My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fan Fic: 'Attack of the Giant Monsters'

Prologue

Another dimension. Another world. No ponies roamed around here, any were just simple animals on farms. It was midnight in the West. Somewhere far off the coast of Japan was an island. On it were many trees, bushes, waterfalls, pretty much everything an island in the middle of the ocean would have. In the center was a large ancient Rome-like structure. No sound was being made. Inside the structure were stone walls, stairs that led up, and a shrine. The walls had markings on them. Engraved in the center of the ground was a cross-like emblem. Standing on it were two tiny figures.

"Something is not right." One of them said.
"Yes. Why are they all disappearing?" The other asked.
"I do not know Moll. This is disrupting the natural order. The universe...reality itself cries out against the disruption. Things that belong here must stay here, or it could mean the end of everything."

The ladies looked at each other, they both we're thinking the same thing.

"We have to call Mothra."

End of prologue

This dimension. This world. Equestria. Ponyville. Nothing was out of the ordinary, it was a peaceful day. Ponies walked around happily, shopping, talking, and just enjoying the nice warm weather. On the outskirts of the village was the cottage of Fluttershy. The door burst open as Fluttershy exited. She was very happy today. She turned her head around to say something to her pet bunny Angel.

"Now you be good, I'll be back in a couple of hours after going out with the girls."

And with that, she closed the door and was on her way to Ponyville.

If it's one thing Fluttershy liked doing, it was hanging out with her friends. Though not everything was dandy, she had a very throbbing headache. It had started in the morning, she couldn't understand what had triggered it. "Oh well," she thought, "it would go away while being with the others". As she entered Ponyville she noticed some strange cracks in the ground.

"Sewer or construction work perhaps?" She said to herself.

Getting to the spa was only a couple of minutes distance. As she walked deeper into the village, she could spot her friends in front of the building.
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"It's about time she got here, she's like ten minutes late!" Rainbow Dash said as she and the others spotted Fluttershy coming their way.

"Fluttershy's always on time, I'm sure she has a good reason for being late." The always positive Twilight replied.

"Sorry I'm late girls, one of my hummingbirds had a broken wing so I had tend to it." Fluttershy said as she walked toward them.

"See, what'd I tell you? A good reason."

Then the ground shook beneath their hooves, all the ponies in Ponyville felt it.

"What in tarnation was that?" Applejack asked.
"Oooooh, look!" Pinkie Pie said as she pointed to the sky.

The Mane 6 and all the Ponies that were outside looked.up. Something was forming, something large that kept circulating.

"It's a portal!" Twilight shouted.

The portal kept getting bigger, then stopped. Something fell from it and hit the ground in front of them. The portal closed. Standing was something very big, far bigger than the ponies and even bigger than some of the buildings. Its color was dark green. On its back were large and very spiky dorsal plates, and it had a very long tail. It's face was that of some kind of lizard. The thing that had fallen out of the portal was some kind of monster.

"Is it some kind of dragon?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"I don't think so. Look!" Twilight shouted.

The dorsal plates on the monster started to glow blue. Moments later it shot a blast of something powerful from its mouth. It struck the ground, making explosions. Any other ponies that were still there fled in terror.

"Did that thing just shoot a blast of fire?!" Rarity asked.
"That wasn't fire, don't you recognize it? That's atomic radiation! That's worse than fire, it's far more destructive!" Twilight said.

The monster roared.

"I...I can understand him." Fluttershy said quietly since she was surprised.
"What was that dear?" Rarity asked.
"I'll be right back." Fluttershy said and then flew toward the monster.
"Fluttershy!" Twilight shouted.
"I'll get her!" Rainbow Dash said as she was about to fly, but was grabbed by Applejack.
"Hold on there Rainbow, let's see what Fluttershy's going to do."

The Poines watched earnestly as Fluttershy flew toward the giant. She flew by the side of its head.

"Um, excuse me, mr. monster sir, is it alright if I know your name?"

The monster turned its head toward Fluttershy. It was surprised she could understand him.

"The humans call me Godzilla." He said.
"Well Godzilla, um, can I ask you to not destroy this village?"
"I'm not trying to destroy your village, I'm trying to attack the thing that's underneath it."
"Underneath..."

And then as if right on time, something jumped, or rather drilled out of the ground some distance in front of them. It was another monster about the size of Godzilla. This time however it looked really strange. Its head resembled that of a beetle, it was black and yellow and instead of hands it had drills. It roared at Godzilla, taunting him.

Its name was Megalon.

Godzilla roared and charged full speed toward the drill-beetle. The latter roared what sounded like laughter in anticipation. Fluttershy flew toward him.

"What is she crazy?" Rainbow Dash said back on the ground.

Before Godzilla could make contact, Fluttershy flew in-between them. Godzilla stopped running and Megalon stopped laughing as they both looked at her. Fluttershy didn't quite understand why she felt no fear, she guessed it was the realization of the fact that her headache had stopped and she could understand these creatures. She turned to face Megalon.

"Um, maybe you and Godzilla could not fight here? It's damaging our village, and-" Fluttershy never got to finish because Megalan sent her flying with a whack from his right drill.

"Fluttershy!" Twilight shouted.
"I got her!" Rainbow Dash said and then zoomed to catch her falling friend.

Back in the monsters' point of view, Godzilla watched Fluttershy go flying, then turned angrily to Megalon. He was mad that such a creature who was nice to him got whacked away. He roared and swung his tail. Megalon ducked. He stood back up and started laughing at the fact that he just dodged an attack from Godzilla. The latter on the other hand was not amused and tackled a surprised Megalon to the ground. Back with the Ponies, they all watched in awe at the two giant monsters when Rainbow Dash returned with Fluttershy.

"Are you alright Fluttershy?" Twilight asked.
"Yes, but I understood him! The one with the spikes on his back. He said the humans call him Godzilla."
"What are humans???" Pinkie Pie asked. Applejack shrugged.
"I don't think Godzilla's evil. I couldn't quite understand what the other one was saying, it came out as jumbled, as if he were mindless." Fluttershy stated.
"Or as dumb as a rock." Rainbow Dash chimed in.

Godzilla's roar was heard, breaking the conversation. The Mane 6 then saw Megalon go flying.

"Run!" Twilight shouted.

They all ran and jumped out of the way as a beaten Megalon crashed into the ground, taking down the spa with him. After the realization that they could have all died right there, Twilight stepped in front and turned around for another inspiring speech.

"We can't let these monsters destroy Ponyville, we have to contact Princess Celestia."

The other Ponies nodded and they all raced to Twilight's house, all the while with Godzilla's roar in the background.

End of Act 1

It was madness as the Mane 6 ran through town. Ponies were running and screaming, the whole village was trying to evacuate. It was a good thing Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo were out of town on a school field trip. Finally they reached their destination. Twilight bolted the door open.

"Alright Spike, I need to write a letter and...Spike?"

Twilight and then the others noticed he was shivering under a table.

"Did you hear them? They're not dragons Twilight, they're something a lot bigger!" He said in a frenzied state.
"Spike, get out of there, I need to write a letter to Princess Celestia."
"I already wrote to her, four times! She never got back to any of them!"
"What?"

Then Spike shouted in horror and pointed at the window. The Ponies looked behind themselves and gasped. A huge yellow eye was looking at them.

"Incoming!" Applejack shouted as the largest monster hand they ever saw appeared.

It crushed part of the house clean off. The monster then lowered its head so it could see. It had a crocodile like head, gigantic hands, and a hole in its left shoulder for some reason.

Its name was Orga.

Twilight noticed that the hole started to glow.

"It has a built in shoulder canon, run!" Twilight yelled.

