Godzilla Rivals: VS Discussion

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UltramanGoji
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Re: Godzilla Rivals: VS Discussion

Post by UltramanGoji »

This one’s being touted as the “final issue”, too. Curious if the license is lapsing or IDW is just shifting focus back to miniseries.
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Re: Godzilla Rivals: VS Discussion

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UltramanGoji wrote: Sun Aug 25, 2024 1:52 pm This one’s being touted as the “final issue”, too. Curious if the license is lapsing or IDW is just shifting focus back to miniseries.
If this is true, then there's only going to be one more trade paperback, Godzilla Rivals: Round Four.

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Re: Godzilla Rivals: VS Discussion

Post by JesstrK »

“ The island is a frequent battleground between the dreaded King Ghidorah and the terrible SpaceGodzilla”

I like the idea that KG and SpaceG have some sort of ongoing grudge match. It makes sense since they are rivals in a meta sense for the title of being the baddest space monster of Godzilla’s rogues gallery. They are also the two who are most often the final bosses of Godzilla video games.

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Re: Godzilla Rivals: VS Discussion

Post by ebirahsmeg1 »

RI Cover for KG vs SG
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Round 4 Cover
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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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M92
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Re: Godzilla Rivals: VS Discussion

Post by M92 »

ebirahsmeg1 wrote: Mon Aug 26, 2024 9:49 am RI Cover for KG vs SG
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Round 4 Cover
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That RI is badass! That be awesome if Godzilla and Spacegodzilla actually do team up against King Ghidorah in the comic

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LSD Jellyfish
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Re: Godzilla Rivals: VS Discussion

Post by LSD Jellyfish »

UltramanGoji wrote: Sun Aug 25, 2024 1:52 pm This one’s being touted as the “final issue”, too. Curious if the license is lapsing or IDW is just shifting focus back to miniseries.
I’m seeing it listed as “series finale”, which makes me think it’ll be the last Rivals issue, at the very least. Mixed feelings, as I think the rivals have varied in quality ranging from bad/flawed to excellent. I’ve enjoyed a lot of them, but not always.

I wonder what’s next for IDW though, Godzilla wise.

Might this mean a return to an ongoing series? It’s about time. I could also just see them putting out more mini series. Either way, I hope it’s not the end. I’ve been enjoying a lot of their recent non-rivals stuff a lot.
Spirit Ghidorah 2010 wrote: Sun Dec 03, 2023 4:54 pm Anno-san pleasures me more than Yamasaki-san.

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Re: Godzilla Rivals: VS Discussion

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LSD Jellyfish wrote: Mon Aug 26, 2024 9:40 pm
UltramanGoji wrote: Sun Aug 25, 2024 1:52 pm This one’s being touted as the “final issue”, too. Curious if the license is lapsing or IDW is just shifting focus back to miniseries.
I’m seeing it listed as “series finale”, which makes me think it’ll be the last Rivals issue, at the very least. Mixed feelings, as I think the rivals have varied in quality ranging from bad/flawed to excellent. I’ve enjoyed a lot of them, but not always.

I wonder what’s next for IDW though, Godzilla wise.

Might this mean a return to an ongoing series? It’s about time. I could also just see them putting out more mini series. Either way, I hope it’s not the end. I’ve been enjoying a lot of their recent non-rivals stuff a lot.
If they are going to pick up where Godzilla: Rulers of Earth left off, then please let them put Minilla and Ganimes into the story at last and please let them use my idea of Minilla actually growing up at a normal rate and eventually becoming Godzilla II.
Last edited by mikelcho on Tue Aug 27, 2024 7:21 pm, edited 2 times in total.

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Re: Godzilla Rivals: VS Discussion

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Eugh. If IDW's historic Godzilla run is ending with the recent batch, that's a low note to end out on. Hope Godzilla goes to a publisher not afraid to give it actual attention and an ongoing.

