IDW's GODZILLA General Discussion

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Shenanigans
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Re: IDW's GODZILLA General Discussion

Post by Shenanigans »

Reminder that Godzilla Rivals: Vs. Battra is out tomorrow! Honestly shocked this one is coming out on time (well, it was delayed a month, but that was revealed a while back now so I was expecting further delays like the last few issues).

The preview shows that it takes place in the not-too-distant future. Given the artist's apparent affinity for robots, I guess it shouldn't be surprising. Looking forward to Godzilla in the UK!

https://www.flickeringmyth.com/2022/08/ ... vs-battra/

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Re: IDW's GODZILLA General Discussion

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Shenanigans wrote: Tue Aug 02, 2022 6:37 am Reminder that Godzilla Rivals: Vs. Battra is out tomorrow! Honestly shocked this one is coming out on time (well, it was delayed a month, but that was revealed a while back now so I was expecting further delays like the last few issues).

The preview shows that it takes place in the not-too-distant future. Given the artist's apparent affinity for robots, I guess it shouldn't be surprising. Looking forward to Godzilla in the UK!
Am I crazy or what, but I could have sworn the original cover was called Godzilla Rivals II Vs. Battra The 2 made it seem like there was going to be another wave of these books./

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Re: IDW's GODZILLA General Discussion

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Houndoom wrote: Tue Aug 02, 2022 8:35 am
Am I crazy or what, but I could have sworn the original cover was called Godzilla Rivals II Vs. Battra The 2 made it seem like there was going to be another wave of these books./
You are correct! An early cover (which you can see here) suggested this issue would be the first installment of a sequel series, but that was back when Godzilla Rivals: Vs. Gigan was supposed to be the fourth issue. Now Vs. Gigan will be kicking off the next set of these books, but, at least for right now, it looks like they ditched the Rivals II naming. Honestly didn't make much sense since these are all unrelated one-shots anyways.

Regardless, we are getting that second batch of these comics, at least two more on top of Vs. Gigan and Biollante Vs. Destoroyah.

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Re: IDW's GODZILLA General Discussion

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Shenanigans wrote: Tue Aug 02, 2022 10:59 am
Houndoom wrote: Tue Aug 02, 2022 8:35 am
Am I crazy or what, but I could have sworn the original cover was called Godzilla Rivals II Vs. Battra The 2 made it seem like there was going to be another wave of these books./
You are correct! An early cover suggested this issue would be the first installment of a sequel series, but that was back when Godzilla Rivals: Vs. Gigan was supposed to be the fourth issue. Now Vs. Gigan will be kicking off the next set of these books, but, at least for right now, it looks like they ditched the Rivals II naming. Honestly didn't make much sense since these are all unrelated one-shots anyways.

Regardless, we are getting that second batch of these comics, at least two more on top of Vs. Gigan and Biollante Vs. Destoroyah.
Awesome I hope we continue to get these Vs. titles well after the second wave as it's nice having another Godzilla book on the shelfs that isn't one geared for kids and one that's not a mini crossover./

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Re: IDW's GODZILLA General Discussion

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I desperately hope we get a Rivals that’s the focused on Gabara.
Last edited by Mr. Yellow on Wed Aug 03, 2022 6:37 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: IDW's GODZILLA General Discussion

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Mr. Yellow wrote: Wed Aug 03, 2022 6:37 am I desperately hope we get a Rivals that’s the focused on Gabara.
We can only hope.
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Re: IDW's GODZILLA General Discussion

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Issue 4/5(?): Battra (came out before Gigan!) was pretty good.

It's not as fanservicey as issue 3 was, nor is it particularly action packed. However, I liked a lot of the world building. I loved the little town Hackney on Sea, and the little details like the robots cleaning up trash. I liked the trio of main characters and art style as well. I liked how Battra was portrayed mostly, and the artist gave it this crazed and imposing look that is sorely missing from it's film portrayal. Likewise, Godzilla looked particularly monstorous. The action wasn't particularly amazing, but I really like that page with the beam lock.

