Godzilla In Hell #1

Published by: IDW Publishing
Released on: July 15, 2015
Writer: James Stokoe
Artist: James Stokoe
Cover Artist: James Stokoe
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As you are no doubt aware, there are many Godzilla comics and stories courtesy of IDW that have surfaced over the years, but there's not been one quite like their newest title “Godzilla In Hell”. The series is set at five issues with a different artist for each, and in each installment the mutant lizard goes deeper into the pits of the underworld, battling whatever horrors get in his way.

In this first chapter, the story and art is done by James Stokoe, no stranger to Godzilla comics as he proved with his series “Godzilla: The Half-Century War”, and it's told in near total silence. The only sound effects conveyed have to do with Godzilla gearing up to blast something with his atomic breath but otherwise this is a 100 percent pictures-only book.

Godzilla (for some reason) plummets down into some abyss and lands in Hell, greeted by a stone monument reading “Abandon All Hope Ye Who Enter Here”, to which he promptly gives the finger in a way only Godzilla can. From there he wanders around looking for something to do and he finds himself a playmate: a giant, oozing, tentacle-laden, razor-toothed nightmarish entity. And then of course a battle ensues.

That's the story so far. Godzilla goes to Hell and fights a monster. But with no humans to muck up the fights with their word balloons and such it's just wall-to-wall big monster bashing. Obviously this one is all about the artwork, which is hyper-detailed and incredibly appealing. For those looking for a comparison, shades of Arthur Adams and Geof Darrow can be felt throughout, but Stokoe has his own identifiable style which lends itself to some really nice panel work. His silent script comes across clear as a bell and there is no question as to what's going on here. The book goes by quick, so take your time and really take in the sights. It's always fascinating to see the different takes on what Hell would look like and this series will give the readers four different interpretations of damnation. It should be pretty impressive when all is said and done.