IDW's GODZILLA General Discussion

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Re: IDW's GODZILLA General Discussion

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I wish I could draw that well at 5 or right now.

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Re: IDW's GODZILLA General Discussion

Post by Shenanigans »

Alrighty, just making sure this doesn't get lost in the shuffle - All Hail the King #5 is out tomorrow!

https://www.flickeringmyth.com/2023/02/ ... he-king-5/

Getting to the action fairly quick here, thankfully, though I really wish this preview was how the last issue ended so this one had more time for the fight/Caesar. But I'm still hoping for the best.

Random last-minute prediction for the ending:
Spoiler:
The Xiliens either introduce a new monster (like Gigan) or hint at creating a new one (I can see Orga, Showa Mechagodzilla, or even Spacegodzilla). Got to top the first series' Xilien reveal for the inevitable cliffhanger ending, after all. While this series hasn't been my favorite by any means, I'm actively hoping for a cliffhanger simply because there's no way they can provide a satisfactory conclusion in one issue.

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Re: IDW's GODZILLA General Discussion

Post by LSD Jellyfish »

Ooooh, looking good. So the kids are controlling Godzilla through some sort of telepathy? Far-fetched, but not unheard of (see Heisei films). Seems like Godzilla at the very least is only taking suggestions. I like the actual strategy (faking Ghidorah out, not letting it get an aerial advantage).

Honestly, really liking the usage of a drone as a framing device. It's appopriate that the teacher/adults would not allow children near a giant monster, and it allows them to physically be there, while also not being there. The humor of the teacher is enjoyable.

Off to a good start, I just hope this issue keeps this pace and continues the action.
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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LSD Jellyfish wrote: Tue Feb 07, 2023 8:06 pm Ooooh, looking good. So the kids are controlling Godzilla through some sort of telepathy? Far-fetched, but not unheard of (see Heisei films). Seems like Godzilla at the very least is only taking suggestions. I like the actual strategy (faking Ghidorah out, not letting it get an aerial advantage).

Honestly, really liking the usage of a drone as a framing device. It's appopriate that the teacher/adults would not allow children near a giant monster, and it allows them to physically be there, while also not being there. The humor of the teacher is enjoyable.

Off to a good start, I just hope this issue keeps this pace and continues the action.
I don't think "control" is quite the right word, more like "influencing" his decisions. Personally I'm very much into it, I've always liked the kaiju-psychic connections in the movies, namely the Gamera trilogy. Ditto on the drone use too - in hindsight I'm actually surprised we haven't seen more drone action in more kaiju stories. Great way to get close to the action without being directly in harm's way. Still too many instances of helicopters and planes getting within swatting distance, lol.

Also, just realized something big and adding to my previous prediction -
Spoiler:
Mecha-King Ghidorah! I can't believe I hadn't thought of him sooner, but having just reread the previous issue, it hit me - maybe the Xiliens' "mechanoids", whatever the hell they are, will turn Ghidorah into a cyborg? That would certainly give them the control they're after. MKG wouldn't be as exciting as a new monster to me (all of the alien kaiju could use more attention, though Gigan got a lot of love last year), but I'd take it if we got it. Though I should affirm that a new monster cameo certainly won't make or break the issue, to say the least.

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Re: IDW's GODZILLA General Discussion

Post by LSD Jellyfish »

Happy to say issue 5 was a positive one, and maybe the best of this entire run of Monsters and Protectors. Mainly, it did what it SHOULD have been doing the entire time, and works amazingly well as a proof of concept. It's regrettable that it took so long to get here, but it definitely moved the needled in the positive direction.

I'll post a bigger review later, as well as my general feelings on all Hail the King by the end but to sum up:

Unique Monster action that validates the children's role in the story. The way that the "suggestions" were introduced into the story felt like something that should've happened long ago, but I get from a story-telling perspective why they took time to build up to Godzilla's telepathic communication with the kids.
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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I agree 100% that this issue was a big step up from the last batch; the action was satisfying (more than I was expecting) and the focus on the characters actually resulted in some great character development. However, I still had some issues with the comic, which reflect the issues of the series as a whole.

