godzilla suits switch from 64 to this one! Great scenes, such as Anguirus's famous attack on Ghidorah from DESTROY ALL MONSTERS, are used. It's almost a crime. What we do get in this fight is the use of blood, something the Godzilla films had barely used before. It's brutal, but man it's awesome. Of course, some scenes in the film actually re-used, it gets kinda annoying seeing Godzilla throw Ghidorah down three times in a roll. Now, the most infamous thing about this film is the 'monster dubbing.' Basically, in two scenes, the monsters are given voices. On Monster Island, it goes out like this...

"Hey Angilas!" 
"What do ya want?"
"Something funny's going on, you'd better check!"
"Oh yeah."
"Hurry up!"


Then in the water...
"Hey Angilas come on, there's a lot of trouble ahead! We gotta hurry!"
"Okay."

Yeah it's kinda silly, but so awesome. How can one not smile at these scenes? Never gets old.

Overall, Godzilla vs. Gigan is fun little film. It has a fun cast and great monsters. (Minus the Godzilla and Ghidorah suits.) The pacing isn't that bad, the story is fun enough to keep the viewer invested with a great final fight. Unfortunately, it can't get the rating it was supposed to achieve cause of the overuse of stock footage. Either way, Godzilla vs. Gigan is a fun entry in the Godzilla franchise.

7.5/10.

Rebirth of Mothra III Review

What would it be like if you saw a Godzilla film with an King Ghidorah and Mothra but no Godzilla to lend a helping hand? You get this film. Rebirth of Mothra III is the final film in the 90's Mothra trilogy. It had been some time since Mothra got a solo flick, her most recent appearance before the first Rebirth in Mothra was in Godzilla vs. Spacegodzilla. So two years later, and one year after Godzilla was destroyed in his series, Mothra would get a trilogy all to herself. The trilogy itself had gotten mixed reviews, I myself haven't seen the first two, so I was going into this not knowing what to expect.

The story begins with Belvera (apparently there's a third Cosmo) seeking the power to  the Cosmos' ancestors. The other two manage to stop her, shortly after that a meteorite shower hits Japan. However, a strange object comes along with it. A rather large meteorite. When the two sisters analyze the fallen meteor, they realize what was inside: none other than KING GHIDORAH himself. It is said that the beast had destroyed the dinosaurs millions of years ago, now he's back. The Cosmos call in Mothra, who is quickly defeated by the Three-Headed Terror. The defeated Mothra tells the Cosmos a plan: Journey millions of years into the past and destroy King Ghidorah before he becomes fully grown. Of course, even when he wasn't fully powered, the King of Terror is still a force to be reckoned with.....

This is one interesting movie. See, I went into this thinking it was going to be a Godzilla movie with no Godzilla. It was kinda like that, but it's different. A good way to put it is a combination of a Heisei Godzilla film, and a Showa Gamera film. Yes, so expect a lot of kids. Thankfully, it doesn't go the cheesy route. For the most part, it's a pretty engaging science fiction story with lots of monster action. It's not part of the Godzilla films, it's its own thing.

The Cosmos being a central focus was both cool and interesting. Instead of being identical and chanting at the same time, they have individual personalities. Some fans don't like the idea of that, I think it's a pretty good concept and it's handled wonderfully in the film. There's this third Cosmo apparently, Belvera. I'd probably have to watch the other two films to understand who she is. With that said, she's an interesting character. A complaint however, is that in the beginning, she seems to be more toward the evil side, then later in the film, she turns a new leaf. That's fine, but the transition isn't smooth and just felt odd. The other focus was on this teenage kid. My gosh, this guy just had no emotion. The kid from Godzilla's Revenge had more emotion. The most unbearable character in the whole thing. He's just plain dull. His lines felt forced, it isn't good stuff.

Regarding the monsters, I'd say this is more of King Ghidorah's film than Mothra's. The King of Terror completely stole the show. My gosh, he was just awesome. Truly the best part of the film. His look in this film is by far his best. He's never looked more fierce and evil. A lot overlook his appearance in this film, he had previously appeared in the 1991 film Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah, and many would count GMK as his next appearance. Speaking of that, I think his GMK look borrowed some ideas from his look in this film, they look a bit similar. Mothra gets a nice design, looking more powerful than ever. However, one of the best parts of the film was when she got a super-form: Mothra Leo. The futuristic look is just epic.

The soundtrack is nothing special, no tunes stood out. However, the Mothra song gets a disco remix, that was nice. The effects for the most part are very good. The buildings exploding from King Ghidorah was pretty amazing. The dinosaurs are stop-motion, but they do look a little fake, especially when Cretaceous King Ghidorah picked up a Tyrannosaurus. The pacing is very good, it doesn't get dull. (I'm looking at you Godzilla vs. Biollante.) Just when you think it's over, then pop, Grand King Ghidorah returns. Talk about unexpected, I love it when a film could surprise you. The fights are pretty good, I never was a big fan of aerial fights, but they were pretty good. The final fight with Mothra Leo and Grand King Ghidorah was climatic. (I love how Ghidorah returns in a fire form first, homage to when he first appeared back in 64.) One thing that wasn't fully explained was why King Ghidorah was capturing all the kids. It was never truly explained what was the purpose of that.

