Godzilla: Skate or Die

[ebirahsmeg1]

First issue comes out on June 12th. Post your thoughts here.

New covers and synopsis for issue #3 just popped up as well:

W) Louise Joyce (A) Louise Joyce (CA) Juni Ba
The race is over, and the fight is on! Godzilla and Varan have arrived at the punks' beloved skate park, and nobody's happy about it. How can these skateboard-riding punks stay safe in the midst of these massive kaiju blows!? And what the heck lured these behemoths here in the first place? The mystery is finally starting to unravel...
In Shops: Sep 04, 2024

[ebirahsmeg1]

Preview for issue #1 is up:

[ebirahsmeg1]

Just read the first issue…..um…..yeah….This sucked.

Not going to bother to write an in-depth review or a likes/dislikes summary….this just isn’t my cup of tea. I’m sure others will like it.

As I mentioned elsewhere, HTBDII: Sons of Giants can’t get here soon enough…

[LSD Jellyfish]

Just read the first issue…..um…..yeah….This sucked.

Can you be more specific? What about the issue makes the muscles in one's mouth tighten around a (presumably undesirable) object?

Great stylized art, a unique setting (Australia+Outback+Skatepark), and fun characters that the author appears to have based directly on their own personal experiences. We'll see how things develop over time, but this seems like it, like HTBD+WFH can turn into something special. You've made it clear that you do not like heavily stylized works of art, which is fine, but as I've repeatedly said your demeanor towards anything you can't comprehend as "sucking" is very immature.

[UltramanGoji]

I enjoyed it. It's only a single issue of setup, so I'm not gonna comment on the story. I like the stylized art a lot. That's pretty much all I can say on it.

[GoKelley86]

The art work hurts my eyes.

It doesn't look like my cup of tea.

[Neutral Milk Hotel]

enjoying it! Varan is ferocious in the last issue

[LSD Jellyfish]

Issue 3 was great! It’s fun to see Varan engage with Godzilla, and it made me realize how much of a fun “tool kit” Varan has. I enjoyed that his spikes weren’t pointless, and how Varan dodges and protects itself from Godzilla.

I gotta say though, I’m not super invested in the skater story. I mean it’s cool, and like the past issue I like the incorporation of skating into the fighting, but it’s not so engaging for me personally. I’ll give it another shot in trade overall, but three issues I’m really more interested in the monster action.

There is something neat at the end of issue 3 though.

[omelettetdq3z]

Yeah same, the story isn't super engaging but getting to see Varan and Godzilla tear into each other is awesome

[mikelcho]

You know, it could be truly said that this miniseries kinda-sorta brings to fruition an unmade Toho Godzilla film that was planned for 1995 titled Godzilla vs. Giant Monster Varan, a.k.a. Godzilla vs. Varan.

[ebirahsmeg1]

You know, it could be truly said that this miniseries kinda-sorta brings to fruition an unmade Toho Godzilla film that was planned for 1995 titled Godzilla vs. Giant Monster Varan, a.k.a. Godzilla vs. Varan.

Other than having Varan and Godzilla, I fail to see what similarity Skate or Die has with the aforementioned unmade Heisei project and make that "come to fruition"...in terms of story synopsis and approach, they could not be any different. Sorry, but attempting to draw this parallel is beyond just "a stretch"...

[mikelcho]

You know, it could be truly said that this miniseries kinda-sorta brings to fruition an unmade Toho Godzilla film that was planned for 1995 titled Godzilla vs. Giant Monster Varan, a.k.a. Godzilla vs. Varan.

Other than having Varan and Godzilla, I fail to see what similarity Skate or Die has with the aforementioned unmade Heisei project and make that "come to fruition"...in terms of story synopsis and approach, they could not be any different. Sorry, but attempting to draw this parallel is beyond just "a stretch"...

I did say "kinda-sorta" right from the start. You're right, of course, the one-on-one fight between Godzilla and Varan is the only thing connecting the two of them; the rest of the story that we've got is the "kinda-sorta" part.

[omelettetdq3z]

good call mikelcho

i said this in the other thread but having a whole series focused on just godzilla vs. varan was a childhood dream for me. glad this series existed. story is fine, not the most memorable, art very stylized and "skatey?" with some great shots, I think my favorite is Varan floating in space towards the end of issue 5.

[daveblackeye15]

I'm two issues in and I rather like it. I dunno so simple fur friends into skating need to say god bye to a place dear to them before two monsters destroy it...stupid but they're teens. I really like the frantic kinetic artwork. I liked the police trying to catch them along with military attempts to stop them. Nice to see Varan get love. I hear something sucks and I guess my expectations are mega low. Three issues to go could change my mind of course.

[LSD Jellyfish]

I'm two issues in and I rather like it. I dunno so simple fur friends into skating need to say god bye to a place dear to them before two monsters destroy it...stupid but they're teens. I really like the frantic kinetic artwork. I liked the police trying to catch them along with military attempts to stop them. Nice to see Varan get love. I hear something sucks and I guess my expectations are mega low. Three issues to go could change my mind of course.

Nothing about it sucks, although in my opinion it’s not particularly remarkable (beyond the art, which I really like). I’ll put this in spoiler tags without actually spoiling, but:

Spoiler:

The series is very driven on the characters. If you aren’t invested in their story, it’s a rather simplistic set-up with Godzilla vs Varan, and the same old “infiltrate the base and stop what’s going on”.

[daveblackeye15]

Well I've heard two or three people say it really sucks hence my surprise I like it. I mean they brought it up in other topics. Maybe same person I dunno.

[LSD Jellyfish]

Well I've heard two or three people say it really sucks hence my surprise I like it. I mean they brought it up in other topics. Maybe same person I dunno.

A lot of people just think anything they don’t like/don’t gel with must inherently be horrible.

Even if I don’t love it, I’m actually beginning to appreciate the comic more post Marvel crossover. Apples and oranges, and I’m enjoying the marvel crossover but the concept in skate or die+the art make it a lot more unique.

[daveblackeye15]

Yeah issue 3 was good! I really enjoyed the start of Varan vs Godzilla.
Oh no this wasn't 'eh not my kind of story.' These were comments of 'oh man that story is one of the worst Godzilla comics ever!'

[mikelcho]

good call mikelcho

i said this in the other thread but having a whole series focused on just godzilla vs. varan was a childhood dream for me. glad this series existed. story is fine, not the most memorable, art very stylized and "skatey?" with some great shots, I think my favorite is Varan floating in space towards the end of issue 5.

If you'd really like to read a good Godzilla vs. Varan story and even beyond it, go to www.fanfiction.net, then click on the Movies subsection of its Fanfiction section, then click on the Godzilla division, then when you get there, click on Last and go straight to pgs. 55 to 56, the end of the division.

There, you'll find an excellent Godzilla saga written by George Thomas (known there as Eavesdropper) and titled The War Against the Wild Gods, which contains six stories which are, in order of occurrence:

*"Godzilla Versus Varan",
*"Godzilla Versus Yog",
*"Godzilla Versus Dogora",
*"Godzilla Versus StarMan",
*"Godzilla Versus the H-Man",
*"Godzilla Versus Manda".

This saga was also published in six of the old bimonthly issues of G-FAN (I can't remember which ones off-hand, though, can anyone please help him and I out here? Thanks!).