Story played out largely as expected, but the action was enhanced by tying our characters so directly to it in such an inspired way. Indeed, that page of Cedric and Karen's argument mirroring Godzilla and Caesar's confrontation is an all-timer; I'm in love with the idea behind it all. What a great way to connect our characters to the bigger picture; its long been noted how difficult it can be to mix human stories with the action of giant monsters (to the point where so many people continue to insist to this day that monster movies would be better off without any humans at all - blech), and while this series took a long time to get there (way too long though, as LSD said above), what they did was great nonetheless. Plus, I would argue its more interesting to show such an angle through the lens of the children as well versus adults; showing that their petty squabbling had very real consequences would only work with kids as the main characters.

It was also nice that they took a moment to not only establish both as protectors rather than true opponents, but also to show that Godzilla still had a lot of autonomy in his decisions by ignoring Cedric's ridiculous suggestions; Godzilla (and by extension, Caesar) shouldn't be controlled so easily, so presenting it as an "influencing" was smart. It was also smart to keep a lot of how the psychic connection/influencing works so vague and mysterious.

I really liked the art of this issue too. Sometimes later issues of a series can look messier when time is against the artist, but as always, Schoening was quite consistent here. Highlights include Cedric and Karen's expressions at various points. Schoening's art just has so much "character" to it, even in the way the action is presented; I loved Godzilla and Caesar knocking Ghidorah's side heads into his center head, and seeing Godzilla grabbing onto Caesar's scruff when they confronted each other was a nice touch. Solid work all around, very charismatic.

More thoughts involve spoilers, including my issues with the pacing:
Spoiler:
I was quite disappointed to see the Xiliens being almost completely shafted once again. This reflects the larger pacing issues of the whole series quite well in my mind - the Xiliens had such a commanding presence in earlier issues, not only because they were the highlights of those issues but also because we spent quite a bit of time establishing them as the big bads, only for them to almost completely sit out the last two issues. I get that they have more plans for them down the road, but it hurts this particular "arc" for all for all that focus to mean almost nothing for this arc besides using them to wake up Ghidorah. Hopefully the next series is paced out better. Hopefully the Xiliens have more focus.

But anyways, pleased to see the super-deep cut Easter Eggs continue. The Godzilland thumbnail was beautiful, man, Caesar being just a big ball of fuzz in that style is brilliant. :lol:

My final revelation last night was pretty much spot-on (though to be fair, I predicted almost every alien monster as well to cover my bases, lol). I'm interested in seeing how that goes. Hopefully they can give MKG a redesign, too; he can certainly benefit from one. Cool seeing the Gotengo as an Xilien vehicle, but I don't recognize the others. The one to the left of the Gotengo seems so familiar for some reason but I can't place it; I thought it might've been something from Latitude Zero, but maybe not? Could be that they're all made-up and not based on anything...
I'm a little mixed, but like the last series, more positive than negative. As a whole this issue stuck the landing in a way that really impressed me, though not all subplots were given adequate attention. But we're definitely getting more (unless they cancel the series), for better or worse. I really, really hope that the third series is willing to feature King Caesar more prominently. And maybe bring back the adorable super-fluffy Mothra, too.

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Re: IDW's GODZILLA General Discussion

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I agree with pretty much everything you say in regards to the children/telepathy/suggestion. I still would have loved a little more action, maybe Godzilla could have begun to fight Ghidorah in the last issue? Maybe the conflict with Godzilla and King Shisa could have a few more panels (without getting excessive). It delivered it's proof of concept however.

