REVIEW: ‘Godzilla vs Thor’ Issue 1

Godzilla vs Thor Issue 1 is published by Marvel Comics. Written by Jason Aaron, with art by Aaron Kuder, colors by Jesus Aburtov and letters by Joe Sabino.

This is the last in a series of one-shots that pits Godzilla against the Marvel heroes. The Hand resurrects Godzilla and sends him on a mad rampage. So, it falls to Thor to try and stop him in a battle that will shake the whole universe to its foundations. This one-shot is what we’ve been waiting for as a story. Finally, one of the heroes that has been put in the same space as Godzilla is able to match him and go toe-to-toe. It feels rewarding to see this issue unleash its full fury.

Every one-shot has taken place in a different decade, and Godzilla vs Thor Issue 1 is the most recent of the bunch. It uses a clever device, tapping into one of Kuder’s most recent Punisher run, to bring Godzilla to life. It’s a terrifying concept, as any redeeming quality to the King of the Monsters has died off, leaving just the devastating monstrosity behind.

The structure and pacing of the comic are outstanding, with not one but two battles between Thor and Godzilla. The scale is unfathomable in just the first one, which ends as peacefully as it can. However, another weapon is then introduced, escalating the situation to a cosmic level. The battle is taken to Asgard, merging Godzilla with Norse mythology. What happens in the second half of Godzilla vs Thor Issue 1 is staggering. It’s booked, devastating and utterly unexpected. The way the other one-shots ended, with team-ups and ultimate success, makes this final issue a complete surprise.

Kuder’s approach to the characters is mesmerizing because he doesn’t really need either of them to talk. Godzilla only roars, and Thor’s dialogue is relatively minimal. Their actions do the talking, with massive thunderbolts and atomic breath, and a cacophony of violence. The character who talks the most is the archpriestess of The Hand, whose machinations cause all of the chaos in the first place. She revels in the extreme violence and generates the bleak tone of Godzilla vs Thor Issue 1.

There is also a narration that runs throughout Godzilla vs Thor Issue 1. The omnipresent narrator is there from the beginning, spooling up the intensity of the comic. The narrator is written with majesty in mind, as if it were writing the most epic of fantasy tales. The vocabulary goes for the strongest words imaginable, matching the ferocity of the fight. It can be nasty and grim, but that’s what the comic entails. The sadness that starts to seep in is harrowing, as the magnitude reaches an incomparable summit.

The art somehow manages to capture the incredible battles, boggling the mind as it does so. Godzilla vs Thor Issue 1 begins in a quiet fortress of the Hand. There are two instances of this calmer period, which usually end in violence and bloodshed. They are then dwarfed by what comes next. Godzilla looks immense. The previous one-shots showcased the fun, sometimes silly design of Godzilla. The big eyes and goofy face were reminders of how the early movies treated the giant reptile.

This is a terrifying, demonic version of that beast. He’s monstrous and unrelenting, with no pupils in his eyes. Thor looks classic and majestic, also unleashing his godly powers to an enormous extent. The detail is extraordinary, not just in the huge characters, but also in the phenomenal landscapes around them.

Both Tokyo and Asgard have been turned into destructible playgrounds for Godzilla to obliterate. The power on display is truly cataclysmic, continually intensifying. By the end, Godzilla has been upgraded even further, and the battlefield becomes as cosmic as it can get.

The colors are terrific, evolving just as the story and line art do, too. There is a formidable severity to the brightness, as both Godzilla and Thor fire their most powerful energy blasts at each other, with an orange glow around them as everything burns. There are three different colors for Godzilla in Godzilla vs Thor Issue 1. That standard gray that he had been, an icy mixture of white and light blue, and a dark purple.

And as the action reaches its crescendo, the colors get even more bewildering as Godzilla’s new power meets a superstorm. The lettering heavily features the Asgardian font in both the dialogue and the captions. It has become synonymous with Third, but it may be difficult for some readers to understand

Godzilla vs Thor Issue 1 removes all restraints. Two absolute behemoths are thrown at each other, not leaving a single part of their power or regality behind. It’s the most hardcore chapter of this series by far, with no concern for subplots, minor characters or any humans in general. It’s just an all-out battle of apocalyptic proportions. And this isn’t the last we’ll see of Godzilla’s involvement with the Marvel Universe, as there is much more to come.

Godzilla vs Thor Issue 1 is available where comics are sold.