Review: Godzilla: Rulers of Earth #16

Lucy and her team face many riddles regarding the activities they just experienced.  Mecha-King Ghidora abducted Godzilla.  Anguirus still remains missing while Steve Woods and Allie continue to recover in the rubble. GODZILLA_ROE_16_cvrRI-1-9.24.14When Godzilla breaks free, an all-out battle erupts between the King of the Monsters, his mechanical doppelgängers, and the cyborg Ghidora.  The Cryog and his telepathic consorts control King Ghidora, but control is an illusion.  The kaiju battle royale intensifies, and readers get a treat in the last few panels that hint at Steve Woods returning to the Kiryu controls.

We get a heavy amount of info-dump dialogue on the front end of the comic with a glut of action in the middle and a relatively tame cliffhanger portending the events of the next issue.  While last month’s issue balanced the events well and produced an ending that inspired readers and elevated anticipation, this chapter feels like it just gets by.  The action within doesn’t change or alter any of the plot line, nor does the story take any new direction.  Readers do see future events shaping up courtesy of the subtle hints suggested.

Godzilla: RoE and Cataclysm have both been great reads with hit-or-miss installments.  The great signs coming from IDW point to a constancy with continuity and a vision to take some bold steps.  Little by little the IDW Godzilla comics have come together to add depth to the mythos of the title character.  Although this issue does not compare well to others in this series, it is considerably better than the previous incarnations of Godzilla in the IDW-verse.


Score: 3/5


Writer: Chris Mowry Artist: Jeff Zornow, Matt Frank Publisher: IDW Publishing Price: $3.99 Release Date: 9/24/14 Format: Ongoing; Print/Digital