Godzilla: Kingdom of Monsters #1
Written by  Eric Powell, Tracy Marsh                    
Art by Phil Hester (Pencils), Bruce McCorkindale (Inks)
Colors by Ronda Pattison
Letters by Chris Mowry
Edits by Chris Ryall, Bobby Curnow (Associate editor), Carlos Guzman (Assistant editor)                   
Creative Consultant: Chris Mowry
​Published by IDW
Cover A: Alex Ross
Cover B: Eric Powell
Retailer Incentive Cover: Eric Powell
Retailer Exclusive Cover: Matt Frank

Godzilla: Kingdom of Monsters #1 is the first issue of Godzilla: Kingdom of Monsters. It was released on March 30, 2011.

Description
"The King of the Monsters rises again, and for the first time in comics, he's bringing lots of other beloved Toho monsters with him in one destructive saga, and The Goon's Eric Powell is sounding the alarm."

Plot
In Japan, a boy and girl play on a beach littered with dead fish. Godzilla suddenly appears, seemingly devouring the two youths. Meanwhile, their father, a fisherman, sees the commotion and is concerned for his children.

​Godzilla comes ashore, and the Japanese military sends out fighter jets. Failing to subdue the monster with these means, the Prime Minister orders a nuclear attack. This however only grants Godzilla atomic breath. The beast continues onward into Tokyo, reducing it to rubble. Shortly, in America, President Ogden is made aware of Godzilla.

​Appearances
Monsters: Godzilla
Anguirus (Cover B)
King Ghidorah (Cover B)
Kumonga (Cover B)
Mothra Larva (Cover B)
Rodan (Cover B)
Weapons, Vehicles, and Races: Japanese military
Characters: President Ogden
Isamu
Kameko
Isamu & Kameko's father
Locations: Tokyo, Japan
Washington D.C., United States

Trivia
Godzilla: Kingdom of Monsters #1 has the most covers of any Godzilla comic or manga ever, with 80.

"Don't just stand there helpless, ya lamebrained yahoos! Least ya can do is start cussin', like me!" - "Dum Dum" Dugan

​Godzilla Vol 1 #10
May, 1978
Editor-in-Chief: Archie Goodwin
Cover Artists: Herb Trimpe

"Godzilla Vs Yetrigar"
Writers: Doug Moench
Pencilers: Herb Trimpe
Inkers: Fred Kida
Colourists: Mary Titus
Letterers: John Costanza
Editors: Archie Goodwin

Appearing in "Godzilla Vs Yetrigar"Edit
Featured Characters: Godzilla
Supporting Characters: S.H.I.E.L.D.
Godzilla Squad
Gabriel Jones
Jimmy Woo
Timothy "Dum Dum" Dugan
Villains: Yetrigar (First appearance)
Other Characters: Robert Takiguchi
Tamara Hashioka
Jeff
Jillian
Johnny
Mary
Ron
Locations: Arizona
Grand Canyon
Canada
Alberta
Items: Red Ronin
Vehicles: S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier

​Synopsis for "Godzilla Vs Yetrigar"
Three months ago 
An underground nuclear test is conducted by the US Department of Defense in Arizona, but yields some unforeseen side-effects. The radiation from the test is channeled into an underground rift, a subterranean passage stretching from Arizona to Alberta, Canada. In Alberta, the radiation comes to fill an ice cave, within which a hairy, near-human creature is encased in a glacial tomb, one of the legendary Sasquatch. The Sasquatch is freed from the ice by the radioactivity and revived. The newly revived monster is pained by the continuing effects of the radiation on his body. His mind filled with rage, the bigfoot turns south, towards where he instinctively senses the source of his affliction originates. As he strides southward, however, the radiation begins to make the man-monster start to grow.

The present 
The S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier follows the trail of Godzilla from Las Vegas, Nevada to the Grand Canyon in Arizona. Gabe Jones has reservations about using S.H.I.E.L.D. ordnance in the canyon, but Dugan scoffs, calling him a monster-lover. They finally locate Godzilla, but when they do, they also witness the gigantic Big Foot known as a Yetrigar. Hurling a huge boulder at the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier, Behemoth, Yetrigar takes S.H.I.E.L.D. out of the action. On the bridge of the Helicarrier, Robbie Takiguchi sneaks past the scrambling S.H.I.E.L.D. agents and gains access to the Red Ronin battlesuit. He hopes to intervene on Godzilla's behalf in his battle against Yetrigar.

