Note: Special thanks to IDW for providing this issue for review!
Two different teams on two different journeys rejoin, and the pieces are now in place for the climax of the story to begin.
We've hit a real page-turner! With most of the world building having been taken care of in the previous issues, this issue focuses on unraveling some of the mysteries surrounding the leech monster Yacumama and the motivations of Lament, a sentient talking kaiju who has been keeping tabs on the world's events from underground. Character action drives the narrative as Jacen gets to put his new pacifying abilities to the test against the king of the monsters himself, all the while Riviera encounters Lament and quickly forms a not-so-unexpected alliance with the kaiju.
As usual, props to Nikola and the rest of the art team for continuing to make wonderfully colorful and fluid artwork, carefully crafting character expressions from tender to intense when the story calls for it. Every shout can be heard, and every punch can be felt. Tim Seeley also has a knack for adding just enough dialogue so that pages don't feel cluttered or overwhelming; I'm always impressed when looking back on an issue just how many speech bubbles there are, but not once did I ever feel like I was just reading an endless string of words just to get to the next scene or page. There are also several instances of action occurring and characters speaking, but the dialogue doesn't feel intrusive, and time doesn't feel like it's suddenly paused between panels as it happens. There is a sense of uninterrupted momentum.
Godzilla finally gets some time to shine as the main focus of the issue, and he doesn't disappoint. While we've only seen glimpses of him in action so far, his sheer size and angry nature can be felt in just about every panel. Lament also receives some development in between its usual cryptic monologuing, though its true motivations still feel masked. Sadly, despite appearing in every issue so far, Jet Jaguar feels less like a character and more of a convenient monster-punching human-transporting machine when the story calls for it, even while he's constantly spitting rhymes in the form of his fictional '90s theme song. His inclusion is still appreciated, but it feels like there's a tonal clash between his goofy design coupled with a meaner face sporting black eyes and occasional red pupils that just feels uncharacteristic.
So... this is definitely more of a personal grievance, but I'd be remiss if I didn't address the major fight between Jacen and Godzilla, which felt incredibly one-sided in Jacen's favor. Even with his Kei-Sei powers, a tiny human laying the smackdown on something like Godzilla is a big ask. Rumi sees Godzilla as a force of nature, no different than a hurricane or tornado (which Jacen also begins to understand), so seeing this natural force being "tamed" by flying fists takes away some of the mystique and extravagance of the former.
That aside, the story is really starting to pick up speed, and I look forward to seeing how the cliffhanger will be continued in the next issue. |
![Comic: Godzilla [Kai-Sei Era] #4](../images/comics/idw_godzilla_kaisei_04_cover_tn.jpg)
