‘Justice League vs. Godzilla vs. Kong’ #5 gets stranded at sea

For a good time, Justice League vs. Godzilla vs. Kong continues to deliver, but the series has yet to amount to more than the sum of its parts.

Robert Reed

February 20, 2024

Monsters, heroes, and villains collide in Justice League vs. Godzilla vs. Kong #5. Written by Brian Buccellato with art by Christian Duce, Tom Derenick, and Luis Guerrero, the titanic crossover continues to entertain, though there isn’t a lot of meat on this monster’s bones.

The opening pages begin quietly enough, as Lois Lane works to learn as much about the titans and their universe as possible. Working with a reluctant Mercy Graves, Lois learns a little more about the Monsterverse Earth. Buccellato keeps this portion moving quickly, recognizing that readers don’t need as much background info as the series’ characters do.

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After reiterating the stakes regarding Superman’s health, Justice League vs. Godzilla vs. Kong #5 then moves back underwater where Godzilla faces both the Monsterverse’s Tiamat, and Atlantis’ Kraken. This three-way battle is engaging enough, but the underwater location creates a couple problems. Christian Duce and Tom Derenick utilize the heroes to establish scale, though the underwater location makes that a bit difficult to render. The second is that being underwater means the monsters are often pushing each other through an empty environment. The destruction and carnage that makes these giant monster battles entertaining is largely absent here. Still, it’s enjoyable watching Godzilla and the Kraken wrestle, taking full advantage of the fantasy of DC’s universe.

DC Comics

After the first ten pages or so, Justice League vs. Godzilla vs. Kong #5 gets a little more focused in setting up what appears to be an all-out battle for the series finale. Green Arrow fights off the League of Assassins as they ship unknown cargo towards its mysterious destination. Billy Batson, reeling from his inability to help Superman, elects to take on the Legion of Doom on his own. And elsewhere both Gorilla Grodd and Lex Luthor make their own ploys for power. There’s enough moving pieces here to keep the reader engaged, and it will be exciting to see how Brian Buccellato brings them together as the series comes to a close.

The broad scale at play is arguably the series’ main weak point. By trying to bring in as many monsters and DC characters as possible, the series lacks a discernible lead or impactful thematic through-line. And even though there’s spectacle here, many of the heroes are caught just watching the action. This problem is further exacerbated by the lack of stakes. Despite all of the machinations, there isn’t much of a threat here. For a good time, Justice League vs. Godzilla vs. Kong continues to deliver, but the series has yet to amount to more than the sum of its parts.