Godzilla #8 (March 1978)

April 23, 2013ByTars Tarkas

The weirdest jump rope game ever!

Godzilla #8 – Titan Times Two! (March 1978)
Writer – Doug Moench
Penciler – Herb Trimpe
Editor – Archie Goodwin

When last we saw Godzilla and Red Ronin, they were just about to fight. Now they do fight! Amazing how that works. Yes, no filler episode this month, it’s a full-fledged battle issue! For those new to the Marvel Godzilla comics, make sure you are informed via the Godzilla Marvel Splash Page, and keep up with all the March of Godzilla 2013 marvelness!

Godzilla and Red Ronin fight! Finally, Godzilla is battling a giant robot like we all demanded! Red Ronin pilot, the 12-year-old child Rob Takiguchi doesn’t want to hurt Godzilla, so he’s reluctant to break out the big guns like the laser sword (aka a light saber) or heavier laser guns. Godzilla is not reluctant to do anything and blasts Red Ronin with his atomic breath. Robert’s unfamiliarity with the controls prevents him from putting up the shields in time, and his roboride is damaged more than it should be.

The SHIELD helicarrier Behemoth moves in to fight Godzilla, but Robert uses Red Ronin to attack the helicarrier as a distraction, then grabs Godzilla via magnetic grappling hooks and uses rocket boots to fly away, Big G in tow!

Godzilla is literally a cat!

Godzilla is not too crazy about being suspended in the air by some dumb robot and squirms loose. By now the action has moved to San Diego Bay (answering the question of where we are.)

Red Ronin blasts the Behemoth again, then stands in front of Godzilla and points away from San Diego towards the open countryside.

And Godzilla walks that way…

Towards land where more people will be, not the ocean where he can find a nice island. D’oh!

Go home, Godzilla, you’re drunk!

InCinema Articles

Godzilla #7 (February 1978)

April 21, 2013ByTars Tarkas

I hope it was a C-section!

Godzilla #7 – Birth of a Warrior! (February 1978)
Writer – Doug Moench
Penciler – Herb Trimpe
Editor – Archie Goodwin

Yes, more Godzilla and more Marvel! Be make sure you know what the frak is going on with the Godzilla Marvel Splash Page, and keep up with all the March of Godzilla 2013 madness!

Godzilla is rampaging on the military base he was brought to and easily escaped the specialized prison from in the last issue. The military base that just happens to have a whole lot of nuclear missiles on it!

Why did they build a giant monster cage here??? Or even bring a giant monster???? These gooberheads!

Red Ronin, however, is randomly wandering free. He was activated by the unconscious brain of Robert, but has had no real commands. Jimmy Woo climbs inside and stops Red Ronin just in time to be told they need to go take Red Ronin to stop Godzilla. Jimmy decides to pilot the robot there, but Red Ronin won’t respond!

Robot Stomp!

It turns out that Rob’s random mashing of buttons caused an overload that made it so Red Ronin will now only respond to Rob’s brain commands! Rob wakes up and steals the Red Ronin again to go save Godzilla. Robert is one of those kids who should be locked in a cage in the middle of the ocean, because he’s just going to wander out and do bad things. Robert also names Red Ronin at this moment. Be cause he has a bit of red on him and sort of is like a ronin, maybe.

Red Ronin arrives…just in time for the battle to begin next issue! D’oh!

One thing the Godzilla comic excels in in having issues that just build up to a fight in the next issue. Fillers, if you will. Well, next issue there WILL be fighting. Or else!

World War G!

InCinema Articles

Godzilla #6 (January 1978)

April 19, 2013ByTars Tarkas

I can buy a mad scientist creating monsters that charge up via glowing meteorite, but a cave this big? I don’t think so!

Godzilla #6 – A Monster Enslaved! (January 1978)
Writer – Doug Moench
Penciler – Herb Trimpe
Editor – Archie Goodwin

Godzilla tries to get some rest and bad things happen! Part 1 of a three-part story that introduces a giant robot and another monster. But first Godzilla gets caged. But can you cage the King of the Monsters? (No!)

Be sure to get acquainted with the cast via the Godzilla Marvel Splash Page, and check out the rest of March of Godzilla 2013!

Godzilla goes into a gigantic cave to take a nap. If you are wondering if there are Godzilla-sized caves in the Pacific Northwest, I’m going to have to go with “No, no there isn’t.”

Meanwhile, Dum Dum Dugan mentions that they’re building a new helicarrier, not just fixing the crashed one. That would make too much since. In fact, this is a specialized helicarrier called Behemoth designed to capture giant monsters like Godzilla. And it is to be piloted by a guy named Hugh Howards, and you can guess what he looks like. Yep. Howard the Duck. Just kidding!

