The premise of Godzilla vs. America is that each issue will feature Godzilla stories set in and around a beloved American city, allowing storytellers who hail from that city the opportunity to tell their own unique tales. This first issue is already fulfilling the promise that this will be a Godzilla series unlike any other, as each creator imbues the King of the Monsters with a fresh perspective. Let’s take a look at each one, shall we?
Mike Costa and Ryan Browne’s “Godzilla Does Chicago” is first up, and it’s the one that got the biggest laughs out of me. Following the misguided plans of a proud “fan man” who flies over sporting events, we’re suddenly sucked into a battle to the death between Godzilla and Mechagodzilla. This is a great story about fan culture (in more ways than one), showing how quickly the city turns against the man who inadvertently ruined an important game, as well as the insane lengths this guy (hilariously named Fangoolie) goes to in order to win back the city’s love.
The story is full of great visual gags (like Fangoolie’s bagged-up fan or a newspaper headline reading “LALAPALOSER!!!”), but the action is also elegantly done. We get a nice little fight squeezed into a short number of pages, all while the hilarious narration shows us just how desperate this guy is really getting. Bringing it all together is some lovely coloring from Browne and Kevin Knipstein, setting the fight against the backdrop of a gorgeous sunset.
“Blue Line Sign” is next, written and illustrated by Tim Seeley with colors by Helen Breckel. This takes a much more personal and human approach to a Godzilla-level event, introducing us to a young woman who is trying to work up the nerve to talk to her crush. Jessie is immediately likable and relatable as she tries and fails to motivate herself to speak up. The character acting and body language in this story are quite strong, with my favorite example being the guy next Jessie who gets progressively more perturbed by the news on his phone. Before you know it, a bloody Godzilla attack has taken place and the would-be lovebirds have to figure out how to survive. It’s a scary scenario portrayed through a heartfelt lens, and it genuinely made me feel good (even with all of the destruction around our two heroes).
IDW
Ezra C. Daniels’ “Chi Godzilla” is a socially conscious take on a Godzilla attack, introducing us to a politician who essentially puts his ward and the people living in it directly in Godzilla’s path, hoping to profit off the ensuing tragedy. Like the preceding story, Godzilla’s presence is definitely more of a backdrop upon which a lovely story about community is hung. It’s an insightful critique of big city politics and somehow nicely straddles the line between being a dark morality tale and imparting a feel-good message of fellowship and survival.
Lastly, “Godzilla Versus Chicago” by Caroline Cash is the goofiest of the bunch, and I greatly enjoyed it. In a short story that employs some fantastic cartoon logic, a woman finds an energy drink that makes her grow in size. She only has a few moments to admire her newfound stature, however, because Godzilla has arrived! The solution to the problem is probably one you’d expect in a story about widely-available growth serum energy drinks, but I still got a good laugh out of it. The changes in perspective are used to great comedic effect, and I really enjoyed the main character’s narration.
Overall, this first issue is a very strong start for this miniseries, acting as something of a mission statement. One of my favorite things about IDW’s Godzilla output is the company’s willingness to allow writers to put their own stamp on the character and his trappings. Each tale here feels deeply personal and formed from each writer’s background and sense of self. Some of the stories feel like they could have used a slightly longer page count to really explore their themes and characters, but they all feel exciting and new in different ways. This is definitely a love letter to the city and people of Chicago first, and secondly, it’s a wild celebration of the versatility of Godzilla as a character.
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