If it's just Rivals ending, then rip Bozo, there were more misses than hits with this series.
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Re: Godzilla Rivals: VS Discussion

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Moth wrote: Tue Aug 27, 2024 6:42 pm Eugh. If IDW's historic Godzilla run is ending with the recent batch, that's a low note to end out on. Hope Godzilla goes to a publisher not afraid to give it actual attention and an ongoing.

If it's just Rivals ending, then rip Bozo, there were more misses than hits with this series.
I checked with my local comic book store and they said that only Godzilla Rivals is ending. Everything else, however, is just fine, at least for now, I guess.

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Re: Godzilla Rivals: VS Discussion

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Moth wrote: Tue Aug 27, 2024 6:42 pm Eugh. If IDW's historic Godzilla run is ending with the recent batch, that's a low note to end out on. Hope Godzilla goes to a publisher not afraid to give it actual attention and an ongoing.
There are signs that IDW may indeed be winding down with Godzilla again (ala 2016 with RAT), not just with Rivals VS:
  • Notice how short-lived that "Kaiju Communique" by *The Editorial Godzilla Team" & Jake Williams was. A bit odd to end that so suddenly if a regular stream of Godzilla series / minis are on the horizon
  • On IDW's website, over half of the "Online Godzilla cover Exclusives" were suddenly purged and removed from their page very recently (despite most of them not even being remotely close of selling out)
  • IDW in general just barely hanging on by a thread financially
Wouldn't mind seeing Dark Horse get another crack at the license with access to all of TOHO rogues gallery this time around (Get Art Adams and Randy Stradley back into the fold). Hell, even Marvel getting the license might not be so bad so long as they don't go back to Herb Trimpe-style/Red Ronin/Demonicus/Devil Dinosaur/1979 nonsense again and start with a completely clean slate. But call it a hunch/just speculation on my part (for all we know, nothing has changed with IDW and the G license and more minis could be on the horizon), so I digress.

Preview of KG vs MG is up on Flickering Myth: https://www.flickeringmyth.com/comic-bo ... hidorah-1/ :KingGhidorah64: :Mechagodzilla74:


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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: Godzilla Rivals: VS Discussion

Post by LSD Jellyfish »

Upon reading it multiple times and letting it sit, I unfortunately think King Ghidorah vs Mechagodzilla might be the worst Rivals issue with the exception of Godzilla vs Mechagodzilla.

The art is cleaner and polished than some rivals issues, but perhaps it’s too clean. It lacks a lot of personality like the stylized offerings of more recent Godzilla comics. The “lighting” feels bland, and there’s very little detailing.

The story feels ambitious and complex, but it’s comically simple and did not remotely live up to expectations. The plot is about Atlantis building a super weapon, MG, but there’s a hilarious amount of nonsensical and unneeded evil villanry going on. Why do virgins need to be sacrificed to Mechagodzilla or King Ghidorah? How/why do they need to destroy/awaken King Ghidorah? Worse off, it has confusing world building, that often made me have to re-read it multiple times to really comprehend what was going on. It doesn’t help that the comic devotes an entire page of prose to explain a rather simple concept, making something hollow difficult to understand.

And, once again, the match-up, one of the most exciting in a long time, is lame. Mechagodzilla fires a few rockets and lasers at King Ghidorah and the creature flees. Godzilla is haphazardly inserted into the fight in the issue that it most certainly did not need to be added to. It’s really underwhelming. I’d be more forgiving to the overly complicated plot if the issue made more of an attempt to excite in the latter half.

And finally, there’s an issue that does everything this rivals issue did but way better: the Rivals SpaceGodzilla issue. That had almost identically the same concept, with much more alien designs, but actually managed to showcase the titulars monsters abilities whilst delivering on action and emotion. I cared much more about the innocent bug/lizard people’s planet being destroyed than a vague notion of Atlantis being ruined.

