There used to be two types of Godzilla stories you could tell. The first used Godzilla as a metaphor, mostly for the horrors of atomic warfare – see the original 1954 Godzilla or Godzilla Minus One. The second has Godzilla acting as a protector of the Earth, often battling other monsters or teaming up with them – Legendary’s MonsterVerse built an entire franchise on this concept alone. But Godzilla: Heist #1 from Van Jensen and Kelsey Ramsay takes a different approach, seeing the King of the Monsters unwittingly play accomplice to a grand heist.
This happens thanks to an extremely clever thief named Jai. Using a series of drones and a computer that predicts Godzilla’s movements, Jai is able to lift $90 million from a casino. But this puts him in the crosshairs of another group of thieves, who strong-arm him into using his skills to break into Whitehall, which is home to Britain’s defense ministry. Like any good thief, though, Jai has a few tricks up his sleeve.
I was genuinely surprised by Godzilla: Heist, and not just in terms of its high-concept pitch but that Jensen actually puts a lot of work into pulling it off. His script starts off slow, showcasing Jai setting everything into place before Godzilla bursts into the scene. Like any good heist, Jensen throws in a few twists, including the real reason why Jai decides to go along with the Whitehall job, which involves another major figure from Godzilla lore.
IDW Publishing
Godzilla: Heist #1 also stands out because it has a unique cast. In addition to Jai, each member of his “team” has a signature flair, whether it’s a hacker or a massively muscular mercenary who lets her actions speak for her. Human characters are a tricky angle in kaiju fiction; you have to make sure that they’re just as interesting as the monster action. Thankfully Godzilla: Heist #1 succeeds in this regard.
Despite the heist angle, this is still a Godzilla book, and Ramsay has a blast drawing the King of the Monsters doing what he does best: cause chaos. Her line work has a rough-hewn, gritty look, which only makes the destruction hit that much harder. Whether it’s Godzilla ripping off the top of a building with one hand or unleashing his atomic breath, there are some pages in this comic that are truly awe inspiring. I also appreciate the opening panel focusing on a slot machine with images of other kaiju; in one image, Ramsay underlines the heist angle and the Godzilla angle.
A major reason why Ramsay’s art pops so much is thanks to Heather Breckel’s colors and Sandy Tanaka’s lettering. Breckel makes sure the reader’s eye will be drawn to both Godzilla and Jai, since they stand out for different reasons: Godzilla’s sea green scales fill the page while Jai is easy to spot thanks to his orange shades and jet black hoodie. Tanaka’s letters fill the captions with short, but effective sentences, immediately cluing readers into Jai’s way of operating before shifting into a world-shaking symphony when Godzilla causes chaos.
Godzilla: Heist #1 is a truly unique Godzilla story, mixing the absolute destruction the King of Monsters is known for with a high-stakes robbery. If this is the level of creativity IDW is going for with its new Godzilla books, it’s sure to pull in plenty of new fans.
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