Godzilla and mobsters? Can such an odd combination be as successful as peanut butter and jelly?
Surprisingly the answer is yes!
I picked up this issue more as an afterthought than anything else, as I was increasingly enjoying the other Godzilla IDW series "Kingdom of Monsters", and wanted to see what this issue would be about.
I knew nothing about what was inside, but what instantly grabbed my attention was the title. Could this really be Goodfellas meet Godzilla?
Once I got home I took a look inside and was immediately surprised by how well things were working out.
The story is relatively simple but very effective. There's a detective by the name of Sato whose work unfortunately leads him into the hands of a mafioso cartel. This mob wants to permanently make Sato disappear, and what better way to do this than by "taking him out" to sea.
However upon arrival Sato manages to escape and swim to a nearby island, one that happens to be called Monster Island!
Here is where the fun ensues as those gangsters chasing after Sato bump into Godzilla himself, and when it comes to Tommy Guns versus Godzilla's fire breath we all know who will win 100% of the time.
What works very well about this series is that it shows great promise. As corny as the idea sound of mixing the Mafia with Godzilla, writer John Layman takes this on in a very serious manner. We barely meet Detective Sato and we're already rooting for him, which is major kudos to Layman's writing style. Unlike Erik Powell's goofy take within "Kingdom of Monsters", Layman gives this title the proper respect that it deserves.
Plus Layman gives the ultimate tease, making it seem that Detective Sato is going to utilize Godzilla and other Monster Island monsters as revenge towards the mafia!
Artist Alberto Ponticelli does a great job with his work too. I love detailed artwork because it keeps my interest going as I look into every panel. Here Ponticelli gives this in spades, and his Kaiju renditions are perfect.
All in all I give this title 5/5 stars. It starts off on a great path and looks to even go higher, and I definitely look forward to the next issue.
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