by Pkmatrix » Thu Apr 07, 2011 4:26 pm
I've not read any of the comments since the issue was released, so I'm sorry if I repeat some of what's probably already been said (SPOILERS AHEAD):
- First thing's first: HOORAY! Best Birthday present in a LONG time! XD
- I knew there would be multiple covers, but I found myself REALLY torn when I arrived at my local comic shop to find four different cover PLUS a custom cover of Goji smashing the store. I ultimately went with the awesome fold-around cover feature Goji, Mothra, Rodan, Kumonga, Ghidorah, and Anguirus and the Custom cover. All the better to support the store and the series!
- First couple pages remind me of a late Showa film coupled with Goji's introduction in MvG, but twisted to show that this isn't going to be the kid-friendly Godzilla. Those kids didn't get eaten, but they'll be lucky to survive that fall!
- The story moves along FAST. We have a TON of characters thrown at us in the first 10/11 pages: the kids (Isamu and Kameko, their father (the Fisherman), a Mother who watches her husband get killed trying to save an old woman, some sort of Cop/Soldier...except for the kids, none of them get much more than a page of spotlight, so the story just seems to be blazing by frantically. It actually gets the intensity of a daikaiju attack down, but ends up a very quick read. This climaxes with the JASDF launching jets to confront Godzilla (and the expected results).
- FINALLY, the story slows down and provides some context. We're introduced to the Prime Minister and a General (in a control room that looks like something from G-Force HQ in the Heisei films). We're told that initial attack occurred on Niijima (one of the Izu Islands) and that they're as bewildered as the reader. The General immediately suggests the Nuclear option. Really? Granted, nowadays anything that survives an airstrike would probably scare the crap out of any 1st World military, but you're just going to go straight to nukes? Also, I'm fairly certain Japan doesn't have nukes IRL... Odd.
- Nuke attack fails (LOL) and grants Goji his nuclear breath. Awesome! I like this, it seems a neat new twist on the old idea. Three hours later, Tokyo is being smashed, but unfortunately for only a two page spread. I hope we see more of Tokyo in Issue 2!
- Finally, we cut to the White House where Obama is informed of what's happening. I have no issue with Obama being included - he's the US President and comic artists love that a comic geek is in the Oval Office - but, my problem is: it's taken over three HOURS for news of this to reach him? Hell, they imply CNN had already picked up the story and was running live coverage BEFORE he found out! What the hell has the CIA being doing all this time? There's been most of a day, or at least an afternoon, since this Issue started...WTH?
Overall: I'll give it a 3.5 out of 5. A nice start, but I hope the pacing slows down a bit in future issues and the actual story starts to become clearer. I know they don't intend any recurring characters, but I hope that at least pick somebody to focus on each issue - they've already introduced a good seven or so to work with, so hopefully we can get some spotlight on at least one of them.
EXTRA: Looking at the ads after the credits, one caught my attention: Godzilla: Gangsters & Goliaths, a five-part miniseries starting in June. Don't know any more than that picture, but the image features Godzilla, Anguirus, Rodan, and King Ghidorah on what could be Monster Island, plus a gaggle of gun-toting humans about to square off with a small army of dinosaur-looking creatures at the bottom. Looks cool! Is this the Mothra mini-series that was mentioned a while back, or are is this a SECOND mini-series? (I'm hoping its a second, I'd love to have multiple comic series' to pick up!)