The most anticipated Godzilla-related thing other than the upcoming movie is finally reaching comic stands. Does the first issue of Rulers of Earth deliver everything it’s been promising? It’s definitely a fun start to what looks to be the new definitive Godzilla series.

Here’s the official description from IDW:

In the wake of the climactic conclusion of Godzilla #13 comes a brand new series!

Dozens of new monsters have risen from the depth and are staking out their own territory, regardless of humanity’s political borders! A war of dominance beings. . . will Godzilla end up on top? First he’ll have to beat a new upstart. . . Zilla!

Sadly Godzilla has been striking out when it comes to his Ongoings. The first, Kingdom of Monsters, was not well received by fans for various reasons. The second ongoing, simply titled Godzilla, took a more traditional route. It didn’t work for a few reasons, there was too much focus on poorly developed characters and undermining of the monsters. Rulers of Earth was looking to fix all of these problems. Being done by two big fans themselves, the third Ongoing received much hype. If this first issue is any indication, we’re in for something truly fun.

Chris Mowry writes, you’ll remember him from the enjoyable Godzilla Legends #4, where Godzilla and Mechagodzilla took on Hedorah. It’s apparent from the beginning that the tone of the story is less grim than the two previous series. It has a very light atmosphere, which is refreshing. The status quo is nicely established. The monsters now coexist semi-peacefully with humans. After over 20 issues, it’s good to see this. No more humans getting surprised by the appearance of Rodan or Titanosaurus. It’s kind of like the Showa era in that regard, which I think is awesome.

The major plot point is the arrival of Zilla. This monster is the creature from the 98 movie and Final Wars. People were skeptical on him appearing in the comic, but I think after reading this that skepticism can be washed away. His appearance was absolutely fantastic. Then when Godzilla arrives in his glorious splash page, you know things are about to get real. There are two major characters established, let’s talk about Lucy. It’s good to have an adventurous female lead, I’m looking forward to seeing her character develop. Steven Woods from Kingdom of Monsters is back for a very cool appearance. I just want to mention that seeing the soldiers looking good was refreshing.

Matt Frank is no stranger to Godzilla, he did the interior for Legends #1 and has been doing variant covers for all the Ongoings. So him doing the interior art for an entire Ongoing was one of the major incentives for people. The art doesn’t disappoint, easily the most dynamic and eye-catching we’ve seen. Godzilla looks absolutely fantastic, but it’s Zilla that steals the show. The art captures his lean look well. The fight is going to be something else to behold. Gigan and Kumonga get into a short but fun scuffle in the middle of the story. I really like how Matt injects personality into these beasts. There are three, in the words of the Doctor Who, ‘fantastic’ covers. The main one by Frank himself is a wraparound featuring Godzilla and a few other monsters. (Including Varan!) A great opening cover. The RI is a stunning piece by Bob Eggleton which is reminiscent of this cover he did for Dark Horse back in the 90’s. The suncription variant by Arthur Adams Variant is a fantstic one featuring Gigan, one that is sure to be fan favorite.

Overall, Rulers Earth starts out nicely with everything we love about Godzilla. The fun atmosphere will be sure to appeal to everyone, and there’s some really good monster action. Zilla, love or hate him, has never looked better. With a classic subplot straight out of one of the movies coming, it’s safe to say this series is going to get big. And not to mention some of the Easter Eggs fans will pick up, such as a model of the Gotengo and a pic of Gorosaurus. Godzilla is back with what looks to be his best comic series yet.

4/5