Godzilla #19 – With Dugan on the Docks! (February 1979)
Writer – Doug Moench
Penciler – Herb Trimpe
Editor – Archie Goodwin

When last we left Godzilla, he was tiny size and loose in New York City, having just defeated a rat in ultimate combat. But to reuse an obvious joke, Godzilla was drinking milk, and soon grew up to child size. Just the size that Godzilla and Robert and run around together like they’re pals. Thus the central premise of Godzilla #19. If you are completely lost with Marvel’s Godzilla, we have a Godzilla Marvel Splash Page.

Robert now has to lead the child-sized Godzilla through the city without being seen, to get to a safe zone before Godzilla grows any bigger. Needless to say, this is easier said than done.

The cops spot them and give a short chase. Robert realizes he has to disguise Godzilla, because New York City cops in the Marvel Universe are going to stop anyone who looks non-human.

Godzilla is now wearing a trench coat and hat while walking down the street. This disguise is one of those ridiculous disguises that Marvel heroes have traditionally worn that would fool nobody. This whole sequence reminds me of some panels of What The-?! #25:

This is 1970s New York City, so the pair are quickly mugged! You would think that muggers would known not to mug obvious superhumans in disguise, but apparently not. A quick shot of fire breath solves that problem.

It’s Godzilla War Journal all of a sudden up in here…

The Godzilla Squad is dejected, having found neither hide nor hair of Big G, and yet Rob and Godzilla walk right up to them. Godzilla whips off his disguise, this is the second time he does this (first was against the muggers) and it seems someone really liked that idea.

Godzilla then grows to seven feet high as Dum Dum and Gabe attempt to capture him. At one point Godzilla hits Dum Dum and the sound effect is “SPAM”!

Godzilla then wanders away, because that’s what Godzilla does best in this series. Of course, Godzilla will continue to grow and be loose in New York City, and that won’t sit well with some Marvel Heroes, as we shall see next issue…

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Godzilla #18 – Fugitive in Manhattan! (January 1979)
Writer – Doug Moench
Penciler – Herb Trimpe
Editor – Archie Goodwin

Last issue, Godzilla was shrunk down to size and captured by a butterfly net. Now, Godzilla awaits his fate, except that he escapes and fights a rat in the sewer. It’s Godzilla #18!

If you need a Marvel Godzilla rewind, check out the Godzilla Marvel Splash Page, and don’t forget to check out all of March of Godzilla 2013, which is the month-long event that lasts a year!

In a Real Moments of Genius™ moment, the heroes decide to take the shrunken Godzilla – who could grow to full size at any moment – to New York, the biggest city in America. And they can’t give him more shrink gas because he’ll either get immune to it or die (neither things seem to bother Henry Pym, but whatever…) This is among the worst decisions in civilian casualties history, right up with Transformers driving the All Spark to downtown LA.

But it’s far from the worst thing that happens in this issue, or even the beginning of this issues. New character and complete dolt Dr Hawkins drops Godzilla’s cage while disembarking, and Godzilla falls out and into the bay!

D’oh!

Robert says he was in a daze so he doesn’t know if he opened the cage. Not that it matters, because if the cage didn’t open, Godzilla would be drowned. Now he’s just escaped and running around New York City as a Mini-Me version of himself.

Tiny Godzilla spooks a cab driver! Tiny Godzilla runs into the sewer!

Godzilla battles a rat in the sewer!

This is presented as an epic battle, with the rat treated as any other monstrous Godzilla foe. And like all Godzilla foes, the rat is dead!

Robert escapes from the Behemoth to help look for Godzilla. He finds him just in time for the shrink ray to wear off! Just a bit. Now Robert and Godzilla are the same size. For great fun!

Tune in next issue, as Godzilla and Robert have an exciting time in dangerous 1970s New York City!

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Godzilla #17 – Of Lizards, Great and Small (December 1978)
Writer – Doug Moench
Penciler – Herb Trimpe
Editor – Archie Goodwin

Ready for a short story about Godzilla? And I don’t mean that this is a smaller than normal issue of Godzilla, but that Godzilla is actually shrunk down to size! Though, the synopsis is shorter than normal, because literally all they do is get some gas, gas Godzilla, then catch him in a net. Also a new character who does nothing productive is introduced.

If you need a Marvel Godzilla rewind, check out the Godzilla Marvel Splash Page, and don’t forget to check out all of March of Godzilla 2013, which is the month-long event that lasts a year!

We get a new character joining our SHIELD team, Dr. Gladstone Hawkins! Yes, we needed another random person to cram in and eat up valuable characterization time. Dr. Hawkins is a paleontologist and reptilian behavior patterns expert. He also talks a lot, which gives Dum Dum the idea to talk to another loudmouth scientist – Henry Pym – aka Ant Man and Giant Man!

Henry Pym gives Gabe a special dose of his shrinking gas, and even Janet Janet van Dyne (The Wasp) shows up for a cameo appearance.

Godzilla gets gassed, and after a few minutes…

He shrinks!

Godzilla shrinks to like six inches tall and runs around like a chicken, but he’s finally caught in a butterfly net!

The King of the Monsters, defeated by a tiny net? Is this the end of Godzilla? Will there be a Shrinky Dinks tie-in toy? Find out next issue, as Tiny Godzilla continues!

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Godzilla #16 – The Great Godzilla Roundup! (November 1978)
Writer – Doug Moench
Penciler – Herb Trimpe
Editor – Archie Goodwin

When last we left Godzilla, he was about to be hunted down by a posse of cowboys because they thought he was eating their cattle (even though it is an evil ranch owner that is stealing the cattle!) Things werre threatening to get very Valley of Gwangi/The Beast of Hollow Mountain, and now, they’ve gone full Gwangi! Who will win in this battle of Cowboys vs. Godzilla? Well, they certainly weren’t going to rename this series “Cowboys”!

If you need a Marvel Godzilla catchup, check out the Godzilla Marvel Splash Page, and don’t forget to check out all of March of Godzilla 2013, which is now the entire year long!

A ranch owner rallies the troops, and yells at the evil guy who has been trying to buy his land for years (and is secretly the one stealing his cattle!) The cowboys hunt for Godzilla and begin Big G rustling. Including one idiot who ropes Godzilla and then rides his head like a bucking bronco. Somehow this guy isn’t immediately squashed and murdered, or even just falling to his death.

Godzilla goes into the canyon where the stolen cattle are, exposing that the cattle aren’t dead, just missing and now found. The evil rancher and his goons start a gunfight with the good ranchers over the cattle. The villains lose, because good will always win when Godzilla is around! The evil rancher tries to assassinate his rival, but Godzilla kills him.

Big G then wanders off into the sunset, having saved the day.

A cowpoke wonders “Who was that masked lizard?”

The comic ends before he’s presumably pelted with garbage. Tune in next time as Godzilla is done with this Western-themed nonsense and is about to embark on a story arc where he fights most of the Marvel universe. And a rat!

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