Last year, Godzilla took a tour through the Marvel Universe in a series of one-shots. Each title focused on the big lizard meeting one particular Marvel hero in a set time period. It was a fun set of special issues, but the lack of a cohesive narrative really stood out, creating some interesting one-and-dones but a really disjointed overall package. Naturally Marvel wasn’t going to lose out on what DC Comics, the Ninja Turtles, the Power Rangers, and nearly every other IP has done in the last two years and has Godzilla return to the Marvel Universe in a new story where he takes on almost every character, smashing and crashing to his heart’s content. Godzilla Destroys the Marvel Universe, from writer Gerry Duggan and artists Javier Garron, Paco Medina, Juann Cabal, and Scietronic, is the type of comic that does exactly what the title says, but is still a blast to read.
After the Mole Man’s latest scheme to take over the world awakens Godzilla, the entirety of the Marvel Universe is on high alert. As the Fantastic Four take the fight to Godzilla first, they quickly realize they’re completely overwhelmed, as everything they throw at the king of the monsters bounces off of him. After a series of events causes the FF and Captain America to get thrust into the Negative Zone, the remaining heroes band together to try and keep the damage at bay while Black Panther works on a new weapon to take Godzilla down. But will it be enough to take down Godzilla before the Earth falls to his might? And what happens when the Hulk fights Godzilla?
Marvel
These questions are answered in Gerry Duggan’s script, and it’s clear the writer is having a blast putting the big green lizard against Marvel’s toys. There’s a lighthearted tone to Duggan’s script that initially threw me off a little, but feels much mire in line with the old school Godzilla movies of the past than modern day Marvel comics. Duggan wisely doesn’t let the action up during the script to let you pause long enough to ask too many questions here, and honestly the story is all the better for it because of that. The battles between Godzilla and the heroes of the Marvel Universe are varied and exciting, and Duggan has some pretty ingenious uses of the different power sets against Godzilla. The way the X-Men face off against him is both hilarious and awesome, and almost makes me wish it was the entire story.
Marvel
A comic where Godzilla confronts the combined forces of the Marvel Universe is going to demand some pretty stellar art, and amazingly the fact that this book has four different artists works to its advantage. While Javier Garron, Paco Medina, Juann Cabal, and Scietronic have their own styles, they all mesh well together here, so much so that if I didn’t see the issue breakdowns on the credits page in the beginning I wouldn’t have known there were this many artists in this collection. The bombastic action that Duggan puts into the script is enhanced by these four artist’s skills, and the stellar use of Godzilla’s iconic sound effects worked into the panel layouts adds a foreboding but comical dread to the story. The chance to go this all out and over the top has to be a pretty tempting one, and all four artists really deliver when the time comes.
Godzilla Destroys the Marvel Universe is a silly story, but that’s also the biggest advantage it has. A more serious take on the story would be a bummer, so having one like this where Godzilla shakes off Pym Particles like nothing and then battles a kaiju-sized Hulk is so gleefully wild that it reminds you of how much fun comic books can be. The roster of the book is a bit too big, for sure (there’s a reason why the FF are taken off the board quick, and Miles Morales just kind of arrives at the end), but this is a book that has Black Panther create a giant mech for the heroes to pilot, complete with sections that amplifies their powers. Seeing Cyclops’s optic blasts get souped up and blast Godzilla in the face? That’s worth the price of admission alone. Godzilla Destroys the Marvel Universe is a wild and ridiculous comic that knows the heights it can go to, and relishes in them. Sometimes that’s all you need a comic to be.
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