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 a 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.