The reason why this moved the needle in the positive for me is it reframes what kind of story issues 1-5 are going for. While I'm dissapointed that the Xilliens get shafted, it's clear that they were never intended to be the final focus of this arc. Ghidorah, and Cedric/Godzilla's conflict with Karen/King Shisa was. I can accept that while they are catalysts for this arc, and minor antagonists, they aren't intended to be the full scope. I actually sort of enjoy a reversal of many of the tropes in the series: Ghidorah was first a pawn in this, but then became MORE dangerous and wild after escaping mind control. It works well as giving Ghidorah autonomy and manage to be a big bad, with still allowing some interesting things to be done with him. Overall, all Hail the King was a major improvement over Rise Up, but there's still a lot to be done.


Now it's time to bring up something that seems a bit random: Gabara
While I liked Gabara's inclusion, it really felt like a way of adding action to a story where there was none. On one hand, it can feel a bit underwhelming to have a dream sequence, but because it serves as a way of showing Cedric and co's connection to Godzilla, I think it works well. Likewise, it was a unique way to build up to Ghidorah (with maybe Gabara harnessing Godzilla's fear of Ghidorah) by using various dream-like powers? It's strange, and I'm torn if I want an elaboration on it or not. If there's any monster to show up in a dream, Gabara makes a lot of sense to fit that role, and we can just say that in this universe, Gabara is a monster that torments people and monsters in their sleep, but it more of an annoyance. But it does do something unique in that it allows us to, ever so briefly, enter Godzilla's POV. Something that's very important and I'll address through a quote:
Shenanigans wrote: Wed Feb 08, 2023 1:22 pm Plus, I would argue its more interesting to show such an angle through the lens of the children as well versus adults; showing that their petty squabbling had very real consequences would only work with kids as the main characters.
This to me is pretty important. I remember a lot of people decrying this as "kids wouldn't want to read this!" and messages. I don't know, I'm currently an adult so I don't feel compelled to say much about what kids want and don't want. I grew up on Godzilla, and I think kids will always be interested in Godzilla, from goofy stuff like Son of Godzilla, to violent and darker films like GMK and GFW. However, this checked off a major box that has NEVER been done before. What if you, reader, could be Godzilla? While it's not exact 1:1 you are Godzilla, it's close enough. It's a great fantasy which I would never want to see a film of, but works well as a comic geared for younger audiences. "Hey you and your middle-school aged friends get to interact with monsters (that aren't downright horrifying!) and you get to even sort of be Godzilla for moments. I think it's great, and I get why this would appeal to children.

As much as some of the other stuff may seem like pandering (Dragon being an online bully, the framing device of Metoob, some of the stuff involving school), it's important to remember that many children these days are actively navigating social media on a very regular basis. A lot of people can call Cedric obnoxious or whatnot, but none of it seems TOO crazy compared to how a lot of children act and behave, especially online. I think at parts it can fall into the trap of "How do you do my fellow kids", but it's goofy, campy, and earnest enough to not feel too panderous. I think it's unique, and while I wish there were some things that could be done better, I get what it's going for. I'm explicitly not the audience, but that's okay.

Regarding the cliff-hanger:
Spoiler:
Mixed feelings on seeing MKG come back. But it's worth remembering the last time it appeared it was like 6 or 7 years ago...so certainly enough time has passed. While MKG was used in ROE by the Cryog and was pretty cool, it wasn't really built up to and sort of just flew in to cap off the Showa Mechagodzilla arc. In oblivion, MKG got it's moments but was really more there as a sacrificial lamb to be torn apart. I'd like a MKG controlled by aliens a lot, and I'm very curious of what a redesign by this team would look like, seeing as they clearly have more creative liberties on what they can and can't do.