She grabbed Spike and ran outside with the rest of the Ponies as a large yellow beam went clean through the house. Once they were outside they saw just how big Orga was, he looked like a monster that would do amazing in a wrestling competition.

"Can you believe it? That thing had a shoulder canon, what monster has a shoulder canon??" Pinkie Pie asked.

"Apparently these kind Pinkie." Applejack stated.

They were running but then out of nowhere Orga jumped in front of them.

"How can that brute of thing jump so high?" Rarity asked.
"Oh dear." Fkuttershy said as Orga charged up his shoulder canon.

The Ponies backed away, but there was no way for them to escape. Twilight couldn't believe this is how it would end. Orga was about to fire, but then some kind of spiky circular object smashed into him, making the beam hit the sky. The circular object went onto the ground and stretched itself from a ball. Turns out it was a four legged creature with a back full of spikes and could go into a ball form.

"That thing looks like an Anylosaurus!" Twilight said.

Indeed, for its name was Anguirus.

Orga was caught off guard, but once he saw how little Anguirus looked, he roared.

"Such a bully, he's laughing at him because he's so small!" An angered Fluttersay stated.

Anguirus growled, while Orga raised his hands to attack him. But before Orga could, something knocked him down from behind. It was a brown flying monster with a beak. It was on top of Orga, pecking at him before the later slapped him off. The flying monster got up and stood next to Anguirus.

"That's a giant Pteranodon!" Twilight shouted.
"The flying one and the spiky one are friends. Look, the he's telling him a plan and-"
"It's great you understand them Fluttershy, but we all should probably use this opportunity to get out of here." Applejack interrupted.
"Agreed. Let's go the other way." Twilight said.

Then they heard a familiar noise of a portal opening behind them. They turned around not knowing what they would face.

"What is that thing?!" Spike said.

Now this was a very odd looking monster. It had one eye like a Cyclops, except it was red and looked like it belonged on some science fiction robot. On its belly was a buzzsaw and instead of hands it had large blades. It was green and yellow. Gigan had arrived.

"Ooooh, it's a giant chicken!" Pinkie Pie said.
"Pinkie, how can you see a chicken in that thing?" Applejack asked.
"How can you not? Look at its head and beak and..."

Pinkie was interrupted by Gigan's high pitched shriek. None of the Ponies knew what he said, only Fluttershy, and it was something she wouldn't be forgetting anytime soon.

"I WILL CUT YOU OPEN AND CHOKE YOU WITH YOUR OWN INTESTINES!"

Fluttershy was shocked at how cruel something could be, she had never heard something so vile. Normally she would have start tearing up at something so mean, but not today. She instead flew so she was face-to-face with the red eye.

The rest of the Mane 6 looked at each other then back up to see what Fluttershy was going to say.

"Do you think just cause you're big you can say such cruel things to us? Listen because I know you can understand me, I..."

Fluttershy never got to finish her speech because Rainbow Dash flew in and tackled her away from Gigan's eye laser which would have fried her.

"Fluttershy, what is wrong with you?! You can't stand up to a monster like that!"
"But do you know what he said? It was so mean."

All of a sudden the flying monster crashed into Gigan, knocking them both down. The Ponies were standing by an onslaught of large bushes, where they heard a familiar voice say,

"Ponies, come in here, hurry!"

So they jumped inside the bushes.

"Zecora!" Twilight said.

"You ponies know not what you get yourselves into. These aren't just monsters my friends, they are daikaiju." The lady zebra said.
"Dai-what?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"Daikaiju. Magical beasts. They are legendary creatures that are more powerful than the monsters around here, kaiju are planet threatening." Zecora said.
"And how do you know about them?" Spike asked.
"I've been to many places young dragon, there are some things you ponies should never have to face."

A few monster, or rather kaiju roars were heard. The Ponies including Zecora poked their heads out of the bushes. That area of Ponyville was completely destroyed, and there were still monsters fighting it out. And in the midst of it all, another portal opened, dropping an overly large shrimp.

"Chaos. Absolute chaos." Zecora said.
"Chaos...wait a second." Twilight said. She took her head out of the bush, as did the others.
"What are you getting at Twi?" Applejack asked.
"Don't you girls see it? Don't you think it's a little convenient that a monster or kauji or whatever popped up directly outside my house when we were there? Do you think it's a coincidence that one popped up behind us right after we were saved? It's almost like someone, or something is toying with us. Chaos. That's what it is, and this could only be the work of one being...

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"Ohahahhahaha. You are so bright Twilight Sparkle, always one step ahead of the competition, it makes toying with you all the more fun!" Discord said.

He was in a large dark, circular room capable of holding quite a few of the monsters. In the back was a  barred window. He was looking at an image of Twilight and friends through a little cloud he had conjured up.

"This is just marvelous. Wouldn't you agree my crystal-shouldered friend?"

He didn't receive a response from the monster on the other side of the room. It had its back turned, which was filled with dorsal plates. On its shoulders were two large crystals sticking out.

"Such fun, I could do this forever. I wonder what monster I should send next...oooh, perhaps this one, this one looks like a monster made of smog." Discord laughed at his own words.

The other monster didn't answer. Truth of the matter is it didn't care about any of that. It was only concerned with the thing it was watching through a crystal ball. Godzilla.

"You won't get away with this Discord!" A voice yelled from the right side of the room.

"Ohahahaha. My dear Princess Celestia, this is why I've missed you, always so heroic and trying to stay positive. Such drama is always fun to watch." Discord said as he walked toward the right side of the room.

There was a cage made by him, imprisoning both Princess Celestia and Princess Luna.

"Do you truly think that monster is going to work with you? He'll sooner betray you once he has fulfilled his desire, whatever that may be." Celestia said.

Discord laughed once again and lowered his head so only the Princesses could hear him.

"You see, I already have plans. After I'm done using his resources and the monsters from his dimension destroy all of Equestria, I'll go drop him off somewhere, perhaps Tartarus, hahaha."
"You don't understand Discord, I sense great evil in that creature, even greater than your own evil."
"My sister is right." Luna said.

Discord raised his head back and laughed once again.

"Ah my poor princesses, so honorable. Why don't we see what's happening now with our little ponies?"

Discord made a cloud appeared.

"What's this? I don't remember sending that monster."

The crystal shouldered creature turned around and started walking toward Discord. His face was similar to Godzilla's, with its head having some kind of yellow star, it looked like he had a crown on. He stepped next to Discord and looked into the cloud. He roared, the sound was deep and high pitched at the same time.

"Alright alright, keep your crystals on my fellow chaos-maker. I will send the Smog Monster, hahahahha."

On the other side of the room, the Princesses looked at each other, they were both thinking the same thing.

They didn't know how Twilight and her friends would win this battle.

End of Act 2

"Discord? The Elements of Harmony made that guy a statue!" Rainbow Dash said.
"Yeah, I mean, it's not like he can just get up and start walking!" Pinkie Pie added.
"I'm sure this is all his doing. Can't you see it? There's a system, he's toying with us. He's--"

Twilight didn't get to finish cause they heard a roar, though it was softer than the ones they've heard today. They looked behind. Something huge was flying toward them. It had wings, big blue insect-like eyes, and antennae.

"Ooooh, a butterfly!" Pinkie Pie said.
"It's a moth Pinkie." Fluttershy said.
"And she is just glamorous!" Rarity popped in.
"Uh Rarity, how do you know that's a girl?" Applejack asked.
"Can't you see her colorful wings? Only a lady could have such style!"
"Be careful my ponies, she is landing." Zecora said.

The giant moth landed on the ground some distance between them. For a few moments nothing happened, then suddenly Spike spotted something.

