Godzilla #14: My First Comic Book

This Doug Moench-Herb Trimpe collaboration is the first comic I remember pointing at and saying, "I'll take that!" I was about 5. It's also the first comic I "collected," in the sense that I figured out comics came out every month and I could "purchase" these comics from "stores," provided I saved and begged enough loose change. This probably explains a lot about what is to follow on this blog, to say nothing of the logo (which I cleverly cribbed from the cover of Godzilla #2).

This fourteenth issue of the short-lived Godzilla, King of the Monsters is the third part of an epic tale that puts a Marvel spin on the old Godzilla standby plot--aliens taking over Earth's monsters while simultaneously sending their own monsters to Earth and sending them all to attack us. And of course the ultimate goal is for all of these monsters to go to war with other monsters created by still more aliens, who are their enemies. This was after Marvel's Big G fought the Champions, Dr. Demonicus, and a giant mutant sasquatch named Yetrigar (separately, natch) but before he fought cowboys, the Fantastic Four, Devil Dinosaur, or the Avengers.

But I barely knew all that. All I knew was, Godzilla was smashing up Salt Lake City and the agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. were trying to stop him. As you can see by the cover, this issue even included a decapitation. As you might not be able to see, it also includes Agent Jimmy Woo of Agents of Atlas fame (he's the little dude in the blue suit right in front of the giant robot head). Some freaky-looking dudes named the Betans had a base on the moon and wanted Godzilla to survived and some freakier-looking dudes called Omegans (where did Doug Moench come up with these names?) wanted Godzilla to lose. And some guy named Herb Trimpe was drawing it all, and he made everyone's mouths look really wide and square. I would later recognize this as A) Trimpe's own take on Kirby style and B) something I could get used to so long as Trimpe kept drawing kick-ass monsters and completely awesome helicarriers.

Marvel has collected the entire Godzilla series into an Essential book that's well worth your hard-earned comics dollar. Eventually I'll review the entire run in something approximation chronological order. Stay tuned, true believers.