Next, regarding the ships and fleets, in addition to the obvious Gotengo, I think a few of those ships are Lattitude Zero, War in Space, and a few other really obscure ones. It looks like there's one of the UFOs from TOMG thrown in there, but who knows. In any case, I'm curious why they are under the sea and have those ships to begin with.
As a TV show:
I have zero evidence to back this up, but the more this series continues the more I can see this being a loose "pilot" of some Godzilla animated series. I can very easily imagine Godzilla Monsters and Protectors Rise up being a two-parter to a kid's show, and this being another set of episodes. The way that some of the events have been unfolding FEELS like there's a lot of wiggle room to insert action that feels glossed over (an episode featuring Angurius, maybe something with Kumonga, and episode focused on Gabara, +more action). The Xilliens can be the reoccuring antagonists, while other supporting villains like the Linell corp can have a sinister role. They have a fun and obvious supporting cast to the main trio (Mothra/Fairies, some of the teachers, Karen and King Shisa) and the tone is established as whacky but also occasionally dealing with issues on friends). Throw in a few unrelated monster episodes, and having the kids way more involved in the action (like in this episode) and you have yourself a very decent show.

The comic does feel glacial in terms of monster roster. I'm not saying everything needs to be a blowout like ROE, but the series would benefit greatly from some "one and done issues" featuring a different monster.

Here's all the monsters so far, in order of importance:
Godzilla
King Ghidorah
Biollante
King Shisa
Mothra
Gabara
Angurius (cameo)
Kumonga (cameo)

Pretty small overall, and despite KG and Mothra's appearances, it's decently varied.

I hope that this comic/and or series can get better. It's progressively improved, and I think it just needs to keep what it did in issue 5 going to become a great Godzilla comic. I think an issue that this series will always face is that many people will view this as a REPLACEMENT for Godzilla ROE, a series that had amazing action, monsters, and unique plot-lines and scenarios. The series has EARNED being a monster an issue type series, and focusing way more on monster action due to how established the world is at this point. I think a lot of people would be more open to this, or at least not express so much open hostility, if Rivals had a more consistent release scheduale and there was another miniseries releasing concurrently.

Speaking of which:
I'm hoping for a new announcement from IDW soon. MMPR vs. Godzilla has been finished for a while now. All All the King is done. Only two issues of Rivals "Round 2" haven't released yet, and they'll be out shortly. It's time for something new and exciting! IMO wouldn't mind if Monsters and Protectors got a third and final miniseries ALONGSIDE a new replacement for ROE/continuation of that. Would always be welcome to just a completely new miniseries like Cataclysm or Half Century War. Godzilla is more popular than it's ever been in America, and new movies and things are on the way, so there's zero excuses not to up the ante, now that All Hail the King has concluded
Last edited by LSD Jellyfish on Wed Feb 08, 2023 4:28 pm, edited 3 times in total.
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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LSD Jellyfish wrote: Wed Feb 08, 2023 4:08 pm Speaking of which:
I'm hoping for a new announcement from IDW soon. MMPR vs. Godzilla has been finished for a while now. All All the King is done. Only two issues of Rivals "Round 2" haven't released yet, and they'll be out shortly. It's time for something new and exciting! IMO wouldn't mind if Monsters and Protectors got a third and final miniseries ALONGSIDE a new replacement for ROE/continuation of that. Would always be welcome to just a completely new miniseries like Cataclysm or Half Century War. Godzilla is more popular than it's ever been in America, and new movies and things are on the way, so there's zero excuses not to up the ante, now that All Hail the King has concluded
Personally, I'd like to see IDW pick up the mainstream story line where it left off and get at least one more story out of it - and this time include Minilla and Ganimes, the last two kaiju that need to be included in it. I'd also like to see if they're going to do what I think (and hope) they're going to do in this case and use the 2004 version of Minilla (the one that has the right size ratio when compared to Godzilla), not the 1960s version of him (the one that doesn't have the right size ratio).
Last edited by LSD Jellyfish on Wed Feb 08, 2023 5:30 pm, edited 5 times in total.
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Re: IDW's GODZILLA General Discussion

Post by Shenanigans »

