TRANS-SCRIBE: Justice League vs Godzilla vs Kong #2

Whilst the first issue of Justice League vs Godzilla vs Kong did a lot of set-up, things finally kick into high gear with the second issue, and we get what we all came to this series for, Superman punching Godzilla in the face! A lot of time with inter company cross-overs there's a sense of trying to play it safe, like neither company want to seem to be the one showcasing 'losers', they want their characters and their IP's to look really cool so that the fans are happy, and that new people will go 'wow, that's cool'. The same way franchises like The Fast and the Furious have gotten ridiculous because big stars have ridiculous clauses in their contracts to never lose, and to be biggest on screen and so such. This kind of thing doesn't seem to be an issue with this series, as this issue showcases characters from both sides having a pretty rough time of it.

The issue picks up where the last one left off, with Superman flying towards Godzilla as the giant lizard steps out of the ocean towards Metropolis. Of course, Superman being who he is, he tries to talk to Godzilla first, to find out if there's a peaceful solution. But it quickly devolves into a fight as Superman learns that Godzilla is able to give even his strength, speed, and invulnerability a challenge, sending the hero smashing through buildings.

The rest of the League are on their way to the city to help when they learn that other giant monsters have appeared in Coast City, Gotham, and Themyscira, resulting in the team having to split up to go and deal with them. They do at least make the smart call to call in every hero that they can to help with this; which also has the added bonus of expanding the 'Justice League' of the title to mean pretty much any and every character.

This being the Legendary Monsterverse we don't really get any big name monsters other than Godzilla make an appearance in the issue. Scylla and Behemoth, who had previously been seen on screen in Godzilla: King of the Monsters come across to the DC universe, as does the giant bat monster Camazotz, which has only ever been seen in comic form. Everyone scatters to go deal with the new monsters, with Green Arrow joining Wonder Woman to head to Themyscira. However, along the way they find a mysterious island that shouldn't be there. Having experience with mysterious islands, Diana drops Ollie off to have a look around Skull Island, sorry, mystery island, as she continues on.

The main bulk of the book is split between Superman fighting Godzilla and the Bat Family taking on the giant bat monster over Gotham. You might be asking how a bunch of regular human vigilantes can deal with a Kaiju. The quick answer is that they don't. Instead, they have the help of Black Canary, who uses a modified sonic device on one of the Bat-Wings to fire her own version of Camazotz's sonic cry back at it, knocking it unconscious. As a fan of Black Canary, this was pretty cool.

The fight with Godzilla is less successful, however, as even with the help of some other heroes the monster is able to bat everything aside. We get a cool moment where we have atomic breath and heat vision clashing; it's very Dragonball and is the kind of thing I picked this book up for. But even with Shazam using his lightning to strike Godzilla in the head the monster us unbeatable. As Superman catches Billy Batson after the lightning strike Godzilla hits them both with his atomic breath. Superman takes the hit to protect Billy, but it leaves him laying in the street, smoke rising from his hopefully just unconscious body.

Whilst there's no King Kong in this issue there is a lot of Kaiju action, and the book doesn't really slow down much to stop from the opening to the final splash page. Even when we check in with the villains, who seem to have been transported back to their home Earth along with the Kaiju, it's in frantic moments as they try to work out what to do with the situation. Despite not having much chance to spend time with the characters Brian Buccellato manages to get some little moments in there that feel nice. Jason Todd is a bit of a dick, and Ollie is fun on every page he's one, but one character who still feels weirdly off is Hal Jordan. I wasn't too keen on him in the first issue, and here he just acts really put out by the idea that Superman might need help. Perhaps it's just me, but something about him didn't sit right with me.

Christian Duce provides art on the issue with Luis Guerrero doing colouring, and the book is a visual treat throughout. This is the kind of book that's fun to read, but you end up flicking through it several more times once you're done, just taking in the art and enjoying the spectacle that's been put to the page. There is a fantastic double page splash of Godzilla smashing Superman through a building that's great, and the final page image of Superman lying on the ground as Godzilla roars in the background is likely to be one of the most shared and remembered images from the series.

Justice League vs Godzilla vs Kong is the kind of comic that just ticks all the right boxes. It's fun, ridiculous, jaw dropping, and looks great throughout. It's the kind of story that my inner child loves, and it's the kind of thing I'd make my action figures do as I smashed them together, imagining epic battles. It might not be trying to do anything novel, nor is it trying to get you to think about themes or messages, it's just here to have fun and absolutely achieves those goals.