Yetrigar ambushes Godzilla at the rim of the Grand Canyon, causing both monsters to topple into the natural wonder. The fall doesn't give them pause however, and they continue clawing and biting at one another. Godzilla blasts Yetrigar with his flame breath, but Yetrigar deflects it with a giant boulder. Godzilla maintains the upper hand though as he batters Yetrigar with his tail, then chomps down on his arm. Yetrigar frees his arm then punches Godzilla across the snout. The battle soon escalates when Red Ronin arrives to prevent the monsters from killing each other. 

Godzilla Vol 1 #18
January, 1979
Editor-in-Chief Jim Shooter
Cover Artists Herb Trimpe, Joe Rubinstein

"Fugitive in Manhattan!"
Writers: Doug Moench
Pencilers: Herb Trimpe
Inkers: Dan Green
Colourists: Ben Sean
Letterers: Gaspar Saladino, Diana Albers
Editors Jim Shooter

Appearing in "Fugitive in Manhattan!"
Featured Characters: Godzilla
Supporting Characters: Godzilla Squad
Gabriel Jones
Jimmy Woo
Timothy "Dum Dum" Dugan
Gladstone Hawkins
Dr. Yuriko Takiguchi
Robert Takiguchi
Tamara Hashioka
Other Characters: S.H.I.E.L.D.
Hugh Howards
Locations: New York City
Items: Red Ronin
Vehicles: S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier "Behemoth"

Synopsis for "Fugitive in Manhattan!"
Arriving in New York where Professor Hawkins can study Godzilla, the creature's cage is accidentally dropped and Godzilla gets loose, ending up in New York's sewer system. With the amount of time that Pym's shrinking gas will last in question, it's a race against time as everyone fans out to try to find the creature before it returns to its normal size and rampages through the city.

While in the sewers, Godzilla comes face to face with a New York City sewer rat and easily kills the beast. Emerging from the sewers, the creature stumbles upon Rob who had snuck out of the helicarrier himself to find Godzilla to be sure nobody hurts the monster. As the boy is reunited with the monster, it suddenly grows in size to be on par in height with a human adult. 

Notes
Letters (story pages): Saladino (uncredited) page 1, Albers (credited as Diane Albers) pages 2-17.

Godzilla King of the Monsters #4
Publisher: Marvel Comics
November, 1977

Editor-in-chief: Archie Goodwin
Covers by: Herb Trimpe
Written by: Doug Moench
Penciled by: Tom Sutton
Inked by: Tony DeZuniga
Colors by: Phil Rache
Letters by: John Costanza
Edits by: Archie Goodwin

Plot
Batragon has been attacking oil tankers off the Pacific coast for its master Dr. Demonicus who seeks to use the oil in his operations. However this recent attack is interrupted when Godzilla arrives to attack the monster, bringing SHIELD's Godzilla Squad not far behind.

Dugan checks in on Takiguchi and his clan's progress in the Stark plant, before following Godzilla. Godzilla follows the injured Batragon back to the island of Dr. Demonicus who is using a meteor he calls the "Lifestone" to give life to his monsters Batragon, Ghilaron, Lepirax, and Centipor.

When Godzilla arrives on the island and begins terrorizing Demonicus' men and the Eskimo slaves they have forced into laboring for them, Demonicus sends Batragon to battle Godzilla once more. When Batragon is killed by Godzilla, Demonicus decides to unleash all his creations to attack Godzilla, just as SHIELD arrives to attack the Godzilla.

Appearances
Monsters
Godzilla
Batragon
Ghilaron
Lepirax
Centipor
Weapons, Vehicles, and Races
S.H.I.E.L.D.
Godzilla Squad
S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier
Lifestone
Characters
Gabriel Jones
Jimmy Woo
Timothy "Dum Dum" Dugan
Doctor Demonicus
Robert Takiguchi
Tamara Hashioka
Yuriko Takiguchi
Locations
Pacific Ocean
Doctor Demonicus' Volcano Lair

Godzilla King of the Monsters #12
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Date: June 1996

Cover: Bob Eggleton
Penciler: Brandon Mckinney
Inker: Andrew Pepoy
Letterer: Clem Robins
Colorist: Perry Mcnamee
Other: Mark Cox, Mike Richardson
Editor: Randy Stradley

