Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle Reviews
Godzilla Legends #4 of 5
IDW Comics
Mowry, Su & Tramontano
This month's Godzilla Legends' one-shot takes a look at the blob-like creature called Hedorah. These comic books have been a breath of fresh air in the Godzilla mythos and this issue is no different. Coming on the heels of the alien invaders that are using these monsters to wipe out Earth's population, this issue is much more straightforward. The book has plenty of action and is held together by a team of humans basically narrating the entire the book while chasing after the monster. I enjoyed this book immensely.
A team of scientists that are flying around in the Godzilla-like, Mechagodzilla, manage to bump into an angry Hedorah in China. After getting to know the five-member Mechagodzilla crew a little bit we are thrust into the hardcore action.
The crew learns quickly that Hedorah is not something that can be easily touched or damaged. It's basically a ball of toxins that happen to have a pair of eyes and some assortment of limbs. Both sides take some lumps before the big guy himself shows up: Godzilla. From here, the book turns into an all-out brawl of epic proportions and the crew of Mechagodzilla has some hard decisions to make by the end of the book.
It's a fun book that covers all of the ground that you would expect a Godzilla book to cover. While the crew seems like totally useless and disposable narrators, they actually provide an interesting purpose by the end of the book. I can't claim that I know all five of their voices or understand their differences, but at least I get their importance in the issue.
The artwork is tremendous. This book is full of pounding and destruction and the artwork delivers it on every single panel. There is one specific panel where the trio is squaring off that reminded me of a scene from the film, The Good, The Bad and The Ugly. If I had to make one gripe it would be the scene where Hedorah's eye appears to be ripped from his mushy mass. I really couldn't discern what was going on in that sequence. Beyond that you would be hard pressed to find a more turn paging battle in comic these days.
Godzilla books are definitely a niche genre. I get that. However, if you are looking to check out one then this is it. You might find it mindless. You might find it to be predictable. However, you will be entertained and you may also be inclined to pick up the next issue. Which is exactly what I plan to do.
4.5 out of 5 Geek Goggles