However, I was a little disappointed by Mothra's inclusion. Mothra already got a very substantial amount of attention in issue 2, and here she just shows up at the end to stop the fight. Felt like they could' ve just devoted more time to Battra and maybe had another ending. Some of it also felt weird in terms of how the issue was resolved: Why was the robot FM just randomly able to bring up Mothra's song?

Oh well, I still liked it.
Spirit Ghidorah 2010 wrote: Sun Dec 03, 2023 4:54 pm Anno-san pleasures me more than Yamasaki-san.

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Re: IDW's GODZILLA General Discussion

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Godzilla Rivals: Vs. Battra thoughts:

- The setting, story, and art reminded me of a Studio Ghibli film. I liked it!
- I liked the art, though I thought it could’ve needed some polishing in some scenes. Nevertheless, charming designs and Battra is a standout.
- I wonder why Battra didn’t immediately start going on a rampage the moment after its emergence, especially how it was described as an aggressive monster in the story (unless that was intentionally meant to show how there was more to Battra than meets the eye).
- Favorite panel: Battra & Godzilla facing off with Battra perched like a hawk on top on the Ferris wheel.

A really solid issue!
Last edited by kaijukurt on Thu Aug 04, 2022 5:49 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: IDW's GODZILLA General Discussion

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(Couple days late) I'm a little more mixed on the Battra issue, to be honest - more positive than negative, I'll say right at the top. Very much a love/hate relationship here. Some areas were stunningly unique, but others fell flat.

First the praise: The setting and characters are positively wonderful. Love the characters and their outfits, in particular Robbie and Kiki (but they were all really fun). You get such a vibe from all of them; there have been multi-issue Godzilla series that haven't been able to deliver such memorable characters and designs like this, so credit where it is due. But the setting is where we really shined, I'd say. I absolutely adored the sort of dour, gloomy atmosphere they created with the cloudy skies, the pollution, the frequent mini robots.

To me - and this really just might be me - it felt like they were channeling this sort of "soft post-apocalypse" vibe reminiscent of Yokohama Kaidashi Kiko and similar manga. It felt like a world "left behind", in a way, where basic things (the purpose of the robots, Godzilla himself) are lost to history and fade into legend - but not in the same way most post-apocalyptic stories go about demonstrating this. There weren't any humans living in the wreckage of the old world; society and governments are still there, but between the characters' unorthodox, cobbled-together outfits, the lack of military response, etc. made the world feel "emptier" than usual. I've never gotten that vibe from a Godzilla story before, but then again, Godzilla stories rarely take place in a tiny little costal town. The "bleak, forgotten world" vibe was impeccable.

But with all that being said, the bulk of the issue failed to really capitalize on the good; there were definite problems with the writing, pacing, and art, which is a damn shame. The art was a little too sketchy and rough at times; sometimes that worked to its advantage, but other panels just looked half-finished. I almost feel like black-and-white could've helped a little. Though I will say, again, that the human characters looked good for the most part, mostly in close-ups.

The pacing was whack; thought we were really getting somewhere once Akemi (finally) spilled the beans about Battra, but then we just cut to a montage of the town slowly falling apart. Then Battra wakes up, and I thought all hell was breaking loose... and then we cut to days latter where nothing's happened. Furthermore, unless I missed something, the characters were admittedly pretty useless as far as the story goes. They use the robots to "find" Battra and Godzilla... just as both are already arriving. If they were to use the robots to wake the monsters up, that's one thing, but it looked like they were waking up regardless of whether our characters found them first. And the whole thing with the robot translating Mothra's literal thoughts felt ham-fisted (even if the movies already did it, at least they used magical Shobijin to do so).

