When I heard that IDW was making a Godzilla mini-series, I was happy, but a bit annoyed. A Godzilla mini within the ongoing series? I'm going to grow even more broke....but anyways, I didn't know what to expect, and it's Godzilla, so I had to pick this up. Was it worth it? Read on.
This mini takes place in a different continuity where monsters are the norm. They even have an island for them known as Monster Island. (Which any average fan should know.) I loved Monster Island from the Showa era, I always found it sad that they didn't bring it back for Heisei or Millenium.
Anyways, back to the review. The thing about this mini is the introduction of non one-shot human characters. It follows Detective Sato, and the Takahashi crime syndicate. This is where Kingdom of Monsters fails: Likable human characters. (Shock!) Indeed, this clobbers the first issue of the ongoing, it's sad.
Of course, we don't buy this for the humans, we buy this for the monsters. Being in a different continuity, the monsters act slightly different.
We get the most awesome splash ever that shows Monster Island, with monsters King Ghidorah, Rodan, Battra, and Kumonga. (They don't appear later, but it was cool seeing them rendered there. How does King Ghidorah get along with everyone else? I hope they explore that later in the mini.)
IDW teases with a short fight between Godzilla and Mothra. (I'm not sure I could call it a fight, it was just some roaring and a tackle.) Godzilla doesn't seem to be as evil as his counterpart from the ongoing. If you mess with him, he messes with you. I love the respect Godzilla and Mothra have after their short skirmish, reminds me of the Showa era.
The cover is awesome, if not a little misleading. Anguirus doesn't make a single appearance. Also, if you notice, Rodan on the cover is a homage to his appearance on the cover for Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II.
The art is good, the monsters look great, but the humans look a little sketchy.
In closing, this mini was surprisingly excellent. The way it's built seems like an alternate future for Kingdom of Monsters. The ongoing better pick up the slack, if the mini continues like this, it could surpass the ongoing.
I give this issue an 8/10. (From now on, I'll be doing a 1-10 rather than a 1-5.)
