Godzilla Legends #4: Hedorah vs. Mechagodzilla

[cosmow]

Just wanted to pop in and say thanks for the fantastic feedback. I'm someone who welcomes all commentary (good or bad), so to have this book that is very close to my heart be received this way is very rewarding. Thank you. True, there's not much of a real story going on, but I promise you that the next thing I do (if it happens) will be something with a longer plot... but just as much mayhem.

In regards to the cat, yes, it is a nod to the film (I love that scene) and the cat in the book is based on mine. She's kind of a monster in her own way as she's a polydactyl and has 24 toes. Pretty freaky stuff!

-Chris Mowry

[attilagodzilla]

loved this comic
I liked the battle and hedorah was pretty creepy
finally he is again as strong as in GvsH.
Also when they shot those elctro anchors in him I thought that was going to kill him luckily not.
the book was beatifully drawn MG's armor looked like metal and hedorah looked slippery like sludge has to

also this was the third kinda heisei showa crossover in legends 1 we got anguirus and destroyah and hall his showa battles where mentioned in legends 3 miki andthe black hole aliens appeared.

[HayesAJones]

LOVED it. Was a lot like Legends #1 in terms of good art and action. The art was frickin' beautiful. Mechagodzilla was an exact copy of the movie version, probably improved really, Hedorah was all sorts of freaky, and Godzilla looked very feral and aggressive. The debris and bodies on the ground were amazing. The film tributes (the cat, Godzilla ripping Hedorah's eyes out) were cool too. It was awesome to see Hedorah used to his full extent, body morphin', form changin', and flesh burnin' ahoy. Wished Godzilla could have had a part in taking out Hedorah, but only a minor gripe there. Last page was very ominous as well.

Think I prefer #1 for simply featuring two of my favorite monsters, but this one is right up there with it. They're equal they way I see it.

[GreenAiden555]

In regards to the SpaceGodzilla hint, look at the cover for #5... The right side of the page, some say it looks like an SG crystal.

[Rody]

^ The Eggelton cover? Or do you mean a different one?

[GreenAiden555]

^ The Eggelton cover? Or do you mean a different one?

No, the Art Adams.

[zilla103192]

I wonder if his GODZILLA cover will be able to connect to the Legends covers..



and look who is sneeking a peek at Goji's sweet ass!

[GreenAiden555]

There's no picture there...

Are you referring to the GMK Goji with Mothra in the right corner? No, Bobby Curnow said that picture is its own and not connected to the other.

[Tomzilla]

It was an excellent read. The art and storytelling was perfect for a standalone tale... Even though I'd love to see this team return for a follow up.

I'd say it's the best one yet. I love how the plot centered around the characters and their actions. I've read many stories where it felt like the writer forced the characters to go from here to there just to get the story moving. That didn't happen here. It all flowed smoothly.

And yes, the art was very good! The attention to detail was very satisfying. I felt like I was on a scavenger hunt, trying to find some nod and reference to the films.

Oh, and the monsters kicked ass. Hedorah was presented as the apocalyptic threat he really is. Godzilla was the vicious, powerful creature we all know and love. Both Godzilla and Hedorah displayed an intelligence I'm quite fond of: Hedorah's a cunning, revulting bastard; Godzilla's a strategic, pretty straightforward fighter. MechaGodzilla was given its dues by having a believable crew and packing some serious firepower.

Simply awesome!

[TitanoGoji16]

Well, here we are, the fourth issue of Godzilla: Legends - "Smog of War." I'm just going to get this over with and say it up front: I hate this issue and what it has done to American Godzilla comics, which have been forever ruined because of this issue.

I mean, seriously, how are they ever going to top this?

First of all, the art - by E.J. Su and Priscilla Tramontano - is just downright gorgeous. Not only does it help sell the grim atmosphere of the story, but at times it looks almost photorealistic. I thought it would be hard to top Matt Frank's art in Issue #1, but Su and Tramontano have done just that. The opening, full-page shot of Mechagodzilla landing is one of the best pages ever, art-wise, in IDW's Godzilla-related history. Mechagodzilla looks truly metallic and Hedorah really comes across as thick and sludgy.

The story opens as the U.N.G.C.C. sends Mechagodzilla to investigate a destroyed industrial area in China. By the way, major bonus points for actually using the U.N.G.C.C. instead of making up some random organization like "Mega G-Fighters" or "Mechagodzilla Inc." or something. As Mechagodzilla moves in to get a closer look at a damaged factory, it suddenly explodes. In an almost eerie sequence, Hedorah forms and rises up behind Mechagodzilla. Hedorah goes on the attack, but before too long Godzilla arrives on the scene, and the three super beasts engage in a threeway battle royale.

