For the second issue of Godzilla's Monsterpiece Theatre Presents, IDW has placed Godzilla smack dab in the middle of Homer’s The Odyssey. Written by Frank Tieri—of Godzilla Here There be Dragons fame, and illustrated by Greek artist Ilias Kyriazis, Godzilla's The Odyssey is an epic tale that succeeds in melding Godzilla into yet another culturally significant literary work. I’d argue that this is one of IDW’s most consistent works in a while where all elements feel like they are working in unison. It’s a blast to read and hits a sweet spot of delivery pulpy fun while being part of a larger legacy.
Compared to the original run of Godzilla’s Monsterpiece Theatre, which featured Godzilla squaring off against Jay Gatsby, and the previous issue which was a parody of Romeo & Juliet, this mash-up feels much more seamless. Ancient Greek myths are filled with monsters, such as the Hydra or Cyclops, that pair up nicely against Godzilla and his rogue’s gallery. Therefore, I didn’t have that initial “take a deep breath and just go with it” moment I had before reading previous issues. Godzilla's The Odyssey lives up to its full potential and shows that this series can excel beyond just being the gimmick of placing Godzilla in unusual settings.
The plot of the comic is rather simple. It’s a retelling of Homer’s The Odyssey with Godzilla and other Toho iconography inserted into the narrative. After the fall of Troy, Odysseus and his men make a perilous voyage back to Ithaca where Queen Penelope awaits. The Cyclops is replaced by Gigan and other mythological beasts are represented through appropriate Godzilla series counterparts. The story is mostly faithful to Homer’s original poem, minus this kaiju-fied lens. It is worth being reminded that the original work by Homer was originally an oral poem that has had countless different renditions and interpretations. This places Godzilla’s The Odyssey in the cannon of tradition of the many other re-interpretations of the classical work. Thankfully, this is a pretty good one too and worth reading.
To oversimplify, the art is fantastic. While reading it I never had to second guess what was going on. Backgrounds can be simplistic, but Ilias Kyriazis draws a lot of detail in facial expressions and motions to contrast to that. It never feels like blank space.
The character designs look great. I love Poseidon, who is roughly the main villain of the comic. He has menacing beady eyes that glare down from an imposing muscular body. The best part of him is his beard which appears to be composed of seaweed. He is the comic’s main villain and I appreciate giving him such an awesome design despite his role being more delegated to being in the background of Odysseus’s and Godzilla’s journey.
Athena, a goddess of wisdom and war, is often portrayed classically as being overtly feminine, usually as a way to contrast her to Zeus, the ultimate jovial machoman. Here, an interesting choice was made to present Athena as wearing a suit of armor and give her an owl on her shoulder. Like Poseidon it’s an interesting design for something that has been iterated on thousands of times.
Godzilla and the other monsters look fine. Godzilla is based on his Heisei incarnation and Kyriazis draws him well. I don’t know if this was intentional, but the big beefy Heisei design works well in a Greek setting as it compliments the musculature of Poseidon and Zeus well. The rest of the monster cast is given similar care and it’s exciting to see what monsters and Toho figures were chosen for the comic. Without giving them away, there’s some fun deep cuts from Toho’s filmography.
I do admit I was surprised by Godzilla’s role in the story. While Godzilla is still explicitly referred to as King of the Monsters by Zeus, he seems to be somewhat subservient to Zeus. In the comic he’s the hammer of Zeus, and the leader of the gods “dispatched” him. It’s a small matter, but it’s surprising considering a lot of Godzilla comics and non-Toho productions have very carefully avoided Godzilla being used or controlled by someone. Even the ongoing crossover with Marvel has had the main villain “guide” Godzilla to places.
Moving back to the art, the composition work and how things are framed within panels are excellent as well. One of the pages that highlights this best is the page with Odysseus and the soldiers exiting the Trojan Horse. Odysseus is in the foreground slashing against his foes. Meanwhile, in the background is throngs of soldiers clashing against each other. Between this, and only a black silhouette, is the outlines of the soldiers exiting the trojan horse. The end result is an impressive composition that is incredibly complicated and conveys a lot of action yet is very easy to understand and read.