LSD Jellyfish wrote: Wed Feb 08, 2023 4:08 pm The reason why this moved the needle in the positive for me is it reframes what kind of story issues 1-5 are going for. While I'm dissapointed that the Xilliens get shafted, it's clear that they were never intended to be the final focus of this arc. Ghidorah, and Cedric/Godzilla's conflict with Karen/King Shisa was. I can accept that while they are catalysts for this arc, and minor antagonists, they aren't intended to be the full scope. I actually sort of enjoy a reversal of many of the tropes in the series: Ghidorah was first a pawn in this, but then became MORE dangerous and wild after escaping mind control. It works well as giving Ghidorah autonomy and manage to be a big bad, with still allowing some interesting things to be done with him. Overall, all Hail the King was a major improvement over Rise Up, but there's still a lot to be done.
I get what you're saying, and in hindsight it is easier to realize the Xiliens were never meant to be a main focus here, but I still feel it doesn't gel super well with the rest of the series to put such focus on them without it going anywhere in All Hail the King. They would've been better off having them as a mysterious background antagonist. In general, it reminds me of an increasing problem with a lot of cinematic universes we're seeing from Hollywood, which is to say stories that seem more interested in setting up future stories instead of focusing on the work at hand (its a bit of a pet peeve of mine, which might be why seeing something similar here bug me). Though I will be fair and say All Hail the King did do a pretty good job in telling its own largely self-contained story outside of the Xiliens. But I really hope the next series has them come out in full force. I was almost hoping this one would end with them launching a full invasion or something.

Agreed with a lot of what you said, especially on Ghidorah and with regards to the kids as main characters. I actually like Cedric as a protagonist well enough; he is obnoxious, but in a way that feels pretty "real" to me, like you were getting at. He's a kid "connected" to Godzilla; of course he'd act like he's hot shit, especially when someone else shows up that threatens to undermine his own "uniqueness". His arrogance was largely played for laughs and constantly called out for what it was by his friends, who thankfully kept him anchored to reason juuuust enough so that he wasn't particularly unlikeable. Others' mileage may vary. Most importantly, he was portrayed that way to allow him to have a nice arc in this series. I was down with it.
Regarding the cliff-hanger:
Spoiler:
Mixed feelings on seeing MKG come back. But it's worth remembering the last time it appeared it was like 6 or 7 years ago...so certainly enough time has passed. While MKG was used in ROE by the Cryog and was pretty cool, it wasn't really built up to and sort of just flew in to cap off the Showa Mechagodzilla arc. In oblivion, MKG got it's moments but was really more there as a sacrificial lamb to be torn apart. I'd like a MKG controlled by aliens a lot, and I'm very curious of what a redesign by this team would look like, seeing as they clearly have more creative liberties on what they can and can't do.

Next, regarding the ships and fleets, in addition to the obvious Gotengo, I think a few of those ships are Lattitude Zero, War in Space, and a few other really obscure ones. It looks like there's one of the UFOs from TOMG thrown in there, but who knows. In any case, I'm curious why they are under the sea and have those ships to begin with.
Spoiler:
You actually warmed me up to using MKG a bit more; in hindsight, he never did too much, did he? Two issues of ROE (with the first being the last page only!) and two issues of Oblivion (with this appearance being quickly overshadowed by a monster apocalypse). All in all, maybe they can give him more to do. I must admit I've never really cared for the character.

Looking over various Toho ships, none of them seem to quite match what's depicted here, so for now I'm in the dark as to whether or not they're supposed to be anything notable.
Speaking of which:
I'm hoping for a new announcement from IDW soon. MMPR vs. Godzilla has been finished for a while now. All All the King is done. Only two issues of Rivals "Round 2" haven't released yet, and they'll be out shortly. It's time for something new and exciting! IMO wouldn't mind if Monsters and Protectors got a third and final miniseries ALONGSIDE a new replacement for ROE/continuation of that. Would always be welcome to just a completely new miniseries like Cataclysm or Half Century War. Godzilla is more popular than it's ever been in America, and new movies and things are on the way, so there's zero excuses not to up the ante, now that All Hail the King has concluded
I think I mightve said this already, but with IDW losing several of their biggest properties, you'd think the likes of Godzilla would be prioritized a bit more; Godzilla never seemed to get the promotion I've seen them give other titles (though I'm sure sales numbers might have something to do with that). Still, hopefully they've been at least planning more; it was a bit sad (albeit entirely expected) to see no ads for future Godzilla comics at the end of this one.