I hope the final rivals issue doesn’t disappoint like this one.
Spirit Ghidorah 2010 wrote: Sun Dec 03, 2023 4:54 pm Anno-san pleasures me more than Yamasaki-san.

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Re: Godzilla Rivals: VS Discussion

Post by gottatalktothefake »

My god they messed up one of my most anticipated fights
GojiSquid wrote: Tue Oct 31, 2023 7:58 am TBF if a movie has a sex scene without a monster mash, then is it really a graveyard smash?

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Re: Godzilla Rivals: VS Discussion

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gottatalktothefake wrote: Mon Oct 07, 2024 2:04 pm My god they messed up one of my most anticipated fights
It’s also extra disappointing that this is actually Showa Ghidorah’s grand debut (outside of a brief cameo and comic book cover) and there’s very little fanfare. Having the Showa incarnations of both MG and KG should be an amazing thing, but sadly it just isn’t.

I do want to be clear; id be more accepting of this if at the very least the comic and story that surrounds it was better. I don’t have high hopes for the final issue and I wish that wasn’t the case.
Spirit Ghidorah 2010 wrote: Sun Dec 03, 2023 4:54 pm Anno-san pleasures me more than Yamasaki-san.

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Re: Godzilla Rivals: VS Discussion

Post by UltramanGoji »

Yeah, this was a massive disappointment. I should've realized something was amiss when one entire page is nothing but text backstory.
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Re: Godzilla Rivals: VS Discussion

Post by ebirahsmeg1 »

Just read KG vs MG (work has been extremely busy, and far more invested in Sons of Giants to be frank than the other various underwhelming slop IDW has been farting out lately :poop:), and here are my quick thoughts.


Things I liked

- Shades of the Rivals VS: SG only without having to use a damn morse code to guess what the hell is going on in certain panels.

- Showa KG! :KingGhidorah64: About time, which begs to question, have the rumored "restrictions" by TOHO regarding which incarnation of KG can be used been exaggerated? And if this is the case, then why have artists constantly returned to the overused Heisei version (or even the awful GMK KINO incarnation) all these years? :?: A lot of these writers and artists have some serious explaining to do. Regardless, better late than ever.

- Ditto on Showa MG, and while Showa MG has been nearly as rare as Showa KG, he still has been sorely under-utilized. :Mechagodzilla74:

- Artwork is solid for the most part (Will get into a few nitpicks below). The art along with the coloring are much more vibrant than recent issues.

Things I disliked

- Did Tom Sicoli sneak in to draw Godzilla in a few panels? While the artwork is decent overall for MG and KG, Godzilla just looks bizarre and ugly.

- Despite my earlier comments about not needing a morse code to understand things, this was still basically an inferior, poor man’s version of Rivals VS: Space Godzilla. It might have worked much better as a 3-5 issue mini, as most of its ideas seem very under-developed and poorly executed for a single issue.

- Also, the main battle…is this really the best they could come up with for a fight? Seriously???? :roll: :roll: :roll: :eh: What a lackluster encounter of Godzilla’s two most powerful foes, and in this case it's not just “disappointing”, but downright infuriating. :angry: :angry: :angry: :angry: Also, why are KG and Godzilla actually allies in the battle? Good lord, give me a break…

gottatalktothefake wrote: Mon Oct 07, 2024 2:04 pm My god they messed up one of my most anticipated fights
They had a well-regarded writer and good artists to boot….just shaking my God damn head at the final result. :dizzy:

While not the worst Rivals VS issue, this was a major let down considering the principals involved (KG and MG finally facing off should have been a benchmark moment in Godzilla comics history), and pretty sums up this series in a nutshell: wasted opportunities.

This series had such an amazing start in Volume 1…what the hell happened IDW? :?: :?: :?:
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: Godzilla Rivals: VS Discussion

Post by gottatalktothefake »

Wrong thread
GojiSquid wrote: Tue Oct 31, 2023 7:58 am TBF if a movie has a sex scene without a monster mash, then is it really a graveyard smash?

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