“Have you heard the good word?”
That’s the final line in what may very well be one of the greatest cold openers in Godzilla comic history. To kick off the sophomore issue of Escape the Deadzone, we’re introduced to a down-on-his-luck man who sees a potential new beginning when he accepts Godzilla into his life. Now, this isn’t just joining our community of passionate G-Fans, no, this is an entrance into a seriously sinister cult with even more nefarious plans – The Church of Godzilla! And while the fandom has joked about hearing the good word of GODzilla for eons, the IDW team has taken this literally and expanded the concept into something truly fascinating, disturbing, and strangely, something apt to our current times.
On paper, I’m surprised it took this long for a true kaiju cult story to happen (something I’ve been wanting to see personally for a long, long time), but once The Wanderer, Runt, and Glasseater, are taken captive into this religious movement, the book immediately goes all the way with the idea. Sure, a creepy cult in a post-apocalyptic book isn’t exactly the most original idea, but the kaiju spin on the trope works really well in expanding out this universe. Not only is it creepy, mysterious, and off-putting, but the book also surprisingly manages to provide some awesome action and fun gore along the way as our heroes escape the clutches of The Church. Have you ever wanted to see a mutant kaiju man rip somebody’s head off? No? Well, you’re gonna get that here, and it’s pretty wicked.
TM & ©Toho Co., Ltd.
Griffin Sheridan and Ethan S. Parker’s script for this issue is too good. I was amazed at how much humor was weaved within a dark and ominous story, but the dramatic irony was cranked up to eleven here brilliantly. Characters utter phrases like “I thought this was going to be a cult or something” or “This is sure to be an unforgettable night” being some of my favorites. As an enthusiast of weird phenomena and creepy real-life cults, the way that the Church of Godzilla speaks is terrifyingly accurate, with high-concept, apocalyptic verbiage about being saved… by being destroyed, delivering a fun kaiju spin on something like Heaven’s Gate, especially with the leader being designated by her followers as MOTHER-A.
And through all of this fun, dark, spooky book, readers still get to learn some new things about our favorite Wanderer and his abilities, pulling off an excellent juggling act of worldbuilding and character development. Anyone who wants to write an awesome comic book needs to sit down and read this issue as an example of how to go above and beyond in delivering on all beats of your story, as this is one serious book with layers upon layers of nuance and storytelling. Deadzone takes an overused idea we typically see in stories like this, but breathes new life into it with the addition of the kaiju layer in everything we see, everything the characters say and do, and everything that happens within the Deadzone itself. No matter where you go… Godzilla is there.
Pablo Tunica’s ability to switch styles and presentation on a whim puts a wonderful bow on top of this already fantastic comic. To begin with, we’re set with some moody, rainy day vibes, with little color, and dirty, grimy hues. As we meet our heroes again, we get a nice mix of desert coloration with some awesome attention to detail with the shadowing of our characters relative to where they’re standing. Finally, within The Church, we get a good mix of the grimy, dirty coloration of earlier with some glowing Kai-Sei greens and browns, a cool mix between the dark and scary world with the fantastical beliefs of this following. As The Wanderer amps up, we get more whites, more greens, and lighter colors. I go this far into detail to truly illustrate how varied the visual storytelling is on this book and how it works perfectly on each and every panel no matter the location or what’s happening on the page.
TM & ©Toho Co., Ltd.
I don’t want to repeat myself again, but Escape the Deadzone really is a masterclass, both in how stories can be written within our genre, and how to successfully flesh out a world that is inhabited by these strange, powerful beasts, without using them that much. Godzilla has a terrifying, looming presence in Deadzone without ever appearing in the flesh. In a Q&A with Kaiju United, we were told that that this book was going to earn the name Godzilla being on the title of this series, and I think they’re not only successful at doing so right out the gate, but Escape the Deadzone is also perhaps one of the few pieces of Godzilla media to pull off the impossible: tell a satisfying, engaging, and multi-thematic story without Godzilla ever showing up in it.
Issue 2 of this already high-quality run is showing that Kai-Sei Godzilla didn’t just have really great first issues and then a downhill journey from then onwards. This book is a demonstration of what can be done with the King of the Monsters in the medium, and so far, in my opinion, is the best book in the Kai-Sei run. It’s shocking that a kaiju book with zero instances of giant monster action can be on this level of quality. It’s an impossible task that very, very few individuals can pull off, but the team at IDW Publishing seems to have cracked the code here. If you want something different that is overflowing with flavor in your kaiju library, this book should be on the very top of your pull list, no questions asked.
Overall Score: 10/10
Having a kaiju story go above and beyond in every aspect in its respective medium without actually having a giant monster in the book is a herculean feat, but Griffin Sheridan, Ethan S. Parker, and Pablo Tunica have pulled it off, delivering an awesome book with some of the best creepy cult action ever put to page. If you don’t have this book in your hold, go visit your local comic shop and pick it up immediately.