Three hundred years from now there is no war, no conflict - only peace and brotherhood for all mankind. That is, until Professor Mason and his time-traveling army show up with Godzilla in tow! Mason has come to rob the future in order to rule our present, and he's brought the King of the Monsters with him to make sure nobody says different. The current story arc comes to a cataclysmic conclusion as Godzilla goes wild in a world he never made! - Comicvine 

In Harmony Cluster Nine, Mason's men are warned against descending below the 80th level and that they remain indoors after dark. After the futurian game show hosts who hired Mason agree to provide him with weapons of the future, mason agrees to secure Godzilla for them. Dixon arrives, being controlled by G-Force and asks Mason what his plans are. Mason receives the weapons. The mad scientist immediately transports Godzilla to the futuristic city. With the weapons, Mason plans to conquer Harmony Cluster Nine, perhaps transporting other monsters to the future in a bid to conquer the pacifistic and decadent futurians.
The imbecile futurians are unaware that Godzilla cannot be controlled as he smashes their city. Dixon argues with Mason that he cannot let Godzilla destroy the future, causing Mason to blast him with one of his new weapons, revealing Dixon to be a robot. The futurians impress on Mason to get his men to stop Godzilla, since the futurians are incapable of violence. As Mason leaves, G-Force emerges from the robot's head and returns to normal size. Elsewhere, Helzer and Meltev subdue mason as he addresses his men from a hovering platform. He falls into the armoury just as Godzilla arrives.

Before G-Force can capture Mason, he activates his time machine, but Godzilla swallows the mad scientist and starts to fade, headed for wherever Mason was going. G-Force leaves the future and returns to the present and tries to determine where in time Godzilla has wound up.

Godzilla King of the Monsters #7
Dec. 1995
Publisher: Dark Horse
Cover: Arthur Adams, Kevin Maguire

"Target: Godzilla! (part 3)"
Writer: Arthur Adams
Pencils: Tatsuya Ishida
Inks: Daniel Rivera, Justin Bloomer, Jasen Rodriguez
Colors: Cary Porter, Perry McNamee

The alien archer fires his weapon at Godzilla while Col. Cameron and his troops, with Take’ and Kate in tow, seek to gain entrance to the space ship. The archer puts a dozen arrows into Godzilla, enraging him and causing the monster to chase the alien. The alien leads Godzilla into a trap set up by his fellows. Soon, a bolo gun is fired, binding Godzilla’s legs together.
At the space ship, Cameron’s men are unable to gain access to the ship and one of them is zapped dead by the ship’s forcefield, horrifying Take’ and Kate. The aliens throw an electrified net over Godzilla, stunning the downed monster. Another alien with a spear leaps onto Godzilla, impaling him with the weapon. Godzilla slams the alien into the ground and rolls on top of him, impaling the hunter on some of the arrows still imbedded in Godzilla’s body.

Back at the ship, another alien appears and threatens Cameron’s men, but the soldiers shock the alien into unconsciousness. Col. Cameron then reveals to Take’ and Kate that he and his troops are Simeons, the ape-like aliens from the Third Planet of the Black Hole and they are still planning to take over the Earth.

From Toho Kingdom,
The third, and arguably the best, comic in the Dianii story arc that also ends in one of the most memorable cliff hangers of the Godzilla comic franchise.

Arthur Adams, who helms the story elements once again, dives right into the fight between the Dianii and Godzilla, which he was developing in the previous issue. The action in this comic is pretty satisfying, as the Dianii utilize their hunting techniques against the King of the Monsters. This ranges from arrows, to nets and finally spears. Consequently, the traditionalistic tactics of the alien race make for a very interesting conflict that stands out from the Godzilla franchise as a whole. Adams also deserves a lot of credit for making sure this battle wasn't goofy, as it very easily could have been in less competent hands given the types of weapons being used. As for the dialogue, it's all right, even if the Colonel's lines before they enter the Dianii ship are very awkward; however, it could be argued that this is the affect Adams was looking for.

The artwork and coloring in this issue are top notch. Perhaps due to the increased staff working on it and dividing their efforts, Godzilla looks consistently good in each panel, a problem most of the issues in the Godzilla King of the Monsters series have had. The cover is, once again, impressive and is a favorite of some from the series. Arthur Adams and Kevin Maguire outdo themselves again with this one; the detail on Godzilla, in particular the dorsal fins, is awesome and it's a shame that this would be one of the last covers the duo would work on for the series.