Overall, Rebirth of Mothra III is a fun little film. You will feel like shouting "Where's Godzilla?! Mothra's getting creamed out there!" But this is Mothra's film, her own world. King Ghidorah stole the show, it's worth watching it just to see him in action alone. I've always liked the Cosmos in the Godzilla films, and they are really cool in this film.

7/10.

Godzilla: Kingdom of Monsters #10 Review

Before we get started, I just want to say how much I love that cover. My gosh, that's the best main cover of this series, and one of the best covers from any Godzilla comic. Anyways, this is Jason Ciaramella's second issue of Kingdom of Monsters. With the impressive Issue Nine, does the writer continue to bring the series into a good spotlight? Yup. Spoilers ahead, skip to the last paragraph if you've yet to read the issue.

The story continues with the EPIC BATTLE ROYAL OF MECHAGODZILLA AND GODZILLA! And when KING GHIDODRAH awakes, things get insane.

Short description, but it describes the comic perfectly. It's pretty much a big fight, like with Issue Eight. The difference here is that the fight is less "messy" and more fluid. This is what I'm talking about. There are zero real-world references, it's all about the monsters. Steven Woods continues to be a character we can root for, though his change of heart seems a bit sudden. It makes sense, but the transition feels rough. Allie is a bit too whiny and negative in the issue.

My two problems with this issue are Godzilla and Ghidorah. Let's talk about Godzilla first, its more of a general problem. He has virtually no character, he's just a walking event thus far. In the films, he usually has a reason for destroying things. I'm not saying he should be a defender here, but I need to see more of a personality. Now, for King Ghidorah. Gotta say, I was truly wide-eyed when he awoke. I mean, that was one amazing scene. Then we get three panels of the two monsters and mecha looking at each other. Epic. However, King Ghidorah is quickly taken down by Mechagodzilla soon after. He's been nothing but a joke in this series. It's sad. He got some great screen time in this issue, attacking Godzilla full-force, but is taken down again. Yeah I know he awoke battle weary, but still. This isn't how the King of Terror should be portrayed.

Still, the issue is leagues ahead of the earlier issues. It has Godzilla characters fighting it out, and that's all we could really ask for. In this issue's cliffhanger, the Twins arrive with Rodan, (who has been nothing but a joke this whole series, aside from his intro) and Battra. Their main monster, Battra, has had a lot of screen time over the course of the series. Rodan has had barely any, and it looks like he's going to get fried in the next issue. That is sad when thought about.

The art is still the only thing holding back this series from perfection now. The fights look fluid, but some shots of Godzilla's head look weird. Ghidorah has some pretty great shots however, loved the scene where he's in the background all black. The covers are pretty spectacular. I've already said how amazing the main cover is, so onto the Matt Frank variant. This time, the Smog Monster known as Hedorah takes center stage. As always, an amazing job.

Overall, there isn't much story in this issue. However, there is non-stop fighting, and that's a good thing. The earlier issues were lacking in the fight department, this is making up for it. The fight between Godzilla and Mechagodzilla was great, and then when Ghidorah rises, it becomes even more insane. The only problem is that the ladder is portrayed as a chump rather than the world-destroyer he should be. But, this comic was a thrill. It is a good day to be a Godzilla fan.

9/10.

GODZILLA

Alright, here we go. The thing you are about to read is a story I've written for the Legendary Studios Godzilla reboot. Over the past couple of weeks this idea hit me. I've made King Ghidorah the villain, cause he's the one American audiences are familiar with the most. This Godzilla is not a hero, nor is he a villain like in GMK, a little more toward the ladder, but mostly like his Heisei incarnation. This is not an origin story, rather more akin to Godzilla 2000 Millennuim. I'd say it's mixture of Godzilla 2000, the 98 film, (in that it takes place in New York) and Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster. Rather than write out the fight between the two monsters, I decided to make an animated video for it. Now, onto the reading.

PROLOGUE

It opens up in space, a shot of Venus. The camera slowly zooms into the planet's surface. Beings identical to Earth's humans, except they have a third arm, run rampant. Buildings on fire, the beings are screaming as they run wherever they could. Chaos. A mother and child attempt to take cover behind a destroyed building while the beings shout things in their native tongues. The woman holds her child close as a noise from above is heard. A large shadow passes over the entire colony. Lightning bolts strike as the shadow passes. They strike all over the colony. Buildings explode, the beings are dying. The mother closes her and her child's eyes as she stands by the destroyed building. After the dying screams of the people stopped, she looked upon the destruction. Everything was destroyed, the colony, the people, everything, She and her child were the sole survivors. Holding the baby, she ventured out. It was dead silent. Until she heard a noise behind her. She turned around slowly. Something was hovering above her. She knew it was death. The thing roared. She muttered something before the thing crushed her and her child where they stood. The sole survivor of the colony was dead.

