Three issues in and the Godzilla in Hell mini series once again takes an artistic turn toward the otherworldly. This issue marks the first of the three helmed by both a production team and newcomers, at least to the Godzilla franchise. Issue one was by James Stokoe, who spear-headed the Godzilla: The Half-Century War mini series. Issue two was by Bob Eggleton, who has long been involved with the art of Godzilla for both comics and books. Issue three has three cooks in the kitchen to produce it. The writing side hosts Ulises Farinas & Erick Frietas while art duties are handled by Buster Moody, the creative team behind the comic series Amazing Forest, or at least one issue in the case of Moody. The end result is strange, certainly trumping the others in oddness although not in quality.
For the plot, the comic starts in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with Godzilla and SpaceGodzilla facing off. The King of the Monsters gains the upper hand, but as the two monsters' beams cross, the resulting explosion destroys the planet. This sends the two kaiju to the afterlife, where their strife continues.
While issue one felt like an avant garde adventure, and issue two felt like a more classical setting, issue three just feels odd. Like "Godzilla in Wonderland", with Mothra winged warriors and eye-filled mountains. It's a unique take and mostly wordless, although not to the same degree it was in issue one. It definitely paints Godzilla as more of an aggressive animal stuck in a situation he doesn't quite comprehend.
As a side note to the story, the first two issues felt like they might have been connected. This one breaks that, or takes place before those events (the solicits make it seem like this might be the case, even if the story does not feel connected to the other two) since it starts off on Earth rather than taking place solely in Hell as the first two issues do.
In terms of the art, Buster Moody does a more cartoony take on the material. The result contrasts with the first two issues, although the tone on each comic so far has been wildly different from the last. I will be honest that I disliked the art at first, but it grew on me. Moody certainly puts a lot of detail into his work, although the characters don't always look consistent, which plays into the more cartoony elements of it. There are a couple of long shots of SpaceGodzilla emerging from the ice that look rushed, but otherwise the two monsters are done with a good enough level of detail to them.
For the covers, the issue comes with two of them. The first is by Buster Moody and has Godzilla preparing his atomic ray while the legion of Mothra "angels" fly in the background. The alternate is by the comic's writer, Ulises Farinas, and has Godzilla looking at a moth in the foreground. Of the two, the first is more true to the comic, although both are engaging this time around. The main cover by Moody is probably the more appealing choice, although the art on Farinas' version is excellent, and makes me wish for a gothic tale of Godzilla done in that style.
Overall, for what it is, this issue is a little forgettable, which is odd given the really out there art style and narrative. I disliked it on the first read, and enjoyed it when re-reading it. The comic has its share of merits, but is the weakest of the three issues so far. |