I have to say, I'm already liking what I'm seeing. It might not be as "alien" as issue #1 (at least, not yet), but it's still a creepy depiction of Hell, I'd say much better than the previous three depictions, and this is only after seeing the first couple pages. I wasn't terribly impressed by the last two issues, I'm hoping they go out with a bang.
1. Art looks amazing. Probably some of the best thus far and that's saying a lot.
2. Cool how they quickly swapped environments without taking too long and also quickly showing a few of Godzilla's struggles.
3. Notice how Godzilla starts out in a white void, similar to the ending is issue 4, some continuity? I know there's the whole descreprency regarding KG but I'm gonna assume that was an issue simply caused by the narration of that specific issue.
4. Please fight the devil.
Spirit Ghidorah 2010 wrote: ↑Sun Dec 03, 2023 4:54 pm
Anno-san pleasures me more than Yamasaki-san.
Well this was very strange. I need to reread it to pick up on the smaller details but I cannot grasp how Toho approved of this. Most of the story is pretty great and the art is great as expected by Watcher.
This issue is alot like issue 4 in the theme of unending struggle. I especially liked
Spoiler:
how Godzilla tried climbing a mountain to get to the gate out of hell.
Overall a good issue. A nice finish and the finishing quote was a nice touch.
I loved the issue. Great art, I especially love the little demon bats. The enivornments were cool and fit the hell theme, as opposed to the last issue which had a more generic hell/city scape.
I loved the ending, throwing in some Buddhist stuff. The third issue had some Christian imagery (which I don't mind) but it's nice to see a mix up, especially if issue 2 is a "classical" hell. Despite this I'm not entirely sure how anything that happened in the issue related to the final few lines.
Also obviously loved the skeleton Godzilla and then the super Godzilla/hellbat hybrid. It was cool to see the beam burst like that.
As far as the other monster in the issue I have mixed feelings. I wanted a big fight with the devil but we we got was a more Cthulhu esque monster. I was a bit disappointed how Godzilla didn't really directly fight the monster and how the monster was never fully shown off but at the same time I enjoyed that aspect; it made a more mysterious and intriguing figure than just showing it off which led to a bigger impact in my mind.
Spirit Ghidorah 2010 wrote: ↑Sun Dec 03, 2023 4:54 pm
Anno-san pleasures me more than Yamasaki-san.
I'm with ABB Gamma, this one is rivaling the first issue for me. That was fucking awesome. Spoilers!
Right off the bat, I knew this one was going to be better than the previous ones. We immediately returned to a more strange and "alien" depiction of Hell. Not as alien as issue #1 which had fucking faces in the ground and mountains with eyeballs on them, mind you, but still really weird. I really dig the frequently-changing environment. It's similar to issue #2 in that regard, with multiple "realms" of Hell - however, I think it was handled better here, with the areas not following one particular element. I also loved the final setting, with that mountain being as big as it was. I don't think Godzilla's ever looked so tiny in comparison to something. His struggle to climb it, and then "accepting his fate", so to speak, was really well done.
The new monsters were awesome. The little winged demons were pretty simple in design, yet very effective in their creepiness. They remind me of the '05 Kong's rat-pterodactyl things. They are disgusting and I love them. Then there's the other one, the Old One. We don't see much of it but I think that's what makes it work - the scariest things are the things you only see glimpses of. What little we saw of it looked pretty damn creepy, I think making it more visible would hurt that. Adds a flair of mystery. We'll never know.
What happens to Godzilla with those demons, and the result of that, is truly amazing, easily the highlight of the entire series. There was a surprising depth to it. The ending was actually kind of beautiful in a way. The addition of the quote really made the issue, I would say. I'm like at a loss for words... truly amazing.
Then there's the art, to which I say... bravo. This is what the previous two issues were seriously lacking. Wachter really brought his A-Game for this one. Everything looked stunning. The detail packed into the setting, the monsters... everything. But especially towards the end, with Godzilla's last stand. And the colors, too. Especially when Godzilla confronts the big mountain with the lightning. Wow. I think the artwork here was better than Cataclysm's.
Overall, this was how I was hoping the series would go out. An issue that was really something. I was expecting Godzilla to battle Satan or something, but I'm actually quite glad that wasn't what happened. We got something much better than that fight ever could've been. After fighting monsters in every previous issue, I'm very glad we got something different.
This was one hell of an ending to one hell of a series. You did good, IDW. Keep it up.
This here is probably my favorite panel in the entire series.
Spoiler:
It's a shame the series is over. I would have liked to have seen another 5-10 issues. The environments and villains were so different than what you'd expect from standard Godzilla encounters.
Last edited by Dannybeane on Sun Dec 20, 2015 3:32 am, edited 1 time in total.
Lain Of The Wired wrote:So how does it end? That's the question I've been wondering? Do we learn why he was in hell?
I thought is wad explained in issue #3. His battle with SpaceGodzilla blew apart the world sending him to Hell. It ends with him destroying that universes god/devil and him making his way back to an undamaged earth.
I think I'll call the new monster Cerberus. Might not look the part but fits the job description.
One thing I've liked about this series is how open to interpretation it is. Personally, I don't think this gatekeeper kaiju was supposed to be the most powerful demon in Hell, not like the equivalent of Satan. I think the most powerful being of this realm would be doing something other than just sitting at the exit door of Hell. The thing looked like it was half-asleep the whole time.
LSD Jellyfish wrote:I'm thinking the reason why Cataclysms's art isn't as good is not because of the penwork but rather the coloring.
Aye, that's why I mentioned the coloring. But I also feel like he might've spent a bit more time into the inks as well. Might be because it was just one issue and not a whole series.
^This makes me hope David Watcher gets more work on the IDW run, he's one of greats. I have a feeling this was artistically better than Cataclysm because he most likely had more time to work on this individual issue than five consecutive ones.
And even though the Cerebus monster did not directly fight Godzilla it kept creating the avalanches and seemed to have drawn in the red little demons. If Godzilla did not become super charged than he wouldn't have been able to up the mountain and escape.
Spirit Ghidorah 2010 wrote: ↑Sun Dec 03, 2023 4:54 pm
Anno-san pleasures me more than Yamasaki-san.
LSD Jellyfish wrote:^This makes me hope David Watcher gets more work on the IDW run, he's one of greats. I have a feeling this was artistically better than Cataclysm because he most likely had more time to work on this individual issue than five consecutive ones.
And even though the Cerebus monster did not directly fight Godzilla it kept creating the avalanches and seemed to have drawn in the red little demons. If Godzilla did not become super charged than he wouldn't have been able to up the mountain and escape.
I won't deny the Gatekeeper/Cerberus was probably pretty damn powerful (he was huge!), but I don't think he was the strongest thing down there.
More Watcher would be nice. Maybe an issue of a sequel series to Godzilla: Legends (which I will not stop bringing up until it happens).
Enjoyed this issue. Very satisfied with how it ended, very unexpected way to pull off what it did, and a solid wrap-up to the mini-series as a whole. With how well this did & its reception, hopefully Toho will be more lenient on how the Big G and friends are handled.
Issue #3 remains my fave, but issue #2 had the best artwork, while #1 still felt the closest to the craziness of a "hell" I was expecting to see. Bonus points to #4 for using GMK Godzilla
Mecha M wrote:[after seeing Shin Godzilla's design] Looks like partially cooked carne asada
