GODZILLA RIVALS VS MANDA # 1 (2024)
Writer/Artist/Letterer: Jake Lawrence
Rating: 
This week I will look at “GODZILLA RIVALS VS MANDA #1” from IDW. The story begins with the crew of a small fishing trawler off the coast of Australia keeping busy by telling stories of the sea. Little do they know they’re moments away from happening upon a mysterious shipwreck and the fearsome sea dragon Manda going toe to toe with Godzilla in the middle of the most brutal ocean brawl any sailor has ever seen.
What I found the most fascinating about this one-shot is how the story was structured to put some focus on the human characters because while this particular plot element can be seen as boring, writer/artist Jake Lawrence gets that formula right as he injects a ton of personality in each person. The fact that they are blue-collared workers is just brilliance coming from Lawrence, but he gives us a brutal yet captivating ball for the ages regarding these two behemoths! The story takes a very different approach when it. Comes to telling a Godzilla story and yes Lawrence’s art does take time to get used to it since it has that cartoon feel to it but overall, it’s a great story that anyone getting into Godzilla will enjoy while old-school fans will feel right at home.
Well, that’s it for me this week. Thanks for sticking around and I will see you all next time.
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