Fourth issue in the Godzilla in Hell mini series and this time the story is placed in a familiar city scape where all is not as it seems. This time the story is penned by horror comic writer Brandon Seifert, whose work includes his self-published Witch Doctor: Mal Practice and titles like Hellraiser,. He is joined by artist Ibrahim Moustafa, whose work is diverse for titles such as High Crimes and Doctor Fate. Together they craft a comic which is... okay. It depicts a knockdown fight between three powerhouse kaiju, but doesn't make use of its setup very well, feeling more like a nightmare than a trip to hell.

In terms of the story, the comic kicks off in a decimated city with Godzilla roaring over the fallen bodies of King Ghidorah and Destoroyah. However, the wounds on the fallen kaiju begin to inexplicably start to heal. Soon, Godzilla finds himself surrounded by his two powerful foes. Their battle picks up anew, yet Godzilla notices a strange wall surrounding the city...

While fighting your reanimated foes might seem like punishment befitting of hell, the story plays out a bit too straight forward to the point where it feels like a nightmare, with some slight and some overt cues that all are not what they seem. Part of this is due to the setting, which is a modern city. This feels all too familiar to Godzilla, lacking the avant garde style of the first, the classic realm setting of the second or even the "Godzilla in Wonderland" oddness of the third issue. In fact (and heavy spoilers to follow so back out now if that is a concern) there is a scene where the Destoroyahs decapitate Godzilla with their spray. In the next panel, Godzilla, head intact, stands over his severed head. It's a moment that makes the reader kind of remember that "oh right, this is supposed to be hell". In fact, remove that scene, make it so King Ghidorah and Destroyah are alive at the issue's start, and cut out the odd wall.. and the story could be taking place in normal, every day Tokyo and it wouldn't skip a beat.

Okay so we have established that the comic doesn't really kick into high gear on the hell concept. So how does it fare as popcorn entertainment? Not too bad, thankfully. The story is without dialogue, other than roars, but writer Seifert still pens some creative fight choreography that Moustafa brings to life. There is a sequence where King Ghidorah rushes through a building after Godzilla, only to lose sight of him. The three-headed dragon looks around to no avail, only to have Godzilla sneak up on him from the side of the building. What sells the sequence is the unique movement of each head. Each has a totally unique action in contrast to the other heads, putting to good use a surprisingly under utilized component of everyone's favorite golden scaled monster.

The comic also benefits from using the Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack (2001) version of the King of the Monsters. Oddly enough, just a few years after the movie came out, this version of the character has become notoriously rare to see in merchandise on Godzilla. Because of this, it's nice to see this iteration of the title character go toe-to-toe with the Heisei version of King Ghidorah and Destoroyah. Sadly, despite some impressive work by Moustafa, there are some things that could have been done better. Chief among these issues is with Destoroyah himself. The crimson red kaiju feels a little loose in his execution. He lacks the amount of detail and care shown in drawing Godzilla and King Ghidorah, which is odd given his design is more complex. There are also a few panels that just miss the mark. In particular is the awkward running panel as Godzilla hides behind a building. To be fair, when this version of the character ran in the 2001 film it was also a little awkward. So it could be said that this hefty Godzilla is just better suited to slow movements.

For the covers, IDW has offered three choices this time, although two of them are of the same drawing. The main cover is done by interior artist Moustafa. He shows the 2001 Godzilla standing over a city with a mushroom cloud looming behind. It's well done, although Godzilla's head feels a bit too large. The alternative cover is by Jeff Zornow, who gets both a colored subscription version and a black and white incentive version. Zornow displays the Showa King Ghidorah and Destoroyah attacking the 2000 version of Godzilla. The action takes place against a purple background while a creepy, multi-eyed being watches. It's eye catching and an overall great cover, one of Zornow's best.

Overall, the issue feels, like Godzilla in Hell #3, a little forgettable. It's nice popcorn entertainment thanks to the battle and art work, but a very quick read that doesn't utilize the concept very well.