The Godzilla Vs. Marvel series of books continues to provide fun stories set in pivotal periods in Marvel Comics history, and the latest, Godzilla Vs. Hulk, is no exception. Set in the 1960s-1970s era of both Godzilla films and Hulk comics (where Hulk truly began to come into his own and Godzilla was truly at its peak, in my opinion), the book almost subtly serves as a potential spiritual sequel to the previousMarvel run of Godzilla comics from that same time period, with the resurgence of a particular nasty and evil scientist that originally appeared in that original Marvel Comics era of Godzilla books.
The plot is pretty straightforward, as we’re thrown right into the middle of the conflict. After taking down giants such as Fin Fang Foom and Surtur, General Thunderbolt Ross has begun a new war, this time on the Kaiju that inhabit this universe. After rebuilding two Mechagodzillas, the dastardly Dr. Demonicus has devised a plan to utilize Kumonga into harming Mothra to bait out Godzilla, and hopefully, destroy the King of the Monsters for good. When that plan goes awry, Demonicus has a trick up his sleeve… the fearsome and horrendous Hedorah! Will Godzilla prevail, or will he need some help? Guess you’ll have to read and find out.
I found the action-packed tone of the comic quite rewarding. There’s no origin, exposition, or anything. We are just simply thrown right in to the action, and witness this epic crossover go down in real time. The utilization of other classic Showa era Godzilla monsters was quite fun, with General Ross’ squad including Mechagodzilla being a pretty nice surprise. Do I wish Mothra got to do more than just be hurt? A little bit, but that doesn’t detract from how fun this comic gets once things really heat up and we get Hulk thrown in the mix. I also appreciated that there were still stakes, with Godzilla AND Hulk being severely harmed by the toxic effects of Hedorah, who curiously has a bit of a new origin story in this book. It’s quite clever!
Overall, the comic is just too much fun. On a personal note, my two favorite characters growing up were Hulk & Godzilla, so there might be a little bit of bias there. But, if you’re into stories that feel like two action figures mashing together without any heavy-handedness, this is the book for you. The “cool” factor of this comic is dialed up to eleven with the introduction of HULK GODZILLA, something I never knew I needed to have in my life, but am sure glad it is. As Godzilla rampages across the Marvel Universe, I think this one will stack up amongst some of the best for the sheer craziness that goes down.
