Godzilla: Rulers of Earth #14 – Review

By: Chris Mowry (writer), Matt Frank (art), Mostafa Moussa (ink assists), Priscilla Tramontano (colors)

The Story: See that, it cuts straight through ice, steel, even tough monster hide! Usually you’d have to pay DARPA’s entire budget for a Mechagodzilla of this quality but Showa Mechagodzilla can be yours to own for the low, low price of Russia.

The Review: With its first year completed, Godzilla: Rulers of Earth has jumped straight into its next story arc. As Godzilla and Anguirus both reappear, the Russian government has been approached by a private contractor who believes it holds the answer to national security in the age of titans: a brand new Mechagodzilla.

After the Americans created the Heisei Mechagodzilla in Godzilla: Kingdom of Monsters and private enterprise brought us Kiryu in the Godzilla ongoing, it’s been a bit of a surprise to see the original Showa-era Mechagodzilla over these past two issues. Despite the charm of the design, the original Mechagodzilla is clearly a product of its time. It’s hard to take it seriously after seeing the sleek updates in action. Thankfully Chris Mowry comes up with an inventive and rather brilliant way to introduce the first iteration of Godzilla’s bionic doppelgänger.

If there’s one thing that the Showa Mechagodzilla had in its movies, it’s ordinance. If you’ve watched either of the mechanical saurian’s film outings you probably remember the lengthy montages of its various lasers and missiles firing. Mowry brings that same sense of overwhelming firepower to this issue. At times it can feel a little didactic to have Mechagodzilla’s capabilities outlined so brazenly, but it makes sense in story and gives us an impressive one-sided battle.

So Mowry’s given us a giant monster fight scene.

Godzilla: Rulers of Earth #12 – Review

By: Chris Mowry (writer), Matt Frank (art), Mostafa Moussa (ink assists), Priscilla Tramontano (colors)

The Story: Freakin’ Jet Jaguar, man…

The Review: Godzilla: Rulers of Earth #12 was originally this series’ capstone issue and, though its popularity has bought it a longer lifespan, it’s clear that this was always intended as a big moment.

With Gezora in retreat, the Devonian forces are on their back foot. Godzilla has their monsters on the run and the armies of humanity have discovered their lair thanks to a defector. Unfortunately the ancient sea-dwellers are unwilling to go down without a fight, releasing a clutch of Destoroyah crustaceans to deal with the humans.

Over the last year, RoE has struggled to balance its desire to craft a new alien invasion story with the satisfying simplicity of daikaiju brawling. It may not be perfect, but this is probably the best fusion of the two yet. With battles raging on two fronts, there’s certainly enough action to keep readers satisfied. It helps that Matt Frank is delivering some of his clearest fight choreography of the series. Godzilla is clever without reaching the superhero levels of the Showa movies, bestial without becoming as villainous as in the Heisei movies, and sturdy without the stiffness of the Millennium series.

Frank also does some great things with Manda and Titanosaurus, teaming them up to provide the somewhat outdated kaiju with a second wind. Though Titanosaurus is the primary combatant, making him – her? – a rather nice foil for our own aquatic dinosaur, Frank does some excellent work with Manda. The Final Wars design looks particularly great as drawn by Frank and the serpentine kaiju adds a great deal to the compositions of the book.

Godzilla: Rulers of the Earth #10 – Review

By: Chris Mowry (writer), Matt Frank (art), Priscilla Tramontano (colors)

The Story: A kaiju attack in Australia puts Lucy on the front lines beside Sergeant Woods and, when Godzilla arrives, the Gargantuas will have to put their war aside if they mean to survive. Isn’t it great how Godzilla brings people together?

The Review: After a series of particularly intense issues, there’s a feeling of passing through the eye of the storm this month. That’s not to say that this issue is any less engaging than its brothers but it’s a more character-focused vintage.

Like the last issue, this story addresses some of the larger concerns, not just of this series but most daikaiju stories. Firstly there’s the importance of the human characters. While there have been moments, for the most part the human players have kind of gone with the flow, adapting to suit the plots demands. It’s long overdue that we start to get to know them as individuals and it wouldn’t hurt if they demonstrated a little agency over the events around them.

With this issue the human drama is finally streamlined, as Woods and Lucy Casprell become something of a team. Admittedly Woods seems a little quick to believe Lucy’s claims that the Earth has a plan for the kaiju but, while their relationship could use a touch of clarification, they each make a strong contrast for the other, which helps to define both characters.