The environmental message was simple; not necessarily "bad" but familiar and frankly boring. I like that they specifically say they're going to confront those big corporations responsible for the pollution, but the "let's all do our part" message, while hopeful and inspirational, has been done many times over and feels too "safe". I want to see a story that isn't afraid to confront the root of the issue - big corporations and the wealthy - head-on. The poor, small-town setting was the absolute perfect setting for a story to address how class factors into this (those at the top kill our planet, those on the bottom pay the price). Let's see more stories that bring the fight to them. Still, can't deny that the ending was sweet and hopeful.

Battra was handled well though. And I 100% echo LSD's above comment about his crazed eyes; really adds to the unpredictability of the character, which was a great point of focus for the issue. Greatly prefer this whole "not a good guy but not a bad guy" approach to the character rather than the flat "evil" version we've seen from other comics (looking at you, ROE - one of the only kaiju handled poorly in that series). I love seeing more of a straight-up "good-guy" Godzilla, too, like the 70's version. Outside of the first couple Monsterverse films, we never get that anymore; certainly not from these comics. I like it though, its appreciated. Not to mention the strangely cute design for Godzilla, I'm in love with the simplicity of it.

This comic had some of my favorite features I've ever seen in a Godzilla story, while also suffering from questionable writing choices and hit-or-miss art. I'd say the positives outweigh the negatives though. There was too much uniqueness here that the mundane, redundant themes couldn't diminish. In spite of my complaints, I really did like it as a whole.
Last edited by Shenanigans on Fri Aug 05, 2022 4:05 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: IDW's GODZILLA General Discussion

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I loved this issue. For some reason the setting and atmosphere reminded me of that book series, A Series of Unfortunate Events. Wasn’t expecting Battra to be able get the upper hand on Godzilla like that. Not that I’m complaining, it goes to show anything can happen in kaiju battles. It makes me curious as to how Biollante will hold her own against Destoroyah, considering that if we go purely by power levels and Heisei feats, on paper she’s pretty outmatched.
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Re: IDW's GODZILLA General Discussion

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Just realized, is Godzilla: Oblivion the first piece of Godzilla media to deal with alternate Earths?
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Re: IDW's GODZILLA General Discussion

Post by Shenanigans »

Damn, didn't even realize I wrote a whole book in response to Vs. Battra. :lol: Sometimes I ramble on too much I guess.

Anyways, I bring some much-belated news from comic-con, as it turns out that more comics were announced than we realized. Would've been nice to have had a livestream or something; not like the movie panels where things need to be kept secret. But evidently, Biollante vs. Destoroyah will not be the sixth issue of Rivals, but the eighth, with two others revealed coming out sooner.

The next issue is certainly one unique matchup: Rodan vs. Ebirah!

Image

Awfully dramatic cover given the combatants, lol. Love seeing Ebirah get the spotlight though! He's very much been a fodder kaiju (not undeservedly so), but it is nice to see him get the highlight for once. His biggest claim to fame in these comics has been ROE so far, and even that battle was quickly overshadowed by the arrival of Megaguirus. Guess they're going for a "water monster vs. air monster" fight. Pretty, um, different synopsis.

The second comic revealed is Mothra vs. Titanosaurus. Couldn't find full art for that one yet, nor a synopsis, but an interesting matchup I guess. Not super thrilled to see Mothra again, it'd be nice if IDW can end their love affair with her as they did Mechagodzilla. But always down for more Titanosaurus. Didn't this same matchup already happen in Gangsters & Goliaths? (for like, two panels?)

I do believe that shifting the series away from "Godzilla vs. X" is smart though. But I would imagine Godzilla will still be popping up.

Full article:

https://www.idwpublishing.com/news/arti ... -sdcc-2022

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Re: IDW's GODZILLA General Discussion

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Sounds like a super fun idea and really hope this goes on for awhile. There are so many match ups that could be fun reads. Jet Jauger vs King Ceaser, Manda vs Titanosaurus, Baragon vs Megalon, Varan vs Gorosaurus. Give these lesser guys some spotlight!