If nothing else, May's solicitations should be out within the next two weeks, so I'm at least hoping Biollante vs. Destoroyah can keep its intended date; would be a good sign that they can keep some planned releases, they've been doing better. Unfortunately I'm doubtful a new series will be announced in those solicits though, so we might be waiting a little while before they reveal anything.

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Re: IDW's GODZILLA General Discussion

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Shenanigans wrote: Wed Feb 08, 2023 8:43 pm I think I mightve said this already, but with IDW losing several of their biggest properties, you'd think the likes of Godzilla would be prioritized a bit more; Godzilla never seemed to get the promotion I've seen them give other titles (though I'm sure sales numbers might have something to do with that). Still, hopefully they've been at least planning more; it was a bit sad (albeit entirely expected) to see no ads for future Godzilla comics at the end of this one.

If nothing else, May's solicitations should be out within the next two weeks, so I'm at least hoping Biollante vs. Destoroyah can keep its intended date; would be a good sign that they can keep some planned releases, they've been doing better. Unfortunately I'm doubtful a new series will be announced in those solicits though, so we might be waiting a little while before they reveal anything.
Well, there were no surprises after all, but I'll take it.

Image
Image
GODZILLA RIVALS BIOLLANTE VS DESTOROYAH

IDW PUBLISHING
MAR231611
(W) Nick Marino (A / CA) Sean Dove
No need for gloom, just drink a BLOOME! There's an irresistible new beverage, Bio-II from BLOOME, that's taken the world by storm. The lives of two unlikely allies collide as they scramble to unlock the sinister secrets behind Bio-II and halt the rebirth of the strangest botanical beast the Earth has ever seen, the blossoming Biollante! Dr. Meena Shyam is a disgraced kaiju researcher whose radical ideas saw her shunned by the scientific community. Needles is a slacker hacker who's just cracked the code behind BLOOME's proprietary recipe. Together, crisscrossing the moonlit hills and bridges of Pittsburgh, they race against the clock to stop Biollante's destruction as they call forth one of the deadliest kaiju of all time, the dastardly Destoroyah!
In Shops: May 10, 2023
SRP: 7.99

GODZILLA RIVALS BIOLLANTE VS DESTOROYAH CVR B MACLEAN (MR)
GODZILLA RIVALS BIOLLANTE VS DESTOROYAH CVR C 10 FORTUNA (MR)
Hell of a premise. Its bizarre to think of the demonic-looking and genuinely malicious Destoroyah essentially being presented as the lesser of two evils against Biollante, who is "part human" (to an extent) in her film and has an almost (albeit indirect) heroic role in Cataclysm. But I'm fully on board. These comics have excelled when they capitalize on balls-to-the-wall insanity, as Rodan vs. Ebirah recently proved, and this "Soylent Green Meets Night of the Living Dead"-esque premise has all the promise of another great time.

And with that, all known IDW Godzilla comics have been solicited. Can't imagine IDW's run is coming to an end or anything dramatic like that though, just got to be patient. Still, it'd probably be a good idea to get some stuff out over the summer, as I'm sure there will be some more Godzilla movie/TV news by then to capitalize on. Not to mention what it sure to be a big year for the big G next year...

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Re: IDW's GODZILLA General Discussion

Post by KingCornetto »

This would be issue 8 of Rivals, so the end of “Round Two”. Assuming they’re following the 4 issue per collection they set before, we’ll see that TPB announced soon.

As far as future comics, I believe at Comic-Con they said they had plans for the 70th, so at the least there will be more next year. I’m assuming more Rivals will come out this year, probably in August and November, I’d expect one to be Megalon and/or Jet (likely the November issue).

Personally I’d like to see another mini aimed at an older audience but I’m not holding my breath currently.

