Writer: Nola Pfau
Art: Megan Huang
Letters: Nathan Widick
Publisher: IDW Comics
Price: $7.99
Release Date: December 20th, 2023
Jet Jaguar and Megalon have a rematch years after their first battle in the film “Godzilla vs. Megalon” in Godzilla Rivals: Jet Jaguar vs. Megalon #1. Though this book doesn’t have the 007 spy-type action that the film had, it’s still packed full of kaiju action, as Jet Jaguar and Megalon are both more powerful than ever and have a final Earth-shattering (literally) showdown in San Francisco.
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The Story
Ah, “Godzilla vs. Megalon”. How I love that film, it’s my favorite of the Godzilla films, despite the fact that by this point (this was the 13th Godzilla film) Godzilla no longer was a malevolent creature spreading terror across Japan. In this film, he was downright adorable. When he comes out of the ocean to hep Jet Jaguar battle Megalon and Gigan and gets a firm handshake from Jet Jaguar, you want to scratch Godzilla under the chin and go “coochie coo”. Godzilla’s nowhere to be seen in Godzilla Rivals: Jet Jaguar vs. Megalon #1, but it takes nothing away from the book, which is a super fun romp with perfect pacing. After a brief interlude with Jen, a college student working at a fast-food burger place who’s trying to get her life back on track after a suicide attempt, disaster hits San Francisco. By fate, Jen ends up in a lab where Jet Jaguar has been in disassembled mode for years, and Jen and Jet both find a new purpose when Megalon reveals itself, ready to stomp San Francisco into the Stone Age.
The majority of the issue features the battle between Jet Jaguar and Megalon, as it should be. My problem with most kaiju films are that 90% of them are humans yakking with the other 10% (usually at the end) showing the monsters fighting. I want to see kaiju battering each other, not “General Hospital” style soap opera, and this issue delivers that. Jen’s not a typical character. She has a dark past that’s elaborated on at the beginning of the book. She’s fighting for a better life while battling her own inner demons and doubts. She’s interesting and we get enough background on her to make her a complex character, not the typical jabbering person that usually occupies these kaiju tales.
I loved Jet Jaguar here too. To me, the robot has always been kind of like “Ultraman-lite”, having the same visual appeal as Ultraman but without the power and intriguing mystery of Ultraman. My only complaint with the book is that Seatopia isn’t mentioned. For fans of the “Godzilla vs. Megalon” film, Seatopia was the Atlantis-style undersea kingdom that sicced Megalon on the world as revenge for all the nuclear bombs the surface world detonated in the oceans. I loved Seatopia, it was a surreal place where everyone wore togas and women danced around altars in slow motion. It was a low-budget version of Wonderland on the ocean floor and I would have loved to see it here. But the action was so good and the battle between Jet Jaguar and Megalon such a blast, I was okay with Seatopia not taking up space in the issue, and I hope to see more tales with Jet Jaguar and Jen in future books.
The Art
Megan Huang’s art on Godzilla Rivals: Jet Jaguar vs. Megalon #1 is a lovely style that deftly captures the battle between Jet Jaguar and Megalon, keeping the action flowing and making the book feel akin to watching a sequel to the “Godzilla vs. Megalon” film. Jen, the main human character in the book, is also rendered perfectly, her reactions and style so unique that it set her apart from other characters who have occupied Godzilla-themed books in the past.
Final Thoughts
Godzilla Rivals: Jet Jaguar vs. Megalon #1 is a blast from beginning to end, wasting no time in getting into the action. Jet Jaguar is in top form and Jen is an interesting new character. I’d love to see Jen and Jet Jaguar rocketing around the globe in future adventures, battling kaiju and making new friends. Maybe even running into Godzilla again? Highly recommended.