"Something's coming! Something small for a change."

In the distance a much smaller version of the moth was approaching. Riding on it were two little ladies, one dressed in blue and one in red. The little moth went directly in front of them.

"We are the Shobijin." The little figures said.

The Ponies looked dumbfounded at them. The ladies looked at each other, then the one dressed in red spoke.

"My name is Moll, this is my sister Lora "

The one dressed in blue smiled at them.

"And she is Mothra." She said pointing at the large moth.

"You are all aware of the monsters attacking your world?" Moll asked.
"Very much so, what do you-"
"Alright, that's it! What do you two little things know about this?" Rainbow Dash said, interrupting Twilight and confronting the Shobijin.
"Rainbow! Take it easy." Applejack said.
"She is right, an explanation is needed. But a quick one since we're running out of time. The monsters, they are not from here, your world, your dimension. They come from a much different world than this one. Hours ago we noticed a disturbance, something was messing with the natural order of things. The monsters were disappearing. Lora and I knew something had to be done. You see, a very powerful and evil monster known as SpaceGodzilla has been brought here, we fear he has a part in this."
"SpaceGodzilla? Would he be related to Godzilla?" Fluttershy asked.

The two sisters looked at each other, then Moll answered.

"We see you have already met Godzilla. Our main goal is to find him and the other Earth monsters. But first, SpaceGodzilla. He's a clone of Godzilla from outer space, when Godzilla's DNA merged with crystalline objects, it formed into him. Unlike the majority of monsters whose goal is to either survive or destroy, SpaceGodzilla wants to conquer. He is evil. He considers himself a god of destruction, he considers himself above everything else. But most of all, he wants to kill Godzilla in every way possible."

"That's horrible!" Fluttershy said.

The little moth flew in front of Twilight.

"We came to this spot because we sensed magical energies here, emitting from you six ponies. These energies are tied to the earth are similar to what Earth's monsters have. We need you six to find SpaceGodzilla and the other force we sense at work." Moll said.

Twilight thought about mentioning Discord, but decided against it for now. Suddenly the ground shook beneath them.

"Now what?" Rainbow Dash said.

Right in front of them a big creature emerged. It was dark red, had a horn on its head, big floppy ears, and walked on four legs. It was the complete opposite of the mean-looking Orga or insane Gigan.

"This is Baragon, a guardian monster." Moll said.

The red monster roared.

"Awwwwwww! He's saying hello, how cute!" Fluttershy said. She was already on top of his head, petting him. Baragon seemed to like it.

"So let me get this straight, these monsters or kaiju as Zecora calls them are from another dimension and this SpaceGodzilla is somehow involved? And a force around here is the source?" Rainbow Dash said.

"Precisely blue Pegasus." Moll said.

The little moth flew above them. This time they spoke together in sinc.

"We need your help, Ponies of this world."

Twilight stepped up to the plate.

"Of course we'll help. Introductions...I'm Twilight Sparkle, this is Applejack, Fluttershy, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Zec-"

She interrupted herself because Zecora was no longer there.

"That's weird, she was there just a minute ago."

All of a sudden Mothtra roared. The little moth flew toward her. Fluttershy flew down to her friends.

"Mothra said we all should hurry since there's not much time." She said.

The two sisters went directly in front of Mothra.

"Mothra, go get Rodan and Anguirus, they are essential to the battle." They said.

Mothra nodded and she began to take off. Her glorious wings shined above as she flew over the bushes into the destroyed Ponyville. Baragon then lowered its head.

"Please get on, you'll travel much faster while riding on him." Moll said. The ponies hopped on Baragon one by one.

"Alright I gotta admit, this is pretty cool." Applejack said.
"What's the plan now?" Twilight asked.
"We sense powerful magical items, they will be essential in the fight. Do you know what they are?" Lora asked.
"Magical items...the Elements of Harmony!" Twilight said.
"We must obtain these Elements, once my sister and I can feel them, we'll know where SpaceGodzilla and the malevolent force behind this is." Moll said.
"They're at the library, or what's left of it." Twilight said.
"Please, tell Baragon how to get there from here." Moll said.

Twilight nodded to Fluttershy, who then said a few things into Baragon's giant ear. The monster's eyes widened. He roared, then started stomping toward their destination rather fast, forcing the surprised Ponies to hold on. Moll and Lora followed.

End of Act 3

There wasn't much of Twilight's library left. Moll and Lora were outside, and Baragon was sitting down. Some moments later the Ponies came out with Twilight holding a book. She put it on the ground. The little moth came toward it.

"That robot thing still creeps me out." Fluttershy said, looking at Gigan's severed body next to the library.
"It's more of a cyborg than robot." Twilight corrected.

Before Twilight opened the book, the roar of Mothra was heard. Everyone looked up. Coming from the distance was the colorful moth herself, and flying beside her the giant brown Pteranodon. In a few moments they landed on the ground next to Baragon. And then a large rumble was felt. Something was rolling toward them. A spiky ball emerged, then unwrapped itself. It was Anguirus. He stood next to the Pteranodon and roared. The former nodded.

"Excellent. Mothra has brought Rodan and Anguirus. Now, let us..." The two ladies were interrupted by a familiar noise coming from the sky. A portal started to open.

"Not again!" Spike shouted.

The portal kept getting bigger and bigger, then stopped. And then the craziest monster the Ponies had ever seen emerged from it. Its body was hard to make out, it was as if it were covered in smog. It had large diamond-shaped eyes. Its scent was pretty awful.

"That is the ugliest monster I have ever seen!" Rarity shouted.
"Hedorah." Moll and Lora said at the same.
"Who?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"A monster from another planet, it is highly dangerous and powerful." Moll said.

Hedorah roared, or rather made a strange sound. Rodan was the first to roar back, then flew toward the Smog Monster. Anguirus started to run toward it, followed by Baragon and Mothra. Rodan was going to attempt an attack, by flying straight into the Smog Monster. Before he could make contact, Hedorah swatted him away with its right hand, or whatever you could call it. Anguirus rolled into Hedorah, making pieces of smog go all over the place. Rarity yelled as a piece almost hit her. Anguirus tried tail-whipping, but it was ineffective. Baragon claw-swiped, but it didn't appear to phase Hedorah. Mothra shot a few beams, which seemed to annoy it, making it turn his attention to her. It stretched its arm out, slapping a surprised Mothra to the ground. By this time Rodan had gotten up and flew toward Hedorah. Instead of going for the body, this time he went for the legs, knocking down the Smog Monster. It got back up and made a sound. Then another sound was heard in the distance. A thump on the ground was heard, and another, and another. Then silence. And then a blue beam came from the distance, blasting a hole straight through Hedorah!

"Godzilla!" The Shobijin shouted.

Indeed, for the King of Monsters, Godzilla, had arrived. He walked into the area. Rodan roared in anticipation and flew by Godzilla side, and Anguirus did the same.

"Those three are very good friends." Fluttershy said to the rest of the Ponies.

Baragon roared a sound of alert. Hedorah was starting reform. Mothra shot a few beams, halting the reformation in time for Godzilla and his two friends to come. Godzilla plucked his hand into Hedorah, taking out its odd looking heart. He blasted it with atomic radiation, ending the Smog Monsters menace. Godzilla, Angurus, and Rodan roared in triumph. The Shobijin sighed. Then Moll spoke.

"Quickly! Open the book!"

Twilight opened it. The Elements of Harmony shined so brightly that it even got the monsters' attention. The ladies went toward them. They felt Twilight's Element and closed their eyes.There was silence for a few moments. Finally they opened their eyes and spoke in sinc.