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Re: IDW's GODZILLA General Discussion

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Shenanigans wrote: Fri Feb 17, 2023 7:28 am Hell of a premise. Its bizarre to think of the demonic-looking and genuinely malicious Destoroyah essentially being presented as the lesser of two evils against Biollante, who is "part human" (to an extent) in her film and has an almost (albeit indirect) heroic role in Cataclysm.
Yeah, I also find this very odd...reminds me of unmade "Frankenstein vs Godzilla" script where they actually treated Frankenstein's monster as the big threat and intentionally try to "wake" Godzilla, who is obviously the much more dangerous threat to humanity, to kill him....just bizarre, and I'm not sure if this the most suitable role for a kaiju like Destoroyah.

Not passing early judgement or condemning it, as the premise sounds so silly and cheesy (in a good way) that it has the potential to be a lot of fun if executed properly....We shall see. I wasn't nearly as high on Rodan vs Ebirah as some around here were (wasn't terrible and I found it decent, but it definitely was not near as good as other entries in the VS series imho), so here's hoping Mothra vs Titanosaurus and Biollante vs Destoroyah get things back on track. :Destoroyah:

KingCornetto wrote: Fri Feb 17, 2023 7:42 am This would be issue 8 of Rivals, so the end of “Round Two”. Assuming they’re following the 4 issue per collection they set before, we’ll see that TPB announced soon.
I really hope fans of this series are actually buying the issues instead of "I'll just wait for the trades"....that's how to get a good series cancelled very quickly.
As far as future comics, I believe at Comic-Con they said they had plans for the 70th, so at the least there will be more next year. I’m assuming more Rivals will come out this year, probably in August and November, I’d expect one to be Megalon and/or Jet (likely the November issue).
As I mentioned awhile back, I wouldn't mind seeing Jet Jaguar take on MechaGodzilla (Showa MG in particular would make for a fun Showa mash-up :JetJaguar: :Mechagodzilla74: )

Would love to see this series get a "Round 3" and beyond.
Personally I’d like to see another mini aimed at an older audience but I’m not holding my breath currently.
Same....but I have a feeling we'll just get another M&P related series...zzzzz -_- I would hope to see something a little more "Grand" in scale and "edgier" for a potential comic series released during the 70th anniversary.
GIANT CONDOR!!!!!!!! :shock:

"Someone kick me, kick me hard! We're stupid." - Corn on the cob eatin' Hippie (Godzilla vs Gigan)

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Re: IDW's GODZILLA General Discussion

Post by LSD Jellyfish »

The premise excites me. As long as there’s enough monster action (which there seems to be), I appreciate these high concept/lived in worlds in these comics. The best have been where there’s a whacky or outlandish story accompanying the fight.

The Bio-2 stuff reminds me of the ending of little shop of horrors.

I guess it’ll be interesting seeing Destoroyah at least as the lesser of two evils. That’s something that’ll never happen in a movie (if Destoroyah ever even reappears), so I’m interested. Cool to see Destoroyah in a supporting role as well, and not just “THE BIG HORRIBLE MONSTER FOR GODZILLA TO FIGHT”.

I’m sure the IDW covers will continue, but I’m really hoping for at least another set of the rivals issues. There hasn’t been one I disliked, and I feel just as we’re getting some of the most creative and fun ideas it’s starting to get wrapped up. Only 3 of the 8 comics feature random monsters fighting others, and each has a Safeish choice (Rodan+MG, Destoroyah+Biollante, Mothra). Let’s see something like Orga Vs. King Shisa.
Last edited by LSD Jellyfish on Fri Feb 17, 2023 3:53 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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

Post by Shenanigans »

LSD Jellyfish wrote: Fri Feb 17, 2023 3:42 pm I’m sure the IDW covers will continue, but I’m really hoping for at least another set of the rivals issues. There hasn’t been one I disliked, and I feel just as we’re getting some of the most creative and fun ideas it’s starting to get wrapped up.
Hadn't realized it before, but I agree, which is especially impressive since each IDW's past anthology series have usually had at least one stinker among them (Legends #2, In Hell #3, Rage Across Time #4). While I wasn't terribly crazy about Vs. Mothra, it certainly wasn't bad by any measure. Granted, being twice as long as a regular issue helps these comics a lot, but obviously doesn't guarantee success.

