Here’s a Bunch of Mini-Reviews
By Dan Brown Here’s the lowdown on a stack of comics I bought recently. There’s no logic to the choices, other than each cover struck my fancy while I was browsing the new-releases wall at L.A. Mood. Fantastic Four No. 29: Perhaps I have a case here to sue Marvel for bait-and-switch. I picked this one based on the cover, which promises an out-of-continuity tale answering the question, “What if . . . Mickey & friends became the Fantastic Four?” I was intrigued by the idea of Goofy switching places with the ever-loving Thing. As it turns out, it was a variant cover. Instead, I got a Ryan North/Cory Smith joint titled The Dream Team about Doctor Doom taking over . . . everything. This looks to be Marvel’s event series this summer, One World Under Doom, and I applaud the House of Ideas for taking this one on, if only because they are going to get so much blowback from Trump fans claiming it’s a metaphor for the current situation in the U.S. The FF goes to bat for the downtrodden . . . who in this case are vampires left over from the previous event series. Doctor Doom & Rocket Raccoon No. 1: I love the movie Rocket more than the comic Rocket, so in my mind I read his dialogue in Bradley Cooper’s voice. I haven’t read a J. Michael Straczynski-penned story in a long time, and this one is long on philosophy, short on action. Doom partners with the genetically engineered rodent to help him delve into the origins of . . . everything. Essentially, the Latverian ruler wants to travel back in time to a time before time. That is, before the Big Bang. I give Doom props for recognizing that a lowly raccoon is almost his mental equal. And one page features a Jack Kirby-esque collage, which is a bonus. What do they discover in preshistory? “The purpose of the universe is to understand the purpose of the universe.” It’s one of them paradoxes. Godzilla vs. Fantastic Four No. 1: This is easily the best-illustrated issue among my purchases, featuring John Romita Jr. art based on a Ryan North script. Marvel takes the existing Marvel continuity and fuses it with the Toho storyline, as happened with the original Marvel series about the fire-breathing unfrozen dinosaur. Reed even tips his hat to Dr. Daisuke Serizawa’s oxygen destroyer in the opening panels. One cool concept in this issue sees Godzilla foe King Ghidorah taking on the power cosmic in his role of herald of Galactus. And yes, it’s all leading up to an eventual battle between the Tokyo-demolisher and the world-devourer. Godzilla Heist No. 1: If you’re a fan of Godzila, this is truly an awesome time to be alive because you can read about him in more than one company’s comics. This IDW-published series reads sort of like what would happen if Quentin Tarantino directed a kaiju flick. As powerful as Godzilla is, here his rampages are just a massive distraction for a ring of human thieves who, naturally, don’t know which one of them might betray the others.The story begins with the big G destroying a casino, which is certainly one way to make sure the authorities don’t pay attention to your scheme to plunder their treasures. Godzilla vs. Chicago One Shot: As part of the Godzilla vs. America series, local creators get a stab at fitting Godzilla into their own community’s neighbourhoods, politics, and culture. Also part of IDW’s current offerings, it’s really just an excuse to pay tribute to old-school comic sound effects such as:Dong donk!Zang!Zong!Choom!Fwomp! Fwooosh! Shreeonk!What can I say? I know what I like. Daring the Sun No. 2 by Forest City creator Scott Brian Woods: Called Crash Down, this tale of an astronaut traveling through the heart of a sun is “inspired by imagination comics of the past, science fiction, and a deep love of old-school adventure, sci-fi fantasy space operas.” The Kirby Crackle on the opening splash page jumped out at me, and the drawing on the back cover shows the pilot in a Flash Gordon-esque outfit with an old-school raygun. Somehow, he is connected to a warrior named Vala, who fends off dinosaur-like aliens in a barren landscape. If you like classic George Lucas intercutting, you will love the structure of this piece, ending naturally with a cliffhanger. Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur 10th Anniversary Special No. 1: I don’t know how, exactly, Lunell Lafayette got a hold of the ultimate nullifier, but it’s one of the items she brings to her surprise 10th birthday party in New York. A back-of-the-book story flashes forward to when Moon Girl has grown into Moon Woman, and she visits Earth from the orbiting satellite. Senior Marvel Editor Mark Paniciccia says the series has lasted a decade because “it’s inspired young readers to embrace their individuality and believe in their potential.” Or maybe they just really like to groove on the blood-red T-Rex who is Moon Girl’s constant companion. What comics or graphic novels have you been reading lately? I’d love to hear about it in the comment box below! Dan Brown has covered pop culture for more than 32 years as a journalist and also moderates L.A. Mood’s monthly graphic-novel group.
