Godzilla: Monsterpiece Theater #3 by Tom Scioli is a fantastic comic that satisfyingly ends a unique take on Godzilla and various other pop culture icons. While there may be some recency bias on my end, I firmly believe that both issue 3 and the comic overall are wonderful, and may become one of my favorite Godzilla comics of all time. If you haven’t already, it’s worth a read, and I think it’s important to support artistic endeavors like this. Tom Scioli has made something truly special.
While issue one focused on Godzilla’s rampages and issue two focused on various attempts to stop the beast, issue three primarily delivers a giant monster brawl. In three distinctive, but overarching issues, Tom Scioli has captured the primary draws of why people like Godzilla films; destructive horror, character-driven conflict, elaborate and sometimes fantastical military strategies, and of course, monster brawls. Despite the initially bizarre set-up and window-dressing of having Godzilla crossover with literary icons and American pulp, Godzilla: Monsterpiece Theater is a true Godzilla tale. Scioli “gets” Godzilla.
I noted in my review of issue 1 how I was worried that the comic would become gimmicky, or overstay its welcome. It doesn’t, and in fact perfectly lands its ending. By the time I was reading issue three, I no longer viewed the comic as a “frenetic combination of odd elements” and instead read it genuinely invested in how it would resolve itself and what would happen to all its characters.
A big reason why I think it all works, is that the characters inhabiting the comic take their plight seriously. While there are moments of humor, Godzilla: Monsterpiece Theater is earnest. Gatsby can have genuine moments of human connection while Godzilla is rampaging and Dracula is formulating an evil plan. Gatsby isn’t shocked when he meets Sherlock Holmes or Jules Verne, to him they are people that naturally reside within his world. A lesser writer would make the series continually self-referential or comment on how bizarre the crossover is. It takes itself seriously, and even if it’s fast paced at times, it allows for a rewarding and rich story in spite of what initially may appear insane to the reader. It’s sincere.
To delve into what actually happens in issue #3 it’s a rather simple set-up with a lot of moving parts: Dracula has kidnapped Daisy and retreated to Transylvania with the intent to hypnotize monsters and people around the world to make them his thrall. Intent on rescuing Daisy and stopping Dracula, Gatsby and the G-Force charge Dracula’s Castle while a rampaging Godzilla approaches. Dracula tries to hypnotize Godzilla but can’t and uses it on the other monsters. In a twist, Dracula obtains a ring that allows him to make monsters grow, using it on the Mummy, Frankenstein’s monster, and the Wolfman. The monsters all gang up on Godzilla, while Gatsby fights off hordes of vampires. It’s fantastic, and exciting, and any fan of monsters, either of Godzilla or the classic universal monster roster, will have a blast.
Despite introducing three new monsters in the final issue, Scioli does a good job at quickly establishing and building them up. It turns out when Godzilla destroyed Egypt in the last issue he also awoke the Mummy who seeks revenge on Godzilla. A descendant of Doctor Frankenstein shows up with the iconic monster, eager to help the G-Force, and it makes logical sense that wolfmen would just be roaming the Transylvania countryside. Likewise, Scioli manages to address characters and plot elements that were seemingly abandoned in the past issue.
My only complaint about issue 3, is one that I fully admit originates from a fanboyish hyper-fixation on monster-pulp. Simply put, I wish the fight between Godzilla and the various icons of horror was a bit longer, and showcased their abilities a bit better. Godzilla fights the Mummy for a page or two, then the Wolf-Man for another page, and then Frankenstein, for a panel, before Dracula joins the fray. Each of these monsters, iconic in their own right, could have had a single issue, or even series, devoted to Godzilla fighting them. Ultimately becoming the main villain of the comic, Dracula really isn’t able to show off any unique abilities, beyond being able to hypnotize the other creatures. While the conclusion to the large-scale brawl is satisfying and unique, the fight is mostly centered around punching, biting, and monsters grappling with one another. It’s not that any of what is shown is bad, it just leaves a reader wishing for more, but perhaps that’s a statement to how entertaining the comic is. It does also feel like that although Godzilla versus Dracula gets a great conclusion, the rest of the monsters quickly disappear in the final issue.
Still, Scioli deserves a lot of credit for what he accomplished. While Godzilla: Monsterpiece Theater #3 is a fast-paced romp with a lot of combatants, the action still feels a lot more cohesive, satisfying, earned, and emotional than many other recent Godzilla comics published by IDW. Godzilla vs. Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers 2 had a host of problems, such as continual fights that were hard to follow and were ultimately forgettable. Likewise, many issues of Godzilla: Rivals tended to build-up monster bouts between creatures like King Ghidorah and MechaGodzilla, only to fumble the fights with a page or two of static action. Scioli avoids this entirely, building up a large-scale monster brawl that, while could be longer and more complex, really excites visually and emotionally. The big brawl is purposeful, where each individual’s motivations and goals are easily understood. Godzilla fighting the Mummy, the Wolfman, Frankenstein, and Dracula, all while Gatsby is fighting off a horde of vampires and trying to rescue Daisy, it really is a treat. There’s a continual escalation to it as well, with a continual ramp up of monster action, before it ends in a fun and explosive manner. It’s a monster mash of the highest caliber.
