Each theatrical release in the MonsterVerse has been accompanied by a prequel comic and now for the most anticipated film in the entire series Legendary Comics has released two prequel graphic novels, one for each of the titled monster stars of Godzilla vs. Kong (2021)! Godzilla Dominion and Kingdom Kong! As far as I am aware there is no correct reading order for these two books so I went in the order of the top billed Titans which means I started with Godzilla Dominion. I won't write too much about Kingdom King in this Dominion review but I will say reading Godzilla's tale and following it with Kong's story really felt like the correct order to read them in. Dominion reads as a follow up to 2019's Godzilla: King of the Monsters and Kingdom Kong as a set up for the events of Godzilla vs. Kong (2021).
This is also the first review I've written about any of the MonsterVerse comics so I'll give a quick rundown on my thoughts of each previous title. Godzilla Awakening had several highlights for me such as the revelation that the atomic bombing of Japan is what actually awakened Godzilla rather than the maiden voyage of the Nautilus and the inclusion of General MacArthur, but overall Awakening was hampered by an inconsistent story that contradicted events from the 2014 movie and by sometimes confusing artwork. Skull Island: The Birth of Kong was an vast improvement over Awakening with engaging prequel and sequel storylines and breathtaking artwork. Godzilla Aftershock was also an improvement over Awakening giving some much needed context for several characters who would feature in Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019) and some terrific artwork.
Godzilla Dominion was written by Greg Keyes who is a returning author to the MonsterVerse having previously written the Godzilla King of the Monsters novelization. I've reviewed this novel for Toho Kingdom where I expressed my appreciation for his work but in case you've missed it, Greg was able to not only retell the events of the film in an engaging manner on the page but deeply expand the MonsterVerse beyond what we've seen on film. Original characters, set pieces, and Titans as well as incorporation of Awakening and Aftershock's events and original Titans into the 2019 film's narrative made his novelization a must read.
When it comes to the story there isn't too much to discuss. The story is focused entirely on Godzilla's perspective as he maintains the natural balance of his territory and his quest to find a new resting place following the destruction of his previous one when Dr. Serizawa sacrificed himself to revive Godzilla. The lack of any human characters makes for a first for the MonsterVerse line of comics and feels like a proper spiritual successor to previous comics like IDW's Godzilla in Hell and Dark Horse's Godzilla King of the Monsters #16 which also told their stories from Godzilla's point of view. I really enjoyed this perspective and Greg did a fantastic job narrating the events with a minimalist style. For this kind of story I think it is best to let the art be the driving storytelling force rather than the writing.
Drew Johnson illustrated Godzilla Aftershock and makes a welcome return in Dominion. Bringing him back to artwork duties really makes Dominion feel connected to Aftershock. Godzilla and the other Titans are done justice by Drew's work with each one being beautifully detailed and rendered.
I do feel there are a few flaws which bear mentioning in this review. There was a particular part of the comic which confused me. Godzilla discovers the Titan Na Kika ensnared in a net by human aggressors who are in turn destroyed by Godzilla. I found this sequence confusing because the humans attack Godzilla in unmarked helicopters but in one panel a single fighter jet bearing the Monarch logo appears firing missiles and in the very next panel is shown destroyed and sinking underwater past Godzilla. Godzilla isn't explicitly shown destroying the jet but because of how the jet is laid out in the previous panel I can't confidently say that the missiles were explicitly fired at Godzilla. Is Monarch attacking Godzilla and the other Titans now? That seems to be in direct contradiction to Monarch's relationship with them established in the films. Or were the helicopters some other group besides Monarch? Does that mean the Monarch jet was shot down by them? Confusing me like this may have been the goal of Greg and Drew who for all I know are setting up a conflict between Monarch and some unknown human group to be paid off in Godzilla vs. Kong (2021) but until I see that movie I can't state wither my confusion was the desired effect or the result of flawed storytelling. I'm also left wondering about the fate of several of the human characters from Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019). How have Mark and Madison changed? What happened to Barnes and the rest of G-Team? Perhaps most glaringly what is Alan Jonah working on? His scene with the remaining Ghidorah head was obvious set up but Charles Dance is not listed in the cast for the upcoming film. If he isn't even mentioned in Godzilla vs. Kong (2021) I will be disappointed that neither that film or this prequel comic were able to tie up that loose end.
Godzilla Dominion is 96 pages long and while that does include a very cool Titan gallery and concept art section I feel like Dominion goes by way too fast. The limited narration and lack of any character dialog to slow the reader down only serve to make the 96 pages feel even shorter and I can see this being an issue for some readers. The shortness of Dominion is tempered by the fact that the cover price is only $16.99 which is a cheaper price than either Awakening or Aftershock were listed for although Dominion is a trade paperback and not a hardcover like those previous two releases.
While I was left with some questions and some questions regarding those questions, I found Godzilla Dominion to be another welcome release in the MonsterVerse comics and one that continues the upward movement in quality that each previous title achieved. While we don't know what the future holds for the MonsterVerse films I personally don't want to have to wait for another movie to see more MonsterVerse comics and I would love to see Legendary Comics continue to expand this world. I truly feel that the potential for this world to expand beyond the screen is incredible and I hope Legendary Comics agrees. |
