Review: Justice League Vs Godzilla Vs Kong 2 #7

Justice League Vs Godzilla Vs Kong 2 #7 came out this week, the final chapter in what has been another fun romp through both universes, mixing nostalgia, interesting character moments, and lots of kaiju brawls. This was incredibly entertaining in a popcorn movie sort of way. And I read comics to be entertained.

Writer Brian Buccellato throws in just about every giant monster in the Monarch universe into this book and in particular this issue which is basically a massive melee between the good guys and the bad guys. As always, he lets Supergirl shine, not in the way I was hoping but in a way that is even better. But this is more than just fights. Small character moments, like Wally trying to follow in Barry's giant footsteps, or Hal being scared of Parallax, are inserted to sort of ground the book in loose DC history. Does it end fast? Sure. But is is JL v Godzilla v Kong. There isn't going to be nuance.

Christian Duce drew every page of this sequel and has a pristine art style which brings a crisp feeling to the insanity. He must have had a blast drawing giant-sized leaguers throwing down against dinosaurs and giant apes. I hope I see more of him. Give him something like this every year, a mini-series that allows him time to do it all.

Get your popcorn ready!

Review: Justice League Vs Godzilla Vs Kong 2 #6

Justice League Vs Godzilla Vs Kong 2 #6 came out last week, the penultimate chapter of this wild series. I always feel that these 'next to last' chapters are always crucial. The book has to be set up to a place where a satisfying conclusion to the overall story has to be possible. With an over-the-top book like this with all the insanity out there, I think we get there. I do wonder if a few crumbs will be left out there in case DC wants to do a third. 

Writer Brian Buccellato pushes things forward. With the freedom of working in a pocket universe, he can take big swings and continues to do so here. What I like about this is Buccellato also shows he is a fan of DC history because he inserts some fun moments into the work for gray beards like me. He also clearly loves the characters, treating them with respect. From Wally to Black Manta to Aquaman, there are moments for all. 

Meanwhile Christian Duce continues to shine here. He has the hard mission of super-hero antics and giant monster mayhem and both things happening at the same time. I love the detail of the work and I am very appreciative of DC giving him the time to do the series in its entirety. 

I keep waiting for a Kara/Kong moment and I am still waiting. But this was still fun. On to the book.

Review: Justice League Vs Godzilla Vs Kong 2 #5

Justice League vs Godzilla vs Kong 2 #5 came out last week and was another 'pedal to the metal', nonstop insane action issue that felt like a summer blockbuster movie in the cold of New England November. I mean when you have a battle royale between kaiju it is always a winner. But throw in a giant-sized Superman and other normal sized heroes and it is time to grab your popcorn.

Writer Brian Buccellato knows you need more than just the action to keep the book moving so while I have come for the fights, I stay for the interesting storylines. Remember, this story has been taking place on the Monster-Earth, meaning that some multiversal insanity can happen. And with this being an Elseworld, all sorts of stuff can happen. Characters can die. Villains can turn.

More importantly for here, Supergirl remains a vital part of the heroes, wading into the fray and often leading.

Christian Duce is on art here and continues to shine. I really love the precise, fine-lined art that he brings to the insanity. His character work is great. Love his Harley. Love his Kara. Love his gargantuan Superman.

I am having a blast with this book, enjoying the ride.

Review: Justice League Vs Godzilla Vs Kong 2 #4

Justice League Vs Godzilla Vs Kong #4 came out last week and pushed the story forward in an unexpected and very entertaining way. As always, you just have to let this comic wash over you like a wonderfully electric summer blockbuster movie. Time jumps? Tech miracles? Insanity? It's all good in a comic like this. Sit back and enjoy. 

Writer Brian Buccellato brings us this heady mix of super-heroics, kaiju battles, and Super Friends silliness. Yes, he needs to jump through some hoops to get everything together but it works. I mean, who knew I needed a Black Manta/Cheetah buddy movie? But I am a Supergirl fan and Buccellato continues to show her tremendous respect. Even depowered on this Monarch Earth, she is proactive and a leader. And we end with a cliffhanger that made me want more.

Christian Duce remains on art and continues to shine. His work on the kaiju are incredible detailed. His super-hero work is tremendous. Love the battle sequences. His Kara is fantastic. 

We're halfway through! What more insanity can come!