Overall, one of the better comics that Dark Horse put out on the character and more than worth checking out. - Anthony Romero

Godzilla Vol 1 #21
April, 1979
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Editor-in-Chief: Jim Shooter
Cover Artists: Herb Trimpe

"The Doom Trip!"
Writers: Doug Moench
Pencilers: Herb Trimpe
Inkers: Dan Green
Colourists: Ben Sean
Letterers: Irving Watanabe
Editors: Al Milgrom

Appearing in "The Doom Trip!"
Featured Characters: Godzilla
Supporting Characters: Moon Boy
Devil Dinosaur
Villains: Lizard Warriors
Other Characters: S.H.I.E.L.D.
Godzilla Squad
Gabriel Jones
Jimmy Woo
Timothy "Dum Dum" Dugan
Fantastic Four
Mr. Fantastic
Invisible Girl
Human Torch
Thing
Hugh Howards
Robert Takiguchi
Tamara Hashioka
Yuriko Takiguchi
Gladstone Hawkins

Synopsis for "The Doom Trip!"
With Godzilla knocked into a shark tank, the Godzilla Squad and Fantastic Four fish out the monster, and knock it out. Reed then suggests that they bring the monster to the Baxter Building. There Reed uses Dr. Doom's time machine to send Godzilla back in time.
In doing so, Godzilla is transported to the world of Moon-Boy and the Devil Dinosaur, where Godzilla meets and battles Devil Dinosaur. However, when the Lizard Warriors come to invade Moon-Boy's home, Moon-Boy manages to appeal to Godzilla to help him stop the invasion.

Notes
At this point in history, it was believed that the world which Moon-Boy lived was that of Earth's past, however it is later revealed that Moon-Boy lives in the alternate reality of Earth-78411. Godzilla's appearance in this reality may have something to do with his radioactive physiology effecting Dr. Doom's time machine (as shown next issue).

Godzilla Vol 1 #1
Publisher: Marvel Comics
August, 1977
Editor-in-Chief: Archie Goodwin
Cover Artists: Herb Trimpe

"The Coming!"
Writers: Doug Moench
Pencilers: Herb Trimpe
Inkers: Jim Mooney
Colourists: Janice Cohen
Letterers: Joe Rosen
Editors: Archie Goodwin

Appearing in "The Coming!"
Featured Characters: Godzilla (First appearance)
Supporting Characters: S.H.I.E.L.D.
Col. Nick Fury
Godzilla Squad (First appearance)
Commander Timothy "Dum Dum" Dugan
Jimmy Woo
Robert Takiguchi (First appearance)
Tamara Hashioka (First appearance)
Dr. Yuriko Takiguchi (First appearance)
Other Characters: Johnny
Frank
Eddie
Angel Squad
Agent R
Agent L
Locations: Alaska
Alaskan Pipeline
year 1956 (Only in flashback)
Japan (Only in flashback)
Canada
Vehicles: S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier

Synopsis for "The Coming!"
Out of the frozen Alaskan waters comes Godzilla, king of the monsters, and his first order of business on American soil is to destroy an Alaskan oil pipeline. The destruction brings the attention of S.H.I.E.L.D., who assigns a "Godzilla Squad" consisting of Timothy "Dum Dum" Dugan, Gabriel Jones, Jimmy Woo, and Nick Fury brings in resident Godzilla expert Yuriko Takiguchi his assistant Tamara Hashioka and his grandson Robert Takiguchi to help.
As a S.H.I.E.L.D. battalion tries to stop the King of Monsters with various weapons, it all proves nothing more than an exercise in aggravation for the giant monster. After the monster destroys everything SHIELD throws at it, it manages to leave the scene unscathed. Meeting up with Fury, Dugan is introduced to Takiguchi and his clan and they begin to discuss how they may stop Godzilla. Tamara talks of a secret weapon that they have been devising to use against the monster.

Notes
This issue was published with a 30 and 35 cents cover price.
First appearance of Godzilla in the Marvel Universe.
This issue is reprinted in Essential Series #Godzilla.

Trivia
Godzilla's first appearance in the Earth-616 universe is similar to his re-emergence in the 1963 film King Kong vs Godzilla.
Panels from this issue have been used for the Godzilla View Master reel collections.

