The day has finally come for Godzilla to fight Marvel Comics characters, and first up is the Fantastic Four. As part of a series of one-shot battles, Ryan North and John Romita Jr. deliver the battle set in an earlier time for the FF. The first family hasn’t seen quite as many threats; they only faced Galactus once and care for each other more than ever. It’s a blast from the past read, to say the least.
Godzilla vs. Fantastic Four #1 is very much entrenched in a different era of the Fantastic Four, which is evident from the dialogue. North is going full Silver Age with it, as they fully explain what they’re doing, what their powers are, and the like. At first, it’s a bit jarring since it’s so unconventional for comics these days, but soon, you’ll fall into the endearing quality of old-school comic storytelling.
As far as the fighting, Romita Jr. delivers on the mega-dynamic art style he’s known for later in his career. At times, Godzilla can look a little too simplistic, but that’s rare. Mostly, there are dynamic double-page layouts, dramatic beats involving Silver Surfer, and the first family looking as rugged as ever.
Old school dialogue.
Credit: Marvel
For an obvious fight comic, North and Romita Jr. keep you invested. There’s the regular Godzilla versus sequence, a period where another kaiju enters the battle, and a pleasing connection to Galactus in all of this. As usual for Godzilla, he’s a misunderstood monster who tends to show he’s a good guy at heart. Since this is a fight comic at its core don’t expect much outside of fighting.
Fans of North and his use of real science will also investigate this issue. Invisible Woman pulls off a trick about bending light, which is a clever way to buy Godzilla time.
Godzilla vs. Fantastic Four #1 is a delightful throwback that fully embraces its Silver Age roots. It delivers a fast-paced, action-packed showdown with just enough cleverness to keep things fresh. While the dialogue style may take some adjusting, the combination of nostalgia, dynamic visuals, and kaiju-fueled spectacle makes for an entertaining one-shot.
You must be logged in to post a comment.