So far, Starship Godzilla has featured a heist, an escape, and a kaiju competition gone wrong, and this week in Starship Godzilla #4, it’s time for space battles! The series has been exciting from the start, be it the worldbuilding or the intrigue of a crew member who is not what he seems. There’s also romance, as Ayan seems to have fallen for a blonde leader of the resistance named Frey. Isn’t it always the case that romance flourishes under extreme stress?
Starship Godzilla #4 opens on a ship attacking a kaiju in space. Led by the evil admiral, her tech is about to overcome the space Godzilla when a fleet of ships, led by Frey, slows down her efforts. After writer Chris Gooch and artist Oliver Ono set up this merry band of smirking heroes, the war is in full force this issue.
Meanwhile, Ayan and her crew relax on a mushroom moon none the wiser, until a call from Frey sends them in to help. The problem is that Ayan’s crew member Rohan has been in cahoots with the admiral. Expect big feelings and drama.
Space battles, ho!
Credit: IDW
Gooch does a great job growing the relationship between Ayan and Frey in this fourth issue. A key scene bonds them a bit, and puts into focus how Ayan may not be on the right side of things. There’s a clear delineation between Frey being on the good guys’ side and the admiral being quite bad, but by the end of the issue, what seemed black and white is now quite gray.
This issue also delivers an entirely different vibe thanks to the space battle and rescue. We get to see the starship do its thing, while a kaiju blasts ships left and right. With each issue delivering a different kind of story, it’s abundantly clear that Starship Godzilla is proof that you can stretch what a kaiju tale can entail, maximizing the property beyond being just about a very big monster smashing a city.
Ono’s art is good here, although it does look a lot rougher than the first issue. It’s not bad, but it’s clear that keeping up with the schedule has meant doing a little less detail in some panels. The admiral, in particular, looks pretty rough at times, or a cut to her henchman giving info to another. All that said, it’s easy to follow the chaotic action in space, and the moment Frey and Ayan feel heartfelt and genuine.
Starship Godzilla #4 leans fully into space opera territory, blending romance, betrayal, and explosive battles into one of the series’ most dynamic chapters yet. While the art shows signs of schedule strain, the emotional beats land, and the ever-shifting alliances keep the narrative engaging. It’s another strong example of how flexible and surprisingly intimate a kaiju story can be.
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