"We know where SpaceGodzilla and the other malevolent force is. Somewhere hidden in a place called Everfree Forest. We will guide you."

Then they flew up to the side of Godzilla's head.

"Godzilla," they began, "we need your help. SpaceGodzilla is here."

Fluttershy noticed somdething in Godzilla's eyes, anger and determination. The later nodded. Then the ladies came down to the Ponies' level in front of Twilight. Moll spoke.

"Please, put on your Elements. You all will be needed in this battle."
"Pardon my asking, but with so many of these giant monster kaiju things, what can we do?" Applejack asked.
"We sense you six will play a major part in this battle." The ladies said.
"That's good enough for me!" Rainbow Dash said.

The Ponies put on their elements, which instantly re-energized them. Godzilla roared.

"He says we should get moving." Fluttershy said quietly to her friends.

The ladies flew next to Mothra.

"Follow us." They said.

Mothra roared the same thing so the other monsters could hear it. Baragon lowered himself so the Ponies could hop on him. Then everyone started to follow the Shobijin and Mothra into the Everfree Forest.

End of Act 4

While it was daytime, it felt like night in Everfree Forest. The Shobijin flew ahead, with Baragon and the Ponies on top of him in back. Godzilla and Anguirus followed, with Rodan and Mothra flying overhead.

"Is it me, or have the trees really grown?" Rainbow Dash quietly said.
"It's not just you Rainbow, the trees really have grown." Applejack replied.
"Ooooooh, look!" Pinkie Pie shouted.

In front of them all was a large door, big enough for a monster to go through. It was a normal wooden door, except the knob was missing.

"This is where the malevolent force is, now we must figure out how to get-" Moll was interrupted by something charging from behind her. That charge belonged to Godzilla who smashed into the door, breaking it down. Inside was total darkness. Godzilla turned around and motioned everyone to follow.

"I love this guy!" Rainbow Dash said.

The Shobijin went in, followed by the rest of the monsters. It was pitch black all around them, like they were in a void or had fallen into a black hole. The sound of lightning was heard, and slowly things started to appear. Far away a window appeared, and above them a roof. They were in a very, very large room. A familiar laughter was heard.

"Bravo, bravo!" A voice said.

Discord emerged from the shadows, clapping his hands. He looked exactly the same, except he was far bigger, the size of a kaiju.

"Discord!" Twilight said.

Godzilla got ready to charge, but Mothra looked at him, as if telling him not yet.

"You are the force bringing the monsters here!" The Shobijin said.
"Oh are these the little ladies?" Discord asked.
"You know not what you do creature, you are disrupting the natural balance."
"I know! Such disharmony, such chaos, it's really astounding."
"I knew it was you all along Discord!" Twilight shouted.
"Ah, always the resourceful one Twilight Sparkle. It's why I decided to toy with you ponies so much, sending out random monsters at the worst possible times, and sending a fake Zecora to explain things."
"No wonder Zecora disappeared, she was just an illusion!" Spike said,

Discord laughed.

"Of course, none of this would have been possible without my crystal-shouldered friend."

An area was lighted in back of Discord, showcasing a monster. It looked like Godzilla, except it was bulkier, had two large crystals sticking out of its shoulders, and had some kind of yellow crest on its head.

"SpaceGodzilla." The Shobijin said.

SpaceGodzilla roared, but did not move.

"Strange, I can't understand him." Fluttershy thought.

"Wondering why you can't understand, Fluttershy? You see, to make things even more interesting, I gave you the ability to make you understand these wonderful creatures!" Discord said, then laughed again.

SpaceGodzilla stood motionless, he looked bored.

"Now that you're all here, which I'm honestly surprised about, it's time I send out something I've been wanting to send out for awhile. Behold, even I'm about to be impressed."

Discord shot some kind of beam into the roof. A very large portal, the largest anyone had seen, started to open. SpaceGodzilla had been motionless the whole time, but now he seemed alive. He roared which almost sounded like a roar of panic. He shot a Corona beam into the portal, but it was too late. Something was falling from it. The thing struck the ground. It was the largest monster the Ponies had ever seen. It was red, purple, and black. It had two large bat-like wings, which was pretty astonishing if they actually worked because of the creature's size. On its shoulders a horns stuck out, and a very sharp one on its head. There was nothing but red in its eyes. The creature looked liked something straight out of Hell. Fluttershy noticed something in Godzilla's eyes. No one else would have noticed, but since she knew animals and creatures very well, she saw a slight sense of fear in his eyes.

"Destoroyah." The Shobijin said.

"Yes, isn't he just magnificent? The perfect monster aside from my crystal-shouldered friend." Discord said.

SpaceGodzilla didn't say anything.

"Now my demonic friend, why don't you go take care of our guests?" Discord said.

Destoroyah didn't do anything for a moment. Then he turned his head toward Discord.

"What, what are you doing?"

Destoroyah grabbed Discord by the neck. Godzilla roared and took this opportunity to charge toward SpaceGodzilla. Anguirus and Rodan followed. Baragon let down the Ponies and went to join himself.

"Well not much we can do at the moment." Twilight said.

The Shobijin came toward them.

"While you cannot combat them, you are all still needed, look." Lora said, pointing in the distance.

A barrier was there and in it two familiar figures.

"Princess Celestia, Princess Luna!" Twilight said.

Mothra shot a beam, breaking the barrier. The Ponies ran toward the Princesses. They look bruised and battered.

"My dear Twilight Sparkle, I knew you and your friends would come." Princess Celestia said weakly.
"My sister, it's time we send these monsters back to where they come from." Luna said.
"Yes Luna. Despite the crystaled one draining us of our power, combined we should be able to open a portal." Celestia said.

The sisters locked horns. Energy started to appear. They shot a beam passing right by Discord and Destoroyah. The beam opened up a portal. Unlike the other portals, this one had a sucking wind.

"That's my cue." Discord said.

He snapped his fingers and disappeared from the grasp of a surprised Destoroyah. The later started to get sucked in. He fought against it, being one of the strongest monsters in existence. He got ready to shoot a beam, but Mothra stopped him with a beam of her own, striking Destoroyah and sending him into the portal. She called to Godzilla and the other monsters fighting SpaceGodzilla. They responded by backing off and walking back toward the group. SpaceGodzilla didn't follow, rather he was curious of what they were going to do. Then he found out. The Princess moved the portal right in back of him. It started to suck him in. He lifted up his right hand and all of a sudden everyone was lifted off the ground. The portal's sucking wind ceased.

"His gravity powers were never this powerful, his power has grown." Moll said.
"It is because he has been stealing our power." Celestia said.

SpaceGodzilla stood observing, as if he were thinking of what to do with them.

"Please, you your Elements, they are only things that can stop him now." The Shobijin said.

Celestia noticed for the first time that the Ponies had their Elements on.

"Yes my little ponies, concentrate." She said.

Twilight looked up at her element, then nodded.

"Alright girls, concentrate."

All the Ponies closed their eyes, they slowly levitated out of SpaceGodzilla's hold. The latter roared in shock and observed. Twilight opened her eyes, it was filled with nothing but light. A barrier went around them, then a beam combined from the Elements fired. SpaceGodzilla roared and fired his own beam to counter. The beams collided. Due to his concentration on the Ponies, his hold weakened, and Godzilla broke free. He charged up and fired his own beam, striking SpaceGodzilla. The later was too stunned to continue countering and the beam from the Elements struck him, sending him into the portal. The Ponies fell to the ground, tired but relieved.

"Skreeeeeeonk!" Godzilla roared in victory.

