Godzilla: The Half Century War
Story and Art: James Stokoe
Publisher: IDW
Story and Art: James Stokoe
Publisher: IDW
I have been a Godzilla fan ever since my father introduced
me to the character when I was five years old. My love for the character has
only grown over the years. I have watched nearly all the movies, but my favorite design of "big g" is the Millennium Series. The Millennium Series is the design James Stokoe has chosen to use for this series and he
really captures it well.
Let me talk about James Stokoe for a moment. Talk? Nay, sing his
praises is more like it. The man is my absolute favorite comic artist in the
business today. He is a pure work machine. His art is gorgeous. It resembles
manga style, but somehow brings a sense of life into it. The details have
details. There really isn’t enough words in the English dictionary to explain
Stokoe’s art; it is something that has to be seen with your own eyes. If you’ve
never read his creator owned series, Orc Stain,
it is an absolute blast. Easily one of the best comics you’ll ever lay eyes on.
This particular story somewhat re-imagines the character of
Godzilla. Originally, the character was depicted as a pure rampaging force of
nature, although the version most people think of is the heroic beast from the ‘70s
era movies. Half Century War takes the character back to basics and establishes
him as a pure unstoppable savage force. He is essentially a villain in this
story, at least at the beginning.
This story follows Ota Murakami, a young soldier who
encounters Godzilla making his first appearance to the world with an attack on Japan. Ota barely survives
his initial encounter with "big g", but he makes it his life’s goal to destroy Godzilla.
We follow his journey over the course of fifty years as he tries time and again
to bring down not only Godzilla, but other monsters that appear. Soon, Ota and
his comrades discover Godzilla may not be the most dangerous
monster they have to deal with.
What I really liked about this series is that it brings in a
much needed human element that all the movies were never able to figure out and
make work. By telling the story from Ota’s perspective, we get a better
sense of what exactly it takes to live and survive in a world of monsters. The
other element I liked is once again, the art. The level of destruction is
immense; the fights between the monsters is pure chaos. The final showdown is something great, bringing a satisfying conclusion. Without missing a beat,
Stokoe unleashes pure heavenly hell. If you’re smart you’ll pick up a copy of Godzilla: The Half Century War. The trade was just released, it comes highly recommended.
5 out of 5 stars
