Review by Frank Plowright
IDW’s approach to Godzilla has been admirably eclectic, moving away from the traditional plots of Godzilla either menacing a city or fighting another of the kaiju, and having creators working on the character not locked to an action thriller format.
Godzilla vs. America offers the best of both worlds by returning to the traditional plot, but continuing the use of creators with an individual approach. The title is definitive for a graphic novel having Godzilla menace four American cities. In order there’s Chicago, Los Angeles, Boston and Kansas, with the latter being of particular concern as Godzilla usually emerges from the sea, so must have rampaged one hell of a way to reach it.
Four stories per city are provided, and in almost every case Godzilla’s presence is the prompt for changing someone’s life, with the approach ranging from downright comedic to quite tragic. The opening Chicago section represents the diversity. Mike Costa and Ryan Browne spotlight a local eccentric publicity seeker attempting to restore his reputation; Tim Seeley on art as well as writing focuses on a young woman obsessed with signs of good luck; Ezra C. Daniels supplies a collection highlight with a clever tale of corrupt politics, and Caroline Cash’s tale of a woman enlarged to Godzilla’s size is too whimsical.
Gabriel Hardman’s tale of courageous journalism in Los Angeles is very good, but exemplifies several stories only mentioning the selected city in passing, while the activities could have occurred in any of the featured cities. ‘The Big Break’ featuring a film-obsessed young woman by Jordan Morris and Nicole Goux (sample art left) could only have been located in Los Angeles. It’s also the case for Dave Baker’s clever integration of the city’s public transport system, where basic cartooning is supplemented by plenty of diagrams. J. Gonzo opts for a celebration of the city, but the cheerleading is too obvious.
Steve Orlando and Matt Emmons open well by starting in Boston Harbour in 1888, but are disappointingly formulaic, which can’t be said about Jesse Lonergan’s inventive tour of the city. It’s creatively designed to feature many locations as a giant lobster battles Godzilla, and is another collection highlight. Hanna Cha’s tourist advice is presented as if children’s book illustrations as Mothra forms, but they’re crudely produced. Hayden Sherman’s contribution is beautifully drawn, but ultimately very silly.
Buster Moody has two Godzilla fans tagging get a bigger thrill than anticipated in the vividly coloured opener to the Kansas section. Interesting art from Freddie Williams II (sample spread right) has Godzilla in the future, while Kyle Strahm and Jake Smith supply the most bizarre story in the entire collection with SF fans taking on a goofy looking Godzilla. Strahm is the only creator to contribute twice, and concludes his previous tale collaborating with Baldemar Rivas. It’s another bonkers effort, with a barbecue sauce specialist caught in the middle of a kaiju battle.
While not everything hits the target, the enthusiasm, humanity and variety makes this a collection worth the time of anyone whose perception of a Godzilla story extends beyond rampage. IDW think there’s mileage in the idea, and the series has continued with a selection of stories about Godzilla in Portland.