Dr. Takiguchi’s plans are revealed, he’s building a giant robot codenamed SJ3 RX (aka Mr. Project) that will eventually become the infamous Red Ronin. Jimmy Woo and Tamara are soon making out, but she pulls away, because she’s confused and jazz.

Gabe Jones convinced Dum Dum to use knockout gas Godzilla first instead of burying a mountain on him. Gabe and Dum Dum get in their Zil-Pods and drop the gas. Godzilla is upset at first, but eventually the gas kicks in and Godzilla gets KOed!

Sometimes you just got to purify the world with fire!

They load him into the Behemoth and take him to a specially constructed cage at a military base. This is sort of like King Kong, except different. Because the ship can fly. And there will be no stage show…yet!

The second Godzilla wakes up, he freaks out and busts out of the cage! Wow, billions down the drain because it went to the lowest bidder. Time to arrest some military contractors and execute them!

Robert has snuck into the Red Ronin controls and attempts to pilot it, except he gets knocked unconscious from pressing the wrong controls and is shocked. Rob, Rob, Rob….

And we wait until next time to find out just how berserk the malfunctioning Red Ronin will be!

Grandpa bet against Robert hanging out on the catwalk all day!

InCinema Articles

Godzilla #5 (December 1977)

April 16, 2013ByTars Tarkas

Mraww!

Godzilla #5 – The Isle of Lost Monsters (December 1977)
Writer – Doug Moench
Penciler – Tom Sutton
Editor – Archie Goodwin

When last we left our green friend, he was interrupting the plans of crazed psycho Dr. Demonicus and his band of skeleton suited men. The fierce Batragon lies dead, but three new monsters await to battle Godzilla. But Dr. Demonicus holds them back so Godzilla and SHIELD will fight each other first. We all know Dr. Demonicus is one of those dudes who wants to take over the world with an army of his mutant monsters, but before you can soar you must learn to walk. And Dr. Demonicus will be needing a wheelchair!

Be sure to get acquainted with the cast via the Godzilla Marvel Splash Page, and check out the rest of March of Godzilla 2013!

Godzilla and SHIELD battle each other until Dum Dum finally notices the other monsters in the volcano. So Demonicus let’s them free!

The trio are: Ghilaron – a mutant komodo dragon with eight legs and a head crest. Lepirax – a gigantic moth that is in now way an evil Mothra. Centipor – a mutant centipede with tentacles on its face.

The monsters attack! Fight fight fight! Gabe Jones’s fighter crashes, and he’s captured by Dr. Demonicus’s men (who are called The Demon Soldiers, in case you were wondering.) Dr. Demonicus says “Freeze, Black Man!” Wow, maybe his costume used to be his Klan costume! Dr. Demonicus then wastes time giving his life story to Gabe Jones, as Jones is stalling for time.

I like how SHIELD just takes crazy dudes in costumes and giant monsters in stride!

During his fantasy takeover of the world via an army of giant monsters, he has two fantasy monsters that are cool but sadly don’t exist.

Godzilla eventually kills all the monsters thanks to his deft skill and maneuvering. And his punching and burning them to death. Which he did with deft skill and maneuvering! Dr. Demonicus and his goons are captured, the Eskimos are freed (and many helped to stop Demonicus’s men) and Godzilla sniffs Dum Dum before returning to the sea.

Dum Dum cares not, he still thinks Godzilla is evil. But maybe a tiny bit not evil. Just a tad.

Mothra’s teenage son picks the wrong Godzilla to mess with!

Interesting note, the letters page includes a letter from an Asian-American guy (Bill Wu) who mentions how he and his white friend noticed the Asians are drawn and colored like normal people, not crazy racist depictions! It’s cool to see things like this noticed and appreciated. I know one guy who won’t appreciate it, Dr. Demonicus!

Time to go all A Raisin In The Sun on this mofo!

InCinema Articles

Godzilla #3 (October 1977)

April 12, 2013ByTars Tarkas

The Champions arrive and immediately try to squash some cops!

Godzilla #3 – A Tale of Two Saviors (October 1977)
Writer – Doug Moench
Artists – Herb Trimpe
Editor – Archie Goodwin

Godzilla vs. the Champions! Godzilla continues his West Coast Domination Tour with a visit to the Bay Area, but at usual things don’t go smoothly.

Godzilla shows up in San Francisco Bay and people just start shooting him, so Godzilla gets angry. How annoying it must be to constantly being shot at by annoying tiny things.

Meanwhile in LA, The Champions are hanging at their headquarters. You remember The Champions, right? As a reminder, they are Hercules, Black Widow, Ice Man, Angel, Ghost Rider, and Dark Star. Even weirder, Ghost Rider and Dark Star are out goofing off or something, and don’t even show up in this issue! The 66.67% of The Champions that are in this issue of Godzilla notice the commotion on the news and decide that since they’re it for the West Coast, they got to go help! Hercules even says “By the cloven hooves of Pan!” when he sees Godzilla.

