After a perfect first issue, Starship Godzilla #2 amps up the worldbuilding as the story takes us outside the ship and into a port where kaiju-adjacent gambling takes place. The crew of the ship is in possession of eggs, a new alien baby, and a ship that’s barely holding together. That sets up some sneaking and stealing while everyone is looking in another direction.
After finding out one of the crew can’t be trusted, the tension is palpable in this second chapter. The issue opens with the ship barely landing and Ayan greeting her grandmother. The grandmother is a mechanic, and while they don’t have the funds to fix the ship, she knows how to steal parts. This leads to the crew splitting up, and the reader getting a dose of a unique kind of game everyone is gambling on.
Writer Chris Gooch does a great job plotting this issue, keeping the pace up and the scene changes going at a good clip. It’s hard to get bored with this issue, from the spry grandmother to an explanation of how the game and gambling work. That game ends up delivering a kaiju sighting that’s quite exciting as the danger goes from a five to an eleven.
“THUNK!”
Credit: IDW
Oliver Ono draws a heck of a kaiju, and it’s nice to see the sci-fi angle looping in giant monsters logically. Characters are very expressive by Oni, with scenes featuring all sorts of creatures, a fun way to get a sense of the various alien species that intermingle. Ono also colors the issue, giving an organic feel to elements while using a more subdued color palette so that bright colors pop effectively.
For those looking for more self-contained adventures, this issue offers it, even if it’s a literal pit stop in the narrative. By showing a larger world outside of the ship, we get a sense of how kaiju coexist in the world to the point where they’re integrated into sport. By the end of the issues, the larger plot is back on track.
Starship Godzilla #2 broadens its universe in all the right ways, delivering sharp storytelling, inventive worldbuilding, expressive art, and a thrilling kaiju reveal that transforms a simple stopover into a high-stakes, character-driven detour.
You must be logged in to post a comment.