The direct sales cover hooked me with its depiction of Godzilla’s eye taking on a look of panic/anger as hundreds of tiny Destoroyahs claw at Big G’s green flesh. The first two pages thrust me against the pinball machine and had their way with me as soon as I saw Baragon surface at the Arc de Triomphe and MechaGodzilla (Kiryu) standing by ready to smack that unicorn horn right off his doe-eyed red-fleshed face. Plus, destroying Paris makes everyone happy.
Okay, so some dialogue gets thrown in that slows things down. I also noticed a logical error with the set-up. All the monsters are being collected and sent to islands for safekeeping. Monsters like Baragon can burrow into the earth and escape. There needs to be countermeasures installed like in Destroy All Monsters that keep those kaiju safely in bounds. Additionally, I hope the “Monster Island” plot point leads to something greater than just a Poke-ball type repository for those monsters knocked out in battle.
The Devonians reveal their plan through obvious exposition. They want to lock down the oceans so that mankind fears the seas and is forced to stay on land. Oh, they also want to kill Godzilla because he can wreck them. While they do all that, Dr. Allison meets with the rogue Devonian to learn that the undersea creatures harbor an Aquaman like grudge against the thoughtless, polluting human race.
After more exposition the issue concludes with Manda, Gezora, Titanosaurus, and Destoroyah locking up with Godzilla right below the fleet.
Once again some fan favorites and underutilized monsters make appearances. However, this issue felt like Final Wars in the fast paced appearances that seem too forced to be appreciated. When a monster appears, we need some background and lead in with a battle that builds to a greater event. The creative team seems to be working up to something good, and I know the payoff will be pretty promising based on the work so far.
Despite the heavy exposition and rising questions regarding the bigger picture, I did enjoy the action and intensity of #11. I would be better satisfied with more of a bigger ticking time bomb master plot that escalates from the smaller monster fights. Nonetheless, G:RoE continues to provide some great Godzilla entertainment.
Score: 4/5
Writer: Chris Mowry Artist: Matt Frank Publisher: IDW Publishing Price: $3.99 Release Date: 4/23/14