Stop me if you’ve heard this one before:
A loner walks his own path alongside the Wild West, unexplored space, or a post-apocalyptic wasteland. He’s usually either skilled enough or tough enough to survive the harsh conditions, but soon he finds himself encountering a child. Pretty soon, the badass starts traveling with the child. It’s a formula that’s fueled Lone Wolf and Cub, The Mandalorian and The Last of Us. Godzilla: Escape the Deadzone #3 gleefully rips this trope to shreds throughout its run.
Escape the Deadzone #3 picks up where the previous issue left off: the Wanderer has taken the two Kaiju-controlling children he encountered and managed to escape a doomsday cult obsessed with Godzilla. He soon learns that the children, named Runt and Glasseater, are far more capable than they appear to be…and they don’t particularly like him.
It’s here that Ethan Parker and Griffin Sheridan start tearing down the usual story beats you’d see in a tale like this. Not only can Runt and Glasseater fight by hijacking Kaiju’s bodies, they’re also extremely abrasive. Runt has an intelligence and vocabulary far beyond his years, while Glasseater is a foul mouthed little girl who constantly slings insults at the Wanderer. In one of the best bits of dialogue, Glasseater tells him, “Don’t think you’re gonna be our new scaly dad.”
Escape the Deadzone #3 also digs a little deeper into Runt and Glasseater’s history, revealing that the cult that worships Godzilla sees them as the path to their “salvation”; obviously, the two are less than interested in being fodder for a religious cause. This is the one time that all three characters connect, as they’ve survived horrific things and come out the other end stronger for it. They might not be a family, but they do share that bond.
Pablo Tunica gets to flesh out more of the Deadzone, revealing plenty of horrific creatures that dwell within its depths. One spider-esque kaiju towers over the trio, its shell a bright and angry red as it fires gum-like webbing at the Wanderer. Tunica even gives readers a closer look at Runt and Glasseater, who couldn’t be more different in terms of looks. Runt is rotund, with bright green hair and a curious look in his eyes. Glasseater wears clothing that’s too big for her, including an oversized baseball cap and a baggy shirt, but her laser-sharp glare fits her perfectly.
The standout image, however, features Godzilla marching through the shadows. Tunica draws the King of Monsters as a towering, scaly figure, with his glowing green eyes and dorsal plates carving out his image across the night sky. It’s both utterly terrifying, yet also awe-inspiring; in one page, Godzilla’s lasting impact across the Kai-Sei titles can be felt.
Godzilla: Escape the Deadzone #3 reveals more about the mysterious children the Watcher is protecting, and gleefully rips the trope of “badass meets kid” to shreds in the process. It’s those elements that make it a standout in the Kai-Sei era.
