Godzilla has been around for over 50 years in not just films
but novels and toys and even graphic novels and comics. The chronicles of Godzilla in comic book form
has switched from Marvel to Dark Horse and now to IDW and the newest adventure
of the giant atomic force of nature – Godzilla:
The Half-Century War is one of the best stories thus far crafted.
The story is told from the perspective of Ota Murakami who
was a soldier at the first appearance of Godzilla in 1954. The story borrows heavily from the original
1954 film as well as others in the Godzilla cannon as the story is unveiled
through Ota’s eyes as he is brought into the government agency responsible for
trying to destroy and/or rid Japan of the menace. This story not only takes place in Japan but
Vietnam (in 1967), Ghana (in 1975), Bombay (in 1987), and the Whole World (in
2002). The story starts as a localized
incident and then escalates to all facets of the globe with Godzilla battling
every member of his rogue’s gallery. As
the story unfolds through the decades Ota’s life is changed to an obsession to
destroy and then understand Godzilla as an unstoppable force of nature.
With story and art by James Stoke this is a story crafted by
someone who knows his Godzilla history as it is by far one of the few stories
to capture the spirit of a Godzilla film while also capturing his effect on a
regular Japanese citizen whose life is forever changed and who is forever
linked to the legacy that is the monster.
For fans of the giant monster this is the graphic novel to seek out.
No comments:
Post a Comment