Review: Justice League Vs. Godzilla Vs. Kong #1

I'm a DC Comics fan.

I'm a Justice League fan.

I'm a Godzilla fan.

I'm a King Kong fan.

So when Justice League vs. Godzilla vs. Kong was announced, I was pretty excited. As a reader, I never know what I am going to get with crazy crossovers like this. I want them to be big and loud and fun and bonkers. I buy with the knowledge that it might not fly and I won't continue.

Well, if Justice League vs. Godzilla vs. Kong #1, by writer Brian Buccellato and artist Christian Duce, is any indication, this series is going to be a complete hoot.

Buccellato and Duce really immerse the story in the DC Universe. But this isn't current times. This is, of course, an Elseworlds. An Earth where Clark hasn't proposed to Lois yet. A world where there is still a Legion of Doom lurking out there, being led by an evil Lex Luthor. Heck, it is a world where there actually is a Justice League, something you can't say now.

This opening issue sets the table, showing us a world where our heroes and villains exist with the classic kaiju monsters. It ends with the promise of a fight. Everything in the middle is old school joy. 

Duce brings a clean art style here, crisp and well paced. 

Oh, one more thing.

I am a Supergirl fan. And she is treated very well here. This review, given this site, may focus a little heavy on that. But she is a main character here. That makes me smile.

On to the book.

We start with a romantic dinner set up on the roof of the Planet.

Clark is proposing to Lois.

This is a framework scene but it immediately let me know as a reader that we aren't set on the main Earth. Lois and Clark aren't married. 

I like the banter between the two. And I like the setting Clark picked. Too fun.

We flashback 12 hours. 

Clark needs the night off to propose to Lois without interruption.

So he sends his backup to the League.

That's right, on this world Supergirl is respected enough by Superman to step in. She is known enough to the League that they accept her with open arms.

And hooray for the red skirt/blue shirt combo. I am a sucker for that outfit.

Even here, her eye rolling Hal, shows how much of a colleague she is to these heroes. She's not a sidekick or a downgrade. 

She's a Leaguer ... at least today.

Cut to a very Legion of Doom villain headquarters where some classic bad guys are hanging out waiting to hear from Luthor what his grand plan is. We see Grodd, Cheetah, Giganta, Black Manta, and even the portly Toyman. So maybe we aren't all in on the Super Friends look. No Jack Nimball Toyman here.

What I love is the bickering the villains are doing with each other, firing little verbal jabs and making fun of each other. 

And that 'super friends' line by Cheetah has to be a lean into the whole LoD feel of this group. 

The villain plan makes very little sense but I am not necessarily looking for perfect continuity in a book where ultimately Godzilla is going to show up. 

Luthor knows where the Fortress of Solitude is. He knows the villains can pull open the heavy doors. And he wants to get some gear hidden within to send the Leaguers to the Phantom Zone. 

So what is he going to steal? 

Orion's sled and a Mother Box?

First off, why are they even in the Fortress. Second, how are they going to use those items to send people to the Phantom Zone? Third, why not just grab a Phantom Zone projector?

Anyways, while in there, the Toyman grabs a suspicious and rather specific looking red gem. This sets off an alarm.

Superman is about to break his upcoming engagement date to investigate when the League tells him not to worry. This is the Man of Steel's night off. 

The heroes head into the Fortress wishing Superman good luck.

Who is front and center? Supergirl. 

Such a great panel!

A skirmish erupts including Supergirl doing a nice takedown of Grodd. 

Suddenly, the Mother Box fires up and a boom tube opens. 

Check out Supergirl now saving Wonder Woman and the Flash from whatever fallout was about to happen, whisking them into the Green Lantern force field.

Seriously, Kara gets some good screen time in this book. 

As for the villains, the Boom Tube takes them to Monster Island. This looks like it is ripped from the recent Kong/Godzilla movies right down to the Skullcrawlers. On the island, the Legion of Doom discover a headquarters devoted to keeping track of the monsters, most likely Monarch base.

Toyman is the most giddy, thinking of them like giant toys. 

Now the side plot I am most interested in.

Grodd seems to have a connection to Kong. It makes sense.

But does he want to use Kong like a weapon? Does he want to worship Kong as a god? 

Interesting how despite the tremendous Supergirl stuff, it was this moment I kept going back to. A Grodd/Kong team-up would be tremendous.

There are no small details in this book.

I said before the villains were constantly insulting each other. Toyman got it the worst. And when he is again teased he storms off.

This red stone has to be some wish stone, perhaps a materioptikon by Dr. Destiny? Sargon the Sorceror's Ruby of Life? I'm betting former. If it is, crazy that Dr. Destiny is again taking center stage given the recent Knight Terrors event.

Anyways, Toyman doesn't want to be a joke and wishes the monsters would be brought back to fight the Justice League.

So an odd trip to the Fortress, a randomly purloined wish stone, the mother box sending the villains to Skull Island ... that's a lot of coincidence! It reads like a Bronze Age comic!!!

Well, it turns out that some threats are big enough to put a pause on a proposal.

Now that is a cliffhanger.

I'd think the Leaguers would be able to handle the monsters pretty easily so my guess is Toyman's gem will amp them up a bit. 

This was a carnival ride of fun. I can only hope the whole series keeps up this pace, action, and entertaining lunacy! It's so fun I can overlook the plot twists required to put all the pieces on the chessboard.

Overall grade: B+