Gutters and Panels

Review: 'Godzilla: Rulers of the Earth' #1 Kicks-Off New Ongoing Series

Cover detail from Godzilla: Rulers of the Earth #1, art by Matt Frank. IDW Publishing.

I've been quietly curious about IDW's Godzilla monthlies for a while now. I would say I'm a casual G-fan - I can name about 90% of the Toho monsters on sight, but I can't identify Godzilla by the periods identifiable in his many costume changes. I know more about Godzilla than some, but considerably less than the hardcore fans. It's just something to consider as I give my two-cents on IDW's latest, Godzilla: Rulers of the Earth. I'm no expert here, but I like fun comics and I like Godzilla. This first issue seems to land right in the middle of that Venn diagram.

Variant cover for Godzilla: Rulers of the Earth #1, art by Art Adams. IDW Publishing.

Artist Matt Frank's cartoony figure work shares a similarity with Todd Nauck, but you don't buy a Godzilla book for Hogarth-level renderings of the human form - you buy it for the big monsters, and that's where Frank really shines. His kaiju are big and mean and have a life to them that draws the reader's attention. We need the humans to propel the story, but every page without a monster is practically begging to be turned as quickly as possible.

Most of the action here centers around a conference in Hawaii, with scientists trying to make sense of the recent influx of "megazoological" findings. Some of the big guns are off the map (Mothra, Rodan), while others, notably Gigan and giant spider Kumonga, are still tearing things up without interference from modern military forces. Of course Godzilla is in here as well, and he squares off against a monster I really didn't expect to see in one of these comics.

More faithful than Marvel's late 1970s attempt at Godzilla comics and more sci-fi fun than Dark Horse's Godzilla from the 90s, writer Chris Mowry and Frank are making the best of the license. Rulers of the Earth is supposed to be ongoing, and there's a level of untapped potential in long-form serialized Godzilla stories. The creative team has enough time on their hands to make the human characters worthwhile, yet it's the biggest challenge ahead of them because few are buying these books for interpersonal character drama. They already have the monster-smashing down - is it asking too much for more? Maybe so. This is Godzilla: Rulers of the Earth after all, not Random Scientists: Watchers of the Rulers of the Earth. Who needs people, anyway?

Transformer Roll-Out: A "Reluctant Specialist" Gets His Due in 'Transformers Spotlight: Trailcutter'

Variant cover detail to Transformers Spotlight: Trailcutter, art by Livio Ramondelli. Hasbro/IDW Publishing.

is a writer/editor for PixlBit.com and the host of the Nerds Without Pants podcast. He's also the biggest Transformers fan I've ever met and will be covering IDW's Transformers comics right here on a regular basis. This week, he's reviewing the latest book from IDW...

Transformers Spotlight: Trailcutter, “The Reluctant Specialist”

Cover to Transformers Spotlight: Trailcutter, art by Matt Frank. Hasbro/IDW Publishing.

When I reviewed the recent Transformers Spotlight one-shot for Bumblebee, I complained that the story contained within held no weight because it was so far removed from the current storyline that it was no longer relevant. The same could be said for this story about Autobot Trailcutter, since it takes place between More Than Meets the Eye issues 5 and 6, but this story feels timeless. James Roberts has written a comic book that feels more like one of the older cartoons and can be enjoyed outside of continuity just as well as if you’re reading it right alongside the companion book.

The premise really is like something out of a cartoon - Trailbreaker is tired of being overlooked as the Autobot that generates forcefields and spends the first part of the book moping around Swerve’s bar. Whirl tries to bring the “specialist” out of his funk but only succeeds in bringing some incredible laughs to an already lighthearted story. Things go awry when Trailbreaker (now calling himself Trailcutter at Whirl’s suggestion) finds himself as the only functional Autobot on the Lost Light during a Deception attack.

This is a hilarious comic that is enhanced by the art of Matt Frank, who brings some wonderful emotion to the characters in this book. Trailcutter’s sour frown is priceless, and while this artist hasn’t done a lot of work on the IDW Transformers books, I’d love to see him do more with the MTMTE cast. There’s a great cameo by Lockdown from the Transformers: Animated series, and the book has a perfect ending. Wonderfully entertaining, perfectly stand alone, this is how a Spotlight book should be done.

(Transformers Spotlight: Trailcutter arrives in stores and online on Wednesday, April 3, from IDW Publishing.)