Issue(s): Godzilla #4, Godzilla #5
Cover Date: Nov-Dec 77
Title: "Godzilla versus Batragon!" / "The isle of lost monsters"
Credits:
Doug Moench - Writer
Tom Sutton - Penciler
Tony DeZuniga / Klaus Janson - Inker

Review/plot:
I got my hopes raised and dashed again with this two-parter. The best part of the Godzilla movie series was the big G going up against other giant monsters. And this story introduces a whole bunch of new giant monsters, created by evil super-scientist Doctor Demonicus, the only character introduced in this Godzilla series with any longevity (by which i mean, he appeared in a bunch of West Coast Avengers issues).

But the giant monster fights aren't depicted very well, and Godzilla pretty much destroys all the other monsters so there's no chance of a reoccurring 'rogues gallery' of giant Godzilla enemies.

It's a bit of a mistake, i think, to not have pitted Godzilla against all of the classic 50s Marvel monsters which were inspired by the original Godzilla movie. Godzilla vs. Fin Fang Foom! Godzilla vs. Groot! And they also should have tried to create some new monsters in that category as Godzilla villains that could have continued outside of this licensed book.

At least Moench does a good job creating Toho-like names for the new monsters. Batragon and Ghilaron especially sound like they could have come from a Godzilla movie. Lepirax maybe not so much.

Godzilla shows some degree of discretion during the battle, avoiding attacking when it could endanger Dum Dum.

Demonicus feels the need to comment on Gabe Jones' ethnicity...

...resulting in Gabe making a "we shall overcome" reference.

Issue #5 is the first to have a letter column. Of interest is a letter from Bill Wu, who wrote in to like every issue of Master of Kung Fu to (rightly) complain about the coloring. He thanks Marvel for depicting the Asians in this series as not having skin the color of Country Time lemonade.

Quality Rating: C

Historical Significance Rating: 3 - first Doctor Demonicus

Chronological Placement Considerations: N/A

References: N/A

Crossover: N/A

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: N/A

Jimmy Woo was right! That STAR WARS movie *was* fun!