Review: Justice League Vs Godzilla Vs Kong 2 #3

Justice League Vs Godzilla Vs Kong 2 #3 came out this week and continues to be a fun mashup of the Monarch Universe and the DCU. The first series was a hoot and this one is just as fun, a high action adventure with heroes, villains, and monsters.

Writer Brian Buccellato continues to weave a good story of a villainous Suicide Squad trying to obtain power and technology from the Monarch Earth. Setting the series on that Earth has led to some fun wrinkles, like our Kryptonian heroes not utilizing this yellow sun to peak efficiency and powering down. But it is the dual villainous leads of Lex Luthor and Colonel Shaw that I find most interesting. Who will backstab who first? As always, Supergirl continues to play a decent role in the book which makes me happy. Seeing her team up with Wonder Woman is always a treat and it is here as well.

Christian Duce remains on solo art and continues to give us a gorgeous book. This issue is more human machinations than kaiju mayhem. But there are a couple of panels that I will point out where you see just how great his art is.

And we end on a cliffhanger which I am going to guess how it turns out within the review. This time I'm right!

On to the book. 

Review: Justice League Vs Godzilla Vs Kong 2 #2

I am reviewing two books this week. One is a Milk Bone promotion for Krypto. The other is DC heroes and villains fighting giant kaiju from classic monster movies. Let us all sit back and realize that at least for now all is well. 

Justice League Vs Godzilla Vs Kong 2 #2 came out last week and continued to keep the foot down on velocity. The heroes are on Godzilla's home world dealing with a new environment and ornery monsters. The villains have teamed up with Colonel Shaw, trying to utilize science to fight or gain control of the monsters. And, of course, the villains and heroes fight. But outside of these enormous action sequences, we have a number of subplots and character moments that I find very entertaining. 

Writer Brian Buccellato continues to spin the story well. Yes, we get kaiju fights and superheroes against kaiju fights. But we get fun character moments. From lex's scheming to Captain Cold's idiocy to Batman's strategy to Supergirl's pro-active stance and heroics, we are get fun interactions with the action. Buccellato has to be a Supergirl fan. She was a big part of the last series and she remains very visible here.

Christian Duce does the entirety of the art. I love his smooth, detailed, fine lined work. He really gets to spread his wings this issue. Giant monsters fighting giant monsters. Or giant monsters fighting human heroes. Or villains fighting heroes. It's all there.

This remains a complete romp, a perfect summer popcorn mini-series.

On to the book.

Review: Justice League Vs Godzilla Vs Kong 2 #1

Justice League Vs. Godzilla Vs. Kong 2 #1 came out last week, the first part of the sequel to last year's JL v G v K first series. Now I loved the first series, an Elseworlds book smushing kaiju with Super Friends with Supergirl all together. It was fun to see an old school Toyman just want to have fun with giant toys leading to a brawl.

DC made the right decision bringing the band back together. Writer Brian Buccellato and artist Christian Duce are back on the scene. This time instead of bringing the Legendary Monsters to the DC world, our heroes and villains are heading to the monster's Earth. That new wrinkle, a different world and a different yellow sun, might mean something.

Our heroes have a classic feel to them, almost Bronze Age in personality. Instead of bringing in the Legion of Doom again, Buccellato brings in the Suicide Squad as 'the bad guys'. Now I, for one, am pretty sick of Amanda Waller who is seems omnipresent. But Buccellato throws a nice curve ball into the proceedings. One has to do with Waller. The other is putting Lex on the Squad which surely will lead to some laughs.

Most importantly for me, Supergirl is back and is portrayed in the same positive manner she was last series. I better see more of her and Kong. Match made in heaven.

Duce brings such a sweet slick style to the book. From an opening wedding scene to a giant monster fight to our heroes using their powers, the book is a joy to behold. In particular, the King Shark vs. Godzilla fight has the potency a kaiju fight should. Plus his Kara is stunning.

On to the book, the perfect 'Summer movie' book as the summer opens.

Review: Justice League Vs. Godzilla Vs. Kong #7

Justice League Vs Godzilla Vs Kong #7 came out last week, ending the series, a true sprint to the finish line.

You know that feeling when you are watching a silly, summer blockbuster movie and you stop and try to rationalize some glaring plot holes or insane coincidences only to realize it is a fool's mission. That you aren't supposed to be thinking hard about something like this? 