They get to work trying to fight Big G. At one point Hercules flips Godzilla!

Godzilla gets mad…

Tony Stark shows up finally (after being yakked about for the past two issues) as he meet the Japanese crew (and Woo) in Detroit at his weapons plant. They begin making their secret weapon.

Hercules basically causes the deaths of dozens of people this issue!

The Champions and Dum Dum get into a turf war as the super heroes are in the way of SHIELD and their efforts to try to capture Godzilla.

The chaos from the two sides bumping heads allows Godzilla to trash the Golden Gate Bridge after electric nets dropped on him miss. Hercules tosses a chunk of the bridge at Godzilla, but hits the SHIELD Helicarrier by mistake. It crashes into the bay!

At this point Godzilla is just standing around gawking at the idiots causing trouble. Then Godzilla wanders off, while the two sides go home to sulk, the Champions realizing they need to work better as a team, and SHIELD trying to figure out how to fix their flying vessel.

It’s refreshing to see a super hero team up where not only do the two sides not like each other, their antagonism actually makes things much worse.

This issue was the first issue of Godzilla I read, picking it up cheap in a longbox as a kid. It stayed in my collection for a few years before I got some more issues. Speaking of more issues, we will have more issues of the Godzilla Marvel comic as March of Godzilla 2013 continues!

Is it any wonder The Champions was cancelled?

InCinema Articles

Godzilla #2 (September 1977)

April 10, 2013ByTars Tarkas

The Beacons are lit! Gondor calls for aid. And Godzilla will answer!

Godzilla #2 – Thunder in the Darkness! (September 1977)
Writer – Doug Moench
Artists – Herb Trimpe
Editor – Archie Goodwin

Seattle under siege! Godzilla has popped out of the ocean near Seattle, still angry with pain from the big laser he was blasted with in issue #1. A wounded animal is especially dangerous, and a wounded Godzilla is like armageddon had a wounded baby. Or something. But the point is, Godzilla is mad and now Seattle is going to pay the price!

Gabriel Jones makes his first appearance as a member of the newly formed Godzilla Squad. That’s the official designation for the team lead by Dum Dum that will be tasked to stop Big G from trashing the entire country. Nick Fury is busy. Doing things. One eye things. Don’t ask about Nick Fury.

He tried to talk to me about Godzilla comics!

We get more back story of Godzilla’s origin, showing Godzilla battling a red four-armed tyrannosaurus with eye stalks and a blue giant bird/roc with a spiked club for a tail. I want to see these battles! Both monsters are postulated as mutants that were awakened by the nuclear explosion like Godzilla. This is a cool potential origin for more monsters, but only one future monster uses this origin, and it comes from a different nuclear explosion.

Big Baby, huh? Let me show you my diaper, human!

Tamara Hasioka says Godzilla is like a natural force – not good or evil. This I believe is the first time Godzilla is explicitly mentioned this way, though some of the later 1970s Godzilla films sort of imply this. Robert declares that Godzilla is good because he’s saved Earth from worse monsters. Robert is like the Kenny of the Godzilla Marvel series.

Godzilla Squad dresses up using new spanflex armor, while Tony Stark is name-dropped constantly (he is building all the fantastic weapons that will continually appear throughout the series.) Besides this issue, I don’t think the term “spanflex” is mentioned again.

Godzilla attacks the Space Needle, because, why not? What else is Godzilla going to attack in Seattle? The Kingdome had just been built at this point so that’s a landmark no one will know, nor remember as it has since been blown up. Godzilla Squad decides to turn off the power to Seattle to minimize damage from a power plant. But after witnessing Godzilla continuing to attack the Space Needle because it is in flames, the light the only thing that shows up in the dark, Godzilla Squad gets the idea to lure Godzilla out to sea with a trail of bright light beacons. When Godzilla gets to the ocean, SHIELD pushes him in via some sort of collapsible block weapon (which is never seen again!)

Where will Godzilla pop up next issue? Will Godzilla’s attention to the West Coast prompt a rival East Coast monster to diss Godzilla in a rap song? Find out soon!

	The Actual Weirdest Giant Monster Movies Ever Made
	Superman (Telugu)
	The 113 Must See Flicks From the American Film Market 2013
	Sweet Prudence & the Erotic Adventure of Bigfoot
	March of Godzilla Island
	Let the Bullets Fly
	I Married a Monster From Outer Space
	“They Look Like They Make Sense, Don’t They?” – A Reassessment of Prometheus
	James Band 007