Godzilla: Awakening Review and Analysis Thread **SPOILERS INCLUDED**

Greetings, G-fans!  May 7th marked the official release of Legendary Comic’s official prequel graphic novel to the new film… Godzilla: Awakening!  I haven’t seen many people comment on the many revelations of the book yet, and I think this may in part be due to the fact that the book is, for some odd reason, not being released via internet sources until May 13th.  But I was lucky enough to receive the book (the only copy my comic book store had!) early May 7th, and have read it start to finish.  Let me tell you… its friggin' EPIC!!!!

This thread will be the place to post your thoughts, reviews, theories, and questions about Godzilla: Awakening.  As more people read it, feel free to post your short or detailed reviews, ask any questions you may have, and speculate to your heart’s content! :)

PLEASE NOTE: SPOILERS WILL BE SHARED HERE!!!!  READ AT YOUR DESCRETION!!!!

With that out of the way, let the fun begin!

Before I begin my own review, let me start out by sharing this: when Pacific Rim: Tales from Year Zero came out last year prior to the release of the film to theaters, I purchased it but refrained from reading it before I saw the movie, for fear that I might spoil the experience. What I failed to realize was that… IT’S CALLED THE PREQUEL GRAPHIC NOVEL FOR A REASON! When I read the book after the midnight screening of Pacific Rim, I immediately regretted not reading it beforehand. It would have only made the experience of seeing an already incredible move even more incredible. When Awakening was announced, I resolved not to make the same mistake again, and made sure I got a copy before the movie came out. My recommendation… if you can read it before seeing the movie, DO IT! It sets up the entire universe beautifully, and I can already tell that it will help when I finally see the film. And let me also say this… if this movie is even HALF as awesome as this book, we are in for having our minds well and truly blown in a mere 6 days!!!!

Now on to the review!

Let’s start with the plot… and be warned, I’m not holding anything back here, so skip forward if you want to avoid spoilers! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!!!! The story starts off in Japan, in 1980. Ichiro Serizawa, still a young man, has received an urgent call form his father, who wishes to meet with him in person to discuss something incredible. The elder Serizawa reveals that his work with the “Monarch Shipping Company” was a front for his true line of work: pursuing creatures beyond imagination. He tells his son of how he survived the horrific bombing of Hiroshima, and how, as he pulled the infant Ichiro out of the rubble, he saw a strange, diaphones creature form in the sky above him and fly away. The elder Serizawa is a sailor, and one year after Hiroshima, in 1946, his crew is called to rescue the crew of an American ship, which has met with a mysterious accident. The investigation reveals that the ship has been carried inland, ripped apart, and still holds survivors. The Japanese rescue crew is viscously attacked by an insect like creature that then goes after the ship again, knocking it down the hillside and into the ocean. Serizawa is rescued by a survivor name Shaw, who commends him for how he handled himself in the crisis. Serizawa is asked to join a newly formed American/Japanese team created to hunt down and, if possible, destroy the strange creatures, dubbed Massive Unidentified Terrestrial Organisms, or MUTO’s, that have begun appearing. The special Monarch unit is born.

Over the subsequent six years, the Monarch unit tracks the mysterious MUTO’s across the world, where the locals always describe the same scenario: the creature approaches a power source, usually nuclear in nature, only to be chased away by another, far larger creature. While the Monarch team is reticent to believe the existence of this second creature, Serizawa begins to form an obsession with learning about the mysterious monster, whom he dubs “Gojira”, an amalgamation of the words “kujira” (whale) and “gorira” (gorilla), and a popular name for a mystical monster that lives beneath the depths of the sea. While Serizawa gathers information on the mysterious “Gojira”, Monarch scientists discover the true nature of the malevolent monsters: they are, in fact, comprised entirely of millions of smaller, single celled organisms that combine to form an aggregate monster, a “swarm of death”, or, in Japanese, Shinomura. All a single Shinomura cell needs to regrow the entire colony is radiation, meaning he creatures must consume radiation to survive.

When the question of how the creatures have not taken over the world yet arises, Serizawa can hold his tongue no longer, and presents his theories on Gojira. His research has shown that the monster had been spotted and even depicted artistically for thousands of years, and he believes the creature is far older than that. His scenario looks a little like this: 270 million years ago, during the Permian Era, the surface of the Earth was far more radioactive than the modern day, allowing for the development of gigantic creatures that fed on radiation. They fed off of each other, engaging in an eternal struggle that maintained a balance on Earth. But then the Permian Extinction, the greatest extinction event in the Earth’s history, took place, reducing radiation levels on the surface of the planet. Gojira and the Shinomura retreated below the ground, closer to the planet’s radioactive core. But, in 1945, the Hiroshima nuclear attack stirred them from their slumber. The Shinomura witnessed by Serizawa after the bombing grew and multiplied after absorbing radiation, and its presence awakened the “Alpha Predator”, Gojira. But soon, the Shinomura will grow to a massive size, so large that Gojira will not be able to stop them. Despite Serizawa’s warnings, Monarch and the government refuse to believe in the monster’s existence.