End of Act 5

Epilogue

The evening had come, but it was still pretty bright out. Ponyville laid in ruins, but it was over. In the center stood everyone, the monsters, the Mane 6, the Princesses and the Shobijin.

"Thank you, thanks to you Ponies and Princesses the balance has been restored. We shall take our leave now. Farewell!"

Mothra's eyes turned green. From them she shot a beam. It opened up a portal. The Shobijin started to fly in, followed by Mothra, Baragon, Rodan, and Anguirus. Godzilla looked down to see Fluttershy, whom was looking at him smiling. He nodded and preceded into the portal. It closed.

"Well that was quite possibly our coolest adventure yet." Rainbow Dash said.
"Discord is still out there." Twilight said.
"Yes, but let's not worry about him now. We have a lot of rebuilding to do." Princess Celestia said.
"I think a celebration is in order!" Pinkie Pie said.
"Right after we rebuild a bit Pinkie." Applejack said.
"Godzilla was such an amazing creature. He has a really tough exterior, but on the inside, he's really caring." Fluttershy said.
"I still can't get over that monster made of smog!" Rarity said.

Everyone laughed and preceded to get started on rebuilding Ponyville.

The End.

On Godzilla #4

This was my most hyped up issue of the year. The idea of Rodan taking on Titanosaurus was an amazing concept. This is one of those match-ups where it's really hard to say who would win. To this day, even I'm not sure. Both monsters have proven to hold their own against Godzilla. If I had to pick one, I think Rodan would maybe come on top, but it could go either way. I was kinda hoping the issue would answer the question of who would win. (Check out my review here.) No, instead we get a battle that is less than half the comic and no winner. Here's the fight. Boxer shoots the 'headache beam' at both Rodan and Titano, but it has no effect on the latter, so he shoots more at Rodan, making him bang into Titanosaurus, starting the fight. On my first reading, I didn't exactly notice that Titanosaurus had actually slapped the building with his tail. Rodan then just shot it back with his wings. The building struck, but Titanosaurus leveled himself, then Rodan just simply flew into him (love his smug look) and they both rammed into a building. The battle ends with Rodan biting Titanosaurus' neck, then with Boxer using apparently really powerful bombs drops them onto the building, crushing Titanosaurus, with Rodan escaping. Now that I'm looking at it, Titanosaurus didn't get any hits. The fight was way too short. Knowing that, upon second reading the issue was more enjoyable. But that still doesn't excuse the joke they made Titanosaurus...

My new main problem with this series is how some of the monsters are getting treated with no respect. This was Titanosaurus' debut issue, and he lost! Not only that, but he lost by getting crushed by a building that exploded. I don't quite buy that. The only two monsters that are getting treated with dignity are Godzilla and Rodan. Godzilla appears at the end briefly for more generic stuff, he really has no personality whatsoever. The thing I am happy about is that Rodan is looking really good in this series, he didn't get captured last time, looked great in battle, and managed to avoid defeat again. I think it would be interesting if Godzilla and Rodan decided to team up to free the other monsters, it would give them personality, which they're pretty devoid of. To be fair, Rodan does have some character, but that's mainly thanks to the way he's drawn. (My gosh he looks so much better than in Kingdom of Monsters.)

Near the end it is revealed that the government is having the monsters transported to a place dubbed 'Monster Island.' Now that's admittedly pretty cool, fans will appreciate it most of all. The way they're doing it makes perfect sense for it to be in the same continuity as Gangsters and Goliaths. Obviously it's not, but the same monsters are there, so it's all coincidence. With these comics the second reading is usually better than first impressions. Knowing the battle wasn't the main focus, I did like the comic a little more. Next issue seems to have Kiryu make his debut, so that should be interesting. Personally I just want SpaceGodzilla to come and the monsters to rally against him, I am not liking this monster bounty hunter angle. Last issue we had three monsters lose, and here we have another one lose in his debut! Maybe once Mothra shows up things will lighten up.

Rodan, the Giant Pteranodon

Godzilla, Mothra, King Ghidorah, and then Rodan make up the 'big four' of the Godzilla world. Seemingly in recent years Mechagodzilla has replaced Rodan for the spot, but I never bought that. While MechaG might be a little more known in the States, Rodan will never be replaced. What some people are not aware of is that Rodan had his own film back in 56 before he went on to crossover into Godzilla world in Ghidorah. Now you see why he's part of the 'big four.' Rodan was directed by veteran TOHO director Ishiro Honda. While not as messaged driven as Gojira, the film was still pretty deep. Part nuclear war allegory, part horror, and part science fiction. It also has one of the most emotional endings I've seen in a Godzilla film. No, scratch that, it has one of the most emotional endings I've ever seen in any film period. Rodan in his debut movie was pretty much like the original Godzilla, he didn't have too much of a personality. He did have an appetite for Meganulon. As a baby, he acted like a true boss, slapping his eggshell to the side. I don't think you know, but there was actually two Rodans in the film, companions. That's why it's tragic when one refuses to leave the other when it's getting engulfed by the lava.

After that, I'm willing to bet no one had thought we'd see the flying monster again. But no, eight years later he was brought back in Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster. (Giant Monster movies of yesterday at its finest.) After being buried for eight years, he must have lost it in his head a bit. Unlike his rather calm and collective self from his debut film, here he was a little crazy. He constantly mocked Godzilla, laughing in his face. He had evey right to, he was Godzilla's equal if not superior. He even beat G at rock volleyball. Now he and Godzilla were both pretty similar at the time. They both disliked humanity, and both were kinda immature. Mothra practically begged them for help in battle against Ghidorah, but they both wanted the other to 'apologize.' Once Mothra went to go fight alone, they decided it was tragic for such a little thing to battle such a heavy hitter. After the battle was won, Godzilla and Rodan became allies, even friends. Rodan treated Godzilla purely as an equal from then on, but he doesn't mind G being the leader. After DESTROY ALL MONSTERS, Rodan didn't get any appearances other than some stock footage in Gigan and a brief appearance in Megalon until his revival in 1993.

Now I like Heisei Rodan as much as the next guy, but there are a few things I didn't like what TOHO did with him. First off, he got shrunk down. Unlike in the Showa era where he's the same size as Godzilla, here he's not even close. He's no longer Godzilla's equal either, he was rather easily defeated in their encounter. Unlike his energetic Showa counterpart, Heisei Rodan was more calm, more mature, and took things very seriously. But he's also weaker, he seemingly died two times and then the third time gave his energy to a fallen Godzilla. What's cool and most well known about this Rodan is his super-form, Fire Rodan. In it, he got a beam. Rodan in general doesn't really need a beam, it's like giving Titanosaurus a beam. Even in this super-form, he was disposed of by Mechagodzilla rather quickly. I do love his bravery though, even if he knows he's outmatched, he'll still go in there and peck. (One of the best scenes in the film was when he rose and pecked out MechaG's right eye.) Thanks to his inclusion in all three Atari games, Fire Rodan may just be the most well-known here in the States. To fans like myself he's lacking the original's fun personality. But I'll always like this version also, probably nostalgia is part of the reason, Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II is one of the Godzilla films I grew up with.

Eleven years later, I repeat, ELEVEN years later, Rodan was brought back for Godzilla's 50th anniversary bash, Final Wars. It was pretty much a no-brainer that he would be included, he was one of the classics. And it appeared that they brought back his Showa self. Right when he landed in New York he was taunting the population. Sadly he was paired against an overpowered Godzilla, so he didn't get to look impressive strength wise. But hey, he was the only one in the three-way fight to knock Godzilla down. While Fire Rodan has seemingly been his 'definitive' look, I really think his Final Wars look should become the definitive one. It's a nice update of the original with some aspects of Fire.

