This is the third, and concluding chapter for the covers to the Marvel Godzilla comic series from the late 1970s. There's also one back cover that will be of interest to nostalgia buff. I'm missing issue #19, so I got that cover online for completion. During these last few issues, Godzilla is shrunk down to size and ends up battling a sewer rat, battles the Fantastic Four, the Avengers and finally, is transported back to prehistoric times where he meets up with Devil Dinosaur and Moon Boy! Double click a pic to see the images in full size.
At top and above are the covers to issues #17 #18 featuring 'The Incredible Shrinking Godzilla' wherein Japan's native atomic son is shrunk down to tiny size by a shrinking gas created by Yellowjacket and must fend off the advances of 'Dum Dum Dugan' and his S.H.I.E.L.D. agents and even a pesky and very hungry rat.
Here's a back cover from one of the last issues of this series. Those who remember the first airings of the original BATTLESTAR GALACTICA will get a kick out of this ad.
As noted above, this is the only issue I am lacking so this cover comes from google images.
Issue #20 continues with Godzilla's "shrinkage", but he begins to grow back to normal size from here and is one pissed off radioactive lizard.
Dr. Doom's time machine is employed to send the 'Leapin' Lizard' back to prehistory days where he teams up briefly with Devil Dinosaur and Moon Boy, a creation of Jack Kirby which only lasted for 9 issues (I'll be posting all those covers next). Godzilla did the dinosaur for two issues before returning to modern times. Above and below are issues #21 and #22.
Issue #23 sees Godzilla taking on some of Marvel's most famous hero teams such as The Avengers and The Fantastic Four.
Issue #24 is the last, and like this entire series, echoes much of what made the famed film series from Toho so memorable and so much fun. A little boy halts Godzilla's rampage, the great beast then returns to the sea. Throughout this series, other staples of the movie series were employed such as races of evil aliens, the construction of a giant robot to counter Godzilla and other allusions to the film series. Spiderman puts in a cameo appearance in this last issue.
UNTIL NEXT TIME....
As always a great trip down memory lane venom!. I would love to see the whole series released in one volume. I certainly would buy it.
ReplyDeleteI they do have the whole series in a single collection, but it's in B/W, I believe. Not sure why they did it in B/W when it was originally in color.
ReplyDeleteGood stuff, would have liked to have read the FF and Avengers issues! Now off to the torrents to remedy said problem...
ReplyDeleteDamn, I am so behind the times, I didn't realize there were comic book TORRENTS, too!
ReplyDelete