Venus was destroyed.

The thing roared and looked back at the deceased planet as it flew away. It turned it's attention to the nearest planet, earth.

Prologue ends, opening credits begin.

ACT 1


It opens abruptly, camera zoomed in on the sand of Manhatten Beach, Brooklyn. The focus is a giant footprint engraved in the sand. Police officers make up most of the scene, with two agents from Washington D.C. in the footprint. Being from the same unit, they looked indentical, black suits, a tie, and pitch-black sunglasses. The only thing that seperated them was the color of their hair, one had blond, the other black. The one with black hair spoke first.

"Are you done looking it over Malcom?"

The other one, Malcom, answered.

"I've gone over it a hundred times since we arrived, I've found nothing new since we started."

"Cover it up, we cannot let the public see it and get crazy ideas. This is obviously some sort of big prank, it wouldn't be too hard to accomplish." The blond one, Joe, said.

It was midnight, pitch-black, the beach was closed off to the public. After Joe gave a signal, the officers started filling the footprint with sand. He and Malcom started to walk away from the scene toward their black vehicles. Being with the ladder for over ten years in service, Joe knew when his partner was deep in thought.

"What are you thinking about?"

"That footprint is similar of that from a Tyrannosaurus Rex. However, the largest creature that roamed the earth was the Spinosaurus, and that footprint was over five times bigger."

"Someone must have a lot of time on their hands. Either way, cameras will be installed within the week."

They arrive at their vehicles, black Pontiacs, and drove away toward their homes.

ACT 2


That same night, a boat travels the Upper New York Bay. The Staten Island Ferry is en route to Manhattan, carrying over five hundred sleepy passengers. That sleepiness is destroyed when the boat is shaken. The alerted passangers are calmed when the captain's voice is heard over the intercom saying, "It was just a large wave, there is no need for panic, thank you." The passengers relax, but the boat is rocked again more violently. People fall to the ground, a baby cries, and then silence. A loud noise is then heard, and the people rush to the windows. Some stand in shock while others run as a long object strikes the side of the boat. People go flying as glass breaks. The ferry tips over onto its other side. The noise is heard again, and the passengers see a blast of something blue coming toward them. It blasts right through the boat, disintegrating anyone remotely close. The boat then explodes and the noise is heard again.

ACT 3


Malcom arrived at address 387, his home. While he was paid hansomely from his job, he never bought a mansion, rather a medium size house in downtown Brooklyn. It was 5 p.m. when he knocked on the door. His lovely Latin wife, Selena, greeted him and let him in. As they walked down the hall, Malcom, despite the rule of not telling bystanders, told her about the footprint and everything. He always told her everything, despite protocol. The living room was the largest room in the house, Malcom sat on the recliner as a pair of footsteps walked down the stairs to the living room. His 16 year old son, Dan entered.

"Welcome back Dad, how long are you staying for?"

"About four days, then I head back to D.C. on Wednesday. What have you been up to son?"

"I was just watching an old monster movie about a giant moth."

"The original, or the 90's remake?"

"The original."

"Ah, yes. I saw that in the theater when I was about your age. Wait, Selena, up the volume on the TV."

Selena put the volume on the remote. The reporter from News12 was talking about something that had happened in the Upper New York Bay.

"And police are having no word other than that a Staten Island ferry en route to Manhattan was destroyed by an unknown object or force. As you can see, thanks to our helicopter, the ferry is still burning from an explosion. There are no reports of any survivors of the 525 passangers, wait, we are getting a report that one man has been found. His injuries are severe and it is not yet known if he will make it out alive. He is currently being rushed to the nearest hospital. We will have more updates as this story develops. Mary Shackle, News12."

Malcom turned off the TV and rushed to the phone in the kitchen.

"What are you doing Mal?" Selena asked.

"I'm sorry hon, but I have to check this out, I'm calling Joe. A ferry just doesn't explode in the middle of the ocean, we have to talk to the survivor, something isn't right." Malcom said from the kitchen.

There was silence in the living room as Malcom talked to Joe about the situation. After about five minutes, he was on his way to the door. Before leaving, he said, "I'll be back, I promise." He shut the door behind him.

ACT 4

The local Brooklyn hospital was always crazy, but more so right now. Reporters and photographers were there, attempting to get acess to the patient. No one was allowed, unless of course you were a governemt agent. Both Malcom and Joe cleared the way thanks to their badges. They walked in the room housing the patient and shut the door. It was a small room, all white with one large window. The patient lay in bed all bandaged up, his dark brown eyes was the only thing that wasn't bandaged. A doctor entered the room from a side door.

"Will he make it?" Joe asked.

The doctor sighed and looked at the patient's vital signs.

"His burns are too deep. In fact, they aren't even burns, it's atomic radiation, and it has poisoned his system. He probably won't live the hour." He said.

"We'd like a few words with him regarding the incident, if you could step out for a few minutes." Joe said.

