Godzilla Legends #5: Godzilla vs. Kumonga

For the discussion of Toho comics, books, posters, trading cards and any other merchandise that doesn't fall under the other categories.
User avatar
kaiju115
JXSDF Technician
Posts: 1104
Joined: Sun Feb 12, 2012 4:19 pm

Re: Godzilla Legends #5: Godzilla vs. Kumonga

Post by kaiju115 »

Indeed, I like how Godzilla bites off one of Kumongas legs and beats him with it, that was awesome.
SHIN GOJIRA IS AWESOME!!!!!!!
http://www.youtube.com/user/kaiju115

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Kaiju115
Hope Legendary's Godzilla gets more than a Trilogy

HayesAJones
Keizer
Posts: 9200
Joined: Fri Jul 23, 2010 8:19 pm

Re: Godzilla Legends #5: Godzilla vs. Kumonga

Post by HayesAJones »

Pretty good. Giving us an interesting view on Godzilla through the adventure dude was a neat idea, and the fight with Kumonga was cool, if short. I don't think the art was all that bad either. The mutant birds were too goofy, yeah, but Godzilla only looked wonky in a few shots. Only two were really bad, the rest were just... a bit generic.

No idea how that guy survived the nuclear pulse though. None.

Online
User avatar
kaijukurt
EDF Instructor
Posts: 2051
Joined: Mon Sep 20, 2010 5:04 am
Location: Philippines

Re: Godzilla Legends #5: Godzilla vs. Kumonga

Post by kaijukurt »

Yeah, how did he survive it?
Formerly known as kurtzilla

User avatar
Gorosaurus Rex
EDF Instructor
Posts: 2761
Joined: Fri Jul 23, 2010 7:53 pm
Location: The Savage Land
Contact:

Re: Godzilla Legends #5: Godzilla vs. Kumonga

Post by Gorosaurus Rex »

Svitska Donkun wrote: Art was some of the worst I've seen in a comic, ever.
I honestly don't see that. It's not good, but I've seen much much worse. I know you're no fan of KoM, the last few issues or so of that had considerably worse artwork than this.
SuperSaiyan4Godzilla wrote: And Godzilla isn't Pixar. The latter deals with children. The former deals with adults who behave like children.

User avatar
TitanoGoji16
KWC Kontroller
KWC Kontroller
Posts: 2729
Joined: Fri Jul 23, 2010 9:41 pm

Re: Godzilla Legends #5: Godzilla vs. Kumonga

Post by TitanoGoji16 »

Bah. I've been pretty busy lately and haven't had time to flesh out my review. So, instead of waiting until I finish it (and nobody cares about the issue anymore), here's my unedited (and slightly incomplete) thoughts on Godzilla Legends #5:
Well, here we are. "From A Great Height," the final issue of Godzilla Legends.

Is it the same level of epicness as issues #1, #3 and #4? Well, no. It isn't. But is it still a good, fun story? Yes, it is.

The story revolves around Bryson Allworth, a long-retired daredevil, telling the tale of when he was called out of retirement by the government to climb Godzilla and gather tissue samples and the like for study. After a long, grueling climb, Bryson makes it to Godzilla's neck, only for Kumonga to appear and attack the Monster King.

While not entirely original (Dark Horse did almost the exact same concept in one of their issues), it's not a bad story, and it's different enough from the Dark Horse comic. Bryson's a likeable enough character and you even begin to root for him as he climbs Godzilla and hangs on for dear life as he battles Kumonga. The giant spider's role is not nearly as prominent as Hedorah's in the last issue, unfortunately. His part in the story is more along the lines of Titanosaurus' in "Secrets." However, Kumonga's smaller role seems more noticeable here. True, Titanosaurus didn't have a large role, but he was without a doubt the story's kaiju star. Here, Kumonga just shows up out of nowhere to attack Godzilla, who the story is really about.

The art by Dean Haspiel has an admittedly rocky start (the establishing shot of Godzilla on the second page is sort of eyebrow-raising), but it grows on you over the course of the issue. The close up of Godzilla's face as he watches the sunset at the end is very nice. And while his Godzilla looks odd at times, Haspiel brings forth a very nice-looking Final Wars Kumonga to challenge him.

A couple oddities in the story that deserve mention:

During his climb, Bryson encounters a pair of birds having nested amongst Godzilla's dorsal fins, which have been badly mutated and deformed by Godzilla's radiation. While I understand what they're going for and it's a fun, if again not entirely original, scene, it doesn't quite make much sense. The giant sea louse from Godzilla 1985 and the Dark Horse comic does, as it would attach to Godzilla, then get irradiated. But birds? I can't imagine they'd stay on Godzilla for more than a moment, with all the moving around and fighting he does. And long enough to nest and mutate? I dunno, it might be nitpicking, but it just kinda seems like pointless filler, as the birds don't even attack Bryson or serve any purpose other than "Looky!"