Now This is a Fun Godzilla
By Dan BrownAs you may have heard, this Saturday (November 2) is Godzilla Day at L.A. Mood Comics & Games. It’s the store’s way of celebrating the giant lizard’s 70th anniversary on the silver screen.So here’s my two cents.Godzilla has appeared in a lot of comics over the decades, but few are as fun as the Essential Godzilla: King of the Monsters, which collects all 24 issues of Marvel’s 1970s series featuring He-Who-Stomps-Tokyo.Marvel jumped on just about every bandwagon in those days. Does anyone remember Dazzler, the mutant who had all the powers of . . . a glitter ball? The thinking was, if disco music or Alice Cooper or kung-fu movies or the Human Fly are a sensation in pop culture, then surely a comic featuring the same trend du jour will be a hit.Those comics – generally done on the cheap – are the ones that defined my childhood. And the fact this Godzilla series lasted two years is a testament to how popular it must have been.The first issue appeared in 1977 (the same year Star Wars, and the ensuing Marvel adaptation, took off) and within the first few pages the book’s creative team (artist Herb Trimpe and writer Doug Moench) effectively meld Toho Productions continuity with that of the Marvel Universe. Surprise! It turns out Godzilla was always in the same world as Spider-Man, the Avengers, and the Fantastic Four! That opens up a lot of possibilities.The challenge for the creators was in having a central character who is kind of like another big G, Galactus, except not as talkative. Godzilla is a force of nature, so he doesn’t really speak a lot, unless utterances like these count as dialogue:– Shreeaww– Hrahhh– Graww– Mraww– Reeaww– MeeawrrMan, I love old-timey sound effects! I’m sure Trimpe and Moench had a ball coming up with them.And as with Galactus, there is a running debate in this series about Godzilla’s essential nature. Is he like a snowstorm, and therefore beyond morality? Or is his trampling of landmarks like the Hoover Dam proof of malevolence? Is he driven solely by animal instincts, is Godzilla – as one character exclaims – an “overgrown gila monster”? Could there even be a noble heart under that scaly hide?So, back to those Marvel guest stars.Nah, they didn’t use them to full advantage.I’m guessing the editors who were in charge of other Marvel heroes at the time didn’t want to loan out their A-list characters. The ostensible human star of the Godzilla comic is Dum-Dum Dugan, who is in charge of SHIELD’s Godzilla capture team. Yeah, they couldn’t even get Nick Fury.You know Dugan as the Second World War veteran with a bowler hat and walrus moustache who was somehow still wah-hoooing 30 years later. At least with Fury Marvel's writers made up some story about a de-aging formula making him immortal (or something). And where Dugan was on the winning side in the battle against the Nazis, he is forever being bested by Godzilla. You will also recognize Dugan because he says things like “Looks like it’s time for old Dum-Dum to bail outta the jaws o’ death. Never could stand bad breath,” the latter being a reference to Godzilla’s ability to spew nuclear fire.Later, some bigger stars do appear, but funny thing: I never remember Spidey or Mister Fantastic or the Vision referring to Godzilla in their own titles. You’d think, because he was a menace to all of North America in this series, word would have gotten out to the larger Marvel Universe. But does Godzilla fight other monsters, you ask. You bet. Among his foes are Batragon, Centipor, Ghilaron, and Lepiraz, any of which could easily pass as the brand name for a depression or weight-loss medications. Next up: Godzilla takes on Ozempic!While Godzilla’s Marvel days may have lasted a rollicking two years, the comic version of that other movie from 1977, Star Wars, helped Marvel stay afloat back in the day. In fact, the company continues to produce Star Wars content to this day, proving that if even just one trend-inspired comic series pans out, it can be a boost to a publisher’s bottom line for a long time.And if comic books aren’t your thing, just take a look around L.A. Mood on Saturday as Godzilla Day unfolds. The friendly staff will have whatever merch you crave! Dan Brown has covered pop culture for more than 31 years as a journalist and also moderates L.A. Mood’s monthly graphic-novel group.
Celebrate 70 Years of Godzilla with Us (Godzilla Day London Ontario) Nov 2
Join the fun at this monstrous 70th anniversary event!We are excited to have a human size Godzilla cosplay guest on site. Tristan Domay is one of Canada's premiere Godzilla cosplayers. He has been building and performing as monstrous characters for over 15 years. An award winning artist and filmmaker, he is a longtime contributor to the kaiju and tokusatsu fandoms. Working annually with Dojo Studios since 2010, he has helped to bring Western Godzilla fans unique experiences usually unseen outside of Japan, including live stage shows, special effects demonstrations, as well as academic panels on costuming and the history of the kaiju genre. In his spare time he moonlights as a late night horror host and lover of all things macabre.Don’t miss out! We will be open Saturday November 2 from 10 am till 7 pm.Come on by L.A. Mood at 100 Kellogg Lane, suite 5, London.