"Of course."

The doctor left and the agents faced the survivor.

"Mr. John Wright, I am Agent Joe and this is Agent Malcom. We know that you cannot talk very well right now, but we have a few questions that you need to answer. First, what exactly did you see? What made the boat tip over, explode, and sink?"

John coughed and started to talk, albeit with a raspy voice.

"I saw it! I saw the whole thing! It was huge! I stared directly into its eyes in the water. It had scales on its back, and it was the tail that knocked over the boat. I saw the scales glow, and it shot something right through it! And it's noise, my word, it was ear-piercing. That thing was death, I stared death directly in the eyes. It-"

He stopped talking and eyes slowly closed. Joe looked at his vital signs.

He was dead.

Joe and Malcom exited the room and brushed aside all of the press. They walked outside in the cool November air to their cars. Malcom was the first to speak.

"I think it's a bit of a coincidence."

"You actually think that prank is linked to this event? It's largely possible that Mr. Wright sabatoged the boat with some sort of radioactive bomb."

"Yes, that could be it, or one of the other passengers. But that story he told...."

"You saw him, he was delusional."

"Maybe. I think we should pay a visit to Old Man Johnson."

"Why? That old kook is a bit delusional himself with all those books of legends."

"I think we should tell him about the thing Mr. Wright claimed that he saw. You're probably right that there's no connection, but I think it's worth a look into."

Joe sighed.

"Alright Mal. We'll do this, but let's make it quick, we'll go now."

They went into their vehicles and rode down the street to the house of Old Man Johnson.


ACT 5


Old Man Johnson lived on the outskirts of Brooklyn, where barely anyone else lived. His house was small and damaged, one of the oldest houses in the borough. It was one of the few areas where it was remotely quiet in the city. It was 8 o' clock when the agents parked and knocked on the door. Old Man Johnson, a bald man of fifty five years of age who resembled a monk, opened the door. Joe was the first to speak.

"Mr. Johnson, I am Agent Joe, and this is Agent Malcom, we have something to ask you."

Old Man Johnson seemed to hesitate before answering.

"Am, am I in trouble?"

"No, we just want to ask you something. So if you could just let us in."

"Of course Agent Joe, right this way please."

The agents walked into the house and shut the door behind them. The space was very cramped, there were statues of strange looking beasts and angels throughout. Old Man Johnson led the agents to a very small living room with a couch and recliner. The agents sat sat down on the sofa.


"Can I get you anything to drink?" Johnson asked.

"We're fine, we're going to be leaving in a few minutes anyway."

Joe then nodded to Malcom.


"Mr. Johnson, does this ring a bell? A thing that has plates on its back which glows when it shoots some kind of radiation?"

Johnson seemed taken aback by what Malcom said.


"That sounds like Gojira."

"Go-what?" Joe asked.

"Gojira, a Japanese demon."

Johnson went into the nearby bookcase and pulled out a blank book. He opened it and showed a page to the agents.

"What on earth?" Joe said.

The black-and-white picture showed some kind of a dinosaur-like creature biting a train. Old Man Johnson sat down and started to talk.

"It is said that in 1954, a Japanese demon known as Gojira destroyed all of Japan. So much was destroyed that only this picture remains. It is unknown what happened after it destroyed the country, many say it went into the ocean and fell into a deep slumber, which hasn't been awoken."

Both agents looked at each other then back at Johnson.

"Why do you wish to-"

"Thank you for your time Mr. Johnson, we'll be on our way now, good night." Joe cut in.

They got up and started walking to the door.

"Gojira is an unstoppable force that no man-made weapons could beat. It is death." Johnson said.

The agents closes the door behind them. Outside, Malcom was the first to talk.

"So what do you make of that?"

"I think he's a lunatic, but that image does match up with what Mr. Wright said. It's interesting."

"We should report all of this to Captain Williams."

"Go home to your wife and kid Mal, we'll report all of this to the captain in the morning."

They went their vehicles and drove away.

ACT 6


At the same time the agents were driving to their homes, back at the Manhattan Beach, two teenagers hopped the fence onto the sand. They both were carrying torches. The smaller one spoke.

"Are you sure about this man, it's late and it's Brooklyn!"

"You're such a wuss, Kevin. I saw a bunch of law enforcement here. They're hiding something, and I'm going to find out what it is."

The two walked deeper into the beach until they hit the water. A loud noise was heard from within it.

"What was that?!" Kevin asked.

The water started to rise. Both heads of the boys looked up as a dark object emerged from the water.

"Is that.....a dinosaur?" Kevin asked.

The 'dinosaur' roared and the boys started to run back from where they came from. The beast looked down and saw the torch lights running. Not knowing exactly what they were, the beast took it as a threat and shot a blast of blue atomic radiation. It destroyed the little torch lights and the people carrying them. It roared once again and stepped out of the water. It could see the lights coming up ahead and it heard nonstop noises. Curious, it walked toward the city that never sleeps.

