So I Read Godzilla: The Half-Century War

A 250 word (or less) review of the Godzilla: The Half-Century War collection
By James Stokoe; IDW Publishing

Godzilla is a cultural icon. From what little I understand, this rubbersuit Lizard is the towering mascot of the entire Kaiju genre of giant monster films. Godzilla and his genre of films have been around for... a half-century (and a bit) and Godzilla: Half-Century War is very much a celebration of this fact. In the comic Ota Murakami, a Japanese soldier caught in Godzilla's first rampage circa 1954, gets drafted into the Anti-Megalosaurus Force to fight this giant monster. What follows is a half-century of globe trotting conflict as Ota and his comrades fight a war against Godzilla and the ever-growing roster of Kaiju monsters, from Mothra to Gigan, in an effort to save humanity from these beasts. And in that way, Godzilla: The Half-Century war functions as an homage to Kaiju films, and acts as a kind of primer to the overall shape of Godzilla's history, lovingly presented, costume seams and all. If you are a comics person but not a passionate Godzilla fan, The Half-Century War is still worth picking up for the art. James Stokoe is a fantastic artist, with a mad aesthetic unlike anything else in comics. A mad aesthetic that features brilliantly detailed environments and a real zeal for portraying scaly, bestial things. Basically, what I am saying is James Stokoe was pretty much born to draw a series of comics about Godzilla levelling cityscapes.  It’s an absolutely beautiful, confounding, art central comic that is also a loving tribute to Godzilla.

Word count: 247

Previously
So I Read Orc Stain Vol. 1