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Re: IDW's GODZILLA General Discussion

Post by ebirahsmeg1 »

Shenanigans wrote: Wed Feb 22, 2023 5:41 pm
Hadn't realized it before, but I agree, which is especially impressive since each IDW's past anthology series have usually had at least one stinker among them (Legends #2, In Hell #3, Rage Across Time #4). While I wasn't terribly crazy about Vs. Mothra, it certainly wasn't bad by any measure. Granted, being twice as long as a regular issue helps these comics a lot, but obviously doesn't guarantee success.
With the exception of the Brenda Chi cover for Rodan vs Ebirah (which looks like it belongs in a children's coloring book) and the main cover and Oliver Ono's Vs Battra cover (I found his overall art style a bit too sloppy looking for my tastes), the covers have been very solid for the most part of the Rivals series. The covers for Mothra vs Titanosaurus look very nice (with the A & RI covers being the stronger ones). In regards to Biollante vs Destoroyah, covers A & B are "alright" I suppose (Not a huge fan Andrew MacLean's cover B, but it's definitely not terrible), though I'm eager to see what the RI cover looks like.

My favorite covers so far have been all of the Ed J. Su A covers for Vs Hedorah / Mothra / King Ghidorah / Gigan, Mark Martinez's B cover for Vs Battra, and Christian Gonzalez's RI incentive for Vs Gigan.
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Re: IDW's GODZILLA General Discussion

Post by Shenanigans »

Just to clarify, I was specifically referring to the issues themselves, not just the covers.

As far as covers go, I would love to see more of the cover "regulars" come back like Art Adams, Bob Eggleton, Matt Frank, Jeff Zornow, etc.

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Re: IDW's GODZILLA General Discussion

Post by ebirahsmeg1 »

You’re right, there haven’t really been any “stinkers” yet (even the weaker Vs Battra and Rodan vs Ebirah entries weren’t that bad). Hope this series keeps going past Round 2 and beyond…
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Re: IDW's GODZILLA General Discussion

Post by darthzilla99 »

For those finding it odd that Destroyah is the lesser of two evils, it's really not out of character or the first time. In Godzilla vs Destroyah, Destoroyah’s purpose was to stop the meltdown of burning Godzilla and was looked as the lesser of two disasters situation in the film.
GVK: TNE is a modern day 70s Showa Godzilla movie. Being a massive budget modern blockbuster CGI film instead of traditional 70s tokusatsu techniques doesn't change that. Fight me.

Anguirus and Godzilla being friends in the Showa series is cannon. Deal with it.

Monsterverse is not similar to either MCU nor Bayformers just because all three are big budget CGI blockbuster franchises.

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Re: IDW's GODZILLA General Discussion

Post by LSD Jellyfish »

darthzilla99 wrote: Fri Feb 24, 2023 4:15 pm For those finding it odd that Destroyah is the lesser of two evils, it's really not out of character or the first time. In Godzilla vs Destroyah, Destoroyah’s purpose was to stop the meltdown of burning Godzilla and was looked as the lesser of two disasters situation in the film.
I mean, you’re technically right. Destoroyah was “utilized” by the JDSF by being led to fight Godzilla Junior and Senior. But Destoroyah was no saint, and the narrative made it very clear that Destoroyah was a horrible monster that would also pose a major threat to the world of left unchecked.
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

Post by StardustGenius »

I was under the impression that Destoroyah in of itself is going to be some kind of anti-life creature kinda like Hedorah. I think at the moment, it might be a good idea to see Destoroyah as the lesser of two evils, that might have some kind of catastrophic payoff for the world of this comic. Kinda like the Oxygen Destroyer itself. I hope that is the direction they go with.

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