Manda returns! Yep, the titanic serpentine sea dragon who teamed up with Godzilla in the classic film Destroy All Monsters (as well as popping up in other Godzilla films) returns in Godzilla Rivals: Vs. Manda #1 (written, drawn and lettered by Jake Lawrence), a one-shot that mixes great characters with an epic kaiju battle in the open sea that made me feel nostalgic for those Saturday afternoons watching Godzilla films strategically wedged between Soul Train and Kung Fu Theater on the local UHF channel in the 1980s. Yep, I’m old, but so is Godzilla, and trust me, you won’t find anything as fresh and funky as jumping from the Soul Train dance line to watching Godzilla send another rampaging kaiju packing on a staticky TV.
Admittedly, Jake Lawrence’s art was difficult to adjust to in the book’s first few pages. I initially found his art style too simplistic and cartoony to depict a battle of titans. At times, it looked very much like Charles Schultz’s Peanuts strips, and I wasn’t ready to see Charlie Brown vs. Godzilla. Do we really need to see Godzilla pull that football away when poor Charlie’s trying to kick it?
Thankfully, the art grew on me as the book progressed. There were nuances to it, especially with the monsters, that never took away from the thrills or the horror of the story. Manda, who I’ve always thought was one of the most frightening looking kaiju in Godzilla’s universe, doesn’t lose one iota of fierceness or terror here. I loved that the entire story is set in the middle of the ocean, with one unlucky ship running into Manda, who attacks them for no reason. Once Godzilla shows up ready to tear Manda a new one, the crew, isolated on a ship that’s no bigger than a splinter to Manda and Godzilla, struggle to survive in the maelstrom caused by the battle.
IDW Publishing
Human characters at the heart of every Godzilla story have ranged from downright dull to fascinating and the characters here are not scientists or adventurers, they’re just blue-collar fishermen and women hoping for a great haul to bring home. Especially interesting is Nell, the most level-headed of the group of sailors, whose father was a fisherman and who carries on his legacy on the ocean.
She really shines once Godzilla shows up. She fights to keep the ship intact as most of the crew start freaking out around her and she has to come up with some super clever ideas to get them out alive. Her battle to get everyone safely home is a great counterpoint to Godzilla’s battle with Manda.
And what a battle it is! Despite the non-traditional style, the art still gives the feeling of massive scale as the two giant beasts battle (though Godzilla looks so downright cute in some panels that you want to scratch him under his jaw and go “shugada-shugada”) and it’s one of the better knock-down drag-out fights I’ve seen in the IDW Godzilla books.
If you’re a fan of Godzilla and/or Manda, grab the book. It’s a great done-in-one story that feels like watching one of those classic Ishiro Honda Godzilla flicks.
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