The series finale for Duane Swierczynski's Godzilla series, and the 13 issue run ends on a strong note. The comic provides a nice closure for the series, while Simon Gane's art, while uneven in spots, is generally great especially on Keizer Ghidorah.

In terms of story, the comic starts with Godzilla and Keizer Ghidorah battling in New York while Harrison, Boxer, Hikari and Claire circle in a chopper getting ready to use their new weapon: an evolution of the Headache Beam called the Skullsplitter.

As is likely obvious, this comic is brisk on the plot department but action packed... at least for the first half of the issue. Unlike Godzilla #12, the action here is very satisfying thanks to a generally outstanding performance by artist Simon Gane. Granted, a few depictions look off, like Godzilla on page 1, but the action has a sense of energy to it and Keizer Ghidorah is given an incredible degree of detail that makes him stand out during the conflict.

Sadly, because the first half is almost all action, there isn't much to dissect without going into spoilers. So without further ado... some spoilers. As can probably be seen above, Rodan does indeed arrive to provide Godzilla some needed backup against Keizer Ghidorah. Being a Rodan fan, I'm likely biased, but this was easily the highlight and what I was hoping for: a little Godzilla and Rodan vs. Ghidorah action. Not only that, but Rodan gets to decapitate one of Keizer Ghidorah's head in a rather surprising fashion, which netted a mini fist pump when I saw it. Despite some satisfying action, there are a few complaints to be had on the nit picky side, like the the fact that the new Skullsplitter feels kind of superficial to the plot to give the humans something to do rather than something that is directly impacting the action. Keizer Ghidorah's beams seem about in line with how they worked in Godzilla: Final Wars (2004) in that they mostly control the targets gravity, which has some cool moments like firing Godzilla way into the air or giving Rodan a "Team Rocket style" exit... but also have moments where they do things like strike a helicopter at point-blank range without causing any lasting damage (or even knocking it out of the sky...).

Now one thing I won't spoil is the comic's end, but I will touch on that it gives the series a nice finish for its characters. All in all, it lets one reflect that while the crew took awhile to flesh out and warm up for the reader, arguably longer than it should have, it's somewhat sad to bid farewell to them as the series closes, especially Boxer which as he became a bit more fallible became a lot more interesting as well. Here is to hoping that a few of these characters show up in the new Godzilla: Rulers of Earth series, as I will certainly miss reading about their exploits once a month.

Overall, while Duane Swierczynski's run had its ups and downs, the man ended the series big for the multi-issue climax. In true comic book fashion, the closing issue has some events that are too big to describe and have to be read to be fully enjoyed. So if you haven't been reading the ongoing, it's about high time you at least pick up the final trade when it comes out to enjoy the roller coaster that the final chapter ended up being.