That is sort of my feeling about this finale.

This book has been wildly fun in places. There has been plenty to love and there is a lot to love in this issue. But a couple of issues ago I began to worry how the many plots threads that writer Brian Buccellato had been introducing would be tied up. 

The answer is that they'll be tied up very quickly. You just have to roll with it. I wonder if I would feel more fulfilled if this was a movie and not a comic I am reviewing.

The art remains an interesting mix of Christian Duce's beautifully fluid, thin lined art mixed with Tom Denerick's scratchier 'late Neal Adams' style. They don't always mix well. 

I wish the energy and enthusiasm I felt in the first couple of issues carried throughout.

On to the book.

Review: Justice League Vs Godzilla Vs Kong #6

Well, here we are at Justice League Vs Godzilla Vs Kong #6, the penultimate issue of this mini-series which started out like an avalance of fun but has subsequently become bogged down by too many plot line and too much 'over the top' moments. When I reviewed the first issue which were crisp and fun and reined in just a little, I described it like a guilty summer blockbuster movie. Now, it feels sort of like a Michael Bay movie, fun with all the explosions and nonsense for the first 45 minutes ... but then you're wondering how it will end.

It is a shame because writer Brian Buccellato is clearly a fan of both DC and the kaiju everyone is battling. There are still some crazy moments in this book to make me smile and cheer. This issue is basically the brawl we have been waiting for, complete with kaiju and mecha. But there is also a feeling of overdoing it. A few pixy stix candies are sweet and fun. A barrel of them are a tummy ache.

More importantly, it feels like there are too many plots happening in this book to keep my head on straight and invested in all of them. Superman dead. Supergirl and Kong brainwashed. Lex piloting mechagodzilla. Godzilla imprisoned in the ocean. Ra's Al Ghul with his own kaiju army about to waltz in. And oh yeah, Toyman using the dreamstone to make all this stuff happen. How are all of these going to be bundled up next issue? And maybe just maybe one or two of these could have been left for a sequel to tighten up this one. 

The art is again split by Christian Duce and Tom Derenick. I have to say, Derenick is basically becoming a sort of Neal Adams' surrogate. Many of his panels look so much like Adams' work I had to pause. Duce brings his fine line stellar art to the main battle sequence and brings the fun.

In the end, I will probably rate this book a success. The highs are pretty high. But it is a shame the last couple of issues have had a reach that exceeds its grasp.

On to the book.

Review: Justice League Vs Godzilla Vs Kong #5

Justice League vs. Godzilla vs. Kong #5 came out last week and had, as usual, some real fun moments. But this is also the moment where I worry that the scope of this story has become so big (one might say kaiju-sized) that it might be tough to wrap up all the plot threads with only two issues remaining.

Writer Brian Buccellato has a lot of things going on this issue. Superman is still dying. Some of the League are protecting Atlantis. Supergirl is back on Kong Island. The Legion of Doom is still scheming. Luthor is close to activating mecha-Godzilla. Ra's Al Ghul has entered the mix. And Toyman and basically most of the monsters are nowhere to be found.

That is a lot of stuff going on! As a reader I kind of feel all over the place. And when a subplot I don't really care about (in this case protecting Atlantis) takes up a lot of the book, it sort of feels like wasted pages.

The art is an interesting mix. Christian Duce brings this gorgeous, fine-lined art to his pages which shine. Tom Derenick does the non-kaiju plot pages where the hero teams are strategizing their next steps. His is a thicker line. The two styles are quite distinct but given the discrete scenes it isn't too distracting.

I want to love this book and I have loved it. But this issue was the first one which felt a little bit of pause and a little bit scattered. On to the book.

Review: Justice League Vs Godzilla Vs Kong #4

Justice League Vs Godzilla Vs Kong #4 came out this week and was another funtastic romp through this Elseworlds tale mixing the Monsterverse with a sort of Super Friends style DCU. Without a doubt, this has been the most bananas and therefore most entertaining book I have read in a while. And this issue keeps up that frenetic pace with some great character moments.

Writer Brian Buccellato continues to mix the two universes well. The Justice League are trying to deal with these souped up kaijus who seem able to stand up to the most powerful of them. With Superman off the table, Supergirl remains a focal point which makes me smile. We get a rather emotional Batman and a solid Lois moment as well. But the best part of this is the insane Legion of Doom, who act like old school robbers rather than world conquerors here. Only Lex seems to rise above it all.