There’re a few pages following the action that provide a satisfying conclusion to Gatsby’s and Daisy’s story. Scioli still manages to keep the focus on Daisy and Gatsby, basing the core of the comic center around them. Although Sherlock Holmes, the Time Machinist, Dracula, and others all play important roles, Scioli nails having the overall story be about Gatsby, Daisy, and Godzilla. Granted, a lot of this is a result of Scioli adapting a classic text and having a wealth of writing to base it all off of. Although it should’ve been obvious in hindsight, the ending actually concludes in a visual way that is very accurate to the original The Great Gatsby. In an unexpected fashion, Scioli has actually pulled off creating a “faithful” (as faithful as a retelling of The Great Gatsby with vampires, time-travel, and Godzilla can be) retelling or adaptation of The Great Gatsby. Others may disagree with me, but I think it’s genius.
As far as art goes, it’s of the same quality as issue one and two, stylized, simple, but overall aesthetically appealing with great flourish. Lots of great and expressive reactions from characters, lots of fantastic two-page spreads, and lots of easy to follow action. Even though the art initially looks simplistic at times, there’s a lot of great detail and effort put into each page. For example, when the Mummy fights Godzilla, it gradually becomes unraveled and more zombie-like with each passing moment. It's small, but it’s an excellent detail. Dracula looks continually menacing and evil while Gatsby looks heroic and handsome. Scioli knocks it all out of the park.
There really are some great pages to simply appreciate and look at the composition of. There’s a page where Gatsby and co. burst into Dracula’s Castle. Rather than opting for traditional panels, Scioli shows a cross section of the castle and Gatsby leaping from room to room while an approaching Godzilla lurks in the background under moonlit sky. It’s fantastic, and is also an efficient usage of space. Scioli is able to cram so much into so little because he’s a master at understanding how to use visuals and convey information quickly and efficiently. A later page, during a pivotal moment in the climax, shows Godzilla, Dracula, the Wolfman, the Mummy, and Frankenstein all staring down angered Gatsby, each with their own grotesque expression. It works as both an exciting page of a comic, but would also be amazing to have a desktop wallpaper, poster, or even framed painting.
The same praise applies to lighting and color. To emphasize finality and horror, issue three is mostly red, black, and sepia. But, Scioli still conservatively uses other colors to great effect. For example, Scioli uses Daisy’s angelic blonde hair, to emphasize hope amongst darkness. Gatsby’s bright ink outfit stands out against a horde of monsters. It is the epitome of the adage “less is more”.
It’s refreshing to see a Godzilla comic that has stayed so consistent visually throughout, and it’ll be even better in trade. It feels like Scioli gave it his all. I’m not sure if I’d always want to read comics in Scioli’s style, but I can say over three issues it still feels fresh and doesn’t overstay its welcome.
In terms of covers, there’s once again a great selection. Scioli’s Cover A is exciting and accurate; a swarm of monsters advancing towards Godzilla. Simple, but very effective. Cover B by Tom Scioli is less exciting, being once again a visual allusion to an old literary magazine with Dracula swooping down towards Godzilla. It isn’t amazing as a cover, but I respect Scioli’s commitment towards making an exciting and accurate main cover, and then also providing a variant cover that references famous publications. The retail incentive cover by J. Gonzo is strikingly beautiful, with Godzilla and Dracula facing off in front of a moonlit sky with a castle in the background. While mesmerizing and eye-catching, it doesn’t really represent the series or conflict of the issue well. Still, I like it.
Lastly, there’s Jim Mahfood’s final cover. Once again, it’s a bizarre abstract rendition of Godzilla roaring somewhere. Like the past two covers by him, I don’t dislike it, but it feels like it could’ve been plopped into any Godzilla series. You could swap any of Mahfood’s covers around between issues, and it wouldn’t change a thing. Still, to add an odd compliment, I am starting to like Mahfood’s covers as a series, like a painter continually creating the same thing with mild variations. To me, Cover A by Scioli and the retail incentive by J. Gonzo are the best.
Overall, the series satisfies at delivering fun Godzilla carnage and set pieces, while having a wide variety of fun interactions with iconic creatures and characters. I can’t say I’ve ever seen a piece of globe-trotting media with characters consisting of Jay Gatsby, Sherlock Holmes, Dracula, a slew of classic monsters, and of course Godzilla, before and I don’t think I ever will again. Better yet, it all makes sense and tells a cohesive story.
I think that Godzilla: Monsterpiece Theater is one of the best comic runs that IDW has ever published. Note, I didn’t add a “Godzilla” qualifier to that sentence. Godzilla: Monsterpiece Theater manages to tell a chaotic but cohesive and grand tale, one that is bolstered by its characters. While insanely pulpy, it’s sincere and tells a complete story that sticks its landing. Amongst a sea of entertaining and good comic book crossovers, Godzilla: Monsterpiece Theater stands above the rest. Tom Scioli understands that comics can be more than bashing toys together in the finale, and the build-up, emotion, and artistic freedom surrounding it all really count.
While I believe Godzilla: Monsterpiece Theater is lightning in a bottle, a baby of sorts of Scioli’s, I hope that the series is successful and encourages more seemingly risky and outlandish ideas. I’m glad Scioli was given an opportunity to create such a great thing.
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