I have been absolutely thrilled to review Mothra Queen of the Monsters each month as it was released. It’s been a wild ride, but finally, we’ve reached the end. Matt Frank and Sophie Campbell have clearly put their hearts and souls into this project and it shows. I’m so happy to let Kaiju United readers know if the miniseries concludes with the same quality the series has had overall, and whether or not it truly sticks the landing after much build-up and anticipation.
Mothra: Queen of the Monsters Issue 5 is the climax of the story, with our two bug protagonists, Mothra and Antra, uniting to battle against the fearsome Omegaguirus. Megaguirus has spent the previous issues as a distant threat, plotting and scheming. In the shadows, she caused the end of the world by stealing Mothra’s magic, and has been gestating it for years, finally becoming her ultimate form: Omegaguirus. This form of Megaguirus is absolutely awesome to look at, she is huge and menacing and looks like an anime final boss. On the art side, Megaguirus in this issue doesn’t emulate the rubber suit or puppet vibes that other Kaiju illustrated in this series have been portrayed as. Megaguirus gets to truly make use of the medium of comics to be a terrifying, formidable, and ferocious foe, and Matt Frank has delivered his A-game here in designing the creature.
TM & ©Toho Co., Ltd.
The fight itself of Antra and Mothra vs. Omegaguigurus is fantastically well put together. Most of the pages have a giant panel of action with a smaller panel showing our protagonists reacting to it. The battle feels massive with this technique, constantly showcasing just how big these kaiju really are. There is also a great flow between pages, readers will always be able to tell where the Kaiju are in relation to each other, and how Omegaguirus can battle one with claws and the other with her tail simultaneously. It’s all put together so well, and that’s great given that the entire issue is one big duel for the fate of the world. There is no exposition; there is no character development. Everything has been established, our girls are finally together and happy and understand their place in the world. Now, it’s Mothra Gemini’s turn to lead the story.
A standout in this issue is also the sheer amount of stakes this final showdown has. Of course, our heroes end up prevailing, but at great cost. Monsters get dismembered and decapitated. Both the good guys and Omegaguirus suffer some kind of loss in a way, and the fight is brutally even. One of my favorite moments in the fight is when Mothra Gemini gets to shoot forward like a torpedo, and it’s clear that Matt Frank’s having a blast with it. Mothra is hurtling through the sky like a bullet, and you can *feel* the weight coming right off the page. There was even a part in the book where I literally screamed and nearly cried. Everything that Kaiju fans have been asking for in a comic book has been provided here: it’s action-packed, has brutal monster fights, and gives Mothra some time to shine alone without being in the shadow of Godzilla.
The final issue of Mothra is the perfect ending to the series. It all leads up to this: our girls coming together for the sake of saving the world, and to much delight, Mothra gets to spearhead the finale. There is so much fun stuff to take in through the whole series, even if the exposition dumps were a little too much sometimes, but thankfully the final issue is the perfect culmination and really does stick the landing. No more exposition, just climax and resolution, but still leaving things open if a follow-up should happen. Mothra was a great series, but its ending elevates it, in my opinion, to one of the best Godzilla-related comics ever. I am a little sad the miniseries is over already, but the story is tight and well-paced enough to be worth checking out. If you missed out, definitely try to go back and find the back issues, or wait for the trade!