Next, for the second time in a IDW comic... Somebody survives a nuclear explosion for no real reason. Apparently, the government made Bryson's radiation suit out of the Battra Twins' clothes, because it allows him to survive Godzilla's nuclear pulse completely unharmed. WHY DOES THIS KEEP HAPPENING? This is like if Shindo survived Godzila's blast in Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah.
"Name me one fight where Anguirus didn't get his dick kicked in."

User avatar
ゴジラ
JXSDF Technician
Posts: 972
Joined: Tue Sep 27, 2011 4:47 am

Re: Godzilla Legends #5: Godzilla vs. Kumonga

Post by ゴジラ »

TitanoGoji, why he survived is not because of the suit, or the twins clothing, he had the near perfect defense-Plot Armor. ;)
Although I must say that I do find a few fans slowly driving themselves insane because of that part within the story kinda amusing, but in a good way. It just goes to show that people take their Godzilla facts within its original package, not out of the box or without a tag lol.

User avatar
Captain Aktion
Terminated
Terminated
Posts: 5250
Joined: Thu May 05, 2011 10:31 am

Re: Godzilla Legends #5: Godzilla vs. Kumonga

Post by Captain Aktion »

Hellspawn28 wrote:
Svitska Donkun wrote:Art was some of the worst I've seen in a comic, ever.
I take it that you didn't see any art from early 90's Image Comics that Rob Liefeld work on? The art work is pretty meh but I seen much worst.
And I've seen way worse than Liefeld. Pretty much any Extreme Studios comic from the 90's will make your face bleed...
http://captainaktion.tumblr.com/

This website is for noncommercial use only and is not affiliated with, or authorized or endorsed by Toho Co. Ltd.

Forum Rules and Guidelines Excerpt, Section 10:
Staff Accountability
no moderator, administrator, group moderator, forum leader, site staffer, or former member of the aforementioned groups is exempt from scrutiny

Failure by members or ex-members of leadership to avoid such activity may result in termination.

Know The Score

User avatar
KaijuX
Site Staff
Site Staff
Posts: 6240
Joined: Sat Oct 02, 2010 12:47 pm
Location: Godzilla Earth
Contact:

Re: Godzilla Legends #5: Godzilla vs. Kumonga

Post by KaijuX »

I got the issue today. It's an okay read. I was hoping more of an epic bang, but I guess we have Legends 1, 3, and 4 for that. I can't say that I was overly excited, but yeah. Humans look good, Godzilla is below average (not bad, just below average), but with some good shots. Kumonga looked decent, until later. Heck, the most disappointing aspect for me was the fact that Kumonga didn't return to his SoG glory. Then again, the comic wasn't about Kumonga; it was about being on Godzilla up close and personal. The writing is good, but more interview-recalling-the-events sorta situation rather than a story. But not bad all things considered.

And there's this thing called Toho Logic. It's where things remain unexplained and there's no way to explain it (why are there birds on G? How were the twins and Allworth able to live? HOW CAN SPACEGODZILLA EMERGE FROM A WHITE HOLE?!). ;)
KWC Co-Operations Manager and Resident Wumbo.
Soggy Noodles wrote:Anno brought back Showa ambition by doing smaller scales, morals and trying to examine humanity.

Seshita brought back Heisei ambition with absurd powerscaling, rad fights and fat asses.

Pair of kings.
MoarCrossovers wrote:We snorted crushed Morbius DVDs and snail shells

User avatar
The Midnight Man
Samurai
Posts: 64
Joined: Tue Oct 18, 2011 8:58 pm

Re: Godzilla Legends #5: Godzilla vs. Kumonga

Post by The Midnight Man »

Hafta say, I really dug it. Yes, to say the art was inconsistent would be a bit of an understatement (the opening shot of Godzilla is just terrible), but it did work well for the human characters.

Ridiculous as the story concept was, it was handled really well, and I liked the unexpectedly downbeat ending. And the unique perspective on Godzilla attacking a town was pretty interesting.

I just wish Kumonga had more to do, though. Very big fan of the spider..

User avatar
KaijuX
Site Staff
Site Staff
Posts: 6240
Joined: Sat Oct 02, 2010 12:47 pm
Location: Godzilla Earth
Contact:

Re: Godzilla Legends #5: Godzilla vs. Kumonga

Post by KaijuX »

^ You aren't the only one there. Hopefully some other comic or an issue of GODZILLA will be able to do him justice. :D
KWC Co-Operations Manager and Resident Wumbo.
Soggy Noodles wrote:Anno brought back Showa ambition by doing smaller scales, morals and trying to examine humanity.

Seshita brought back Heisei ambition with absurd powerscaling, rad fights and fat asses.

Pair of kings.
MoarCrossovers wrote:We snorted crushed Morbius DVDs and snail shells

User avatar
UnCanny Studios
G-Force Personnel
Posts: 602
Joined: Thu Mar 31, 2011 12:23 pm
Contact:

Re: Godzilla Legends #5: Godzilla vs. Kumonga

Post by UnCanny Studios »

The art was still weird, as I said a couple of weeks ago... but I also said I'd reserve judgement until I read the actual comic. And that was a damn good call.

