It’s a great time to be a Godzilla fan. The Monsterverse movies have been hits, Godzilla Minus One is one of the greatest Godzilla movies ever, and Marvel has been putting out great comics pitting the atomic monster against the heroes of the Marvel Universe. Goji has long been a star of comics, both in Japan and America, and there have been some bizarre Godzilla comics put out by a variety of publishers. Even among those weird books, IDW’s Godzilla’s Monsterpiece Theatre is something else. This series of books takes classic stories, and adds in Tokyo’s greatest enemy to wonderful effect. We’ve seen Godzilla battle numerous superheroes over the decades, but getting to see the monster placed in some of the greatest stories ever is something new.
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Godzilla’s Monsterpiece Theatre Presents: Romeo & Juliet and Godzilla #1 is a pitch perfect retelling of William Shakespeare’s classic tale of young love… except with Godzilla and Mothra. This is the type of comic you see on the shelves and kind of chuckle at. However, if you pass this one up, you’re going to regret it.
Rating: 4 out of 5
| Pros | Cons |
| Seamlessly adds kaiju to one of the greatest love stories ever | If you love Godzilla, but not the classics, this one isn’t for you |
| The art has a classic newspaper comic strip feel to it that works so well | |
| A wonderful synthesis of two worlds that shouldn’t work together |
Godzilla and Romeo and Juliet Are Two Great Tastes that Taste Great Together
Putting together kaiju and Shakespeare is one of those combinations that shouldn’t work, but not only does it work, but it’s so much fun to read. Writer Adam Tierney is able to take the story beats of the classic play and add in Godzilla, Mothra, and Mechagodzilla brilliantly. If you’re walking into this story looking for any exposition about how the kaiju are there, there’s none of that. The main story isn’t changed at all; this is Romeo & Juliet to a tee. Most of the dialogue comes right from the play, and Tierney does a fantastic job of writing in iambic pentameter for the few pieces of dialogue that are all new.
The way Tierney uses the kaiju honestly adds to the tragedy of the whole thing, while also being kind of hilarious at times. Goji attacking in the opening phases of the story changes some events rather heavily, but the story still ends up going in the same direction. Tierney mirrors the affair of Romeo and Juliet with Godzilla and Mothra in a beautifully unexpected way. These kinds of stories – adding modern pop culture to the classics – can feel like a complete tonal whiplash at times, but this issue sidesteps that in the best possible way. This is a fun read, and the back-up story, starring Robin Hood and Godzilla, is the best dessert to an awesome dinner of a comic.
Sean Peacock’s Art Makes the Book Work Perfectly
Sean Peacock draws this story and it’s fantastic. Peacock goes old school with this one. Back in the day, there were comics made of the classics to get kids to read them, and their art had the same feel as this issue. It’s such a charming style, and it makes the story work so much better. There are a lot of fun visual gags that incorporate Godzilla causing chaos in the background of the classic story, and it’s pretty delightful. That one of the best best way to describe everything about this book – delightful – and the art is one of the most important parts of that.
The page layouts are extremely interesting, helping propel the story forward. This doesn’t look or feel like a modern comic, which is part of its charm. Peacock makes a lot of great artistic choices, able to capture the emotion of the love story and the fun of a giant kaiju fight. There are a lot of really cool visuals that will stick with you after reading the book, and it’s the kind of comic you’ll find yourself picking up again to experience the fun one more time. The Robin Hood back-up story, with art by Tom Scioli, combines old school adventure strips with an indie sensibility that make it the perfect ending to this joy of a comic.
More Godzilla is better than less Godzilla, and this book proves it. With Godzilla Minus Zero coming down the pipe, it’s awesome that we aren’t getting the same kind of stories from every Goji adaptation. Whether you enjoy Romeo & Juliet or not is up to you, but even if you don’t like that story, you should pick this issue up. This is old school comic goodness, a fun look at a classic that deserves your attention.
Godzilla Monsterpiece Theatre Presents: Romeo & Juliet and Godzilla #1 is on sale now.
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