ACT 7

Malcom was hearing the radio as he was driving when a special announcement came on.

"There is mass panic in the street as something that appears to be a dinosaur is roaming the streets. It has plates on its back. This is not a trick, I repeat, this is not a trick! Our helicopter is following it, it appears-"

Malcom had been dialing Joe's number as the reporter was reporting. Joe picked up.

"Are you listening to the news?!" Malcom shouted.

"I am, but I'm not believing it. I'm heading toward the scene right now."

"I'm going to call Captain Williams now, I'll join you as soon as I can."

Malcom hanged up and dialed his superior officer's number, the captain of his unit.

Captain Williams answered.

"Agent Malcom, what in blazes is happening over there?!"

"Some kind of monster has entered New York, I'm driving toward the scene."

"I'm calling in some of our troops and airforce, they're actually showing this thing from camera, it's being broadcast on TV."

"It's Gojira."

"What?!"

"It's a long story sir, I believe the thing that is attacking the city is Gojira, a Japanese demon."

"I don't care what it is, and I can't even pronounce that, we'll call it Godzilla or something, my men will blow this thing to Hell before it could do any real damage."

Before Malcom replied, he saw something burning outside his left window.

It was his home.

"No."

He dropped the phone and went outside. His home was destroyed, the roof completely taken off. It was slowly burning to nothing. He could see a skeleton's hand on the ground in the house. He went toward it, then the fire burned even more. He fell to his knees and heard the roar. He looked behind. He could see the monster in the distance, walking, creating more destruction. More lives were facing death.

"Darn you Godzilla!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" He shouted into the air.


Godzilla couldn't hear that, he could only hear the little people beneath him scream and the beeping from the cars. He then heard something and looked up. A bunch of fighter jets were closing in on him. They shot a couple of missiles at the monster. They struck him, but it was nothing. He shot a blast of atomic radiation. It destroyed both jets. Godzilla roared then felt something from the ground attack him. Tanks were rolling in as people fled. They shot large missiles at the monster. They struck, but like the jets, had zero effect. Godzilla shot radiation, which destroyed all the tanks in front of him. He roared and walked deeper into the city, smashing buildings with his enormous tail. Way in back of the beast was Joe's car. He parked and stepped out.

"This can't be happening." He said as he looked at the gargantuan beast.

He dialed Malcom, but no one picked up. He then dialed Captain Williams.

"Captain Williams, are you there?"

"Yes, Joe, I am watching all of it."

"According to the news, it shrugged off all the missiles, we're going to need something more powerful."

"I am aware, but there's nothing we can shoot that won't bring such collateral damage that won't be felt for the near cities."

"We have to do something, sir! This lizard will destroy all of New York if we don't put it down."

Indeed, Godzilla had ravaged a part of Brooklyn already. He looked to his right and saw something that caught his interest. The Brooklyn Bridge. The beast started to make his way there. In his car, Joe followed. He dialed Captain Williams again.

"Sir, I have a plan."

Godzilla was right in front of the Bridge. There were many cars still attempting to get out, but due to the chaos, they kept crashing into one another. The monster opened its mouth to blast the bridge in half when he heard before behind him. With a grunt, he turned around. A fighter jet was there, carrying a rather large missile. Godzilla once again opened to blast the jet to ashes. The jet shot the missile into Godzilla's mouth and quickly retreated. At first, the behemoth felt nothing, and then slowly, he started feel a sense of tiredness and the need to sleep. He fell to the ground and went into a slumber. Joe pulled up near the monster and stepped out of his car. He could see the awesome sight of the beast in full. He opened up his phone.

"Sir, I believe my plan worked."

"How long will the sleeping gas have effect?"

"On a regular animal, it would knock them out for a few days, I'm not sure how long this creature will be affected."

"That's fine, now we can sit down and think of a strategy. And where in blazes is Malcom? He doesn't answer."

"He doesn't answer me either, sir, I'm going to go find him."

Joe hanged up the phone and took one last look at the sleeping behemoth before driving toward Malcom's house.

ACT 8


The morning brought a startling realization to the citizens of New York. Over half of Brooklyn lay in shambles. There were still many things on fire, which kept the fire department busy. Godzilla lay dormant in front of the bridge, but for how long? That's what the citizens wanted to know, a lot we're not taking chances, they had left the city completely. Joe kept driving around and had called Malcom ten times before the ladder answered. He had said he was at the cemetery, Joe had just arrived. He found his partner sitting on a bench.

"Malcom, where in the heck have you been? Both the captain and I have been trying to reach you all night."

"They're both dead, Joe."

"Who is?"

"My wife and my son are dead."

It then hit Joe why his partner was like this.

"How do you know they're dead Mal?"

"My house was burning."

"I'm sorry Mal, but that doesn't mean that they're dead.  They could still be out there, don't give up hope on that. Now we have a job to do, searching will be later."

"Godzilla has to pay."

"Godzilla?"

"It's the name the captain gave it, let's go."

They started to walk from the grim cemetery.

