Note: Special thanks to IDW for providing this issue for review!
After laying waste to all but one of the Yacumama spawn, Jacen and company dock in Bermuda and are briefed on the sudden appearance of Godzilla in Atlanta. Furious that the monster managed to make landfall in the US, Riviera decides to head to Nevada with Nuki and Incense in order to track down the source of the worms and use them in the battle against Godzilla. Meanwhile, Jacen, Rumi and Jet Jaguar head out on their own adventure in an effort to find a way to end Godzilla's reign of terror through less destructive means.
Don't be fooled by the synopsis - there is a lot going on in this issue! While the battle between the humans and Yacumama is short-lived, there is some much needed character building with Nuki as she spills her heart out to Jacen while pulverizing the blood-sucking worms. It's somewhat sudden and almost uncharacteristic of what we've seen of her so far, but it doesn't feel totally out of place, given she was looking to open up in the previous issue right before the pirates attacked. Jacen and Rumi also deepen their relationship, with Rumi trying to show the young G-Mutant another path to pacifying kaiju that doesn't involve death and destruction.
Probably my favorite sequence in the series so far occurs when Godzilla is jumped by a giant robot being controlled by an unnamed employee. As the robot named "Kai-Killer X" lands a slashing knife attack across Godzilla's chest, the page shows the robot being littered with holographic product placements, all while the speakers blare out advertisements on behalf of Gideon Kelso, the mastermind behind the giant mech. Unsurprisingly, Godzilla makes short work of the robot, showing zero remorse as the employee begs for his life before cutting to the next page, a large sizzling hole in place of where the employee once was. It's a darkly humorous sequence with some extremely interesting implications, no doubt foreshadowing the inevitable introduction of this Gideon Kelso at some point in the series.
On the flip side, Captain Carronero's fairly intimidating presence is undermined as he is unceremoniously arrested by Riviera and handed over to the European Kaiju Defense Force once they dock in Bermuda. The "bad guy following a code of honor" trope suits Carronero well enough, but from how much the characters played up his persona, I couldn't help but feel a little let down with this turn of events. Likewise, Commander Riviera continues to defy expectations by freeing the pirates he was so hellbent on capturing due to the uppity nature of the European Kaiju Defense Force. So far, Riviera feels less like a respected G-Force commander and more like an angry loose cannon who also happens to be a supervisor. Each passing issue makes it more and more difficult for me to root for him, as keen and capable as he appears.
Nitpicks aside, this is another solid entry in this ongoing series, as Tim Seeley continues to introduce some wild concepts both new and familiar to the Godzilla franchise with his own spin. With Jacen and Rumi off on their own, I'm quite eager to see if Jacen may evolve from the usual all-powerful anger-fueled protagonist to one that finds some form of inner peace while still being a force to be reckoned with. |
![Comic: Godzilla [Kai-Sei Era] #3](../images/comics/idw_godzilla_kaisei_03_cover_tn.jpg)
