BOOK REVIEW BY CHRIS MICH: GODZILLA BY JAMES STOKOE – DELUXE EDITION

 A MINOR SPOILER REVIEW:

Photo by Chris Mich.

If you are a fan of Gojira (1954) and/or Godzilla Minus One (2023), this book is for you! This book, simply titled “Godzilla”,  contains the entire story of artist/author James Stokoe’s The Half-Century War and a bonus section featuring the first issue of Godzilla in Hell. Before I mutilate the synopsis of this sumptuous kaiju excursion, I’ll share the synopsis from the back cover (also available for reading on IDW’s website):

James Stokoe’s Godzilla: The Half-Century War is a critically acclaimed fan-favorite tale that traces one man’s journey following the most famous monster out there! The year is 1954, and Lietenant Ota Murakami is on hand when Godzilla first makes landfall in Japan. Along with his pal Kentaro, Ota makes a desperate gamble to save lives…and in the process begins an obsession with the King of the Monsters that lasts 50 years.

Then, in Stokoe’s amazingly illustrated issue of the series Godzilla in Hell, Godzilla battles through the first layer of Hell! This collection also includes select development, penciled, and inked art, as well as all his comic covers!

Having absolutely loved Godzilla Minus One (2023), I was thrilled to hear how Stokoe planned on expanding upon a character present at the famous first Tokyo Godzilla attack. After some research, I ordered Stokoe’s Godzilla…Deluxe Edition through my favorite comic book store Maroon Hornet (its previous location immortalized in my appearance on The Geek Authority Show back in August 2021) and patiently waited. Maroon Hornet had it in my bin by Spring 2024. After buying it, I kept it in its brown paper bag until this past Tuesday. I cracked open the book thinking this would be another weeks long #classicfilmreading venture. Only problem: I couldn’t put the book down. Page after glorious page was so riveting, I finished Half-Century War in one night’s read.

The following night I read Godzilla In Hell. While Hell is certainly ambitious with Godzilla presumably traveling Dante’s 9 levels of Hell as laid out in Inferno, the story isn’t as grabbing as Half-Century War’s pairing Of Murakami and Godzilla. 

In Half-Century War, Japanese soldier Murakami is a reluctant Melvillian Ahab with Godzilla playing the part of The Great White Whale. A tank crew member when Godzilla first attacks Tokyo in 1954, Lieutentant Ota Murakami witnesses the devastating destruction of the colossal beast and, along with his tank team member Yoshihara, devises a way to lure Godzilla away from heavily-populated areas to save hundreds of lives. Thankful to be alive after such a harrowing ordeal, the teammates find themselves volunteering to be on the Anti Megalosaurus Force – A.M.F. for short – to deal with Godzilla moving forward. Jump to Vietnam1967 where a well-funded and expansive A.M.F. continues to handle additional Godzilla sightings and attacks, all the while developing weapons for use against the beast. It’s in ‘Nam that Murakami and company realize Godzilla isn’t the only sinister giant beast on the planet. As the book jumps through the decades and destinations, we see Godzilla battle the classic Toho monsters we’ve already seen him battle from select Godzilla movies since his 1954 silver screen debut. 

Canadian comic book artist and writer James Stokoe clearly respects Godzilla and the tone of Minus One. The humanity of Murakami is the driving force of the story – not Godzilla. Murakami is obsessed and struggling to come to terms with how something so destructive as an enormous radioactive lizard not only exists – but monopolizes his every thought and entire life. Stokoe’s previous work includes Marvel titles Moon Knight Vol. 6 (2016), Venom Vol. 4 Annual #1 (2018), and Captain Marvel Vol. 10 #8 (2019). However, my favorite previous work of Stokoe’s was the cover of Titan Comics' Robotech #14 – The Secret History of the SDF-1… (2018).

Another James Stokoe work of art. Photo by Chris Mich.

Stokoe’s magna-like style is extremely detailed yet playful – reminiscent of Masamune Shirow’s Appleseed (1985-1989). This style carries over in both War and Hell, but is more easily digestible in War as you drink in the metropolis of Tokyo, leafy jungles of Vietnam, urban sprawl of Ghana, and so on. In Hell, it’s almost too much to think about – as seemingly endless spirals of damned souls whirlwind about Godzilla. One thing is for sure: Stokoe loves detail and massive scale – making him the perfect author/artist to tackle stories like these.

This book's charm is how Godzilla is both hero and villain to the AMF as they witness oddities like Megalon and Hedorah, to name a few. This was the first book I purchased – and saved specifically – for the 2024 Summer Classic Film Reading Challenge. It did not disappoint.

Special thanks to Out of the Past blogger Raquel Stecher for continuing the challenge. To learn more about this summer fun endeavor, visit Raquel’s blog for more details.