"I listened to all of it on the radio, so a ton of sleeping gas is keeping Godzilla dormant near the Brooklyn Bridge?"

"Yes, though I'm not sure how long it will last. Honestly, he could wake at any moment, that's why we need a plan."

While they were talking, way above them, the thing that had destroyed Venus was entering Earth's atmosphere. It spotted a machine hovering near it. The United States satellite. With one blast of its gravity beam, the satellite was destroyed. It then made its way into earth's surface. It sensed a powerful presence emitting from within, and it was hungry for the destruction of another world.

ACT 9


Normally things would be peaceful at NASA, but not at this moment. People were scrambling to and fro from their work stations. Ever since they lost contact with the satellite, there has been nothing but chaos. One young man of about twenty shouted from his station,

"Sir, we have an unidentified object coming really fast toward the States, it's the biggest thing our sensors have ever detected."

"Could it be the thing that took out our satellite?" The Captain of NASA said as he looked at the red dot on the screen approaching.

"Affirmative, sir."

"What's its trajectory?"

"New York City, sir."

This caught the Captain by surprise, considering that that the borough had just been attacked.

"Call the airforce, we need to send a jet to intercept, it's probably just a very large meteorite." He said.

Not long after, a fighter jet was launched. The pilot looked at his control panel. The red dot was approaching at a fast pace. He picked up his communicator. Back at NASA, there was silence as the pilot was heard through the main computer. The Captain picked up his communicator.

"What do you see soldier?"

The pilot answered,

"I am approaching the object now, it's golden, it's-what the?!"

"Come in soldier, what do you see?"

"It's not a meteor, I repeat, IT'S NOT A METEOR! It's some kind of monster, IT HAS THREE HEADS! It-"
A sound that was almost like a cackle cut him off, then the com went dead. There was silence for a few moments, until someone said,

"Sir, it's entered Manhattan's airspace."

The thing had entered Manhattan. KING GHIDORAH had arrived.

ACT 10


It was truly unexpected for the citizens of Manhattan. They heard strange noises coming from above, and in a flash, they saw a giant golden dragon with three heads pass over them. When it passed over, cars went flying, along with people. The dragon shot gravity beams at the buildings as it passed. In his mind, he considered the people running beneath him nothing more than ants, he would destroy every single one of them, but first he wanted to find the intense power he was sensing. Something caught his attention, the Empire State Building. The intense power could wait, the structure was too tempting not to break down.

Meanwhile, soldiers were next to Godzilla, keeping any curious onlookers at bay. However, everyone was busy running away when they heard the cackling of King Ghidorah in the distance. The soldiers stood their ground, but they soon joined the fleeing citizens once they saw Godzilla open his eyes. The gargantuan heard the call, another monster. A challenge. He started to rise and then roared. He looked ahead.  He could feel an intense power coming toward the tall structure ahead. In the way was the Brooklyn Bridge. A minor annoyance. He shot a blast of atomic radiation into the center of it. It broke in half. The King of Monsters started to walk toward the tall structure.

ACT 11


Malcom and Joe had been hearing the reports on the radio when Captain Williams called in.

Joe put his phone on speaker.

"As I'm sure you well know, there's this three-headed dragon heading straight for the Empire State Building! I need you two to go in deep, I'm sending more support." The Captain shouted on the line.

"Please hold on sir." Joe said, as he turned up the volume on the radio.

"We have an official report that the monster that attacked the city earler has awoken and is heading toward the Empire State Building. Mass panic as this other monster with three heads is-oh my-" The reporter was cut off by a cackling sound sound then silence.

"Darn it Joe, what the heck is happening there?!"

Back at NASA, the workers were monitoring everything.

"Godzilla is heading toward the Empire State Building, so is the dragon, sir."

"Do you think...?"

"Yes sir. I think they're going to fight,"

Back on ground-level King Ghidorah stopped near the Empire State Building. It sensed something was coming. Something powerful. He roared in anticipation, all three of its heads. Godzilla emerged from behind the building and was standing face to face with the King of Terror. They roared at each other. Meanwhile, Malcom and Joe had parked their car when they saw they couldn't get across the bridge. Above, a helicopter came down. The pilot open the hanger.

"Agents Malcom and Joe, Captain Williams sent me to escort you into the air to see what is happening."

Malcom and Joe went in the helicopter. It flew toward the battleground. Outside the window, they could see all of what use to be New York City. In under a day, it was a wasteland. Finally they were hovering near the Empire State Building.

"Oh man." Malcom said.

Outside the window, he could see the beasts roaring at each other.

"Whoever wins, it wouldn't matter, cause we lose either way." He said.

King Ghidorah took a step, and they they went at it.

Godzilla had fallen.

Back in the helicopter, there was a dead silence before Malcom spoke.

"So now what?"

