Comic Book Review – Godzilla: Rulers of Earth #6

The stakes have never been higher when an alien onslaught on Las Vegas reveals new weapons for both sides of the conflict! Meanwhile, Lucy has her own problems to deal with as two countries pit monster against monster, with her team caught in the middle.

Chris Mowry and Matt Frank’s Godzilla train rolls in with an action packed sixth issue featuring some outstanding fights, great artwork (most of the time) and a surprise ending that will put a smile on the face of any Godzilla fan.

If there is one thing that Godzilla: Rulers of Earth has succeeded in, it’s bringing together epic fights. Whether it be the opening issue brawl between Godzilla and Zilla or the city-tearing battle with Destroyah, Mowry and Frank have really hit the nail on how to appease fans of the character and franchise. And, much like Zilla and Destroyah, the duo have also done a great job of making these lesser-known/used kaiju seem like a big deal. Godzilla: Rulers of Earth #6 is no exception.

Despite being a favourite among the hardcore fans, Gigan has never really been seen as an A-lister kaiju. He was unfortunately created at a time where Toho didn’t have a lot of money to produce high-grade movies and thus his appearances in Godzilla vs. Gigan and Godzilla vs. Megalon are much maligned and are seen as blemishes in the franchise history as opposed to the greats. However he was used as one of the lead kaiju in 2004s Godzilla: Final Wars where Mowry and Frank have taken the majority of their inspiration for this interpretation, which really helps elevate him to the standards needed to make the story compelling. Conversely, his tag team partner for this issue has only made one appearance in a Godzilla movie in Toho’s answer to the 1998 American Godzilla “reboot”, Godzilla 2000, and is probably in the bottom tier of the franchise roll call. Even though the movie wasn’t all that bad, Orga has never been given much of a chance outside of a few showings in the Godzilla video games on the PS2 and Xbox. His appearance here however is much grander and he is shown to be more than a match for the likes of Godzilla – something that really ups the ante of this issue’s story telling.

But if Orga is more of a forgotten and never-mentioned opponent, the robot Moguera has always been seen as nothing more than a low-rent Mechagodzilla. He made is debut in non-Godzilla Toho production The Mysterians and then made a brief (and mostly pointless) appearance in 1994s Godzilla vs. Spacegodzilla and even though he has been featured in some of the video game adaptations (he was one of the first bosses in Godzilla: Monster of Monsters on the NES), he’s never really been seen as a true Godzilla character. But, like Gigan and Orga, Mowry and Frank have turned this forgotten piece of Toho’s past and turned him into a credible alternative for the over-used Mechagodzilla and the perfect tag team partner for Godzilla in this issue.

And while Matt Frank’s artwork has been exemplary throughout this series (as well as this issue), some of the panels in Godzilla: Rulers of Earth #6 lack true definition and can often by confusing. The action is fast paced (thanks to Mowry’s excellent writing) but Frank’s artwork doesn’t always cut it. His designs are superb and, as mentioned earlier, he’s made these lesser-known kaiju feel important, but it doesn’t always work which is a little disappointing – considering that his work up until this point has been phenomenal.

With that said, Godzilla: Rulers of Earth #6 is yet another example as to why this series is one of IDW’s current highlights. It’s balls to the wall action and it will leave you closing the comic with a Cheshire Cat-like grin spread across your face – even if some of the artwork is a bit messy. With the end tease of ‘punch, punch, punch’ in place, we can get ourselves ready for yet another appearance from another forgotten member of Godzilla’s past – and he’s one that is mocked more than others. The jury is out on whether Mowry and Frank can turn this particular character into something credible…

Luke Owen is one of Flickering Myth’s co-editors and the host of the Flickering Myth Podcast. You can follow him on Twitter @LukeWritesStuff.