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Re: IDW's GODZILLA General Discussion

Post by LSD Jellyfish »

Super exciting.

My guess is that Godzilla somehow is the catalyst for the fight, and breaks Ebirah and Rodan free from some sort of space prison. But you’re right that Ebirah has gotten so little attention and was drastically overshadowed by Megagurius and the Trilopods. The only other time they appeared was a few panels in issue 9 and in half-century war.

Rodan likewise has been shafted, at least compared to Mothra and Ghidorah. Other than that initial legends issue, and issue 5 of ROE, Rodan has been relatively shafted recently.

Mothra and Titanosaurus is an odd, but fun choice. I agree that Mothra is overused (already second time in rivals!) but maybe the issue will be more Titanosaurus focused.

I’m really happy that despite all the delays, this series is going strong. This is really starting to feel like a resurgence of Godzilla Ongoing and the output IDW had around 2014.
Spirit Ghidorah 2010 wrote: Sun Dec 03, 2023 4:54 pm Anno-san pleasures me more than Yamasaki-san.

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Re: IDW's GODZILLA General Discussion

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LOVE how Rivals is making match ups between kaiju other than just Godzilla. Rodan and Ebirah is random, especially considering Megaguirus obvious ties to Rodan that have never really been explored, but damn if I'm not excited for some bird vs. lobster action.


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plasmabeam wrote: Tue Dec 05, 2023 3:03 am Hear me out on this. What if Godzilla is actually Suko’s father? In GvK when Godzilla defeated Kong and they were roaring at each other, what if Godzilla inseminated Kong at that moment and that’s why they were screaming?

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Re: IDW's GODZILLA General Discussion

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Great to see IDW expanding their horizons! I hope these Vs. issues are still at 40 pages long like the previous Rivals issues.
LSD Jellyfish wrote: Mon Aug 08, 2022 3:40 pmI’m really happy that despite all the delays, this series is going strong. This is really starting to feel like a resurgence of Godzilla Ongoing and the output IDW had around 2014.
I wonder if the increase in output can be tied to IDW wanting to ramp up their remaining licenses with the incoming losses of the Transformers/G.I. Joe licenses.
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Re: IDW's GODZILLA General Discussion

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kaijukurt wrote: Tue Aug 09, 2022 12:36 pm Great to see IDW expanding their horizons! I hope these Vs. issues are still at 40 pages long like the previous Rivals issues.
LSD Jellyfish wrote: Mon Aug 08, 2022 3:40 pmI’m really happy that despite all the delays, this series is going strong. This is really starting to feel like a resurgence of Godzilla Ongoing and the output IDW had around 2014.
I wonder if the increase in output can be tied to IDW wanting to ramp up their remaining licenses with the incoming losses of the Transformers/G.I. Joe licenses.
Most likely. If so, remember their sacrifice :(

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Re: IDW's GODZILLA General Discussion

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That IDW link goes nowhere :(
"Monsters are tragic beings. They are born too tall, too strong, too heavy. They are not evil by choice. That is their tragedy. They do not attack people because they want to, but because of their size and strength, mankind has no other choice but to defend himself. After several stories such as this, people end up having a kind of affection for the monsters. They end up caring about them." - Ishiro Honda

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Re: IDW's GODZILLA General Discussion

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Mr. Yellow wrote: Wed Aug 10, 2022 4:49 am That IDW link goes nowhere :(
Here you go, in case you can’t see it:

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Re: IDW's GODZILLA General Discussion

Post by Mr. Yellow »

Thank you!!
"Monsters are tragic beings. They are born too tall, too strong, too heavy. They are not evil by choice. That is their tragedy. They do not attack people because they want to, but because of their size and strength, mankind has no other choice but to defend himself. After several stories such as this, people end up having a kind of affection for the monsters. They end up caring about them." - Ishiro Honda

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