Godzilla: Rulers of Earth now has another solid issue under its belt from writer Chris Mowry and artist Matt Frank, creating a comic that is light on advancing the human plot but delivers in spades when it comes to the monster battles which are highly satisfying thanks to stellar art duties.

The story begins with Godzilla collapsed on the beach, announced dead with a giant wound across his chest. The declaration is, naturally, premature and soon the source of the wound appears as Destoroyah emerges from the surf and begins to thrash the awakened King of the Monsters.

This issue is kind of the anti-thesis to Godzilla: Rulers of Earth #3, being very light on both the human cast while at the same time placing the story focus on kaiju enthusiast Lucy Casprell and her coworkers (who are still in desperate need of some development as readers have likely long forgotten their names at this point) but really devotes about 75% of the book to a fantastic conflict with Godzilla and Destoroyah. Granted, the book is popcorn entertainment, but gives a very enjoyable bout where Destoroyah is a big enough bad that the reader keeps guessing what's going to happen, especially once Mothra shows up to join the fray... and while I won't spoil it, I will say Mothra brings some additional back up as well.

With a battle heavy issue like this, it needs good art to sell it, and Matt Frank delivers. The battle is animated and exciting, making the long conflict a treat. Frank's Destoroyah is much more burly than his movie counterpart, featuring thick forearms capable of chokeslamming Godzilla versus the relatively small forearms he had in Godzilla vs. Destoroyah (1995). This allows for a more melee oriented bout, and Destoroyah looks wicked and intimidating as well. There are numerous really great panels with him, such as his evil stare after Godzilla fails to knock him over or the fantastic panel of Destoroyah taking flight to hunt down some jets that are trying to interrupt the conflict. Sadly, one complaint with the design is that the tongue is drawn too long, giving Destoroyah more of an over-the-top crazy look in some panels that undermines how intimidating he is in others. For general reference, as fantastic as Destoroyah looks, he came off better in Godzilla Legends #1 in terms of overall consistency, however. Like in the previous issue, this comic shares art duties between Frank and Jeff Zornow. In this case, though, Frank does the entire issue except the last page. However, while the two artists passed the torch very well in the last issue, this one sticks out like a sore thumb as Zornow draws Lucy and her coworkers very different than Frank does.

In terms of covers, the issue has two that are once again done by the interior artists. The main cover, by artist Matt Frank, shows a wounded Godzilla as Destoroyah closes in. Its a nice shot, but a bit simple and feels almost like an interior than an eye catching cover. The alternate is done by Jeff Zornow and features Godzilla, Destoroyah and Mothra. Sadly the angle is a little strange, Destoroyah's tail is rather oddly placed for one, and Godzilla's face seems like a misfire and draws too much attention to itself. This is one of the rare instances where both covers are simply okay, without the sense of wonderment that at least one of the covers tends to leave.

Overall, another very enjoyable issue even if it was light on plot. Being one of IDW's original selections, its nice to see Destoroyah finally get a chance to shine in the main series and even better in a story that features a new mix up of kaiju than one has seen in the movies. The comic ends on a nice cliffhanger as well, one that makes it easy to highly anticipating the next issue.