Godzilla: Gangsters and Goliaths TPB Review

Comicbookmovie.com has a great "Godzilla: Gangsters and Goliaths" review from user "LAWLZY96".

Essentially he agrees with everything I've been stating before.

This mismatch of themes, one involving mafioso/gangster men and the other kaiju monsters, should have imploded upon the first issue.

But writer John Layman was able to expertly mingle the two while still creating a rousing and intriguing story.

The main character Detective Sato truly was someone you wanted to root for, which is miles ahead of whatever was happening within the "Godzilla Kingdom of Monsters" series.

It goes to show how important feeling empathy towards a character can be.

Plus the artwork by Alberto Ponticelli was perfectly adequate. It gave the series that roughness it needed in order to convey a seedy atmosphere.

(On a side note I tried getting Alberto to agree to an interview but alas he never responded back to my inquiries. Oh well).

In any case here's the original review for further info. I also recommend everybody to pick up this TPB when you have a chance.

You won't regret it:

comicbookmovie.com: Godzilla Gangsters and Goliaths TPB Review

Godzilla! Godzilla! Godzilla Movie Marathon in Hawaii at Year's End

In Hawaii near the end of this year?

Well then you're in luck because at the Honolulu Academy of Arts they are screening a Godzilla marathon from December 27th to the 30th!

No specific reason is given for this marathon, only that it's Godzilla themed...and really that's all that's needed to get things going.

"Godzilla vs The Sea Monster" will play on the 27th, "Godzilla vs. MechaGodzilla II" will play on the 28th, and finally the original "Gojira" will play both the 29th and 30th.

Great stuff, as it's a unique opportunity to see these movies on the big screen.

I wish I was near there as I would certainly go see all of them.

Here's the original article for further info:

Examiner.com: Godzilla Godzilla Godzilla movie marathon in Hawaii

Godzilla Trivia of the Day

Did you know...

...that the "Godzilla 2000" film was originally to have featured monsters Angilas (Anguirus) and King Ceasar as the villains!

Interesting bit of trivia, as this would have changed the course of the movie completely.

Ultimately I'm glad that Toho scrapped this idea and added a new monster with Orga.

Orga remains an interesting monster, a tragic one really considering it was awakened by humans and then was immediately attacked by both Godzilla and the military.

As far as I could tell it was simply trying to survive by imitating Godzilla, not necessarily doing any actions out of malice.

Source: IMDB.com

Great website for rare Godzilla 1985 photos

****Credit goes to "Geekspace" for these pics****

Anybody who's followed this website and my Godzilla YouTube channel knows how much I love "Godzilla 1985".

It is by far my favorite Godzilla movie of all, as I strongly feel it has the best action, the best Godzilla model, the best storyline, and most importantly, the best tone.

How I strongly wish that the forthcoming film from Legendary Pictures and Co. incorporates many of these elements, in particular the idea that Godzilla remains a deadly force of nature.

In any case it was amazing to come across this website that chronicles some rare behind-the-scenes/publicity shots from the film.

Essentially they come from a Godzilla movie card set released some years back.

I think it's a movie card set that focuses on all of the Godzilla films, and "Godzilla 1985" happens to be included.

I highly recommend everyone to take a breeze through this website to see these pics. I've included the above two as a teaser of sorts.

Enjoy!

geekspace.deviantart.com: Godzilla 1985 pictures

Godzilla Image of the Day

I'd vote for him.

The ONLY choice in 2012's election.

****Credit goes to Scott Partridge for this image****

IDW Publishing and comiXology Expand Partnership...but still no Godzilla?

Recently there was news that IDW Publishing (distributors of the Godzilla Kingdom of Monsters, Godzilla Gangsters and Goliaths, and Godzilla Legends series') was partnering up with comiXology in order to stream their comics online.

This previous announcement stated that only a portion of IDW's comics were going to make the cut.

Now comes word that IDW's partnership will allow ALL of their comics to be digitally streamed.

Here's the information straight from Seibertron.com:

"December 14th, 2011 – San Diego, CA — IDW Publishing and comiXology proudly announce the expansion of their digital partnership. Starting today, these IDW apps are now powered by comiXology: IDW Comics, Transformers Comics, Star Trek Comics, Doctor Who Comics, G.I. JOE Comics, 30 Days of Night Comics, Templesmith Comics and True Blood Comics Collection. All apps are live as of today, with new and old purchases alike syncing across the entire Comics by comiXology platform — iOS, Android, Web and Kindle Fire. In addition, all IDW digital comics are also available for online purchases and reading through the simultaneous launch of a new digital comics store at read.idwpublishing.com. IDW readers now have a true “buy once, read anywhere” experience."

There's also news that these digital comics will be available same day as print, a stark contrast to the 30 days wait period that Marvel/DC were doing.

Notice anything missing from that announcement?

...there's still no mention of Godzilla anywhere!

With the article stating that all IDW comics would be available, why would the Godzilla titles be purposefully omitted?

As such I'm still not certain if they'll be available anytime soon.

Toho must still be playing hardball and wanting a larger cut than the other licensees, which is their tradition.

For full info on this here's the link:

seibertron.com: IDW Publishing and comiXology expand partnership

Godzilla Video of the Day

Words cannot describe the crazy nature of this video.

Of course there's the "Godzilla vs Barkley" comic that Dark Horse produced alongside, but still...

