Godzilla #18
Published and © by Marvel and Godzilla © Toho, January 1979
Title: “Fugitive in Manhattan!”
Synopsis: Made small by Henry Pym’s shrinking gas, Godzilla escapes S.H.I.E.L.D. custody then battles a rat in New York’s sewer.
Writer: Doug Moench
Penciler: Herb Trimpe
Inker: Dan Green
Review: The Bronze Age is an era when many mainstream comic books started to push the envelope, stretching the medium’s artistic potential and seeking an older audience. And then there were books like Godzilla. And that’s OK. Sure, the simple plots, clunky dialogue and stock characterization often make this book feel like its being written for a younger-than-average Marvel reader. But let’s hope there’s always a place in comics for the king of the monsters to battle a regular ol’ rat in the sewers of New York drawn by journeyman legend Herb Trimpe. Silly, good fun.
Grade: C
Cool factor: Godzilla vs. a nasty, NYC sewer rat!
Not-so-cool factor: It’s always hard not to imagine what some of the era’s top talent could have done with this series (for example, how about a Walt Simonson Godzilla series?)
Character quotable: “Ya little pint-sized lizard lover, let’s hear it – did you unlock that cage?” – Dum Dum Dugan, who needs to run a tighter ship
Editor’s note: This review was written Jan. 27, 2024.