Iron Man #193
Writer: Denny O'Neil
Artist: Luke McDonnell, Ian Akin, Brian Garvey
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Release: 1985

Nearly six years after the closure of Marvel's Godzilla series, writer Denny O'Neil decides to revisit the character in what would become a controversial move among fans of the King of the Monsters. This book, Iron Man #193, sees the title character with some of the West Coast Avengers tackling Doctor Demonicus. The twisted geneticist, not fighting directly, utilizes the heavily mutated Godzilla to do his bidding and battle the heroes on a remote island. The other Avengers are powerless against the beast, forcing Iron Man to grapple with the monster and fly out to sea, where the comic ends on a cliff hanger.

This book represents the third story arc to include the Doctor Demonicus character. Originally in Godzilla #4, Demonicus sent Batragon and other genetic creations at Godzilla before being beaten back. His next appearance was in another licensed series by Marvel called Shogun Warriors, which was based on a Mattel line of toys (which, interestingly enough, featured Godzilla and Rodan even though neither appeared in the comic adaptation). The villain then slipped into obscurity for more than half a decade before reemerging in 1985. The timing for his reappearance should be obvious: with an upcoming US release of The Return of Godzilla (1984) under the Godzilla 1985 marquee, what better time to bring back one of Godzilla's old foes?

Demonicus is not alone, though. With him is a giant aquatic beast who has been bent to the doctor's will. To be clear, this creature is purposely, and conveniently, never named. Yet the allusions as to who it is are clear. Marvel no longer had the licensee to the Godzilla character, yet through some creative writing from O'Neil the identity of this beast are easily traceable. 

Demonicus, giving a monologue about the creature, refers to him as his "once greatest enemy", and when coupled with the fact that he had only faced Godzilla, the robot Shogun Warriors and S.H.I.E.L.D. at this time that statement narrows the field. So what happened to Godzilla? This is also made clear in this issue, as Demonicus tells the creature that if he performs well the doctor may even spare him of "further mutation". For some fans, this isn't enough of a confirmation, and who can blame them for not wanting to think that one of Godzilla's obscure, and fairly lackluster, opponents managed to get such an upper hand over the King of the Monsters. Yet the evidence, and certainly the timing of this reemergence, make the attempted connection by the writing staff overt.

This wouldn't be the first time the company flirted with licensed properties outside of their comic runs either. In the 1970's and 1980's, this type of practice was not uncommon. For example, characters from both the comic adaptations of 2001: A Space Odyssey and Transformers (Machine Man and Circuit Breaker respectively) have appeared in the main Marvel Comics continuity. Certainly Godzilla's own comic run from the company featured a plethora of Marvel heroes already, such as the Avengers and the Fantastic Four, so his induction into the continuity was already established.

Sidestepping the controversy, though, how does this comic fare? Well, it's pretty standard actually. There isn't much to the story to begin with, while the art isn't too impressive, although there are a few shots to the contrary of that statement. If not for the Demonicus/Godzilla angle, there would be little reason to even give the book a second glance, as it feels like a fairly run-of-the-mill and rudimentary entry in a long running series.

Godzilla Color Special
Cover: Arthur Adams
Writer: Arthur Adams, Randy Stradley
Artist: Arthur Adams
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Release: 1992

Arguably the greatest English Godzilla comic published to date, and possibly just the greatest in general. When the Godzilla Color Special was first printed back in 1992, color in Dark Horse Comics was a rare occasion. This issue proves, though, how much better Godzilla comics are when presented in full color. Arthur Adams is, without a doubt, the best artist ever attached to the Godzilla franchise in the West, and this comic showcases some of his best work on the character. The cover alone is an excellent shot of Godzilla, but the back, displaying Godzilla fighting Gekido-Jin with G-Force centered at the bottom, is simply breathtaking. The dialogue and captions are a little cheesy at times, but the story is pretty solid. The publication's plot sees an oni, by the name of Gekido-Jin, awaken after a man named Kogenta sacrifices himself to allow the creature to break free from its stony state and fight Godzilla. Many describe Gekido-Jin as a Daimajin clone, and while this may have been the intention, the character makes for a very different foe for the King of the Monsters than what we have seen in the past. As for the battles in the book, they are well structured. Adams has a gift for being able to capture action sequences in his panels, and this talent comes through full force in this book for the battle between the two monsters.

As a closing side remark, it's interesting to note that the G-Force featured in this book actually predates the use of the name in the movies, which started in 1993 with Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II. In fact, Toho seemed to take a lot of notice toward this comic in particular, even placing one of Adams' images, of Godzilla emerging from the water, on the front cover of the script for Godzilla vs. Destoroyah (1995).