Determined to prove that Gojira is real, Serizawa sets out on a research vessel to find the beast. He gets his chance when two Shinomura arrive on Moansta Island (see what they did there?) and merge into one giant creature. Sure enough, Gojira rises to confront them. During the conflict, Serizawa and the Navy witness Gojira for the first time. The morning after the battle, the body of the Shinomura is found, but Serizawa claims that he saw the creature fly away. No one believes that part of the creature survived, and soon a personal visit from General MacArthur himself reveals the final game plan… nuke the monsters.

The U.S. government and Monarch set their plan into motion: the Shinomura and Gojira are headed for the Bikini Atoll, and a nuclear device will be detonated there under the code name “Castle Bravo”. The atoll is evacuated, and as Gojira and the final Shinomura engage in battle, the world’s largest nuclear explosion takes place. The Shinomura is eradicated, but Gojira’s fate is undetermined.

Back in 1980, the elder Serizawa finishes his tale, and tells his son that the world must be prepared for when Gojira returns. He passes on all of his research material to Ichiro, who now knows of his father’s legacy. One year later, Ichiro attends his father’s funeral, after which an older Shaw appears with other government agents. They and Ichiro leave together, with the latter picking up where his father left off. Little does he know of what’s to come…

Well, now that THAT’S out of the way, here are a few thoughts form me! Firstly, this book was not only a great prequel to the film and the new Legendary universe, but it was a phenomenal Godzilla story in general! Seriously, this felt like classic Godzilla at its best, from great characters to awesome monster battles to a strong anti-nuclear message and the old school setting. The flashback nature of the story is handled amazingly well, and there is some tension between the Serizawa’s that reflects what we will apparently see with the Brody’s in the film. The flow of the story is brilliant, and even at a lengthy 80 pages, it moves fast and REALLY leaves you wanting more time in the world of the story… which is the entire point of the book! Well done, for sure!

The art of the book, a collaboration between several artists including Eric Battle, Alan Quah, and a few others, is simply outstanding. The switching between different artists could have been catastrophic for the book, but the work flows wonderfully and seamlessly from cover to cover. It’s hard to tell when the switch from one artist to another has taken place, and the story is so strong that any discrepancies in the art are quickly forgotten. There are a few scenes where background characters appear with no faces and finer details, but it’s nothing too jarring.

Max and Greg Borenstein’s script and story is simply brilliant, and, as I mentioned before, really feels like classic Godzilla. THAT should be reassuring to everyone! The story sets up the universe in a big way, and the plot finally gives us some answers to some big questions fans have been asking for months and even years. The mysteries of Monarch, the origins of Godzilla, the atomic testing cover up, and Serizawa’s fascination with Gojira are all addressed. When the Shinomura emerge, they appear to come from the same sickle-shaped egg/cocoon seen in the trailers and TV spots for the film! The Shinomura are great kaiju, with a great design and a story that should sound familiar to Godzilla fans. The creatures appear to be clear homages to kaiju like Hedorah and Destoroyah, both of which are aggregate creatures made of smaller monsters that grow and transform as the story progresses. Their ability to form other monsters from single cells is eerily reminiscent of the Gargantuas Sanda and Gaira from 1966’s War of the Gargantuas. In fact, there are a number of homages in the story that will make G-fans smile, such as the monster being referred to as “Gojira” for the duration of the comic, the origin of the King of the Monster’s name, and the setting of the comic’s first big Godzilla battle, Moansta Island. Seriously, how awesome is that? :) Also, it’s worth noting that Godzilla uses Atomic Ray quite a lot in the story. He fires it at least three times, and it’s almost identical to the images from the Godzilla Smash game.

Bottom line, this comic was awesome. If reading it doesn’t get your hype levels EVEN MORE through the roof, than you are beyond redemption. The book combines a strong, engaging story with incredible art and the power of a good, classic Godzilla story. I reiterate: if you can read this before you see the movie, I urge you to do so. You will NOT be disappointed!

Story: 9/10

Script: 8/10

Art: 8/10

Awesomeness: 500/10

Well, I’ve certainly said enough! What do you half to say? Post and comment away! :D