Like in Issue #1, the story is simple and drops us in the middle of an already well-established universe. And, again like Issue #1, this doesn't hurt the story at all. The plot is simple and to the point, with each monster getting a chance to shine. Mechagodzilla's crew, while nothing too outstanding, is a relatively fun and believable bunch of characters without any really groan-inducing dialogue. Hedorah is shown to be the deadly juggernaut he truly was in Godzilla vs. the Smog Monster, while Godzilla is shown to be actually outmatched by an opponent while displaying his trademark refusal to surrender (for the first time in IDW's comics). Not only that, but each monster gets the opportunity to show off their various powers - Atomic ray, Plasma Grenade, acid sludge, Shock Anchor, crimson eye bolts and all.

The comic ends with a sort of cliffhanger ending, though nowhere near the level of Issue #3's. Mechagodzilla manages to freeze Hedorah, then shatter him with the Plasma Grenade... only for all the frozen shards to land in the ocean. The final page features a chilling shot of a close-up of Hedorah's eye, surrounded by numerous other little Hedorahs, all off on their own to feed... And grow.

"Smog of War" is not just a highpoint of IDW's Godzilla series, but also of American Godzilla comics in general. It easily stands alongside the legendary Dark Horse Godzilla Color Special by Art Adams, often considered the greatest Godzilla comic produced in America and one of the best Godzilla comics period. Godzilla has needed a comic like this for some time, and frankly, a dozen or so more like this wouldn't hurt, either.

[Rody]

^ The Eggelton cover? Or do you mean a different one?

No, the Art Adams.

I haven't seen that one yet; I didn't even know it was released.

Do you have pictures? I'd love to see.

[MechaGamera]

If it's the Art Adams cover you want to see it's on the first page of this forum thread.

http://forum.idwpublishing.com/viewtopic.php?t=11398

[Rody]

I was referring to the Legends #5 cover.

[Terrier]

This is getting slow... are we talking about that spike at the right of the Kumonga cover as a hint to Spacegodzilla?

http://images1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb2 ... EGENDS.jpg


On topic, issue 4 was amazing, redundancy be damned.

[Rody]

Ahhhhh, NOW I see. Sweet artwork as always, Mr. Adams.

That DOES look kind of like a crystal....

[FlawedCoil82]

Finally picked up this issue today. I have to say, LEGENDS is by far the best Godzilla title that IDW has released so far. I loved the art, I thought the story was great and exciting and the battles were thought out quite well. I really wish all of IDW's output could be the quality that this series is. I just hope that the fans will reward IDW by picking up this title.

[Tyler]

I thought it was pretty good. I know this is an anthology, but it's weird how you either get action oriented comics (like this) or ones mainly consisting of drama (Legends 3). I know it's hard to do both in a one-shot, but it'd be nice if we got comics that manage both in the future. Gangster & Goliaths did it, but I know it can be done better.

I really liked the look of Godzilla in this one, even if he was a bit on the green side. He looked like a badass Daisenso-Goji in some panels. The nods to Godzilla vs. Hedorah were nice too. The guys really did their homework.

Oh, and I noticed the review on the mainsite has a few typos.

[Arbok]

Glad to see discussion picked up on this title, as I do fully feel its one of the best comics about the Godzilla character, standing alongside the Godzilla Color Special and Godzilla Legends #3.

I just hope that the fans will reward IDW by picking up this title.

I do as well. Legends #3 sold the least of any of IDW's Godzilla comics so far, which was tragic given the quality of the issue. They have all been trending down, sadly, ever since Godzilla Kingdom of Monsters #4. Be nice of Legends #4 is the one that reverses those fortunes.

Oh, and I noticed the review on the mainsite has a few typos.

Been known to be very typo prone, any examples from the review?

[Tyler]

Been known to be very typo prone, any examples from the review?

The area has been laid waste in record time with heavy toxicity in the air, the populace deceased, all channels of communicate dead and no sign of the nuclear menace.

While this type of story can grow old, there hasn't been too much of it in IDW's line so far and Chris Mowry does a suberp job at crafting a story suited to this type of approach.

A story of this variety is heavily dependent on the art to succedd, though, and E.J. Su and Priscilla Tramontano are more than up to the task.

The scene with Mechagodzilla landing, given a full page spread, is the type of work that's normally reserved for covers with a great renderation of the giant machine while still capturing the catastrophic devestation of the area with grueseom dead bodies and corroded metals below.

Hedorah's first appearance is down right chilling in this issue, captured in the preview selection here, while there are a lot of adrenale action panels as well, such as Mechagodzilla's aerial assault and Hedorah quickly slapping Godzilla out of the way.

The entire prinicpal team does a fantastic job, from Mowry's grasp of the characters and adapting to the one issue format, to Su and Tramontano doing a phenominal performance on the artwork.

[Arbok]

Wow, that's actually quite embarrassing... seems I never ran it through a spell checker or anything. Anyway, thanks for noting, the mistakes have been corrected.