Godzilla: Rulers of the Earth #8 – Review

By: Chris Mowry (writer), Matt Frank (art), Priscilla Tramontano (colors)

The Story: Without being too trite or too loose-lipped, big things are coming, for all of us.

The Review: Last month’s issue finally provided a crystallized example of this series’ structure while demonstrating Chris Mowry’s talent for tying the desperate threads of Godzilla’s universe together and highlighting the value of this continuity. It was a big job, but it got done. Now we open with Gigan and Orga defeated and Woods and Chavez trapped aboard an alien ship that’s under attack by Jet Jaguar.

The issue gets off to a promising start, but within a few pages, Mowry throws us an outstanding curveball. While the series has been generally improving over the course of its run, it’s been largely episodic. The revelation in this issue was just the kind of big cinematic moment that the series needed and heralds a definite shift within the story. Especially in a franchise where the studio was cranking out a new variation on the formula every year, playing with expectations is an essential element of a great Godzilla story, and Mowry does so wonderfully. Though there are still some lingering questions, Mowry delivers some of his best plotting and dialogue in this sequence and, as long as he addresses them eventually, I think the script is actually stronger for their omission.

Before we can even catch our breath, Godzilla arrives, only to find himself in the shadow of one of my favorite kaiju. Yes, seemingly not content with the veritable zoo of daikaiju they’ve already utilized, Mowry and Frank introduce Biollante into the RotE world.

Godzilla: Rulers of the Earth #7 – Review

By: Chris Mowry (writer), Matt Frank and Jeff Zornow (art), Mostafa Moussa (ink assists), Priscilla Tamontano (colors)

The Story: Godzilla and Jaguar: Punch! Punch! Punch!

The Review: Though the loss of two monsters may have superficially lowered the stakes, the tension has really ramped up this issue. Picking up immediately from where the last issue left off, issue #7 sees a new take on a classic battle as Godzilla and Jet Jaguar take on Gigan.

Jet Jaguar, for those of you without a taste for MST3K or simple masochism, is an Ultraman-style super robot from what is widely considered the worst entry in Godzilla’s 28 film history. He was child-friendly cheese from the moment of his inception and, I admit, the mere sight of him at the end of last issue made me wonder where things were headed. Nonetheless, Chris Mowry not only successfully delivers a Jet Jaguar-centric issue, but does it with an entirely straight face.

Though there are still some rather simplistic lines, Mowry’s writing hovers just below the best of the series and finds great success in the effort to portray the kaiju as characters rather than ‘just’ natural disasters. Jet Jaguar’s goofy smile does a lot to help in this regard, but it’s impressive how emotive Matt Frank makes his unmoving mask of a faceplate. Likewise, Godzilla, perhaps more than in any other issue, possesses clear thoughts and desires, even as he retains his animalistic quality.

Godzilla: Rulers of the Earth #6 – Review

By: Chris Mowry (story/script), Matt Frank (story/art), Priscilla Tramontano (colors)

The Story: Gigan trashes Vegas, only to find a frustrated Godzilla on the horizon, looking to play the slots. Silently, he curses his poor timing.

The Review: After an interesting stopover in China last month, RotE returns to  the exploits of its titular character just in time for him to face off with one of his most popular foes among the ruins of Las Vegas. Even better, series artist, Matt Frank, is back after a one month absence. All of this points to an excellent issue of Kaiju craziness. Unfortunately, while many of the best elements of this series have returned t the spotlight, it seems that Mowry’s improved writing didn’t come with them.

As is becoming a trend in this book, Mowry opens with a page of melodramatic musings leading to a large panel of a Kaiju. From there we jump around chronologically as our still nameless aliens fight to reclaim some confiscated property.

Honestly, Godzilla films have often suffered from an unnatural separation between the human and kaiju plots, especially in cases where human-sized aliens are controlling the kaiju. This series has done a fine job of tightening the connection between the mastermind invaders and their main event pets. These sorts of ideas are sown throughout the issue and the series, quite ably at that, however, in this instance the book falls down in its execution of those ideas.

Godzilla: Rulers of the Earth #5 – Review

by Chris Mowry (writer), Jeff Zomow (art)

The Story: Twenty pages about how a scarred Chinese general struggles to provide for his family in a world torn apart by ancient beasts…Nah he’s evil. I mean, seriously, he’s blind in one eye! If he were a hero he’d wear an eyepatch.

The Review: Godzilla’s latest ongoing from IDW has sometimes seemed like it’s bitten off more than it can chew. We have a government anti-Kaiju task force, a team of dedicated megazoologists, a worldwide explosion of mega-fauna, and even an alien invasion to contend with. Amid this backdrop, last issue tipped us off that there may be more to these rampaging monsters than meets the eye. I don’t think I’m out of line if I say that the series hasn’t revealed its focus yet.

