Godzilla wanders across the Marvel Universe's USA! If that right there doesn't interest you, this comic isn't for you. It's wonderfully dumb stuff.

Doug Moench stayed incredibly faithful to the spirit of the Toho movies in these comics. It's got giant monsters, giant robots, Godzilla blowing stuff up for no reason, Godzilla saving lives for no reason, and, of course, the Japanese Kid With The Special Bond With Godzilla. But Moench doesn't stop there: he adds The Fantastic Four, The Avengers, SHIELD, time travel, a four-issue arc in which they shrink Godzilla, and a bunch of ridiculously-written cowboys.

After a while, the whole thing gets so blessedly ludicrous that you can't help but smile while reading. Or, at least, I couldn't. ( )

Marvel’s Essential Godzilla: King of the Monsters collects issues 1-24 of the series that ran from 1977 to 1979, written and illustrated by Doug Moench and Herb Trimpe, respectively (with Tom Sutton penciling two issues). Marvel licensed the character from Toho Films and pit him against S.H.I.E.L.D. as he breaks free from an iceberg in Alaska and begins terrorizing the West Coast of the United States, encountering various Marvel heroes along the way including the Champions, the Fantastic Four, Moon-Boy & Devil Dinosaur, and the Avengers. The series even includes what the blurb on the back cover of this collection calls, “One of Spider-Man’s most gratuitous guest-shots ever!” Marvel lost the copyright to the character, but Godzilla later reappeared in Iron Man nos. 193, 194, and 196 as well as The Thing no. 31, though he was further mutated and not called “Godzilla.” Seeing Godzilla appear alongside classic Marvel characters is easily one of comics’ greatest crossovers. At times, Trimpe’s depiction of Godzilla more closely resembles some of the comic book depictions of dinosaurs from that era, but Godzilla’s portrayal as a force of nature occasionally on the side of humanity fits with his various film incarnations.

Throughout the series, Timothy “Dum Dum” Dugan of S.H.I.E.L.D. plays the role traditionally held by the military in Toho’s Godzilla films arguing for the monster’s destruction, while Agent Gabriel “Gabe” Jones works alongside Japanese scientist Dr. Yuriko Takiguchi, his assistant Tamara Hashioka, and his grandson Robert Takiguchi to argue against destroying Godzilla, preferring instead to understand him and try to relocate him. Like the films that inspired the comics, the series offers some interesting environmental commentary. For example, writer Moench reveals in the first issue that Dr. Takiguchi was the lone dissenter to a Japanese nuclear test, while in the fourth issue, Dr. Demonicus references the OPEC oil embargo and General Motors’ dependency on foreign oil, using it as justification for his crimes. Another experimental weapons test in issue 10 frees Yetrigar, a giant Sasquatch-like creature who battles Godzilla at the Grand Canyon. Engaging in some social commentary, in issue four Dum Dum Dugan must also address his anti-Japanese prejudice, having fought the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II and now finding them allies both as part of the Cold War and as S.H.I.E.L.D. works to defeat or contain Godzilla. Marvel couldn’t license other Toho monsters, so when Moench wanted to pit Godzilla against other giant monsters he had to create his own. Some of these belonged to Dr. Demonicus (with one closely resembling Mothra) and others come from outer space in issues 12-14. He also adds a giant mecha in the form of Red Ronon, a battle robot piloted by Robert Takiguchi, the young grandson of Dr. Takiguchi. This further recalls elements of Japanese cinema, including Mobile Suit Gundamn, which premiered shortly before Marvel concluded their Godzilla series.

After Marvel lost the rights to use Godzilla, the mighty King of the Monsters appeared in comics published by other companies. Beginning in 1987, Dark Horse Comics published Godzilla comics and trade paperbacks for twelve years. Later, Trendmasters included a Godzilla comic with some toys in 1994 while Fox Kids Magazine featured two Godzilla comics as a tie-in to the animated series that spun-off from Roland Emmerich’s 1998 film. IDW published Godzilla comics between 2010 and 2016, while Legendary Comics published tie-ins to Legendary Studios’ 2014 and 2019 films. Few of these, however, so perfectly capture the Shōwa era of Godzilla films while also engaging in the type of storytelling that was only possible in the late 1970s. Fun for both Godzilla fans and those who enjoy this era of comic books! ( )

It has Godzilla on the cover, enough said.