The Godzilla vs. America series from IDW has provided some super fun cultural crossovers of the King of the Monsters with America’s biggest cities. With this being the 7th edition of the series that began in 2025, the quality is still being kept high. ‘Godzilla vs. San Diego’ features 4 distinct short stories, all packing a punch. This is an enjoyable and charming read for any Godzilla and comic fan at the dawn of San Diego Comic Con: one of the biggest conventions in the United States!
“Chaos at Comic Con”
Short, sweet, simple, and festive! As SDCC begins this week, there was no better way to open up this edition than with a comic con story! We follow the adventures of Chuck, the director of the operations of the convention center, as he frolics his way through the con with joy just like any participant. Expectedly, Godzilla shows up, Chuck’s 9.8 graded comic is destroyed, and he immediately commences the anti-kaiju protocol that is hilarious and conveniently in place for such a situation! Plenty of San Diego humor here that will give readers a chuckle, as the convention center literally turns into a kaiju buster to battle Godzilla. Stan Sakai’s art and Emi Fuji’s colors really steal the show with a charming, simplistic art style that shows that a comic doesnt need extreme degrees of complexity to be effective. Add in fun lettering from Simon Bowland, and you have a good start to this edition!
“Godzilla Goes to Comic Con”
Greg & Fake fully produce a story, art, and lettering in the second story of this edition. While the premise is similar to the first story, it certainly reads entirely differently. It’s a very creative narrative, despite its short length, as the 4th wall breaks and ambiguity makes one ponder what actually occurred. The story follows a group of kaiju cosplayers- King Ghidorah, Mechagodzilla, Rodan, and Mothra, hanging out at SDCC and getting ready to go to the IDW booth (self-insert!) when Godzilla shows up in the distance. A full scale kaiju battle ensues, but the story ends with the group in costumes, now with a costumed Godzilla, all brawled out. The charm of this story is that it reminds us of how we thought of our own imaginary kaiju battles as children: we may have just been playing with toys, but for us there were 400 foot monsters battling it out!
“Toy Time”
And… an Ultraman reference! This story written by Dan Jurgens, art by Margeaux Pepoy, colors from Jason Millet, and letters by Steve Wands, delivers a very unique story that tackles the issue of the difficulty of securing a table at SDCC without strong connections. I won’t spoil too much on this one, but it’s a spectacle-driven story that features the closest thing we have gotten to a proper Ultraman vs. Godzilla duke out! Despite being the third story that relates to a con, it still feels unique from the other two.
“Artists Alley Pinups”
What would be a San Diego Comic-Con celebration be without an Artist Alley that celebrates all of the wonderful artists that make our enjoyment of comics possible. This section is full of beautiful illustrations and clever 1 page stories that reveal a glimpse into the world of comic artists. Featuring talent from the likes of Jared Cullum, Dave Baker, and more!
Despite not being a San Diego native myself, this was a very fun read as a comic and a Godzilla fan. Attending San Diego Comic-Con is on my bucket list, and reading through this issue gave me a glimpse of the bursts of cultural life that exist at this con. For those looking for a Godzilla vs. America edition like the others, perhaps this may not be for you because really it is a “Godzilla vs. San Diego Comic Con” rather than San Diego, but it’s a great read nonetheless. Here’s to a great week of San Diego Comic-Con!