In recent years, Rodan has appeared in the Atari games via his Heisei form. In Destroy all Monsters Melee and Save the Earth, he's given his beam from when he was in fire form. That isn't a bad thing, since every monster in the game has a beam attack. The only thing is that Unleashed made it a point to call him Fire Rodan, yet he's still in his brown form instead of his fiery red form. He has since made sort of a comeback in IDW's comics. I say sort of because he hasn't been treated with enough respect. He had an awesome first appearance way back in Kingdom of Monsters #2, (let's just say now we know he doesn't mind chomping on people, namely kids) then went on to fight Battra. But after that he was turned into a mindless slave for the twins. The final straw was in the final battle with Godzilla, he lost in one hit! While Battra went to fight Godzilla to a standstill, Rodan was pushed aside like a joke. He had his own story in the lackluster Godzilla Legends #2. In it, he completely resembled his Heisei look and character. Though I have to question the kid's intelligence if he really thought the tanks and jets were at any point killing Rodan.

He's only now starting to redeem himself in the comics. While Anguirus, Kumonga, and Battra were defeated by the Monster Hunters, he escaped. In the next issue, he'll be tackling Titanosaurus in what will be the greatest fight in comics this decade. Rodan is the type of monster that is timeless. You could always use him as either a partner or opponent. In fact, I would love to see him as the opponent (and maybe in the end turn into an ally) for Godzilla in Legendary Studios' upcoming film. Rodan may look simple on the outside, but once you see the films with him, you see an energetic, sometimes serious, but fun and awesome monster. Rodan is a staple of Godzilla lore, he's one cool guy.

On GODZILLA #3

You notice how each issue goes, less and less people are talking about the series? I am astonished of the lack of talk for the latest issue in this series. As you know, my reviews for said comic has migrated to Unleash the Fanboy, check out my review of Issue #3 here. Get ready for heavy spoilers in the coming paragraphs. This issue has opened up some new plot developments. One of them is my worst fear coming to life: these 'Monster Hunters' are taking down whole monsters! Yes, it's true. As I mentioned in my review, none of this stuff is really possible unless you have a Mechagodzilla. The worst part? Some of these guys don't even get to have to have a struggle shown on page!

Okay, I can buy how they took out Anguirus. They managed to lure him into an erupting volcano, that's fine. But then they took out Kumonga AND Battra! See, this is not a very good thing by having these monsters losing so easily. The thing about Godzilla monsters is they are above military threat. They can't defeat them. The monsters (well, most of them anyway, sorry Ebirah) are like storms, you can try and battle them, but it's futile, you just have to let them pass. By having a bunch of hunters defeat them, they lose their magic. The biggest offender is having Kumonga offed in just a few panels! The whole battle happened off panel and we're left with the monster that almost killed Godzilla in his debut film getting buried by a mountain like a total weakling. It's just very, very sad. Battra is taken out by an electric net. Amazing how he used to be the tough monster in Kingdom of Monsters but now has ended up like this. However, I do applaud them making my main man Rodan not get defeated. You see, Rodan hasn't been a big hitter at all these comics, sadly enough. He had a pretty impressive first appearance way back in Kingdom of Monsters #2, but after that he became a mindless slave for the twins, then lost in ONE HIT to Godzilla, while Battra went toe-to-toe with the big G. So I'm happy to see him getting some respect and a big fight coming up...

Godzilla himself barely does anything in this issue. My main problem is that he's mimicking his Heisei incarnation, which isn't bad, but he has even less personality than that version. Is it really so hard to give personality to these guys? Dark Horse did it. It could be done here too. If these Monster Hunters were actually pretty engaging characters, them defeating the monsters wouldn't be as bad, but they've been pretty cardboard, Boxer is becoming a really unlikable character, Steven Woods from Kingdom of Monsters was someone you could root for, with this guy you're slowly wanting Godzilla to stomp on him. With Kumonga, Anguirus, and Battra defeated, all there's left at the moment is Godzilla, Rodan, Titanosaurus, and SpaceGodzilla who's roaming around on the moon. Though after reading the comic again, I noticed something interesting in the dialogue, that the Monster Hunters 'get paid to take the monsters down, not store them.' That could be a foreshadow of what's to come. This issue wasn't all that bad, it's really only hardcore Godzilla fans that will be a disappointed at how cannon fodder they made some of the monsters. But the next issue looks to be the payoff....RODAN VS. TITANOSAURUS! I gotta say I haven't been this excited for a comic since Kingdom of Monsters #1. Well, let's see if it will actually be a payoff.

SH Monsterarts Fire Rodan Review

Originally I was going to get the old Bandai Fire Rodan, but when I heard that this thing would just be $43, I couldn't resist. So I ended up pre-ordering this a few months ago. The pics looked really, really great. The detail looked sharp, bright, and amazing. Now, surprising as it sounds, this is my first figure from the SH Monsterarts line. I was considering getting the Godzilla, but I ended up buying the Heisei Movie Monsters one. (The Movie Monsters was $15, I couldn't justify spending $60 on the Monsterarts one.) I would have bought SpaceGodzilla, but I had a Bandai Creation one already, so I didn't want to spend around $70 on it when it could go toward a whole new monster. (Didn't bother buying Mechagodzilla II cause I also had a Bandai Creation one.) I had a Showa Rodan and a Final Wars Rodan. What was missing? Fire. Today it arrived straight from Tokyo. (Wow, shipping from Ami Ami is awesome, only took a few days.) After opening up the very pretty box, I discovered a cute, highly detailed, but slightly disappointing figure.

First off, this thing is small. Maybe you were expecting that, but I was expecting it to be a little bigger. It looks tiny next to a 6 inch Bandai vinyl. Sadly I don't have any of the SH Monsterarts to compare it to, but I've seen pictures. The Godzilla one isn't much bigger than a 6 inch Godzilla vinyl. Scaled next to the Bandai Movie Monsters Godzilla Heisei, Fire Rodan should be a little bigger. The head looks so inferior when compared to the head on the Godzilla. Size aside, the figure has a high quality feel. The detail is of course great, better than the Bandai ones from what I've seen of those. Though honestly I gotta say the pictures online look better than what it is in person.

Doing the stand is not too bad of a process, but getting that beam in is pretty painful. It's cool to look at, but I don't know, I wish they could have made it easier to do. You're going to want the stand, cause it's nearly impossible to stand him up without it. Plus being so little he may get lost in a large collection without it. The paint job may just be the greatest aspect of the figure, it's matches his movie counterpart 100%. The Monsterarts line is famous for it's articulation, you can pose the figures whichever way you like, Fire Rodan is no exception. Every which way you could pose the figure. Stuff like that doesn't really matter to me, I just stand up the figures on the shelf, but I know articulation is important to a lot of collectors.

So was I disappointed with the purchase? Well, it's not worth over $43 let me tell you. It'll grow on me as the months go by, they always do, even if you might be disappointed when you first view it. It's a fun little figure, the detail is great, and it's Fire Rodan. It's too small however, and attaching the beam and putting it on display isn't really worth the work and space in my opinion. $43 is a bit much, I think it should be $33. But in the end, it's a great figure, just too small.

GODZILLA #2 Review

The second installment in IDW's new ongoing Godzilla series is here. If it's one comic I look forward to, it's this. After not seeing these guys since 2007 in the game Godzilla Unleashed, it's great to see them back in media with new stories. The first issue was a pretty solid start, not great or outstanding, but good enough. It featured our favorite monsters and not a bad main character focus. Issue #2 is the same. Not fantastic, but still a fun little issue with lots of monster destruction.