I absolutely loved this issue. I literally was grinning the whole time - such a unique and well written story! This is easily one of my favorites, right up there with Titano and Hedorah's issues.
GLENN AMER doesn't battle, he just allows you to Lose.

http://skreeonk.com - The Kaiju Fan Network! Check out the KAIJU FAN MARKETPLACE! Still going strong! Buy, sell, and list with other kaiju fans for free! Buy stuff!

User avatar
UnCanny Studios
G-Force Personnel
Posts: 602
Joined: Thu Mar 31, 2011 12:23 pm
Contact:

Re: Godzilla Legends #5: Godzilla vs. Kumonga

Post by UnCanny Studios »

Cimmerian Dragon wrote:Yup, I enjoyed it too. Not as much as the Titano issue, but pretty damn close.
Agreed. They're two completely different animals, though. Titano's issue was somber, serious, and very much a sci-fi tale.

This one, however, was much more of an upbeat action adventure. If anything, the Legends series definitely showed how Godzilla and his fellow Kaiju can tie into different genres.
GLENN AMER doesn't battle, he just allows you to Lose.

http://skreeonk.com - The Kaiju Fan Network! Check out the KAIJU FAN MARKETPLACE! Still going strong! Buy, sell, and list with other kaiju fans for free! Buy stuff!

User avatar
Zilla103192
Keizer
Posts: 8369
Joined: Fri Jul 23, 2010 7:13 pm
Location: Monster Island
Contact:

Re: Godzilla Legends #5: Godzilla vs. Kumonga

Post by Zilla103192 »

Image

Matt never disappoints me.
Don't try to be something else. Don't try to be less. Great things are going to happen in your life. Great things. And with that will come great responsibility.

My Official Facebook Page! Like and Share!! https://www.facebook.com/DillonFisherAr ... e=bookmark

User avatar
Rody
Xilien Halfling
Posts: 5577
Joined: Mon Oct 03, 2011 11:55 am

Re: Godzilla Legends #5: Godzilla vs. Kumonga

Post by Rody »

VERY cool.

Is that the cover for the Trade Paperback release, then?

User avatar
ZillaMaster91
G-Grasper
Posts: 1217
Joined: Sun Feb 12, 2012 6:36 pm
Location: Guam, USA
Contact:

Re: Godzilla Legends #5: Godzilla vs. Kumonga

Post by ZillaMaster91 »

It is.

Definitely I'll be purchasing the TP release for the cover itself, but mostly for the fact that I haven't read Issues #4 and #5 yet.

User avatar
Giga Kaiju
E.S.P.Spy
Posts: 4554
Joined: Sat Jul 02, 2011 11:10 am
Location: Valley Of Repose

Re: Godzilla Legends #5: Godzilla vs. Kumonga

Post by Giga Kaiju »

That Cover just Screams (Or in this case Roars) Epic.
UNSTOPPABLE FURY. UNTHINKABLE POWER. UNBREAKABLE WILL.
tymon wrote:Man, it really makes me laugh when I remember that all this drama is centered around a fictional, giant atomic monster. Damn you, Godzilla!
Gawdziller wrote:Doesn't matter what's moot or not. We'll just move onto the next thing to bitch about, then tangent onto something unrelated and bitch about that, and get trollbaited back on topic so we can bitch some more. It's the circle of life.

User avatar
Primevalgodzilla V2
Futurian
Posts: 3301
Joined: Fri Jul 23, 2010 9:59 pm
Location: Church on the Hill

Re: Godzilla Legends #5: Godzilla vs. Kumonga

Post by Primevalgodzilla V2 »

The art on the cover is fantastic but the coloring needs punch.

Anyone who says the art in Legends 5 is the WORST EVAA clearly doesn't know the difference between taste and actual quality. Sure, its probably not an art style that everyone will enjoy. But its silly to say its 'bad art' purely on that account.
It is a simple story. There is nothing that brings me happiness. Be it believing in others or them believe in me, it did not matter.
What others called happiness simply did not bring me joy.

Image

Online
User avatar
kaijukurt
EDF Instructor
Posts: 2051
Joined: Mon Sep 20, 2010 5:04 am
Location: Philippines

Re: Godzilla Legends #5: Godzilla vs. Kumonga

Post by kaijukurt »

This I agree with.
Formerly known as kurtzilla

User avatar
MandaSaurus
Sazer
Posts: 11238
Joined: Wed Nov 30, 2011 10:40 pm
Location: Somewhere between Copperas Cove & Huntsville TX

Re: Godzilla Legends #5: Godzilla vs. Kumonga

Post by MandaSaurus »

I picked this up AND G:Legends #2 at a local comic shop, both for 50% Off original price.

User avatar
Arbok
Kingdom Mikado
Kingdom Mikado
Posts: 2131
Joined: Fri Jul 16, 2010 7:44 pm
Contact:

Re: Godzilla Legends #5: Godzilla vs. Kumonga

Post by Arbok »

Manda2012 wrote:I picked this up AND G:Legends #2 at a local comic shop, both for 50% Off original price.
So what did you think of it? I still find Legends #5 to be on the lower end of the totem for this series, but its certainly a step up from Godzilla Legends #2.
If it bites... don't mess with it!

Post Reply