Christian Duce splits art with Tom Derenick. Each have a unique style making the pages easy to discern. Duce bringing a finer line and a more refined touch to the proceedings. This works well with the Supergirl pages and the insane Atlantis scenes. Derenick is on the Fortress scenes and brings appropriate gravitas to the Lois scene. I had to pick up the Whilce Portacio cover seen above. Is this the first time Portacio has drawn Supergirl?

On to the book.

Review: Justice League Vs Godzilla Vs Kong #3

Happy New Year! Hard to believe it's 2024!

And what better way to ring in a new year than with a fun comic which prominently features Supergirl!

Justice League Vs. Godzilla Vs. Kong #3 came out a couple of weeks ago, the third chapter in what has been an extremely fun series. Writer Brian Buccellato and artist Christian Duce have really been bringing high action and high fun to the series. This is set in some alternate DCU with Lois not married to Clark which means anything can happen, everything is possible. It also means that Buccellato can amp up the kaijus' powers to impact our heroes. Heck, the fact the kaijus are around because a magic stone means their powers are easily malleable. 

In this issue, the unheard of seems to happen. Superman dies. As we have seen in this series already, Supergirl is ready to pick up the gauntlet and become *THE* hero of this DCU. Kara is everywhere in this book, taking out monsters and rallying the troops. And I have to wonder if there is a Crisis on Infinite Earths reference going on here as well. If you like Supergirl (and if you are here you probably do) you need to buy this book.

The overall plot moves forward as our heroes split up to protect the world from the monsters. We also get some progression with some unknown presence trying to unite the kaijus into some force. Seeing a number of heroes struggling against the monsters upped the ante. 

Duce brings a very slick art style to the proceedings. In particular, his take on the giant creatures is dead on perfect. His Supergirl is strong and confident. The action sequences are great. No complaints there.

On to the particulars. Pop the popcorn.

Review: Justice League Vs. Godzilla Vs. Kong #2

Justice League Vs Godzilla Vs Kong #2 came out last week and was another pretty brisk and fun read, a sort of comic version of a summer popcorn movie. After reading the first one, I was a giddy mess. I never expected to see these two IP's together in a comic. This issue felt a little more like a standard comic. I was less giddy but no less entertained. This issue set up the plot a little more, gave us the first throwdown, and was (unfortunately) Kong-less. 

Writer Brian Buccellato keeps the plot moving, cranking up the threat of Godzilla. Whether this is the kaiju's actual power level or if he has been amplified by the Toyman isn't known. But we see the giant lizard stand toe to toe with Superman. It sets the table for how big a threat these monsters can be. Add to that a couple of nice side moments, building on the DCU's history as it exists on this Elseworld. There are a couple of hiccups but you still have a winner here.

Artist Christian Duce brings a smooth pleasing style to the book. I am sure that some of the close-ups of Godzilla are probably digitally traced from the recent movies. But the super-hero work here is great. Some characters, like Hawkgirl and Batgirl in particular, really look fantastic. 

We get an out-of-the-blue cliffhanger which might need a little explanation but made me wanting more.

On to the book.

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.

Review: Action Comics #1034

 Action Comics #1034 came out this week and again was another gripping, highly entertaining issue. This title has really been firing on all cylinders. I have been extremely impressed with this story that Phillip Kennedy Johnson has been crafting here. And that means something when I already know that the end of this arc is Superman off-world, a result I wasn't too keen on.

In particular, there are a couple of plot points that I really like. 

 For one, this is a bit of an angrier, more pro-active Superman than I am used to. You can see how the idea of a planet of tortured slaves existing is such a problem to him, such a horror that he simply can't stand by. He has to act even if it against his usual pattern. From his slamming his fist on the JL table last month to things he does in this issue, he is almost unhinged ... at least for him. 

I also love how Kara is being portrayed in this arc. She is often the smartest and most mature hero in the room. I love how in this issue she calls Superman out for his actions, wondering if there was a better way. This is such a different person from the angry, sulking, loner who feels so disconnected she left Earth to get drunk in the current Woman of Tomorrow mini-series.

Christian Duce is on art this issue. Duce really shines in the action sequences. Also, his expressive work on Superman definitely conveys the frank rage Kal is feeling over some of the politics at play here.

On to the book!