Here's the official description from Image:

Boxer is ready to settle the score with Godzilla, and assembles his "Monster Kill Crew," a group of highly-trained weirdos, each with their own private grudge against the kaiju. As we get to know these mercenaries the team stocks up on all the equipment they'll need to take down their first bounty—ANGUIRUS!

One of my main problems with this series is the monsters. You can swap out any of them with any monster and it still wouldn't matter. They all have the same character, which is no character. Aguirus, Rodan, Kumonga, and Godzilla are all acting the same and doing the same things. It's like they're all being controlled in Final Wars. (Who knows...that could actually be true.) With that said, it is nice to see Kumonga taking some spotlight in this series. It feels like a scene from a film when he destroys a US border patrol car. The monster destruction is pretty satisfying. The first shot with Godzilla plowing through some buildings was admittedly awesome. Anguirus takes more of center stage here, it's great to see him doing some heavy damage. 

My other problem with this series is the monster bounty hunter angle. C'mon, you know they can't really do anything to these monsters, I know that, and even writer Duane Swierczynski appears to know that, as Anguirus easily clobbers them. This monster bounty hunter angle is pretty much pointless. Boxer is a gruff main character, generic, and lacking the likable exterior that Steven Woods had from Kingdom of Monsters. I'm not saying he's a bad focus, but there's nothing particularly interesting about him. The most fun parts of dialogue is the bickering between him and a Claire, a person he recruited for the cause. (Who happens to be his ex wife.) 

The art is pretty good. While it obviously isn't very detailed, it succeeds in making the monsters look movie accurate and their destruction fun to look at. As stated in the previous review, Godzilla is in his Heisei incarnation, it looks great. Anguirus is actually the best drawn of all them, matching his lovable and slightly fearsome Showa self nearly perfect. Kumonga looks good, and Rodan in his brief shot looks fine. (Again, it appears Rodan is getting the shaft sadly.) The first cover showcases Godzilla underwater, (which doesn't happen at all in the comic, go figure) and is a very nice and different piece. Cover B by Matt Frank features a closeup of Godzilla's head (reminiscent from 2000 Millennium) and Boxer. Dynamic and just awesome. The RI features a wonderful looking Anguirus drawn by the always amazing Jeff Zornow.

Overall, a pretty fun second issue. But, the series is lacking a 'punch.' This issue featured a lot of great monster destruction, but that's it. Boxer and his monster hunters *attempt* to do something to Anguirus, while the reader is left laughing because they know these guys won't be able to do a single thing against him. GODZILLA #2 all Godzilla fans should and most likely will pick up, but this series so far is lacking in the 'great' department.

7/10

GODZILLA #1 Review

If you asked me what was my most anticipated thing this year, I would have said THE AVENGERS....or not. I've been waiting for GODZILLA #1. After the realization that Kingdom of Monsters would be ending, I thought that was it for G's comic career. For awhile it was in limbo, until we got word from IDW that they would be doing a brand new, 'fresh' series. While it's in the same continuity as Kingdom of Monsters, their words for it are 'soft reboot.' Whatever you want to call it, GODZILLA is a new start for the big lizard. Kingdom of Monsters was a very mixed series, as you know if you've followed my coverage of it in the past. In the end, it was a fun story that brought back all my favorite characters from hibernation. With the film seemingly in development hell, I have the comic to look forward to. Like with Kingdom of Monsters #1, I wasn't overly impressed with this issue. By no means bad, but it's lacking the punch I was expecting.

Here's the official description IDW themselves:

Godzilla is back... in an all-new ongoing series! Duane Swierczynski and Simon Gane launch this ultimate action-movie blockbuster, ushering in a new era of monster battles. Ex-special forces tough-guy Boxer is a man with a grudge and vows to end the terror of Godzilla, no matter what. He assembles a top notch team to take down monster-sized threats... at $7 billion a bounty. What starts as a vendetta could become a lucrative business for Boxer... if he can live past day one!

The very first two pages were so amazing. It's shows the TOHO logo and then on the other page it shows Godzilla in Japanese writing. Just looking at those two things made me feel like a kid on Christmas morning. I then turned to the next page to find Kumonga crashing a wedding. Gotta give props to that, no wedding had ever been crashed before in G history. It's good to see unique concepts such as that. Then we are given scenes with Rodan and Battra attacking cities with the tagline: "The giant monsters are rising once again." So yes, this is a direct followup to Kingdom of Monsters, there's nothing being ignored here. First off, I like that they're giving back to the fans. Kumonga had a one panel appearance in the whole Kingdom of Monsters series, so it's good to him here. It wasn't really explained how Godzilla, Rodan, and Battra had thawed out. Not a true big deal, I guess it makes sense for new readers. This series looks to be just a tad bit more character driven than Kingdom of Monsters.

For some reason, I don't like the narration boxes. They ruin the mood and atmosphere. Our main character is Boxer, kind of a slight opposite to Steven Woods from Kingdom of Monsters. While definitely not a bad focus, I think he could have been established better. He doesn't have that likable exterior Steven had when he first appeared. I must give props to the fact about a plot twist I didn't see coming. Let's just say that this series looks to keep the no holds-barred dark tone of Kingdom of Monsters. Characters die when you least expect it, as seen here. Writing isn't particularly strong. Not as bad as some of the cringe worthy writing from some of the earlier issues of Kingdom of Monsters, but nothing too great either. I'm not really sure where this bounty hunter angle is going to go, it's totally unnecessary. What the heck are they going to do to any of these monsters?

The art is in mixed territory. While slightly better than Victor Santos from Kingdom of Monsters, the humans look way too sketchy. However, the monsters, namely Godzilla, look great. G is in his complete Heisei look here, some great panels with him. (The double page spread is fantastic.) It even rivals Arthur Adams's work with G back in the Dark Horse days. In Rodan's brief panel appearance, he actually looks like Rodan instead of Gyaos. I hope he actually looks impressive in this series. Kumonga looks like Kumonga rather than just a giant brown spider. I would have preferred the eyes to have more of a purple look, but it's a minor thing. There are three covers this time around. Cover A is a wraparound featuring a stylized GMK Godzilla, very dynamic. Cover B shows G's foot with a puddle showcasing him, great perspective. The variant cover shows Boxer standing in front of Godzilla, the perspective here is fantastic. Really good covers. Regarding the monsters, sadly once again they're portrayed as walking events. I want to see some personality displayed in these guys, we've only seen that in Gangsters and Goliaths and Legends.

Overall, not the awesome start I was hoping for. It's still not a bad beginning, just like with Kingdom of Monsters #1. It may seem like a continuation of the whole 'monsters appearing and attacking' thing, but I have faith that as the issues go on, we'll be getting some pleasant surprises. I'm happy to see these characters back in media, I'll be reading further.

7/10.

Godzilla: Legends #2 Review

Godzilla: Legends is a mini-series that Godzilla fans like myself have dreamed for. We get to see monsters that have never battled fight, and solo stories with different monsters. The previous issue was probably the most fun comic I've read all year. It wasn't a deep story, featured generic summer blockbuster characters, but it delivered a fun and entertaining tale with the two monsters. That's all we can really ask for. Me being a big fan of Rodan, I've been anticipating this issue for awhile. Based on the description, it seemed to be going the opposite route from the previous issue. It appeared that it was going to have a deeper story. It does, but is that a good thing in this case? Nope. (Skip to the last paragraph if you've yet to read it, there will be spoilers.)

