Godzilla: Rulers of Earth #12 – Review

By: Chris Mowry (writer), Matt Frank (art), Mostafa Moussa (ink assists), Priscilla Tramontano (colors)

The Story: Freakin’ Jet Jaguar, man…

The Review: Godzilla: Rulers of Earth #12 was originally this series’ capstone issue and, though its popularity has bought it a longer lifespan, it’s clear that this was always intended as a big moment.

With Gezora in retreat, the Devonian forces are on their back foot. Godzilla has their monsters on the run and the armies of humanity have discovered their lair thanks to a defector. Unfortunately the ancient sea-dwellers are unwilling to go down without a fight, releasing a clutch of Destoroyah crustaceans to deal with the humans.

Over the last year, RoE has struggled to balance its desire to craft a new alien invasion story with the satisfying simplicity of daikaiju brawling. It may not be perfect, but this is probably the best fusion of the two yet. With battles raging on two fronts, there’s certainly enough action to keep readers satisfied. It helps that Matt Frank is delivering some of his clearest fight choreography of the series. Godzilla is clever without reaching the superhero levels of the Showa movies, bestial without becoming as villainous as in the Heisei movies, and sturdy without the stiffness of the Millennium series.

Frank also does some great things with Manda and Titanosaurus, teaming them up to provide the somewhat outdated kaiju with a second wind. Though Titanosaurus is the primary combatant, making him – her? – a rather nice foil for our own aquatic dinosaur, Frank does some excellent work with Manda. The Final Wars design looks particularly great as drawn by Frank and the serpentine kaiju adds a great deal to the compositions of the book.

Eventually the crustaceans inevitably form Destoroyah, providing a strange but wonderful fight. Frank’s Destoroyah isn’t quite as polished as many of his other kaiju, or even the small crustaceans, but it’s far from unpleasing to the eye. Part of me feels like Destoroyah isn’t presented as enough of a threat this issue, but the way that the Precambrian behemoth is dispatched is so totally crazy awesome that I can’t really be upset.

In fact, this issue bears other similarities to Godzilla vs. Destoroyah. As in the film, it’s Godzilla who holds the spotlight as we wind down the story. I could understand if some readers are less than thrilled with the big finish of this arc not being a huge kaiju smackdown, but, as I see it, this is really a perfect way to punctuate the story. The climax of the issue is well paced and provides a sense of gravitas that might otherwise be hard to come by in a series where the clashing of titans and the destruction of cities is really just Tuesday. The largely wordless, if not silent, pages preceding give a sense of building tension leading up to one of Mowry’s characteristically poetic monologues, probably the series’ best, though it’s still somewhat overwrought.

It’s also a a shame that so much of the dialogue is spent on characters giving commentary, though I suppose it’s something of a Godzilla tradition.

The issue ends with some tantalizing hints of what’s to come in the second year, including one fantastically satisfying scene that’s especially creepy given the events of issue #3. I’m afraid I can’t say any more than that however.

We’ve always known that Matt Frank can draw kaiju, but this issue really does remind you how much improvement there’s been in his storytelling skills since the series started. While the urge to just draw huge, detailed, and beautiful images must be tempting for Frank, he resists and supplies a slew of attractive monster panels that form an impressive whole.

Likewise the humans in this issue are some of Frank’s best. Lucy still looks a tad more exaggerated in her design than the others but, especially with Mowry’s excellent attention to the human drama, the small-scale action is getting nearly as interesting as the kaiju.

The Conclusion: Though there are still many dangling plot threads, Godzilla: Rulers of Earth #12 wraps up the invaders mega-arc that’s run through the first year with grace and grandeur. The writing could still be tighter, but it can’t be said that the issue doesn’t deliver pretty much everything a Godzilla story should.

The use of time and pressure are excellent and the team manages to show us something new, something more interesting than a brawl between two kaiju who’ve never met. It’s very strange that there’s been no mention of the Shobijin’s prophesy since issue #9, but that’s, in some ways, the real measure of a comic, especially a conclusion. The simple fact is if this series ended here, as it was intended to, I’d be sad; what better praise is there?

Grade: B-

A Note:

• While you’re never in a bad way when you get a cover featuring a Matt Frank Godzilla, that Jeff Zornow cover is really something. If your store still has one, I’d grab it.

-Noah Sharma