Staff Pick (April11): Godzilla — Kindgom Of Monsters / Gangsters & Goliaths

From my earliest childhood memory, I was always a “monster kid”. Not a terrible kid… but a kid fascinated — nay, absorbed! — with monsters. And the best of the bunch for me was always Godzilla. Whether he was stomping Tokyo into dust in the original film, or camping it up in the dizzyingly weird Godzilla vs. Megalon, the “King of the Monsters” could do no wrong and was, and still is, #1 in my book.

It was my love for Japanese giant monsters or “kaiju”, that lead me to discover another “King” — Jack “King” Kirby — and his collective response (with Stan Lee) to those giant monsters of the ’60s that were so popular with kids at the time… those awesome Kirby monsters. In titles like Tales of Suspense, Tales to Astonish and Strange Tales, creatures with names like Googam, Groot, The Blip, The Hulk, Colossus, Grottu, Taboo and dozens more starred in a series of 5-6 page mini-movies in which brains typically prevailed against monstrous brawn, and the nerdy scientist typically got the girl.

Marvel eventually followed up Stan and Jack’s giant monster legacy with the first American-produced Godzilla comics starting in 1977. Dark Horse Comics also had their own Godzilla comics, beginning in 1987. Both series were well produced and well received, but there was always something missing… namely the rest of the Toho Studios stable of kaiju... which was always a great disappointment to fans like me.

Now, thanks to the folks at IDW Publishing, we are witness to the dawn of a new era for Godzilla in the comics…and this time he’s brought some friends along to play! Mothra, Rodan, Anguirus, and even King Ghidorah are featured in IDW’s new series, Godzilla: Kingdom of Monsters, as well as the all-new mini-series, Godzilla: Gangsters & Goliaths, debuting this month. Featuring top-notch art and spectacular covers, these are the Godzilla comics that kaiju fans have been clamoring after for years!

So, if you’re a fan of the “Big G”, and have always hoped for Godzilla comics with total kaiju coverage, then your wish — and mine — has been granted!

~Marty Grosser
See page #142