Issue two of the Godzilla in Hell mini series, and artist and writer Bob Eggleton takes his first crack at doing an entire issue for IDW Publishing. The result features some stunning art, although the story feels a little too verbose for its narrative structure, and a definite departure from issue one.

In term of the story, Godzilla continues to trek through hell. Crossing three domains, the king of the monsters faces demonized versions of familiar kaiju: Rodan, Anguirus and Varan.

Where as the first issue was a mostly silent tale of Godzilla walking through an avant-gardist world of peril, the sequel plays more like a nightmare through familiar terrain. They might sound similar, but there is a large distinction in tone. In the first issue Godzilla felt stranded in a world where anything could happen. It was unpredictable and Godzilla felt like he was actually at the mercy of his surroundings. This issue is, relatively speaking, quite wordy and presents both familiar opponents against backdrops that feel like ones you could see in the real world. It also gives more insight into what is going on as Godzilla fights off demon-incarnate versions of some of Toho's well known monsters. The actual narrative comes across as trying too hard to be poetic in its choice of words, while the terrain loses the alien-like wonder it had in issue one.

The art by Bob Eggleton is quite stunning, though. The issue is filled with full water color artwork by the esteemed artist, and there is some fantastic imagery involved. Each battlefield is based on a theme: Demon Rodan has the fire realm, Demon Anguirus has the ice realm and Demon Varan has the water realm. Each realm is distinct, and Eggleton does a great job with the ice and water realms. In particular, the water realm looks stunning, as proven as far back as Godzilla King of the Monsters #10, water is a strength of Eggleton's. The art is worth the price of admission alone, and the demon version of the kaiju are great, with familiar bodies that are separated from their normal counterparts by their pupil-less yellow/orange eyes. The only downfall to the art is that the action doesn't feel as fluid as it could, not quite capturing the impact one would hope for during the hits and blows.

As for the covers, there are two to pick from this go around. The main one is by interior artist Eggleton. It depicts Godzilla, roaring definitely, in a fiery setting. The alternate is done by Godzilla: Rulers of Earth artist Matt Frank, and shows Godzilla falling down through a mouthy passage. To tie it into the issue, it features the three demon kaiju looking onward. Of the two, the Frank one is the clear winner, giving a bit more of a dynamic cover that makes you more curious as to the contents.

Overall, I'm being overly harsh on this issue, but it falls prey to following Godzilla in Hell #1 and is ripe for direct comparison. The first issue felt unique, issue two feels a bit less otherworldly and loses one of the better qualities the series started with: making Godzilla feel pedestrian in a strange world. In issue two, Godzilla feels more at home fighting demon versions of familiar faces in familiar settings. Still, regardless, the artwork here is great and really sells the issue on being able to get a comic book filled with Bob Eggleton's art, which is a blessing in itself.