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1979-04-01 01:01:10
Previous:
Marvel Premiere #47-48
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1979/Box 15/EiC: Jim Shooter
Next:
Marvel Two-In-One annual #4

Godzilla #21-24

Issue(s): Godzilla #21, Godzilla #22, Godzilla #23, Godzilla #24
Published Date: Apr-Jul 79
Title: "The doom trip!" / "The devil and the dinosaur!" / "The king once more" / "And lo, a child shall lead them"
Credits:
Doug Moench - Writer
Herb Trimpe - Penciler
Dan Green / Jack Abel - Inker

Review/plot:
Reed Richards offers SHIELD the solution of sending Godzilla, who is still shrunk down to about 15 feet at this point, back in time using Dr. Doom's time machine. They agree.

In the past, Godzilla teams up with Devil Dinosaur and Moonboy to fight a horde of cavemen and dinosaurs. If only they could have gotten Kirby to draw it.

(Click on that last one to embiggen.)

Meanwhile, it turns out that Doom's time machine was somehow affected by Godzilla's radiation. Reed says that it'll either explode or bring Godzilla back into the present. So the FF do what any responsible people would do, and they drop the time machine in the middle of Times Square.

Godzilla reappears just as SHIELD arrives.

A mega-battle with the Fantastic Four and the Avengers ensues.

(The last one is embiggen-able again. It's Godzilla, you know. Epic scale.)

Finally, Godzilla is convinced by Robert Takiguchi to just stop fighting and go away, "as far away as you possibly can". Godzilla heads into the ocean, pretty much never to be seen again.

Speaking as a big fan of the 60s and 70s Toho Godzilla films, this series never really lived up to its potential.

Quality Rating: C-

Historical Significance Rating: 1

Chronological Placement Considerations: "Obviously this takes place before the [Avengers] roster shake up in Avengers #181."

References:

  • Moonboy compares Godzilla's fire breath to the flames of the Sky Demons, from Devil Dinosaur #3 and Devil Dinosaur #5.
  • Moonboy encounters "Hag", a character from Devil Dinosaur #9.
  • As he's being transported back to the present, Henry Pym's shrinking serum, administered to Godzilla in Godzilla #17, finally completely wears off.
  • A police officer observes that Godzilla is 20 times bigger than he was the last time he was in New York in Godzilla #20.

Cross-over: N/A

Continuity Implant? N

Reprinted In: N/A

Characters Appearing: Captain America, Devil Dinosaur, Dum Dum Dugan, Gabriel Jones, Gladstone Hawkins, Godzilla, Henry Pym, Hugh Howards, Human Torch, Invisible Woman, Iron Man, J. Jonah Jameson, Jimmy Woo, Joe 'Robbie' Robertson, Moonboy, Mr. Fantastic, Robert Takiguchi, Scarlet Witch, Spider-Man, Tamara Hashioka, Thing, Thor, Vision, Wasp, Yuriko Takiguchi

Previous:
Marvel Premiere #47-48
Up:
Main
1979/Box 15/EiC: Jim Shooter
Next:
Marvel Two-In-One annual #4

Comments

The series was cancelled not due to poor sales, but because Toho dramatically increased its licensing fee.

There was a cover by Steve Ditko intended for the Godzilla story later altered for Marvel Spotlight. The cover was first(and only?) published in the Comics Journal, and Godzilla looked a bit...well...puny.


 
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