It makes me wonder who came up with this idea in the first place.

Was it Nike wanting to jumble Barkley with another fan favorite franchise?

Was it Charles Barkley being a huge a fan of Godzilla and requesting this himself?

Was it Toho just wanting another royalty check...to add onto the hundreds of other products Godzilla was already associated with?

I do like the suit though, as the animatronics on the face are leagues ahead of anything else within other Godzilla films.

Godzilla Character Analysis: Destoroyah

Why didn't I see this earlier?

Tohokingdom.com has some fantastic articles dedicated to analyzing various Godzilla enemies.

Some true Godzilla fans have spent a lot of time and effort gauging how each villain ranks, presenting very good arguments for and against things.

I'll be chronicling various characters here for your pleasure, picking what I feel are my favorite of the bunch.

For starters we have the literal "Doomsday" of the Godzilla world, Destoroyah.

Known as the last monster the original Godzilla fought before his death, Destoroyah remains the most powerful Kaiju villain ever.

Withstanding multiple hits from Godzilla's red spiral atomic breath, and easily whipping him and Godzilla Jr. around like rag dolls, no other Kaiju comes even close to his power.

There were also the various transformations Destoroyah had, further causing havoc amongst any battle.

My favorite thing about Destoroyah though remains his wickedly sick look.

He just looks EVIL.

There's no doubting his intentions when he first arrived on scene, as he was there to utterly destroy (pun intended) Godzilla and Godzilla Jr.

All in all I thought Destoroyah was a satisfying villain.

I am happy that he was not brought back for the "Godzilla Final Wars" film, as reintroducing him only to be quickly wiped out by Godzilla would have lessened his impact.

Here's the original article for further info:

Tohokingdom.com: Godzilla Character Analysis: Destoroyah

Godzilla: Legends #4 (of 5) info

IDW Comics has provided info for the penultimate issue within the Godzilla Legends series.

First off look at that cover!

It looks amazing!

I believe it's by artist "Chrisscalf" and more of his artwork can be found here. That man should definitely do all manners of covers from here on out.

In any case here's the newest info on the comic, to be released on February 2012:

Writer: Chris Mowry
Artist: E.J. Su
An epic single issue story shining a light on another terrifying Toho monster! This issue sees the debut of the one and only Smog Monster— Hedorah! G-Force is sent to battle the blob-like beast as it lays waste to China. But another monster's presence might make this an even more chaotic conflict! Don't miss the mayhem!

So it's the triumphant return of Hedorah, perhaps the most disgusting Godzilla villain of all!

I remember hearing some crazy rumour that Hedorah was going to be the villain within the newest Godzilla movie, but I believe people were confusing it for the canceled Godzilla project "Godzilla 3D", which would have featured a similar type of monster.

Best looking Godzilla statue ever!

****Credit for these pics goes to "Punynari" and her wordpress account****

What you're looking at are pictures of an incredible Godzilla statue located in Kurihama (Yokosuka) Japan.

Is this not the coolest looking statue!

Look at the size of this thing!

The main profile pic showcases some people nearby as a size comparison. They're like ants compared to its mammoth size.

I don't know what this statue is associated with or if it's some part of local amusement park, but the results are definitely there!  Whoever made this statue should make other statues related to the Godzilla franchise.

On top of that the back part of Godzilla's tail is actually a slide, so children can easily slide down Godzilla for added amusement.

Fantastic looking display!

"Mothra vs Godzilla" makes a Literary Review Monstrous Matchups list

The classic film "Mothra vs Godzilla" makes a California Literary Review list for best "Monstrous Matchups".

Essentially the article was chronicling films/TV shows creating great matchups between certain characters.

For example they cite the Aliens vs Predator films, the various species fights within the Star Trek universe, the vampires and humans within the True Blood show, and so on.

While I consider "King Kong vs Godzilla" to be a more historic matchup within the Godzilla franchise, it's still good to see Mothra recognized.

I also agree with how the article compares the two monsters.

While Godzilla is really just a slumbering/destructive force of nature, Mothra "...has a rather more complicated mythology. Ruling as a deity over her own island, she is chiefly interested in breeding larvae to carry on her legacy".

Utilizing this I can see why this film was picked due to the complex nature between the two kaiju.

In any case here's the original article for further info:

The Weekly Listicle: Celebrating Monstrous Matchups

Godzilla: Kingdom of Monsters #12 info

IDW comics has provided another glimpse into an upcoming issue of the Godzilla Kingdom of Monsters series.

To be released by February 2012, this issue will continue the new story arc brought forth by the new team of Jason Ciaramella and Victor Dos Santos.

Here's the info:

****WARNING, this contains some spoilers regarding certain characters****

Writer: Jason Ciaramella
Artist: Victor Dos Santos
The evil twins are gone. Godzilla lies dormant. The monsters that roam the earth are wounded, battered, exhausted… if mankind has any chance of recovering from this disaster, now is the moment. But with the world in ruin and civilization in total disarray, can anything still be salvaged? The fate of humanity is determined in Godzilla: Kingdom of Monsters #12!

Sounds very interesting, like a "bottleneck" issue of sorts.

"Bottleneck" is a term utilized within the TV world where certain episodes are more character-driven in order to pace things between big-action episodes (and to primarily tone down budgets), so I expect some good characterization within this issue.

On a final note, I continue to love Matt Frank's covers and his outstanding overall artwork.

Looks great.