Godzilla vs. New York City Review

When Godzilla vs. America was first announced, everyone knew that it was only a matter of time before Big G came to the Big Apple. Godzilla may be based in Japan and most known for his rampages in Tokyo, but the King of the Monsters definitely has a storied relationship with New York City. Godzilla first paid New York a destructive visit in the beloved Destroy All Monsters (1968), and of course, Roland Emmerich’s 1998 Godzilla film showcased a full Godzilla film in the city that never sleeps. And here we are in late 2026, fresh off of witnessing Professor Murakami’s vision of using Godzilla to destroy New York City as revenge for Hiroshima in Godzilla: Minus Zero. 

Certainly, given the relationship between Godzilla and New York, the complex times we live in now, and the state of the Godzilla franchise overall, getting to witness more media of Godzilla and New York City interacting is a treat for us all. As a NYC native myself, I was very much looking forward to reading and reviewing this edition of Godzilla vs. America. 

“KingZilla” Story by Frank Tieri, Art by Mark Texeira, Letters by Tom Napolitano. 

The first story takes place in 1933 and thrusts you into the fray immediately with its dark art style and grim black and white color scheme. Carl Denham, a New York City filmmaker, wanted to make a movie off of a real life monster and went to a strange island to do it. There he and the actress he brought found a strange reptilian tribe that worshiped the “monstrosity,” and the monstrosity is indeed far beyond what their greatest fears could imagine. An absolutely uncanny Godzilla appears, kills the actress, and follows Carl and his crew back to New York City. No matter what any defense force tried to do- it was hopeless as Godzilla decimated the biggest city in the world.

Frank Tieri delivers a simple but dark story of what it would be like if Godzilla really appeared in New York. Mark Texeira’s art style is strong and visceral. The comic reminded me a lot of the 1954 film which it perhaps may have been inspired by. In the current times we live in, this story provides a great follow up to the reminder that Minus Zero gave us about the power of destruction and Murakami’s vision. Certainly an eye-catching way to start an important comic considering this context. 

“Watermarked” Story by Tango, Colors by Ryan Cody, Letters by Tom Napolitano

Watermarked follows a group of subway riders as the water flows in from a Godzilla attack. The subway flowing with water chaotically is basically a normal day for a ride in the NYC MTA, and the only thing extraordinary was seeing Godzilla terrorizing New York upon exiting the subway. I thought the art style and flow is actually pretty similar to that of The Walking Dead, and one thing I really liked was the camaraderie between the different random citizens as they helped each other throughout the comic. One thing about New Yorkers is that they will rally behind each other with an energy like no other, as we saw in the epic scenes on the streets of NYC during the New York Knicks 2026 championship run. In the closing moments, The Winged One Mothra comes to save the day, sporting a really cool design. This is in the middle of being a really dark story and a typical Godzilla story. I enjoyed it a lot, particularly the subway and city being depicted really well through the gritty art style. 

“Best -Laid Plans” Story by Anthony Marques, Art by John Renner, Colors by Heather Beckel, Letters by Tom Napolitano

Best-Laid Plans follows a father and his daughter stuck in a deserted building following a helicopter crash during an escape from Godzilla. Quite an eventful start. They find the helicopter, along with the wife and brother. The rest of the comic follows their escape as a threatening Godzilla looms. There is definitely a lot of suspense in this story, but to me, this does not necessarily feel like a story that relates closely to New York City itself, which makes it stick out a bit among the other stories. The art direction and depiction of Godzilla is well done, however, and it would have been intriguing to see how New York City could have been intertwined with the positives of this story. 

“Party Crashers,” Story, Art, and Letters by Anna Meyer

Just a normal day in Soho- waiting in an outrageously long line for an expensive coffee that you can get anywhere else, talking about who can’t make it to the party Saturday, Godzilla appears and starts destroying things… well one of those is not a normal day in Soho. Party Crashers by Anna Meyer is a fun, clever story about two friends navigating an awkward social situation all with Godzilla being Godzilla in the background.

There is plenty of classic New York humor: A place that is a coffee shop in the morning to a ‘natural wine bar’ at night, to people being drawn like sardines packing the staircase to the 1,2,3 train, to Ubers suddenly costing $4,000 during a special event, and even calling Godzilla a “transplant.” An enjoyable read and a lighthearted story that has the New York City spunk that its residents know quite well. 

Godzilla vs. New York City does justice to the storied relationship that Godzilla has with the Big Apple. Its stories are engaging, fitting for its setting, and embraces the best parts of Godzilla and New York City. As a New Yorker myself, I can only hope that future stories, both film and not film, can continue to explore the dynamic relationship between Godzilla and such an iconic city.