Back on the ground, King Ghidorah was kicking the downed Godzilla. The three-headed beast then did a roar that was heard all over the country. After, he started to walk away. A familiar roar forced him to look back. Godzilla was standing up, growling. King Ghidorah turned around and let out a roar. Godzilla then let out a shot of his atomic ray. The dragon was caught off-guard by it as it struck it's middle neck. He let a roar of pain and was dazed. Back in the helicopter, the agents were watching in awe.

"I don't get it, why did Godzilla wait this long to use his atomic energy?" Joe asked.

"Who knows, maybe he wanted to see how powerful the other monster was before letting it out. Now that he knows the monster is a threat, he's taking no chances anymore." Malcom answered.

King Ghidorah was but dazed for a few moments, and turned his attention to Godzilla. Godzilla saw an opening, and once again shot a blast of his atomic ray. It struck King Ghidorah's middle neck again. This time however, the entire head and neck popped out when the blast struck. Green blood splurted out as the head struck the ground. Godzilla roared in triumph. King Ghidorah couldn't function without its lead head, he started to fly away. He had enough and would be back one day. Godzilla on the other hand didn't think like that, he was going to finish off the dragon. He shot another blast of atomic energy. It struck King Ghidorah dead center. He lost consciousness and plummted into the ocean. He fell deeper and deeper into the cold water......

Godzilla roared into the sky and looked around. He was weary of fighting, and wanted to rest. Back in the helicopter, the agents watched as the King of Monsters stomped away.

"What's he going to do now? Attack more of the city?" Joe asked.

"I don't think so, he looks to have had enough." Malcom replied.

"Chopper, land and drop us off." The pilot landed the helicopter and the agents jumped off. They watched Godzilla walk into the water for a deep slumber.

End credits roll.

EPILOGUE 

Malcom and Joe are in an underground facility with Captain Williams in Washington D.C. The ladder was the first to speak out loud.

"Godzilla will be back, we're going to need something to combat him."

A man in a white coat approached them.

"Excuse me sir, I have something that will interest you."

From his pocket, he took out a small glass container. There was something in with a label that read 'G-CELLS.'

"I've managed to get some of Godzilla's cells amidst the destruction. I have more, this is just a sample."

"And how exactly can we use these cells to our advantage doctor?"  Catain Williams said.

The doctor leaned in and whispered in Captain Williams' ear for a few moments. The Captain thought for a few moments about what he just heard, then spoke.

"And you're sure they can be combined with the technology?"

The doctor nodded.

The Captain sighed, then spoke.

"Alright then, it's settled. Project 'Mechagodzilla' is a go.

Screen fades to black.

Well, if you took the time to read the whole thing, I applaud. I know I didn't do a great job with the human characters, but overall I think it came out alright. I think the after-credits scene would be perfect, it would definitely get the fans excited. Well, thanks for reading.

Godzilla: Kingdom of Monsters Look-Back

I remember last year back in December the announcement of this series. I usually don't get hyperactive over announcements, but some things I do. This was one of them. I remember the headline over at ComicBookResources: "Godzilla, King of the Monsters, Returns at IDW." That was the biggest announcement of the decade besides the upcoming film being confirmed. I was extremely impatient with waiting for this series, then it got pushed back from March to April. Wow, I thought they were just messing with me. Anyways, when that April 27th came, I found Issue One and had two options. Go with the Godzilla solo cover, or go with the cover showcasing some of the monsters. Usually I would have gone with the latter, but the first had such great detail when compared to the other. So I bought it, then I went home to feast my eyes on my most anticipated comic ever. I'll repeat that, most anticipated comic ever.

I read, or should I say, blasted through it. It was probably the fastest comic I've ever read. It showcased Godzilla attacking Tokyo, and the President. (Who bares a striking resemblance to Obama.) Pretty much a normal, generic Godzilla story. Was I disappointed? A bit, but it wasn't a bad first start. It was Godzilla destroying things, alright in my book. Of course, even that would get a bit boring after awhile, like the films, it's always more exciting when there's another monster. So with the debut of supersonic horror Rodan and spiky armadillo Anguirus next issue, it would get better. And it did......for a bit.

The second issue floored me, I had the impression that this would be a very good series. It was a combination of Godzilla, 2012, and The Walking Dead. As the issues went on, something happened. Each month it seemed that the issues had lost focus. It seemed hell-bent on poking at today's culture rather than focusing on the monsters. I gave Issues Four and Five pretty harsh reviews, the first got a 4/10 while the latter got a 3/10. At that point, my enthusiasm went dry, I was then only collecting this series just cause I'm a Godzilla fan. Personal honor you could say. My past two reviews of Issues Seven and Eight were good, the series was on the right track. Now that Eric Powell is out, I decided to revisit the series, read all all eight issues back-to-back. Reading them again made me realize something.....they are much better read that way.

Re-reading Issue One made me realize that it was a perfect start. The reason why I found the first issue disappointing back months ago was that I felt so excited having the first issue in my hands to read. I was expecting something big, I just gazed over the issue, and finished it within five minutes. Now that I was more relaxed, I took my time with the issue. It was actually a lot better than I remember. Godzilla's emergence was great, and it a very good issue now that I've re-read it. Godzilla's portrayal was spot-on, and the humor, (at that point, remember that) was actually funny. I especially liked the scene where they nuked him and their reaction to his having the ability to shoot an atomic beam because of it. So I'm glad I re-read this issue, I've gained a better appreciation for it.