The story follows Dr Holder, who has gained possession of a Rodan egg. The flying monster is aware of this, and continues to attack Okinawa every year in hopes of retrieving the egg. One day, the Japanese and US governments deem the egg too dangerous and takes it away from Dr. Holder into a chamber for eradication. The Doctor's son has a plan, and together, they go to get the egg out. Rodan can't be far behind.....

Dull. That's the word that describes this issue. Legends #1 is no masterpiece, but it was a comic you could pick up and enjoy. This comic focuses on characters who are just dull and hard to care for. Especially the son, we're supposed to care for him, but it's just impossible. He's not realistic, just horribly written. Seriously, the issue ends with him hopping on Rodan who is flying back to Monster Island. (Not sure if he's heading there, just assuming.) What kind of a thing is that? And Doctor Holder, he comes off as mentally insane. None of their actions make much sense.

The good thing about this issue is Rodan's appearances. There are some really awe-inspiring splash pages with him. The issue DOES have a bit of good drama. The scene where he picks up the baby Rodan with his beak is heartwarming. The destruction is captivating,and the story moves at a good pace. It's just the actual story that isn't good. To be fair, the concept is good, it's just the unbearable characters who ruin it. If the writer could have squeezed in a monster fight, it would have been better.

The art is pretty good. Rodan actually looks like Rodan, whereas in Kingdom of Monsters, he looks like a brown Gyaos. The covers are both impressive. Cover A by Arthur Adams, featuring a Showa-style Rodan stomping over some buildings is very good and has a retro feel. Cover B by Chris Scalf, featuring a Heisei-style Rodan flying toward us beak opened is also a very good piece.

Overall, I want to like this issue, but just can't. It isn't awful, but was really disappointing. Rodan has some very nice splash pages, but it can't save the issue from the mediocre characters. This issue is an example of what not to do for this series, it needs to be more monster-focused with the entertainment value from Legends #1.

6/10.

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.

Godzilla: Gangsters and Goliaths #5 Review

Gangsters and Goliaths has been a very good Godzilla story, and just as a story itself. It has a real plot with established characters, (something Kingdom of Monsters doesn't have) very good, intelligent writing, (another thing Kingdom of Monsters doesn't have) and EPIC MONSTER SCENES. Indeed, I've given each issue an above eight, it's that's good.So now we enter the final issue, and oh man, was it big.

The story continues with Detective Sato unleashing his plan: MECHAGODZILLA. He plans to get the Elies from crime lord Tekahashi. Of course, he'll have to get through all-powerful beasts to restore order......namely Godzilla.

When these issues go together in trade, it's going to be an awesome read for those that are waiting for it. This mini-series felt like a Heisei film. Mix the Return of Godzilla, Destroy All Monsters, and the mafia, you have this.

Detective Sato once again proves to be a character the reader can root for and like. I like how he fully understands the mistake, and seeks to fix it. Tekahashi comes off a good antagonist for this type of series. The Cosmos again looks pretty weak and just pitiful. Then again, they never did look that tough in the films, have they?

Of course, we want to see some monster action, and it delivers. I was smiling the whole time, seeing the likes of Rodan and Titanosaurus destroying things. Naturally, it's Godzilla who gets the most page of them. What I like about this series, is that he has some character, whereas in Kingdom of Monsters, he seems to be nothing than a mindless beast. I LOVE his appearences in this issue, he looks nothing but AWESOME. Mechagodzilla fans might be disappointed at how weak it looks, displaying really no strength whatsoever. I did find this piece of dialogue funny and cool.

"That's not going to stop Godzilla. In fact, that's not even going to slow him down." Classic. Of course, you have to be a longtime fan to see the humor in it.

The art is really the only downside of this series. The humans look way too sketchy, and just plain bad. The monsters look great for the most part. Godzilla especially looks amazing, sporting a look akin to his Heisei incarnation. Mechagodzilla looks amazing....well, the headshot scene in the building. It's lacking sufficient detail. There are two covers, the main one with Godzilla towering over some buildings with airplanes, and one with Detective Sato, his son, and Mechagodzilla. I liked Cover A more, it has really good detail and the perspective makes Godzilla look even more imposing.

Overall, this issue was the best in this mini-series. Gangsters and Goliaths has been a great read, it has set the standard that hopefully Kingdom of Monsters will follow. I'm sad to see it go, but it had its run. Next month we'll have another mini-series, Godzilla: Legends, which I hope will be as good, if not better. With its great story, excellent pacing, interesting characters, and awesome monster destruction, you'll want to check out Gangsters and Goliaths, Godzilla fan or not.

10/10. PERFECT score.

Godzilla: Kingdom of Monsters #7 Review

It feels like forever since the last issue. Kingdom of Monsters has been a very uneven series, here's the stats so far.

Issue 1: Good
Issue 2: Excellent
Issue 3: Alright
Issue 4: Bad
Issue 5: Bad
Issue 6: Good

As you can see, I haven't been too fond of this series. Why? This series is being used to poke at today's culture, with some monsters thrown in. I've said this before and I'll say it again. We're not here to watch parodies of culture, (like Jersey Shore? There was a group called "Jerseyfied" a few issues ago) we're here to see monsters beat the heck out of each other. Last issue was an improvement, sending the series in the right direction. Does this issue continue to go that route? Or does it turn back to no-man's land? Read on.

I am very happy to say that this issue was the best in awhile, second to issue two. The monsters are back to being more of the focus, with some very interesting plot twists.

The plot continues with Steven Woods and Allie surviving the impending "armageddon" as the monsters continue their destruction. The government has gone underground claiming that "they are still helping the people." Right. The plot deepens when the ancient "dragon" is unleashed. And.....Battra is back!

So we have a new plotline when the dragon, (KING GHIDORAH!) is awakened. I find it intriguing, it appears  that they are going the GMK route. I'm very surprised with this, will he really be a good guy? I doubt it, but it appears they want to give you that impression. Though I would have rather they go the classic Showa route, with him being a destroyer of worlds, this is fine.

After awhile of being on hold, Batrra transforms into his awesome Imago form.....and Rodan pays a visit. The inner Godzilla geek within me was wide-eyed as Rodan and Battra went in for the battle. Just....wow. The true highlight of the issue, I can picture the roars and sounds in my head as they fought. (It's ironic these two fought, cause Battra's roar is Rodan's in the film.) This is semi-ruined by the two strange Battra twins. They apparently can control beasts as powerful as Rodan! As a fan of the flying monster of the sky, I was truly disappointed after some issues of no status, he's back to be controlled by inferior beings. It makes an interesting plotline.....but I don't like Rodan being controlled.

At least we have a human character to root for now. Steven Woods seems to be the ongoing main character, and that's a good thing. The first couple of issues were lacking someone to actually care about. The other humans are still painted as "monsters" themselves. Humans are greedy, yes, but c'mon, they need to showcase some good people for once.

The art is more of a miss. Battra looks amazing, (he always does) but Rodan still doesn't look like Rodan. King Ghidorah looks nice, resembling more of his GMK counterpart. Godzilla looks good in his small screen time. The cover is very dramatic, but the big G himself isn't drawn properly. Still, it's dramatic. The alternate cover, (why does my comic place never have them?) is a very cool, detailed image of both Battra forms.

Of course, this series is still far from great. The Mechagodzilla side-plot from last issue isn't touched upon at all in this issue, and where the heck is Mothra? She's only been hinted at once, way back in issue three. The final scene with Godzilla and King Ghidorah was just plain amazing, one of the greatest cliffhangers I've ever seen. I like Godzilla's look when he sees this foe. He's like, "Who in the heck is that?" Awesome.

In closing, this issue was very good, I have new faith in this series. With a titanic battle for next issue, this series might just honor the Godzilla name after all. (We'll see soon enough.)

8/10.