Godzilla vs Mothra
Godzilla Rivals is a series of one-shot comics by IDW. This second issue, Vs. Mothra, is centered around the humans impacted more that the Kaiju. Writer Mary Kenney centers the narrative around photographer Mima Kinjo. Kenney’s history of writing for video games (The Walking Dead: The Final Season and Spider-man: Miles Morales) shines through in her ability to convey an exciting and emotional story through a visual medium. Kenney’s other comic book writing for IDW, Read Only Memories and My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, demonstrates her ability to create compelling narratives with existing licensed property. Godzilla Rivals: Vs. Mothra combines both of these strengths.
By: IDW Publishing
Written by: Mary Kenney
Pencils by: SL Gallant
Inks by: Maria Keane
Colors by: Adam Guzowski
In the world of giant Kaiju, Godzilla reigns supreme. Godzilla may hold the title of King of the Monsters, but Mothra is graced with the Queen of the Monsters title. Furthermore, for a Godzilla Rivals series it is inevitable that these two will face each other. Mary Kenney continues the tradition of Mothra as a heroic character. The central theme that Mothra and the human protagonist, Mima need each other is compelling. Kenney’s writing provides a human character to identify with and a Kaiju to care about. Consequently, the narrative, not the action, is the strongest part of this title.
Story & Continuity
Readers may not pick up a Godzilla title for the narrative, but writer Mary Kenney delivers narrative centered around Mima’s conflict with the military Admiral and their approach to stopping Godzilla. Mima finds Mothra hidden and chained in the bottom of a lake and believes the Kaiju is the only thing capable of stopping Godzilla. However, when Mothra reaches out to Mima through her two miniature human projections, Mima takes decisive action. While the clash between the short sighted Admiral and Mima is expected, the story plays out to a satisfying resolution for both characters.
Artwork
The art team of SL Gallant (pencils), Maria Keane (inks), and Adam Guzowski (colors) deliver a believable world in Godzilla Rivals. Furthermore, the earthy tones and hues accent the central themes of the connection between Mima and Mothra. Gallant’s pencils display the human emotions which carry the emotional core of the title. The action with humans carries the sense of energy and tension appropriate for a Kaiju attack. Once Godzilla attacks, most of the panels become focused and up close. This tight perspective successfully conveys the chaos from a human perspective. Unfortunately, once Mothra and Godzilla battle, the close-up panels lose the sense of scale. Consequently, the epic scope of a Kaiju battle is diminished. The close panels do capture the violence of both creatures during the final moments of battle.
Mothra vs. Godzilla
Writer Mary Kenney creates a world where the reader understands humanity’s selfish and scared tendencies and cheers as the female leads, both human and Kaiju stand up to save the day. Godzilla Rivals: Vs. Mothra is an excellent stand alone title that is undercut by the steep price tag.