COMICS!! Review: Godzilla: Kingdom of Monsters #2

Originally posted on my ComicVine.com account.

Amongst the tales of daring do and superheroism I picked up this week at the local comic shoppe, the one book I looked forward to more than all was actually about a monster mindlessly destroying Japanese cities. Maybe that's why Godzilla: Kingdom of Monsters by Phil Hester and Eric Powell has so much of my attention; because it's something different.

Of course differentiation doesn't necessarily mean quality, so how does the second issue of Godzilla hold up?

Tokyo SOS

Godzilla #2 picks up from the dire situation of the first, with Godzilla continuing his unstoppable rampage through Japan. Things go from bad to worse, however, when two more monsters join the fray with Anguirus arising from the sands of Mexico and Rodan hatching from a radioactive crystaline egg in Russia. The story is told through the eyes of several hapless humans witnessing the bizarre and terrifying events, and with even the US stumped as to how to stop the monsters, things show no signs of improving.

Once again, Eric Powell employs a strange trifecta of tonage (stay with me here) in this issue to mostly great effect. People are dying. Elements of tragedy are explored. But at the same time, the book also has an extremely dark sense of humor to the whole thing. Powell's nearly fearless here with the stuff he goes for, and was pretty successful at drawing both a groan and chuckle from me at every turn. Of course, it goes without saying how great Phil Hester's art is, and those harsh and jagged pencils of his seem to go together with Powell's storytelling like peanut butter goes with jelly.

Collateral Damage

At the same time, the darker tone of story is also a bit of a downfall. It's true, in movie continuity, Godzilla hasn't been the truly campy deal that made him (in)famous, but I think that might be what most people expect out of their Godzilla comic. Yet here are kids getting gobbled up by monsters and some politically charged satire among other things. This of course is no fault of Powell's or Hester's, but at the same time, if people were expecting big monsters slugging it out in vacant city backdrops (which seems to be next issue...), then they may be a bit off-put.

The Godzilla Power Hour

Regardless, Godzilla: Kingdom of Monsters #2 is just good sardonic fun. Sardonic fun featuring giant monsters. It may not be the typical reason you find yourself at the comic shop for, but I'd say to make room in your budget for something different. And when it's delivered with this quality, anybody with a passing interest in Japan's largest export should give it a try.

Godzilla smashes a deserved four stars out five. TASTE THE DIFFERENCE!