This issue wisely decides to dedicate itself to just one of the plotlines, that of Lucy and her scientific cohorts, who find themselves face to face with a previously unseen kaiju, Varan, on the shore of a Chinese lake. It’s a rare moment of greatness for a cult-favorite kaiju. With such a human vantage point, the issue has the opportunity to show how dangerous even the most mundane kaiju can be.

Lucy’s narration is leaps and bounds better than what Chris Mowry has supplied in recent months and is integrated into the issue quite well. Especially seeing such improvement, I still think that he can do better, but for now let’s count it a win

Godzilla: Rulers of the Earth #4 – Review

By: Chris Mowry (writer), Matt Frank and Jeff Zornow (art), Priscilla Tramontano (colors)

The Story: Somewhere Chris Mowry is cursing himself, his love of aquatic Kaiju, and Guillermo del Toro.

The Review: As with the second issue of this series, Godzilla: Rulers of the Earth #4 is almost entirely devoted to a single battle. Because I went to a liberal arts college, I know just enough about math to tell you that that means that almost half of the series has been big mindless kaiju battles. Chris Mowry only has so many pages to tell his tale, but I can’t decide if I can fault him for dedicating so much time to something that a significant portion of his readership thinks is the whole point of the series.

Last month’s issue was an interesting way of providing original stories that still felt at home in a Godzilla comic, and Mowry has done a very nice job of tying the numerous plot points he introduced in that issue together. I would have liked to see more of the still nameless aliens, but they do make an appearance and their handiwork is fairly omnipresent.

Mowry’s writing is still somewhat overwrought, though it is improved from last issue. There aren’t many caption boxes in this issue but, unfortunately, a news crew is present for a chunk of the action. Their commentary may do a decent job of pointing out the futility of human comment on something so vastly beyond their scale, but more often than not it’s just tedious.

Godzilla: Rulers of the Earth #3 – Review

By: Chris Mowry (writer), Matt Frank & Jeff Zornow (artists), Priscilla Tramontano

The Story: A decisive comeback in the drawn-out war between man and seafood.

The Review: The Godzilla franchise has played host to a wide array of alien life over the years. Whether it was superstitious Simeons or treacherous Xillians, Earth’s kaiju have found many opportunities to come to their planet’s defense and just as many to be controlled by hostile invaders. This time, however, Chris Mowry is trying something a little different. As monsters rise from the ocean depths, the CKR find that a new race of aliens has designs on earth.

In a rather drastic shift from last month, the third issue of Rulers of the Earth is actually overwritten. The caption boxes seem to hold the worst of it, from out-of-place introductions, to needlessly dramatic musings, to headings as strange as, “Miles from the CKR facility…minutes from a disaster” this one has it all. Perhaps Mowry wanted to stretch his legs after a largely silent issue last month, but whatever the reason he’s overcorrected.

The dialogue isn’t bad, but it’s lacking in efficiency. Cluttered panels frequently find themselves giving information that either will or should appear in the art. Aside from this, however, the worst that can be said is that Mowry doesn’t always take an opportunity to develop hs characters when it presents himself.

Godzilla: Rulers of the Earth #2 – Review

By: Chris Mowry (story/script), Matt Frank (story/art), Ronda Pattison (colors)

The Story: The King of the Monsters demolishes Honolulu and fends off a pretender to the throne.

The Review: This sophomore outing for IDW’s new Godzilla series the big guy squaring off against Zilla, the much maligned star of the disastrous American Godzilla. Fans of the franchise have seen such a battle once before, in Godzilla: Final Wars, but unlike that brief affair, this time the battle consumes much of the issue.

It’s hard to know exactly who on a creative team contributes what to a fight scene as the amount of freedom granted to the artist can vary drastically. I just hope that Chris Mowry doesn’t use the ‘Marvel method’, otherwise his partner, Matt Frank deserves better billing. Indeed, the dialogue in this issue is sparse and, where it is present, it’s somewhat lacking. Though Mowry tries to imbue his characters with personality, he falls just short and the resulting dialogue often betrays its utilitarian purpose.

Lucy Casprell strikes an odd balance between charming and worrisome. Though anyone with the moxie to run towards a kaiju battle is to be respected, her enthusiasm comes off a little bit manic at times. I also worry about a passionate megazoologist who can’t identify immediately that Zilla is bipedal, though I suppose that can be attributed to her vantage point.