Another fantastic example of this is when Poseidon explains his grudge against Odysseus. The flashback that explains how he stops the Trojan soothsayer from revealing the truth of the Trojan Godzilla occur within his beard. It’s such a unique and unusual way to showcase the event and I love it. Moments like these with interesting panels and placement are drawn throughout the comic.
When Godzilla fights Scylla and Charybdis, the page is laid out with a series of zig-zagging rhombus-like panels and it showcases a lot of action in such a small space. It’s visually impressive and a delight to look over these pages after the initial reading in order to appreciate the detail and planning that went into these pages.
There are a few minor complaints I have about the line art in a few specific moments of the comic, though it’s nothing that would invalidate the praise I give it above. A few times throughout the comic Penelope makes overly simplistic reaction faces. It reminds me of an artistic trend seen in Japanese animation as well as memes. The worst example of this is when Penelope is shown to be reluctant towards the suitors that are pining for her hand in marriage. Her face lacks any detail and it becomes almost comical. She is portrayed in a similar light later when she is tearing apart the tapestry she is weaving. In isolation these aren’t bad, but it’s very strange compared to the amount of effort put into the faces for each other character. The only other point of issue with the art I take is a sole panel of Godzilla rising out of the water. For this page, and this page only, Godzilla is portrayed as having a very long and serpentine neck. This could be an intentional choice, but like Penelope’s facial expression it sticks out in a bad way. These just both stuck out to me because the rest of the art is flawless, in any other book I most likely would not even notice or care.
To return to praising the comic, Kyriazis does excellent with color. I would not describe the comic as colorful. Each page does not explode with different shades of color and often it’s very muted. Pebble grays and concrete blues fill the comic in contrast to sepia filled pages and white negative spaces. It blends surprisingly well and then when something—such as the depiction of Hades, has a different color to contrast it, it pops. The muted blue shades also fit the tone and content of the story well, as the narrative is being mostly controlled by Poseidon, God of the sea.
Because comics are a visual medium and have to juggle their exposition and artwork. It can be tricky for some, and I can’t deny I have some difficulty getting through dialogue heavy comics sometimes. Thankfully, this comic mostly avoids the issue. While some of the pages are filled with conversations between the gods, the comic knows when to let things breath and for the actions speak for themselves. Examples include the brief fight between Godzilla and Gigan which has no text, and the moment where Rodan is released from the bag of wind. This comic hits a nice balance and has a nice pace where it never feels like a single page is wasted.
Given this is an adaptation of a classical text it’s a bit difficult to criticize the plot. If I had one complaint about the story, it would be the final moments where Odysseus fights the suitors. After Odysseus shoots his arrow through the axes, the original story showcases a feat of strength as Odysseus beats the women pining for his wife’s hand in marriage. It serves as not only a way of winning his wife back, but also reclaiming his kingdom. That doesn’t happen, and instead the suitors are blasted away by Godzilla. The reason why this is a problem is that the comic downplays a lot of what Odysseus does by having Godzilla intervene. It’s Godzilla who defeats Gigan and it is Godzilla who prevents Odysseus’ ship from crashing against the rocks where the Sirens reside. This downplays Odysseus’ role in the story.
If there was a place to give Odysseus just a little bit more agency it would be here. Having Godzilla quash all the suitors, while amusing, steals the last moments that Odysseus has to shine on his own. However, I can understand that the original text is not overly concerned with giving Odysseus agency and in fact in many ways that is the main point. They may have felt that they wanted to give Godzilla a high note to end on, but I felt like the fight with Titanosaurus and King Ghidorah, followed by the revelation of the temple were more than enough.
