Godzilla is the hot commodity right now with a blockbuster film (that sucked) in theaters and the 60th anniversary year of Toho’s iconic movie monster in full swing. While the movie did gangbusters at the box office but failed to supply a decent vehicle to showcase what a genuine Godzilla movie should be like, this IDW comic does deliver the goods. Destoroyah crabs attack the USS Simon where the human heroes converge to initiate a nuclear strike on the Devonians and the kaiju—including Big G. Woods takes a big hit, and the rest of the humans fight back.

On the top of the Devonian Kingdom, Godzilla, Titanosaurus, Manda, and Gezora slug it out. Up above, Jet Jaguar intercedes when Destoryah takes its full-sized form. There’s action aplenty as the final issue comes to a close with a big bang and some startling twists and revelations.

Overall, this has been one of the stronger IDW Godzilla titles. First, the series had a clear idea of what it needed to do and how it needed to get there. Slow at times, Rulers alleviated for that with some great moments of kaiju battle and some underutilized and fan favorite monsters getting some time in the spotlight. Best of all, the series didn’t feel like it was halted abruptly in mid-motion like Legends did.

For having to contend with a license character and all the restraints the parent company must impart, Chris Mowry delivered a storyline that allowed Godzilla to wreck and rumble. Sure, there were no major casualties because no kaiju can be *defeated* (killed). Nevertheless, he showed his knowledge of the subject matter and his ability to weave an arc that felt genuinely Godzilla.

Score: 4/5

Writer: Chris Mowry Artist: Matt Frank Publisher: IDW Publishing Price: $3.99 Release Date: 5/28/14