It's really the other monsters and confrontations I was looking forward to. I have the same opinion as before, Anguirus and Rodan make fine intros. I don't think the writers like Rodan all that much. I mean, he appears the least, (not counting Kumonga, will address that soon) and when he finally is in a fight, he gets mind controlled. I wasn't expecting the monsters to be portrayed 100% accurately, but they were. Both Godzilla and Rodan are aggressive and attack anything that moves. Anguirus isn't as aggressive, more like minding his own business as he intends to cope with the situation. Beautiful. However, Godzilla's portrayal turns into something of a mindless monster. In the films, he always had a distinctive character, (villain against Japan, hero of Japan, anti-hero, etc) here he's becoming just a raging beast. By issue eight, he's more of a walking event than an actual character. The thing that separates Godzilla from other giant monsters is his character. He isn't some raging one-shot Tyrannosaurus, he has character, and I hope this series will give him that soon.

It's hard to surprise people today, mainly cause every time type of surprise has been done already. Issue Three back when I read it had the perfect cliffhanger: the surprise arrival of Battra. Of course, re-reading it didn't have that same effect, but it's still such an amazing appearance. Battra so far is lacking his character from the film. There he was not truly evil, he was the protector of earth. He just couldn't stand humanity, and wanted to purge the earth of all humans. That's what puts him at odds with Mothra. In this series so far, he seems to be a mindless slave for the Twins. Speaking of them.....

Who are these strange twin girls? Despite all these monster appearances, they are the main antagonists. I don't mind new characters, but using them over established monsters is almost a crime. They can control monsters such as Battra and Rodan? That's sure to get on some fans' nerves. (I still cannot get over Rodan being controlled.) We get introduced to two monsters in Issue Six: Mechagodzilla and Kumonga. The ladder gets ONE scene and hasn't appeared since. I mean, it seems like he was just thrown in just to have another monster appearance. Take out that appearance, it doesn't effect anything. Mechagodzilla gets a pretty good and accurate portrayal, based solely on his look from Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II. However, as stated in my review, the part where he goes haywire doesn't make sense. It's a homage to when Kiryu (Mechagodzilla III) went haywire, but here it happens all too quick. There isn't any reference to him having DNA from Godzilla, so it makes zero sense. He reappears in the latest issue, but goes dead for no apparent reason.

KING GHIDORAH. Now there's a name every Godzilla fan knows. Universally accepted as Godzilla's greatest opponent, his appearance in Kingdom of Monsters was inevitable. Even after re-reading issue seven, I STILL think that was a great issue, unlike in most of the reviews. Ghidorah's build-up was perfect, but is thrown away in the next issue. The battle was of epic proportions, but once he lost, he felt like a throwaway character. I mean, it seems the writers are more bent on making the Twins the menacing force rather than King Ghidorah himself. If he doesn't come back anytime soon, there will be trouble. I hope the same doesn't happen to Destroyah.......

I actually really like the art back in Issue One. It wasn't Jim Lee, but it was good. The splash pages are nice, and the monsters look great. There are some amazing shots of them. However, starting at issue three, the art falters. The humans look odd and just plain bad. I don't know what happened, one issue the President looks fine, the next he looks like he needs a face transplant. I don't want to say this, but the art is making the humans look slapstick. The covers themselves are always something I look forward to. Powel's covers are mixed. His cover for issue one stands out as the best. Matt Frank's covers are truly phenonminal. My only problem is that sometimes it gives you the illusion of what's going to happen. I mean, one of the covers for issue three showcased Godzilla, Anguruis, and Roan battling it out. Did we get? Nope. Not even a meeting between the three. What's worst is that in the actual comic, they say "Next Issue!" Which features Godzilla shooting at Mothra. She didn't even appear in the following issue, that was false advertisement right there. (Where is she anyway? She's only been hinted at, her appearance is overdue.)

Overall, re-reading the first eight issues of Kingdom of Monsters back-to-back made me realize something. It's a solid tale when read like that. I actually enjoyed it better than when I bought the issues every month. The real-world references are more durable when read like this, the story has MUCH better pacing. The first fight, Godzilla vs. Anguirus, was disappointing when I first read it. Now that I've re-read, I appreciate the detail put into it, the monster fights are great, they just need to be a bit longer sometimes. Steven Woods and Allie's plot felt like it was going nowhere each month, but when read back-to-back, it feels a lot better paced. I wrote in to IDW and got my letter published in the letter column of Issue Three. I said it had potential to be the greatest comic book series ever. After reading the issues that came after, I revoked that claim. Now that I've re-read the first eight issues, I don't think the series is a disgrace to the Godzilla name anymore. It has a long way to go before being "great" however. It's a fun story, go check out the trades.