It should be mentioned that this comic includes a bonus story, “Robin Hood and the Monster of Nottingham” by Tom Scioli. It’s a continuation of the Robin Hood meets Godzilla series and I enjoyed it. I’m saving my main thoughts on it for once the entire series is complete, but I think it’s a nice bonus. The main focus of Godzilla's The Odyssey, feels like it’s a perfect length, so it doesn’t feel like that additional tale robs that comic of anything important.
All of the covers are great, although I have my favorites. The first by Tom Scioli, Cover A, features a muscular Godzilla standing above two cliffs lifting a giant rock while what appears to be Odysseus’s’ ship passes through a strait. Then, there is Zeus above the clouds, and an amazing pattern of constellations to represent space. It all blends together nicely and it’s beautiful to look at, despite Godzilla’s grotesque appearance. Despite liking the cover, I don’t think it’s the best representation for the comic. Too much emphasis is placed on Godzilla and the rest of the elements in the cover feel a bit random.
Cover B, done by Ilias Kyriazis, might be the best. It portrays Godzilla and other monsters on what appears to be a classical Greek vase. It canonizes Godzilla as part of history and Greek mythology in a respectful way by acknowledging a celebrated art form and adding a Godzilla-twist to it. As it’s done by the main artist it also matches the contents well. It showcases most of the main monsters that appear in the comic nicely, though strangely adds Gaira and Sanda who do not appear in the issue. Although not the most eye-catching as some of the other covers, it’s my favorite of the bunch.
Next there is Pablo Tunica’s Cover C. He’s the illustrator for Godzilla: Escape the Deadzone and it’s refreshing to see him try drawing something less grotesque. The cover depicts Godzilla roaring in opposition to the Greek hero Perseus. The cover is actually a homage to a poster for Clash of the Titans (1981) with Godzilla standing in for the Kraken. Tunica does his own renditions of the Greek gods as well. If it’s not obvious, there’s a major problem with this cover. Clash of the Titans does not tell the story of Odysseus and is an entirely different myth. However, this highlights an interesting dilemma that Tunica’s most likely faced; up until very recently there have not been any major adaptations of The Odyssey. Therefore, Clash of the Titans is the next best thing. Given the circumstances, it’s understandable, but ironically it also makes me wish we could have gotten something of Godzilla vs. The Kraken or with Godzilla and Medusa. Perhaps in the future?
Finally, there is Christian Meesey’s cover. The cover is well drawn, and I like the composition of all the Greek gods charging at Godzilla. Zeus screaming at Godzilla in anger while Poseidon readies his trident is an amusing visual. It gives the impression that Godzilla will fight against the Greek pantheon which is not the case. In the comic Godzilla is a tool or representative of the gods and not in opposition. As a result, it feels better suited for Godzilla Rage Across Time #2. Likewise, because the comic takes itself seriously, it doesn’t fit the tone of the work well.
Finally, there’s an elephant in the room here, which is that Godzilla's The Odyssey comic was released on June 10th, 2026, a few weeks ahead of The Odyssey, directed by Christopher Nolan. I am sure this is no coincidence, and that the decision to publish this comic was influenced by this fact. Despite this, thanks to the effort by Ilias Kyriazis, Frank Tieri, and the rest of the IDW staff it does not.
Funnily enough, this comic serves as a nice complement to that film. Yes, I’m serious. Nolan’s theatrical adaptation omitted a lot of the more fantastical elements of the original story such as the Greek gods. While I appreciated that creative decision and thought the film was fantastic, I could see a situation arising where someone would want to see the Greek pantheon and embrace the wilder parts of the story. That’s where this comic comes in. It might be interesting for cultural critics and academic students to compare and contrast both adaptations against each other and the original.
There’s a wider discussion to be had to the enduring relevance of ancient myths and how modern cultures continually keep them alive by retelling them in different ways. With respect to previous and future entries in the Godzilla Monsterpiece Theater series its why this comic hits a little differently. Godzilla's The Odyssey is an excellent retelling of a classical tale. |
